NEW ORLEANS — That is the fourth Tremendous Bowl for Kayvon Thibodeaux.
The identical for Bobby Okereke.
After all, this doesn’t imply what it sounds prefer it might imply.
The Giants for fairly a while haven’t come shut to creating it this far.
Thibodeaux and Okereke since 2022 frolicked the week main into the massive recreation in Los Angeles; Glendale, Ariz.; Las Vegas; and, for the following few days, the Massive Straightforward — following within the footsteps of so many athletes who attempt to reap the benefits of the megahype to make some cash and construct their model off the sphere.
Enjoyable, proper? Properly, sure. And no.
“I hate being right here,” Thibodeaux instructed The Put up on Tuesday. “You attempt to play within the massive recreation, man, that is what we do it for. We’re rivals, we wish to win. That’s actually the end-all, be-all, to win, particularly on this group sport.’’
That is an particularly tough time to characterize the Giants.
Thibodeaux has been with the franchise for 3 seasons and Okereke two, and neither has skilled a lot success.
The entire deal went from dangerous to worse in 2024.
The Giants gained simply three video games, Thibodeaux missed 5 video games round midseason with a fractured wrist, and Okereke missed the ultimate 5 with a herniated disk in his again.
Every thing about touring to the Tremendous Bowl metropolis and becoming a member of within the festivities is in a roundabout way a reminder of why they’re right here. It isn’t about soccer, that’s for certain.
“All this interview observe is sweet, media content material, social stuff is nice, however on the finish of the day, everyone right here is celebrating the 2 groups taking part in, the Chiefs and the Eagles,” Okereke stated, “and as a competitor, one thing in you desires to be the group celebrating, have that spotlight on you and be on the largest stage.’’
The Giants don’t get to play on the largest stage.
Their 3-14 report put them off-off-off-off Broadway, removed from the intense lights, buried in NFL darkness.
“In the case of understanding the warmth and the eagerness of the sport, and what it takes for folks to be invested in your group and what it takes to earn the respect of followers and simply the NFL as an entire, yeah, you do hate being on the backside,” stated Thibodeaux, who together with Okereke was on media row on behalf of Bounty paper towels. “You do really feel a burning need to rise to the highest.’’
The Giants are at or close to the underside.
The Eagles are near reaching the highest.
That’s one other insult the Giants should cope with.
Seeing an NFC East rival that has owned them for the previous decade is dangerous sufficient.
Seeing one in every of their very own, Saquon Barkley, lead the cost, effectively, that’s an eyesore, so far as the Giants are involved.
“It’s robust as a result of all of us perceive it is a enterprise,” Okereke stated. “The pleasure and love we now have for being a New York Big, on the finish of the day we now have a group proprietor, we now have a common supervisor, we now have lots of people within the finance division upstairs who cope with the numbers exterior of the Xs and Os of soccer. So there may be that side of it. Now we have numerous love and respect for Saquon, for the management he confirmed when he was a Big and the performs that he made.’’
Thibodeaux juggled his blended feelings adroitly.
“I hate the Eagles, man,” he stated. “However on a private degree, tremendous pleased with Saquon, tremendous pleased with what he’s been capable of do. I feel everyone has their very own trials and tribulations and mountains to climb, and he’s been climbing his, so positively, I’m not rooting for the Eagles, however I’m rooting for him.’’
Barkley ran for two,005 yards in his first season with the Eagles.
He by no means soared that prime with the Giants.
“Simply fascinated by Saquon’s profession with the Giants, he had a banged-up group and or not the most effective group he has now,” Thibodeaux stated. “The Eagles roster is loaded, they received numerous nice gamers, they received nice All-Execs up entrance. While you put a dynamic participant like Saquon on a stable roster with not as many accidents and never as many conditions and all of the expertise round him, he can succeed.’’