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Giants Sign Cornerback Terry Cousin
Eight-year veteran was member of 2003 NFC Champions Panthers.
By Michael Eisen, Giants.com

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March 24, 2004

East Rutherford, N.J. - The Giants today strengthened their secondary with the addition of cornerback Terry Cousin.

An eight-year veteran, Cousin played the last two seasons with the Carolina Panthers after previous stops in Chicago, Atlanta and Miami. He has played 98 regular season games, with 43 starts.

In 2003, Cousin started 13 games at left cornerback for the NFC Champion Panthers. He lost his starting job because of a late-season calf injury but was still the first cornerback to enter the game against three and four wide receiver sets during Carolina's playoff run.

In the regular season, Cousin had 57 tackles (40 solo), two sacks and five passes defensed. He added 14 tackles (nine solo) in the playoffs, including six (two solo) in the Super Bowl XXXVIII loss to New England, when he also knocked down two passes.

"It was a lot fun," Cousin said of Carolina's Super Bowl season. "It's something everybody who plays football or has an affiliation with football wants to experience. It was fun going on the road and beating a St. Louis team that was high-powered and then dethroning Philadelphia, which was supposedly destined to be there. Playing in the Super Bowl was fun. The game went by much slower than I anticipated. I thought it would be over quick, but it took a long time to end."

When asked how frustrated he was at being limited to a reserve role during last season's stretch run, Cousin said, "It was disappointing to go through that. You went through everything in the beginning to get your team there. For them to make a decision to do it that way was tough. We were on a great run and I didn't want to put myself before the team. Nobody ever wants to go through that. But I was not going to stop my teammates from getting what they deserved. It was something you had to endure as a player."

Cousin started all 16 games in 2002, his first season with the Panthers, and finished with a career-high 82 tackles (57 solo), tied his career-high with two interceptions and led the team with a career-best 19 passes defensed. He also had six special teams tackles.

Cousin joined Carolina as a free agent after spending the 2001 season with the Miami Dolphins. He played all 16 games with two starts in Miami and finished with 58 tackles (48 solo), including two sacks.

In 2000, Cousin played 15 games for the Atlanta Falcons, seeing most of his action on special teams and as a dime back. He had six tackles (four solo).

Cousin entered the NFL as an undrafted free agent with the Chicago Bears in 1997. He was waived on Aug. 24 of that season and signed to the Bears' practice squad two days later. Cousin was added to the active roster on Oct. 25 and made his NFL debut against Miami on the 27th. He played in six games that season.

In 1998, Cousin played in 16 games for the Bears, with 12 starts. After opening the season as a nickelback, Cousin became the starting left cornerback when Tom Carter suffered an injury He ranked second on the team with 18 passes defensed and had 73 tackles (55 solo) and his first career interception, off of Brett Favre. The following year, Cousin again played all 16 games, with nine starts at right cornerback, including the final eight games of the year. He was waived by the Bears on Aug. 27, 2000 and signed by the Falcons the following day.

Cousin was a four-year letterman at the University of South Carolina, where he finished his career with 203 tackles and five interceptions. As a senior in 1996, he had 51 tackles, two interceptions, 10 passes defensed and averaged 18.4 yards on 14 kickoff returns.

Cousin was an all-county running back and was named his team's most valuable offensive player after rushing for 739 yards and 11 touchdowns as a senior at Miami Beach High School.

Cousin and his wife, Carmen, have a daughter, Zahria Sanoe. Cousin was born on April 11, 1975.

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