The Giants are 5-9, and they will miss the playoffs for a second straight season, but a nice story has played out in their defensive backfield, as cornerback Terrell Thomas has made a successful return from two right ACL tears.
The 28-year-old Thomas has played in all 14 games in 2013 after missing the last two regular seasons, notching 62 tackles and making five starts.
“It’s been a struggle, it’s been a grind but the one thing I’ve always counted on is just my faith and just being blessed to play this game again,” Thomas told reporters Thursday, according to a transcript from the Giants. “No matter how hard it got, I just said, ‘You know what, you could be at home playing Xbox, miserable like I’ve been the last two years.’ ”
Thomas noted that he was “looking forward to the offseason just to rest and be able to catch up and not have to rehab. I can actually get ahead and be able to work on football stuff and not just trying to get healthy enough to play football again.”
Thomas’ knee troubles began in the 2011 preseason, when he was injured against Chicago. His 2012 comeback ended in another ACL injury.
A free agent after the season, Thomas will be 29 in January. Should he test free agency, there will be plenty of questions about how the right knee will hold up, but there’s no doubting his tolerance for hard work.