daniel thomas...panthers game tale of the tape

[hoops]

and away we go...the following is a first half breakdown of d thomas on a pretty much snap by snap basis...i left out some of the pass plays where he came out of the backfield and either ran a wheel route or sat down underneath in the center of the field and didn't get the ball...not cause i took issue with anything...he looked fine...

1st play he gets the ball and follows his blocking on the play wide right...i saw a nice lateral side step on the play after taking the handoff but quite frankly there was no blocking...he did well to get back to the los on the play...

2nd play single back he picks up a free from the get go dt in pass pro shows solid form and effort and gets rocked back but gives henne the time to hit marshall on the slant...pretty good considering thomas probably gives up every bit of 50 lbs to that dt and that guys umimpeded with a head of steam...solid work there

3rd snap goalline tries to leap the pile from the 5 yard line...in the air gets popped and the ball comes free...luckily we kept the ball...its not a good idea to try and jump piles from that distance in this league...not a good play...hopefully there's a lesson in there

4th snap again goalline my notes say awfully high when he approaches the goalline...you can see the initial burst when he heads vertical but his heads almost completely up and he gets drilled by a lb...stuffed at the one pretty much...we need better pad level on the goalline...i want to see that head down more also...it would help him deliver more blows than he takes

5th snap again goalline my note says he's running into a wall...the interior oline is blown back and he's got nothing...

6th snap pass pro picks up the de johnson nicely...solid work

7th snap makes one cut shows a nice quick burst and vision and gets inside fasanos block before he's tripped up by the outside lb but still falls for another 3 yards...nice 8 yard gain

next snap fake the inside handoff to thomas who carries out the fake nicely end around to gates...

another snap we split him out wide and he runs a straight go pretty much and he's got a step on the db...but there's a deep safety out there...just a wrinkle for a 230 lb guy you don't expect

another snap the feet are on display when he makes a nice inside cut on a clay cut block and gets north and south inside of clays block and then gives the db the shoulder shake and and gains another 5 yards...nice run here...vision feet...quick initial burst all on display here...

pass pro picks up a blitzing db off the edge nicely...no problem

nice one cut run where he carries a de 5 yards after contact...

one cut hit at los carries pile 3 yards...

next play goalline from the 4 makes one cut gets north and south the quick burst is on display cuts up between the guard and center and gets carried into the endzone for the td...

i have to say i take issue with anyone who says this kid can't pass protect...he picked up everything he was supposed to didn't try to just put a shoulder on a guy he squared them up and took them on head on...was willing and showed toughness

as a runner i paused the dvr multiple times to see where the defenders were when he made his cuts and picked a lane to run in and i was hard pressed to find yards he left on the field...he carried more defenders than i expected for yards after contact kept his feet and legs moving as well...the kids feet are outstanding for his size...he has nice lateral quickness and an initial burst that you want in downhill rbs...when he puts his foot in the ground and gets vertical its on display...the quick burst

the pad level is a concern he's gonna probably take a lot more than he dishes out if he doesn't shore that up...and we need to see better form on the goalline but all in all i thought this kid played damn well...there's nothing here that would prevent me from making him my #2 rb heading into the season...nothing

 

[damanref10]

and away we go...the following is a first half breakdown of d thomas on a pretty much snap by snap basis...i left out some of the pass plays where he came out of the backfield and either ran a wheel route or sat down underneath in the center of the field and didn't get the ball...not cause i took issue with anything...he looked fine...

1st play he gets the ball and follows his blocking on the play wide right...i saw a nice lateral side step on the play after taking the handoff but quite frankly there was no blocking...he did well to get back to the los on the play...

2nd play single back he picks up a free from the get go dt in pass pro shows solid form and effort and gets rocked back but gives henne the time to hit marshall on the slant...pretty good considering thomas probably gives up every bit of 50 lbs to that dt and that guys umimpeded with a head of steam...solid work there

3rd snap goalline tries to leap the pile from the 5 yard line...in the air gets popped and the ball comes free...luckily we kept the ball...its not a good idea to try and jump piles from that distance in this league...not a good play...hopefully there's a lesson in there

4th snap again goalline my notes say awfully high when he approaches the goalline...you can see the initial burst when he heads vertical but his heads almost completely up and he gets drilled by a lb...stuffed at the one pretty much...we need better pad level on the goalline...i want to see that head down more also...it would help him deliver more blows than he takes

5th snap again goalline my note says he's running into a wall...the interior oline is blown back and he's got nothing...

6th snap pass pro picks up the de johnson nicely...solid work

7th snap makes one cut shows a nice quick burst and vision and gets inside fasanos block before he's tripped up by the outside lb but still falls for another 3 yards...nice 8 yard gain

next snap fake the inside handoff to thomas who carries out the fake nicely end around to gates...

another snap we split him out wide and he runs a straight go pretty much and he's got a step on the db...but there's a deep safety out there...just a wrinkle for a 230 lb guy you don't expect

another snap the feet are on display when he makes a nice inside cut on a clay cut block and gets north and south inside of clays block and then gives the db the shoulder shake and and gains another 5 yards...nice run here...vision feet...quick initial burst all on display here...

pass pro picks up a blitzing db off the edge nicely...no problem

nice one cut run where he carries a de 5 yards after contact...

one cut hit at los carries pile 3 yards...

next play goalline from the 4 makes one cut gets north and south the quick burst is on display cuts up between the guard and center and gets carried into the endzone for the td...

i have to say i take issue with anyone who says this kid can't pass protect...he picked up everything he was supposed to didn't try to just put a shoulder on a guy he squared them up and took them on head on...was willing and showed toughness

as a runner i paused the dvr multiple times to see where the defenders were when he made his cuts and picked a lane to run in and i was hard pressed to find yards he left on the field...he carried more defenders than i expected for yards after contact kept his feet and legs moving as well...the kids feet are outstanding for his size...he has nice lateral quickness and an initial burst that you want in downhill rbs...when he puts his foot in the ground and gets vertical its on display...the quick burst

the pad level is a concern he's gonna probably take a lot more than he dishes out if he doesn't shore that up...and we need to see better form on the goalline but all in all i thought this kid played damn well...

whats good hoops.

nice read!

 

[Phinatic8u]

Good **** hoops..

 

[damanref10]

one thing im starting to notice with Daniel and also Reggie Bush (surprisingly i know.. but gotta give credit where credit is due) is that they are hitting the hole much quicker than Ronnie and Ricky.. which is not crazy in the least bit, but the end of a lot of plays end up with a good ankle tackle by the defender...

what I look at this is, if the defender doesnt make a great tackle, a good run turns into a big chunk run and potentially a REALLY great run.
obviously its only been two preseason games, but between the two of them so far, im finding myself saying "oh wow... if only that last guy didnt snag him!"

and thats something we havent had in a long time.

The fumbling worries me more than the pad level, but I think as the season moves on... hes going to figure it out. He has a GREAT first step through the LOS and nice feet.. some coaching would be nice to shore up the fumbling, but I'm liking what im seeing so far

 

[Miamifinz]

Wow, awesome read. I feel like I owe you money . DT has nowhere to go but up.

 

[MiamiDolphin618]

That is great to hear about the blocking. His vision seems pretty good, and I completely agree that the kid has excellent feet, with the potential to be elite if he keeps working hard and improving in that aspect. I think his pad level has always been a bit of a concern, as well as ball security. With that said, he hasnt shown me anything that says wow this kid wont make it because of fumbling or taking to many hits, he just needs to improve. I think we have a solid back on our hands in DT. Wit hard work, and some improvements in a few areas, the kid could be a stud. JMO

 

[hoops]

i definitely think ball security in traffic is something we're gonna need to see more of...on college tape that balls in one arm and away from his body in traffic alot...high and tight baby...and if you run with your head up and take big shots i don't care if its high and tight or not the balls gonna be on the ground...drop that pad and head level some and deliver the blow...not just take it

what he's not gonna do is outrun guys at this level...i never saw top end speed on college tape...

 

[SRM]

Two words I've seen that have been used by basically everyone describing DT the past two games.. "quick burst". Think he's got a little more speed than advertised. I recall him saying he did get a little bit faster. Sure looks like it to me.

 

[damanref10]

i definitely think ball security in traffic is something we're gonna need to see more of...on college tape that balls in one arm and away from his body in traffic alot...high and tight baby...and if you run with your head up and take big shots i don't care if its high and tight or not the balls gonna be on the ground...drop that pad and head level some and deliver the blow...not just take it

what he's not gonna do is outrun guys at this level...but not many do

agree.

I LOVED the blitz pickup from him, thought he did a great job, and at this level if you want to be on the field... thats a huge aspect of a rookies game that usually is slacking.

The one thing im not understanding or rather agreeing with some people about is how big he looks... He's 6 feet tall, so hes no little back, but i think the guy looks pretty solid. Others seem to say how "small" he looks, but i just dont see that.. i see him and i think, guy is much bigger than he looked in a KState uniform...

 

[hoops]

he looks plenty big enough to me...not absolutely massive like brandon jacobs...that dudes just scary big when you think of having to tackle him coming downhill but thomas is plenty big enough...he doesn't look like he's carrying any bad weight to me either...looks solid...and he's tall...looks tall...but that can also be a bad thing...you give the defense an awful lot to hit when you run upright and are long like that

 

[damanref10]

he looks plenty big enough to me...not absolutely massive like brandon jacobs...that dudes just scary big when you think of having to tackle him coming downhill but thomas is plenty big enough...he doesn't look like he's carrying any bad weight to me either...looks solid

hes nowhere near Brandon Jacobs.. but thats not what hes being compared to lol.
so many people on the board keep saying how little he looks, but i just dont see it. The guy looks to be of the same body type as Matt Forte.. obviously not as tall, Matt is like 6"2 i think. But that big strong body frame, combined with Daniel's feet.. im loving it.

What i loved the most was how he got better as the game went on.. whether its because he really does get better as the game goes on... or Carolina's 2nd teamers had somehting to do with it is yet to be determined.. but getting stronger as the game goes on is a great quality to have (Reggie has yet to show that)...

 

[hoops]

i think if the oline can create running lanes daniel thomas will be in them...and thats about as much as i could ask i guess...once or twice i thought he just followed the blocking where it was designed and didn't really see it but again this kids a rook...and i'm sure coaches are in his ear about not improvising...what i didn't see which was nice was once he made up his mind on where he was going and made a cut there was no dancing...and he made up his mind quick once he got the ball...

 

[Mr. Magoo]

Good post, hoops. I agree. Thomas did a much better job running with patience against Carolina. He looked outright frantic in the first game, running up the backs of his linemen, flailing in his change of direction. He slowed down against Carolina and looked better as a result. I think he could stand to run with a bit more patience, but overall he looked pretty good out there.

I'm with you that he has the makings of a stellar pass protector. Whatever his technical flaws -- and he definitely still has them -- that ability to pass protect is going to help keep him on the field getting live fire experience, and that's a really good thing for his development.

One thing I'd like to see evidence that he's been working on is a stiff arm. He never really showed one in college but given his abnormally long arms (for a running back), that has the potential to be a weapon in his arsenal. So far, though, I haven't seen it in preseason either (the closest I saw was him trying to throw an elbow on someone in the Atlanta game). Oh, well. At least he's carrying the ball higher and tighter.

I'd still personally like to see three or four screens thrown to him before this preseason is over. So far I can't recall any screens to anyone. Then again with our slug-like linemen maybe that's not such a good idea.

 

[Doug385]

"What i loved the most was how he got better as the game went on... "

this is why I'm interested in seeing him as a dual threat along side reggie bush. think our running game will have the ability to really tire out opposing defenses... add to that, BOTH pose a threat in the receiving game. I think that, barring an injury riddled and inconsistent offensive line (as we've seen in years past) we will see big things from our running backs this year...

 

[SRM]

Good post, hoops. I agree. Thomas did a much better job running with patience against Carolina. He looked outright frantic in the first game, running up the backs of his linemen, flailing in his change of direction. He slowed down against Carolina and looked better as a result. I think he could stand to run with a bit more patience, but overall he looked pretty good out there.

I'm with you that he has the makings of a stellar pass protector. Whatever his technical flaws -- and he definitely still has them -- that ability to pass protect is going to help keep him on the field getting live fire experience, and that's a really good thing for his development.

One thing I'd like to see evidence that he's been working on is a stiff arm. He never really showed one in college but given his abnormally long arms (for a running back), that has the potential to be a weapon in his arsenal. So far, though, I haven't seen it in preseason either (the closest I saw was him trying to throw an elbow on someone in the Atlanta game). Oh, well. At least he's carrying the ball higher and tighter.

I'd still personally like to see three or four screens thrown to him before this preseason is over. So far I can't recall any screens to anyone. Then again with our slug-like linemen maybe that's not such a good idea.

Well, we threw one to Reggie last game but the screen and Reggie himself got blown up..

Like you said, with our line, these kinds of plays suck. Just like our reverse did.. which I don't think was a bad call, it's just that someone (or a few someones) let their man go right past them on it.