6'1" and 228 lbs is not big?
He certainly doesn't look big or run big. I guess I may be wrong and he might weigh enough to be considered big, but he doesn't come across as a big back.
6'1" and 228 lbs is not big?
As I said when he was drafted, one problem we are going to have is pass blocking in the NFL.
So far D Thomas has missed more blocks then he has tried to make.
And R Bush does not block at all.
Chad Henne is going to get killed.
It would be a shame if we have to keep Larry Johnson in on passing downs or even keep Larry Johnson.
I Heart You! My sentiments exact.i sure hope sparanos undressing this oline on the sidelines for not creating anything for thomas to run thru less the panthers game like he's undressing this kid...if it wasn't for d thomas feet in the bucs game he wouldn't have had any yards...the blocking was horrendous
stop trying to make this kid the scapegoat for your craptastic hand picked oline
Question. Are Thomas' problems coachable, or are they instinctual?
IF it doesn't bite as a puppy!
And we all know how good Parcells is at evaluating a football team.
Looks like Thomas will get to inflate his average some more against 2nd stringers.
He needs to step up and be better. I don't care if he is raw and this is only his 3rd year at a true tailback position, he was drafted to contribue a lot this year and he's not showing the ability to do that.
He's only got a 3.2 yards per carry average this preseason but even that's inflated by his work against 2nd string defenses. He's carried 9 times for 21 yards against 1st string defenses, and 14 times for 52 yards against 2nd and 3rd string defenses. Reggie Bush has run 13 times for 47 yards against the same 1st string defenses. Not good, but still better.
I haven't been very impressed by what I've seen of Thomas. I think Sparano's comments are on the mark, about tip-toeing through the hole and playing too upright. He was drafted to be a power back but he's not really running hard or with much power. He's not creating yards that aren't there with his vision, speed or power like I see other backs doing out there. He's just taking the yards that are out there, whereas other guys create more yards than were out there to be had. I've seen some other backs out there, including young ones and rookies, that look a lot better and regularly show a lot more ability to create their own yards. That includes the likes of Mark Ingram, Kendall Hunter, Stevan Ridley, Jamie Harper, Delone Carter, Roy Helu and DuJuan Harris. Some of those are not guys that I liked, but they're doing really well nonetheless.
EDIT: Almost forgot Dion Lewis. He's looked really good.
Don't forget Taiwan Jones, he's been going off for the Raidas. Fun player to watch.
Looks like Thomas will get to inflate his average some more against 2nd stringers.
He needs to step up and be better. I don't care if he is raw and this is only his 3rd year at a true tailback position, he was drafted to contribue a lot this year and he's not showing the ability to do that.
He's only got a 3.2 yards per carry average this preseason but even that's inflated by his work against 2nd string defenses. He's carried 9 times for 21 yards against 1st string defenses, and 14 times for 52 yards against 2nd and 3rd string defenses. Reggie Bush has run 13 times for 47 yards against the same 1st string defenses. Not good, but still better.
I haven't been very impressed by what I've seen of Thomas. I think Sparano's comments are on the mark, about tip-toeing through the hole and playing too upright. He was drafted to be a power back but he's not really running hard or with much power. He's not creating yards that aren't there with his vision, speed or power like I see other backs doing out there. He's just taking the yards that are out there, whereas other guys create more yards than were out there to be had. I've seen some other backs out there, including young ones and rookies, that look a lot better and regularly show a lot more ability to create their own yards. That includes the likes of Mark Ingram, Kendall Hunter, Stevan Ridley, Jamie Harper, Delone Carter, Roy Helu and DuJuan Harris. Some of those are not guys that I liked, but they're doing really well nonetheless.
EDIT: Almost forgot Dion Lewis. He's looked really good.