Q. How do you look back at your rookie year, Kayvon, individually?
KAYVON THIBODEAUX: Pretty good. Played my rookie year, left a lot of space to grow, got better as time went on. Continuously put the work in. I'm excited for the second year now.
Q. What are some of the things you're looking to get better at as far as your technique is concerned as far as a pass rusher?
KAYVON THIBODEAUX: Getting sacks, finishing, a lot of times when I had a good pass rush that I didn't finish. You realize the guy on the other side of the line pays a lot of money. They're not going to let him get touched.
Continuing to sharpen the end of my rush, that third phase and make sure I start to finish.
Q. Were you the kind of guy that almost like (inaudible) every snap? Did you sit down and at one point and watch and watch and watch?
KAYVON THIBODEAUX: I watched most of it. I didn't watch the good plays. They're dead and gone now. I was trying to eliminate as many bad plays as possible. I don't think there were that many bad plays, but even the rushes that I didn't, just trying to figure out what I can do to finish.
Q. During the season, you thought maybe you needed to get stronger, maybe more in your legs. I'm curious how you address that?
KAYVON THIBODEAUX: I think it's -- it's funny, so my lower body -- it will never look bigger but I'm as strong as anybody else when it comes to squatting, when it comes to lifting and things like that.
But what I started to learn was more of the application of my strengths, how to figure out how to use my leverage and use the things I have to my advantage.
Q. Were there one or two plays from last year, talking about finishing, that you didn't finish that really stuck with you?
KAYVON THIBODEAUX: Yeah, the first game, I think we played Washington. It was a second-guess kind of a step that threw me off even though I was unblocked.
There was a couple of snaps in the Eagles game, first game we played, where I could have had an impact if I finished the top of my rush.
And I know there was one against the Texans, when I was going against Laremy Tunsil, he's a who's really long, but I let him, at the end of my rush, I let him get his hands on me where I should have been able to get around him.
Q. What does it say to you and (indiscernible) your world really, they made a lot of upgrades, brought in a lot of players in different positions. They're kind of rolling it back, running it backwards with you guys there as edge rush there. In other words, they didn't bring somebody else in. Kind of the same group that it was last year. What's that say to you that the offense or --
KAYVON THIBODEAUX: We have a great GM. Since I've been here I told myself I want to be something like a GM, so I started looking at what the team's need and whatever the case is.
I think he's brought in the right pieces for us to continue to grow, on the offensive side and defensive side. A lot of guys he did bring in that are here now are primed and they're some great players, so I'm excited to get out there and start training camp.
Q. They didn't bring any edge rushers though. What's that say about your group?
KAYVON THIBODEAUX: I don't know how much money they spend on edge rushers. I'm excited.
Q. You piqued my interest. You see yourself working in the front office?
KAYVON THIBODEAUX: Not really. I just want to be an analyze like you guys and see what the next moves are for teams. For me even being on a team trying to figure out what components does a team need to succeed. Just kind of looking at it from a 360 point of view.
Q. You dig into analytics at all in terms of how it can help you as a player?
KAYVON THIBODEAUX: I mean, we just brought in a corner. I know that will help. I'm excited to see some more lockdown coverage. I'm excited to be able to make things happen.
Q. Along those lines, you like to do this type of stuff, what do you think of all the new additions to the defensive side of the ball?
KAYVON THIBODEAUX: They're amazing. Now we have depth. I'm excited. A lot of guys are here to work. There's no egos. There's nobody that doesn't want to get better.
So if you look out there, looks like practice is still going on because there's a lot of guys still training with each other, helping each other out. That's the culture we're dealing with.
Q. (Indiscernible) offensive guys that can really challenge you guys?
KAYVON THIBODEAUX: Even today they made some plays, made me excited seeing them make plays and seeing them gel together and continue to grow that chemistry.
Q. Other than the snaps you said you studied, things can you do better, what do you think you learned most about what this is all about, what the NFL life is all about, that you couldn't have known before this?
KAYVON THIBODEAUX: That, yeah, dinner gets expensive. When you go a year going out to dinner every week you realize I'm going to start eating at home, going to the grocery store.
Q. The Giants did some video the other day where you guys walked off the field and you had to say something nice about the guy -- I noticed you were walking off with Evan. You guys will always be linked, same draft class, top-10 pick. You had success; he had ups and downs last year as a rookie. What have you seen from him in terms of maybe where he's grown and maybe you going against him, what he showed you as a rookie versus what he showed everybody else?
KAYVON THIBODEAUX: You know, the thing about playing defensive and offense is that if we lose, they're not just going to point at me. But if we lose, they're going to point at the O line. For him I think he's been able to process it more mentally. I feel like coming into it he starts to get an understanding.
And me too, just figuring out you have to play to your strengths. A lot of guys come to the NFL, they want to be like somebody else or want to take every tool you can get. But at the end of the day you are who you are. And once you start to understand what type of player you are and how you can grow with the assets you already have, you become a great player.
So I think he's done a great job, one, blocking out the noise and continuing to stay on his ground, and continuing to ask those questions, be hungry, be curious.
Q. You look at last year in the spring versus this year now and how maybe last year was maybe -- not yours, but how locked in, more locked in do you feel like into your game versus last year how much is that going to help you moving forward?
KAYVON THIBODEAUX: When you talk about being "locked in," it's a different mentality. When you haven't played against NFL-caliber guys, you don't really know how big, how strong you need to be, how fast you need to be.
Once you kind of get that down and you start to really learn the ins and outside of the games, which is what I started to do at the end of the season last year, going into this year, it becomes a lot easier. Now I can focus on the offense and not so much focus on myself but figure out the different tips and tricks I can do going into training camp.
Q. You talked about unfinished business in terms of sacks. Can you put a number on that at all?
KAYVON THIBODEAUX: No, because I had a number on it last year, and I figured out that the season is so long that you have to do it by game. So if I can make impactful plays like I was able to do and continue to win, I mean, no one will ever remember me.
So as long as we win, as long as I continue to play well, play for my teammates I think I'll be good.
Q. (Indiscernible) maybe thinking not about a number of sacks, but kind of about more the season as a whole. How did you process that, or when did that start to change?
KAYVON THIBODEAUX: You go four sacks, four or five games with no sacks you start to realize forget that number -- forget the number. What can I do to just make a play?
So after come Baltimore game it was, all right, I've got to make a play. I don't really have time to think about the goals I had. I've got to go for something now.
FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports