Rancho grad Thomas making a Giant leap in NFL
Rancho Cucamonga High School grad Terrell Thomas entered the NFL season buried on the New York Giants' depth chart. It's funny how much things can change in a month.
Four games into the season, Thomas, a second-year cornerback out of USC, has started four games for the league's No. 1 defense whose top ranking against the pass hardly does it justice considering the gap between second place.
The Giants are allowing 115 pass yards per game. Philadelphia? 156, Denver 162, etc. Here is the list. Granted, the Giants' schedule hasn't exactly been stacked thus far with Washington, Dallas, Tampa Bay and Kansas City.
Not only did Giants starting cornerback Aaron Ross hurt his hamstring before the season openrer, so did his back up Kevin Dockery, the same Dockery whose injury allowed Thomas to claim a primary role in the Giants' nickel defense as a rookie last season. If the numbers are any indication, the 24-year-old from Alta Loma isn't much of a drop-off, if any.
"You're obviously getting a better feel for the game overall because you're in on every play," Thomas told the Newark Star-Ledger last week. "I feel like I've got a lot of work to do. Your job is never secure in the NFL. It's a high-performance business, and you know every week they're looking to replace you."
Dockery and Ross both returned to practice last week but only Dockery played sparingly in the Giants' 27-16 win over Kansas City on Sunday. In fact, Ross' injury was still severe enough that he pulled himself out of practice on Wednesday, his first day back, and didn't suit up on Sunday.
If Thomas can continue to play a major role, he'll have plenty of opportunity to prove himself in the next month against high-flying offenses the likes of New Orleans, Arizona, Philadelphia and San Diego.
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About Clay
Clay Fowler has been covering high school sports for six years in California and Texas. He was born in Dallas, attended the University of Texas and worked in Central Texas before joining the Daily Bulletin staff in 2006.
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