NFL

Serby’s Q&A with Giants’ Terrell Thomas

Post columnist Steve Serby intercepted Giants defensive back Terrell Thomas for some Q&A before Sunday’s clash with Peyton Manning and the Broncos.

Q: Do you have a brother?

A: Yeah I do.

Q: What’s the age difference?

A: Ten years.

Q: So do you understand the big brother-little brother dynamic?

A: Definitely.

Q: Were you and Kewayti competitive growing up?

A: Without a doubt. He used to always beat me in Madden, and bully me and throw me around, just like any big brother would do. I finally got older, he couldn’t beat me in Madden no more, so he wanted to play board games. He was just in town for the Jets game, and we were playing Monopoly, and I won, and he got mad, he didn’t even want to finish the game. … That rivalry between siblings is a known fact, and I’m pretty sure as much as Eli [Manning] and Peyton try to downplay it, that Eli definitely hates losing to him, and Peyton pretty much enjoys it.

Q: You’re trying to help your quarterback beat his older brother.

A: Yeah definitely. I think for our team, we want to see Eli beat Peyton. Eli deserves it. We deserve it as a team to go 1-1 and win our first game at MetLife, so it’s a lot riding on this game.

Q: Why do you say Eli deserves it?

A: I don’t think he gets the credit he deserves. And I think it’s hard to get the credit he deserves when your brother’s Peyton Manning. Around the league, he’s known as the god. He is Mr. Football. Four-time MVP, Super Bowl champ, soon to be first-ballot Hall of Famer. Eli’s two-time Super Bowl champ, Pro Bowler, two-time Super Bowl MVP, but for some reason, until he won those Super Bowls, it wasn’t really measured up to Peyton. It’s always been tough criticism against Eli, so this is just one for him, even though at the end of the day, it doesn’t matter. But I think it’ll make him feel good that he finally beat his big brother.

Q: Is it possible to trick Peyton?

A: Definitely. But everybody has to be on the same page. We have to make him think it’s something when it’s not. He’s really good at audibling, exposing your weakness in your defense and taking advantage of it.

Q: Eli’s the practical joker, right?

A: Yeah he is. He got me. He got my phone one day in the training room. He put everything to Chinese. I got him back though, I cut his shoelaces just at the bottom. He didn’t know what happened, he went in there and got ’em changed. I think he mighta been late for practice that day (laugh). He still don’t know I did it.

Q: What kind of a player are you now?

A: I’m a work in progress. I’m working to get back to get back to the type of player I was in 2010.

Q: What do you hope Giants fans say about you?

A: He never quit. That’s one thing that the Giant fans want out of you, they want you to go out there and give it your all, and I think they know that that’s what I’m gonna give them. Overcoming three ACLs, two back-to-back, and being in the position I am, I think it’s obviously understood. I think there’s a respect level more than anything.

Q: Do you like to view yourself as an inspiration?

A: Not really. I don’t like to be viewed as an inspiration. Obviously, I think that’s what I am. I just want to be viewed as a guy that never gave up, and kept pushing, and mighta changed somebody’s outlook on life, to never give up and keep striving.

Q: What is so special about your 3 ¹/₂-year-old daughter Tatum seeing you play today?

A: This is her first game actually understanding football, or her dad plays football.

Q: Does she know what you’ve been through?

A: To a certain extent, she knows her daddy’s knee’s been hurt. She’s seen [me on] the crutches, and helping with the ice. She knows I couldn’t run, and now I can run, and I have to go to work and I’m doing this to play football.

Q: Describe her.

A: Very energetic, smart, loving girl. She wants to be the life of the party. She’s always smiling, and asking questions, just like any other young girl.

Q: What drives you?

A: My mom [Teressa Knox]. Just everything she sacrificed as far as saving money, sending me to football camps so that I could be able to be the football player that I wanted to be, and it all paid off. So I owe it to her to keep pushing, and to provide for her, even though I don’t have to, that’s my goal. [Her] being a single mother, I always felt like I had to take care of her, so that drives me.

Q: What happened to your dad?

A: He was there when I was a kid, but he was a rolling stone, had a bunch of kids, and he figured he would follow all of them instead of me, so life goes on.

Q: How did you feel about that at the time?

A: It hurt. And it’s been a burden. I finally got over it a couple of years ago. But growing up as a kid, I was a good kid, and you wonder why your dad’s not there. It’s tough, ’cause you want that around, but my mom did a great job of filling in when needed.

Q: So he was there for you until you were how old?

A: Probably like 7 or 8.

Q: Does he regret doing what he did?

A: Yeah. He tried to explain it to me, but becoming a parent now, it’s just hard to understand, because I love my daughter and I would never forsake her or leave her for anything. … It was just dealing with [the fact] he took care of his other kids and not me. So that was the hardest thing, and maybe why I have a hard feeling towards him or whatever.

Q: What did you think of the Chip Kelly offense?

A: They looked good, but more than anything, it’s gonna take a while, a couple of weeks, people are gonna figure out what they’re doing, and it’s gonna slow down a little bit. And more than anything, let’s see how long it lasts. Running that up-tempo, this is not college, this is grown men, they can’t sustain that for that lon. So as the season wears down, I think the offense will slow down as well.

Q: How does Peyton’s tempo compare to that one?

A: There’s no huddle, so there’s not a chance to catch your breath, or to think or digest what just happened that last play. He wants to get you off guard, he wants to make you uncomfortable. But if you’re alert and you’re ready, then he’s gonna audible and get the best possible matchup.

Q: So is his tempo faster?

A: It can be, at times. But for the most part, if you’re lined up as a defense, he’s gonna slow down, because he wants to see what you’re doing. It’s only up-tempo when your hand’s not in the dirt or you’re not paying attention.

Q: What are your thought about Texans safety D.J. Swearinger’s hit on Dustin Keller?

A: Thank God I don’t play safety, ’cause I don’t know how I can play in this league. It’s truly unfair for the defense, the way they call penalties. Sometimes they don’t understand if I’m running toward the receiver and he catches the ball, then he ducks down, I can’t lower my target because he’s ducking. It’s impossible to do that at full speed. I think everybody gets it that they want a safer league and less head injuries, because that’s tough. You’re talking to a football player that’s had multiple injuries, surgeries or just in general, the one thing you don’t want is knee injury, because that takes you out of football. Concussion you can overcome, you’ll get better. It’s a lose-lose situation for the defense. [Ndamukong] Suh, he got fined for that cut block. But an offensive lineman did it to Kevin Williams in Minnesota, same type of block — dirty play, ball’s the other way, cut him — no fine. As a defensive player, it’s like this is not fair, because we keep getting fined for these illegal hits, but the offense keeps doing these things, and this is not like a 50-50 thing.

Q: What should the league do as far as clarifying?

A: They do a great job of trying to explain in videos what’s a legal hit, but it’s just impossible, this is a contact sport. You’re gonna get hit in the head. You’re gonna be defenseless and you’re gonna get hit. The fines, they’re gonna do what they’re gonna do, but at least, if you’re gonna fine, make it fair on both sides of the ball more than anything.

Q: Do guys understand what the strike zone is?

A: Yeah, we definitely understand the strike zone, but like I said, when you’re playing football, and you’re going full speed, you can’t lower your zone just because he ducked. If you target him, and he’s 5-8 and you’re 6-3, all you can do is go to the knees, then look at Dustin Keller. It sucks for him, but that’s what the league is gonna turn to, ’cause people don’t want to get fined 50K, $100,000. … That’s a lot of money, I don’t care how much money we make.

Q: Have you had a concussion?

A: Mild concussions. Probably one or two.

Q: Most recently when?

A: My rookie year.

Q: What did you think of the recent concussion settlement?

A: We lost again (chuckle). The way it gets paid out, it’s like $40,000 to each player. I think they could have got more, I think they deserve more, but at least you got something.

Q: It’s a loss because why?

A: I think because they had the NFL in a corner, and they let ’em out of it, because there were too many stories about players not getting the right treatment, and that’s wrong. It’s different when a player gets a concussion, and he wants to go back out there. But if you know he’s not able … You hear these stories about a guy not being able to remember this, and the doctor saying, “He’s perfectly fine to go back in.” It’s sad and it’s scary at the same time. I would hope never to be in that situation, because when you’re concussed, you don’t know what’s truly going on. So when a doctor says you’re good to go, you’re gonna believe the doctor, and there was just bad treatment going on back in the day.

Q: How does Wes Welker compare to Victor Cruz?

A: I think he’s totally different than Victor. He’s very explosive east and west. He’s a good wide receiver overall, but in that slot, he’s very dangerous because he has the option to go in or our based on your leverage. So even when you have good technique, did your job right, if he runs away from your leverage, there’s nothing you can do other than make the play and try to chase him down. He’s the best at it, to be honest with you, in the business. He gets open, he finds the void.

Q: What was it like going from Coach Pete Carroll at USC to Coach Coughlin?

A: It was a little different, but [Coughlin] got softer by the time I got here, they’d just come off the Super Bowl. One thing I respect about Coach Coughlin is he’s black and white, there’s no gray area.

Q: Favorite NYC things?

A: I love going to Soho. I go down there to shop and eat and just walk around, especially in the spring when everybody’s out, all the art, and just the people. It’s just a great energy. I heard Brooklyn’s like that but I haven’t been to Brooklyn, so I guess that’s next.

Q: You like to people watch?

A: Yeah, I love getting in a cab, and you just see all the beautiful women, … all these big dogs in these little apartments. … You see some of the biggest dogs in the world in New York City (smile).

Q: Three dinner guests?

A: Jesus Christ, and probably my grandma [Patricia Foster] and grandpa [Jerome Foster]. That always hurt me that they never got to see me play college football.

Q: Favorite movie?

A: “The Five Heartbeats.”

Q: Favorite actor?

A: Denzel Washington.

Q: Favorite entertainer?

A: Jamie Foxx.

Q: Favorite meal?

A: Fried chicken, spinach, macaroni and cheese and Hawaiian rolls.

Q: Why didn’t you give up?

A: My mom didn’t raise me to be a quitter. God has prepared me for this, to endure the things that I have. … There were times where we slept in a car, or we stayed at my mom’s friend’s house, or just anywhere we could lay our head at the time. … It was a challenge, and I accepted it. A lot of people doubted me — that didn’t motivate me, but it definitely motivates you to prove a lot of people wrong.

Q: What did it mean to you that the Giants never gave up on you?

A: It means a lot. I can’t say enough about this organization, from the Maras, to the Tischs, Coach Coughlin, and to [trainer] Ronnie Barnes, more than anything. He definitely believed in me, and made sure that I had the opportunity to come back. And that’s all you need sometimes is the opportunity, and I was just so thankful for the opportunity. And I owed it to them, because I felt like I let them down. They invested a lot of money in me the previous year, and [I] got hurt, and [they] gave me another opportunity to come back, so definitely didn’t want to be a letdown.