Confidence Overload: Walter Thurmond Bringing ‘Swag’ to Giants’ Secondary

Walter Thurmond and Michael Strahan – © USA TODAY Sports Images

[contentblock id=1 img=html.png]

Where Walter Thurmond III comes from, it’s not uncommon to voice your opinion.

If you think you can be the best, say it. If you feel you already are, scream it. At the end of the day, the way you feel simply stems from the confidence within yourself.

And confidence, well, the 26-year-old corner is overflowing with that. Heck, the first time he met the New York media he declared himself the best nickel corner in the NFL.

“That’s how I am,” Thurmond said “I’m not gonna say something if I can’t back it up. I was able to do that last year.”

‘Last year’ ended with Thurmond and his Seattle Seahawk teammates hoisting of the Vince Lombardi trophy. The California native was an integral part of Seattle’s secondary which gave itself the nickname: ‘The Legion of Boom.’

Thurmond and his teammates were confident, boisterous and let everyone know what they felt they could do on any given play. So when the corner signed with the Giants this offseason, he brought that same mentality with him to East Rutherford.

To his surprise, those already crammed inside the cornerbacks’ meeting room shared that same confidence. They just were a little more reluctant to let it out.

“Some of the younger players just haven’t had the opportunity to express themselves in that manner yet, for whatever reason,” Thurmond said. “They already had it in them, now it’s fun to see them let it out.”

Contributing to Thurmond’s confidence overload is fellow free-agent signee Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie. The two have worked to bring the Giants’ secondary together as a brotherhood. Thurmond says if the team’s able to do that, it’ll pay massive dividends on the field.

While many secondaries throughout the league have been together for years, Thurmond and his teammates are working to build camaraderie in a short period of time. The closer the group gets, the better all will play.

Thurmond referenced how in Seattle’s secondary, every player knew what every player was thinking without a word being uttered. While the Giants aren’t on that level yet, they’re getting close.

“To be able to play together, especially in these preseason games, it really helps,” Thurmond said. “The more we’re out there together in that fire and on that gridiron being able to compete, that just builds that bond even more.”