Thomas Eager to Prove His Worth
 

[url=http://www.redskins.com/gen/articles/Thomas_Eager_to_Prove_His_Worth_31000.jsp]Thomas Eager to Prove His Worth[/url]

What do you guys think? Has he really learned or is he just saying the right things?

Re: Thomas Eager to Prove His Worth
 

i hope he has learned. we will see

Re: Thomas Eager to Prove His Worth
 

I really think he wants to do well. It's hard to say because I think they learn what to say before learning how to play.

Re: Thomas Eager to Prove His Worth
 

[quote=53Fan;522362]I really think he wants to do well. [B]It's hard to say because I think they learn what to say before learning how to play.[/B][/quote]

Good insight 53. I'm more or less convinced DT has insane physical/athletic ability... whether he has the smarts and ethic to be a real impact player is another question. I do think Zorn and Co need to meet him halfway for instance if Devin struggles to create separation against above average corners we need to create sweeps/gadgets/whatever to get the ball in his hands until his skills reach the next level. Right after saying that I think about Desean and how people say he's not the sharpest tool in the shed (but he gets open regularly). Maybe Zorn and Co need to communicate very high demands of Thomas and he'll just figure out how to deliver. I dunno.

Re: Thomas Eager to Prove His Worth
 

We will see come next season if his actions match his words. I hope they do!

Re: Thomas Eager to Prove His Worth
 

We shall see. . . .

Re: Thomas Eager to Prove His Worth
 

I wonder if he and Kelly weren't under the falst pretense that they would come in here and be All Pros. To some extent I have to say us fans (not all but some) probably had built them up more than we should have. I think and hope they both realized that the pros are much different than the collegiate level. Maybe too they have learned that the learning curve in the pros is short and you better get going or you are packing your bags and moving on.

Re: Thomas Eager to Prove His Worth
 

Wow Gary Fitzgerald sure put alot of new insight into that piece. What a vanilla article. Oh wait nevermind.

We need at least one of those three second round picks to become an above average starting caliber player. We just have to have it. Maybe if enough people see Thomas in the offseason and politely ask why he sucked so bad this year he will get some kind of angry fire lit inside him because it sure seems like he needs it.

Re: Thomas Eager to Prove His Worth
 

I hope so , we could surely use another receiver that can get open other than Santana

Re: Thomas Eager to Prove His Worth
 

Odds are one of our young wide-outs will make an impact next year. Zorn seemed to show deference to Kelly early on, pointing out Malcolm had a better grasp of the playbook and looked very good in practice. It wasn't until the nagging injury really held Kelly back that Thomas got more looks. I think the thing to hope for is that both guys are 100% healthy going into OTAs, preseason and opening day. Much of this has to do w/ their own preparation and should tell us a lot about which guy is best suited for success.

... one thing that bothered me a great deal is that both players struggled to catch the ball last year. Kelly had great hands in college especially so the drops are sort of a mystery, but i'm always suspicious of Hixon's work. To my knowledge, and I have yet to hear otherwise, Hixon has never developed a WR in the NFL. I don't know why he has a job now, but if neither Thomas/Kelly make strides in '09 Zorn has got to find a replacement for this dude before he looks to more/different WR talent. Honestly, I have a hard time thinking positive about Thomas/Kelly because of our WR coach and the shitty production the vast majority of his receivers yield.

Question to the insiders: if Zorn/Vinny/whoever were going to replace Hixon would it already have occurred?

Re: Thomas Eager to Prove His Worth
 

[quote=The Goat;522364]Good insight 53. I'm more or less convinced DT has insane physical/athletic ability... whether he has the smarts and ethic to be a real impact player is another question. I do think Zorn and Co need to meet him halfway for instance [B]if Devin struggles to create separation against above average corners we need to create sweeps/gadgets/whatever to get the ball in his hands until his skills reach the next level.[/B] Right after saying that I think about Desean and how people say he's not the sharpest tool in the shed (but he gets open regularly). Maybe Zorn and Co need to communicate very high demands of Thomas and he'll just figure out how to deliver. I dunno.[/quote]

I honestly think he was a little overwhelmed this year with the whole transition thing. Some guys go to a new city and can handle all the everyday things and concentrate on football. From an interview I read it sounded like he even had trouble with the things outside of football that come with being on your own in a new place. He really didn't have that much experience in college. I think he has enough talent, he may just take a little longer than some of the other guys. I agree they should get him involved however they can. He didn't touch the ball much this year but he scored twice when he did, though one was called back on that BS penalty on Heyer.

Re: Thomas Eager to Prove His Worth
 

[quote=The Goat;522364]Good insight 53. I'm more or less convinced DT has insane physical/athletic ability... whether he has the smarts and ethic to be a real impact player is another question. I do think Zorn and Co need to meet him halfway [/quote]

I also wonder if he's getting the right coaching.
The more i read about Todd Haley the more i wonder about our coaching staff/OC/WRs coach.
I know I constantly mention this, but i beleive we need more young innovative minds in key position in the offensive coaching staff.
Who on our coaching staff helps Zorn design plays and make adjustments if he is the only one with an expansive knowledge of the WCO?

Zorn was Holmgren's QB coach and Redzone gameplanner, Holmgren also had Gil Haskell as OC and Keith Gilbertson as an offensive consultant.

Who does Zorn have to lean on?

Look at the Cards, Ken Wisenhunt was a proven OC yet he relied on Todd Haley to the point that he handed the playcalling duties over to him.

Who on this staff is Jim Zorn's Todd Haley?

Does Devin have some like him to push him like this:

[url=http://blogs.wsj.com/dailyfix/2009/01/20/overlooked-at-start-of-playoffs-cardinals-are-super-bowl-bound/]The Daily Fix : Overlooked at Start of Playoffs, Cardinals are Super Bowl-Bound[/url]

Larry Fitzgerald was the Cards’ big star, scoring three first-half touchdowns. “On the awards podium after the victory, Fitzgerald sought out offensive coordinator Todd Haley,” Republic columnist Paola Boivin writes. [SIZE="3"]“‘[COLOR="Red"][B]Thank you,’ he said, ‘for keeping your foot on my throat for two years.[/B][/COLOR]’[/SIZE] The comment hit Haley in the gut. ‘It’s why you coach, to see players succeed after they trust you and believe in you,’ he said. With three Pro Bowl selections to his credit, it’s [SIZE="3"][COLOR="DarkRed"][B]clear Fitzgerald has talent. The staff thought he could give more. Fitzgerald thought he could give more[/B][/COLOR][/SIZE].”

[url=http://blogs.wsj.com/dailyfix/2009/01/20/overlooked-at-start-of-playoffs-cardinals-are-super-bowl-bound/]The Daily Fix : Overlooked at Start of Playoffs, Cardinals are Super Bowl-Bound[/url]

Are innovative plays being designed to take advantage of Devin's physical gifts?

[url=http://www.latimes.com/sports/printedition/la-sp-nfl-cardinals14-2009jan14,0,5932901.story]Cardinals take Todd Haley's play from pie in the sky to reality - Los Angeles Times[/url]

[SIZE="3"][B]Behind every playmaker, of course, is a maker of the play. [/B][/SIZE]

...On this flight, of course, he was studying footage of the Panthers against NFC South opponents. He was looking for tendencies by Carolina's defense, any pre-snap cues that might tip off what the Panthers liked to do, any weaknesses in their coverage scheme.............................................................So, naturally, Haley went on the offensive. He tore out a sheet of notebook paper, clicked open his pen and started to sketch a play. It called for quarterback Kurt Warner to freeze the defense with a fake pitch, roll right, then look for star receiver Larry Fitzgerald streaking the left middle of the field........................
The 41-yard gain -- Arizona's longest play of the game -- gave the Cardinals a first down at the 10. They scored a touchdown three plays later for the first of a jaw-dropping 33 consecutive points.

Re: Thomas Eager to Prove His Worth
 

[quote=53Fan;522381]I honestly think he was a little overwhelmed this year with the whole transition thing. Some guys go to a new city and can handle all the everyday things and concentrate on football. From an interview I read it sounded like he even had trouble with the things outside of football that come with being on your own in a new place. He really didn't have that much experience in college. I think he has enough talent, he may just take a little longer than some of the other guys. I agree they should get him involved however they can. [B]He didn't touch the ball much this year but he scored twice when he did, though one was called back on that BS penalty on Heyer.[/B][/quote]

LOL. One of the few times Heyer found someone to block it's away from the play and late as hell.

Re: Thomas Eager to Prove His Worth
 

[quote=30gut;522382]I also wonder if he's getting the right coaching.
The more i read about Todd Haley the more i wonder about our coaching staff/OC/WRs coach.
I know I constantly mention this, but i beleive we need more young innovative minds in key position in the offensive coaching staff.
Who on our coaching staff helps Zorn design plays and make adjustments if he is the only one with an expansive knowledge of the WCO?

Zorn was Holmgren's QB coach and Redzone gameplanner, Holmgren also had Gil Haskell as OC and Keith Gilbertson as an offensive consultant.

Who does Zorn have to lean on?

Look at the Cards, Ken Wisenhunt was a proven OC yet he relied on Todd Haley to the point that he handed the playcalling duties over to him.

Who on this staff is Jim Zorn's Todd Haley?

Does Devin have some like him to push him like this:

[url=http://blogs.wsj.com/dailyfix/2009/01/20/overlooked-at-start-of-playoffs-cardinals-are-super-bowl-bound/]The Daily Fix : Overlooked at Start of Playoffs, Cardinals are Super Bowl-Bound[/url]

Larry Fitzgerald was the Cards’ big star, scoring three first-half touchdowns. “On the awards podium after the victory, Fitzgerald sought out offensive coordinator Todd Haley,” Republic columnist Paola Boivin writes. [SIZE="3"]“‘[COLOR="Red"][B]Thank you,’ he said, ‘for keeping your foot on my throat for two years.[/B][/COLOR]’[/SIZE] The comment hit Haley in the gut. ‘It’s why you coach, to see players succeed after they trust you and believe in you,’ he said. With three Pro Bowl selections to his credit, it’s [SIZE="3"][COLOR="DarkRed"][B]clear Fitzgerald has talent. The staff thought he could give more. Fitzgerald thought he could give more[/B][/COLOR][/SIZE].”

[url=http://blogs.wsj.com/dailyfix/2009/01/20/overlooked-at-start-of-playoffs-cardinals-are-super-bowl-bound/]The Daily Fix : Overlooked at Start of Playoffs, Cardinals are Super Bowl-Bound[/url]

Are innovative plays being designed to take advantage of Devin's physical gifts?

[url=http://www.latimes.com/sports/printedition/la-sp-nfl-cardinals14-2009jan14,0,5932901.story]Cardinals take Todd Haley's play from pie in the sky to reality - Los Angeles Times[/url]

[SIZE="3"][B]Behind every playmaker, of course, is a maker of the play. [/B][/SIZE]

...On this flight, of course, he was studying footage of the Panthers against NFC South opponents. He was looking for tendencies by Carolina's defense, any pre-snap cues that might tip off what the Panthers liked to do, any weaknesses in their coverage scheme.............................................................So, naturally, Haley went on the offensive. He tore out a sheet of notebook paper, clicked open his pen and started to sketch a play. It called for quarterback Kurt Warner to freeze the defense with a fake pitch, roll right, then look for star receiver Larry Fitzgerald streaking the left middle of the field........................
The 41-yard gain -- Arizona's longest play of the game -- gave the Cardinals a first down at the 10. They scored a touchdown three plays later for the first of a jaw-dropping 33 consecutive points.[/quote]

Nice post dude!

Re: Thomas Eager to Prove His Worth
 

Well best of luck to Thomas, i really really want to see him succeed! And i believe 30 gut has a point, we need someone to be give thomas a kick in there rear, we need a todd haley someone to handle the duties of OC and coach up are recivers better and provide some motivation! Gosh! Is that so much to ask for!!

Re: Thomas Eager to Prove His Worth
 

I like Thomas, I think he's well on his way to becoming a good receiver. Everything he said was standard textbook player response to questions though. I think every player gets generic list of responses to questions or something.

Thomas needs to work on his route running, concentration, and knowing the playbook top to bottom. I'm hoping JC and the WR corp spend some time outside Redskins park together. this off-season.

Re: Thomas Eager to Prove His Worth
 

All three rookie receivers should be embarrassed by their paltry contribution last season. I really hope that serves as a wake up call for them to work harder at learning their craft and to come to camp in better physical condition.

Re: Thomas Eager to Prove His Worth
 

[quote=saden1;522394]I like Thomas, I think he's well on his way to becoming a good receiver. Everything he said was standard textbook player response to questions though. I think every player gets generic list of responses to questions or something.

Thomas needs to work on his route running, concentration, and knowing the playbook top to bottom. I'm hoping JC and the WR corp spend some time outside Redskins park together. this off-season.[/quote]

Good point, are whole unit should get together and workout, train, e.t.c and become close with each other. I believe having a unit of brotherly love can make our young guns motivated to be successful

Re: Thomas Eager to Prove His Worth
 

I really hope Thomas "gets it" sooner rather than later. He's got the skills, the last thing we need is another Michael Westbrook.

Re: Thomas Eager to Prove His Worth
 

I have faith in Devin Eleven! He is a beast, and I think he will make great strides this offseason. He is feeling the heat from DC, and I think it will make him perform at a much higher level

Re: Thomas Eager to Prove His Worth
 

[quote=Mattyk72;522399]I really hope Thomas "gets it" sooner rather than later. He's got the skills, the last thing we need is another Michael Westbrook.[/quote]

Me too. I guess based on what we've heard about his attitude that I am pretty skeptical. I will believe it when I see it.

Re: Thomas Eager to Prove His Worth
 

[quote=Mattyk72;522353][url=http://www.redskins.com/gen/articles/Thomas_Eager_to_Prove_His_Worth_31000.jsp]Thomas Eager to Prove His Worth[/url]

What do you guys think? Has he really learned or is he just saying the right things?[/quote]

I have no doubt that he would have played to a similar level had he been drafted by Denver or Philly or any other team that's not dysfunctional like the Redskins. This coaching staff hasn't proven they can get ANY offensive rookie ready to play, so I'm not prepared to throw stones at Thomas. Maybe he slacked, maybe he didn't. But when the coaching staff can't get a single offensive rookie to produce, particularly on the O line and in the receiving corps, 2 main areas of weakness, I'm more inclined to blame them. They haven't proven a damn thing and don't deserve the benefit of the doubt.

Re: Thomas Eager to Prove His Worth
 

This is better than him not saying anything and let the rumors fly that he wants to get away from football in the offseason and has attitude issues.

Re: Thomas Eager to Prove His Worth
 

The kid is young & as the article noted, having only spent 1 yr. at Mich. St. basically makes him even younger in development than some of the guys that were at a big program for 3-4 years, e.g. Kelly. These guys have to grow up in the public eye, and that's not easy. Like ARE said, it takes time to sink in that it's a job now, not just a game you play for fun.

I don't want to make excuses for him, as it sounds like from JLC that DT has some attitude issues, but Zorn was also a rookie head coach. Zorn's approach was funny; in the first half of the season you couldn't compliment his adaptability enough & his running the ball. In the 2nd half, at times he seemed to be very stubborn & took an approach that 'this is our offense and we'll run it no matter what.' The Pitt game stands out to me, I couldn't believe he kept calling empty backfield plays when JC was getting mauled.

My point is that Zorn might've been too rigid in his standards for these rookies, which also likely affected JC's confidence, or lack thereof, in them. Zorn will adjust his coaching methods & expectations of players next year. I look for him to have more confidence in DT, and like someone said earlier, maybe find ways to get him the ball rather than just demanding that he first prove he can run all the routes just the JZ wants him to.

In a way, thomas & Kelly are vital to this team's future. If both of them can't become decent starters it will affect drafts & free agents for a few years.

Re: Thomas Eager to Prove His Worth
 

[quote=53Fan;522362]I really think he wants to do well. It's hard to say because I think they learn what to say before learning how to play.[/quote]
First thing I thought of when I read this...
[quote]Crash Davis: It's time to work on your interviews.
Ebby Calvin LaLoosh: My interviews? What do I gotta do?
Crash Davis: You're gonna have to learn your clichés. You're gonna have to study them, you're gonna have to know them. They're your friends. Write this down: "We gotta play it one day at a time."
Ebby Calvin LaLoosh: Got to play... it's pretty boring.
Crash Davis: 'Course it's boring, that's the point. Write it down.[/quote]
As far as Devin Thomas goes, I think he'll be a decent contributor to the offense. Another camp under his belt, and he'll be in the slot regularly before we know it. It would be nice to see Thomas and Kelly as #2 and #3 by the end of the '09 season...

Re: Thomas Eager to Prove His Worth
 

Well this is not nothing new and he had satated that he had struggled with the transition to the NFL and durn the season. I like the fact that he has admitted this and knows what he needs to do to have an impact on this team. If what Shawn Springs said a couple of weeks ago he thinks all three drafted will have a big impact in the NFL. He also went as far to say that he thinks that Kelly could become the best end in football in a couple of years.

Re: Thomas Eager to Prove His Worth
 

This whole thing has followed a predictable trajectory.

1. Player drafted with high expectations.

2. Player fails to meet expectations.

3. Team has his back through the season.

4. As soon as the season ends, someone tells the press player lacks work ethic, doesn't get it, etc.

5. Player responds through press that he has seen the light blah, blah, blah.

6. He can either play or he can't. Talk is cheap.. The only thing that any of us care about is the games. He has 16 chances next year to play football and help us score more than 10 points a game. We never had to go through this bullshit with Ricky Sanders or Charlie Brown. They just showed up (quite out of the blue) and played. No one held their hand on the way. I say produce or be gone. There's probably some guy in the CFL that could take his place. There's no reason to be married to any individual.

Re: Thomas Eager to Prove His Worth
 

70 Chip:

You hit that one out of the park. What else might anyone have thought Devin Thomas might have said about his dismal 2008 season? Howabout "I sucked last year - - but I got my cash up front so you can all go [bleep] yourselves." I don't think so...

Here is the deal. Thomas has to focus on NFL football to see if he can become an NFL player. At the moment, he is [B]not[/B] one. He made it through college football on his physical skills because most of the time he was up against an opponent with significantly lesser skills. That is simply not the case in the NFL... [As an analogy for Washington DC area residents, remember Kwame Brown and how he dominated high school basketball games before he came to the NBA Wizards and stunk out the joint. And he continues to stink out the joint in other cities to this day...]

Now, Thomas has to learn how to run pass routes and how to block and how to get open - without pushing off so blatantly that Stevie Wonder could call the penalty from his luxury suite - and how to work as part of a team of players where he is NOT the best player on the team.

Lots of players make that transition. Lots of others do not. Matty cited Michael Westbrook earlier. That was a player whose physical skills were at least equal to Thomas' - and maybe greater - but Westbrook never "got it" when it came to being a factor in the NFL.

So far there are ZERO indications that Thomas can make the jump. He had a year to show progress; he showed none. That is none as in zero, nada, zilch, nil ...

The important changes he needs to make this summer are ones that exist between his ears. Reportedly, one of his "problems" is that he likes the "night time club scene" a lot more than he likes the film study and the game-plan study scenes. We won't know if he [B]REALLY[/B] focused on football stuff until sometime in Game 1 or Game 2 of next season. Don't rely on what he says he focused on; what else might you expect him to say?

Until the regular season in 2009 - - speculate away. Just recognize that some of the speculators here have burgundy and gold tinted glasses on when they look to the future.

Re: Thomas Eager to Prove His Worth
 

Westbrook finally "got it" in '99 but then got injured in '00 and seemed to fade away after that.

The dude had mega talent, it's a shame. I recall reading about him once that he admitted to not being a big fan of football. That always stuck with me and I think it explained alot.

Re: Thomas Eager to Prove His Worth
 

[quote=Mattyk72;522512]Westbrook finally "got it" in '99 but then got injured in '00 and seemed to fade away after that.

The dude had mega talent, it's a shame. I recall reading about him once that he admitted to not being a big fan of football. That always stuck with me and I think it explained alot.[/quote]

Didn't hear that but yeah it tends to explain things in hindsight.

Re: Thomas Eager to Prove His Worth
 

[quote=Mattyk72;522512]Westbrook finally "got it" in '99 but then got injured in '00 and seemed to fade away after that.

The dude had mega talent, it's a shame. I recall reading about him once that he admitted to not being a big fan of football. That always stuck with me and I think it explained alot.[/quote]

He had great talent as an overall athlete, but wasnt much of a football player. Wasn't very much when goin over the middle. In 99 he got deep a lot which he was good at, but as an overall wr he was just avg. I think he was overevaluated based on his size & speed, never had great hands.

Re: Thomas Eager to Prove His Worth
 

[quote=sportscurmudgeon;522498]70 Chip:

You hit that one out of the park. What else might anyone have thought Devin Thomas might have said about his dismal 2008 season? Howabout "I sucked last year - - but I got my cash up front so you can all go [bleep] yourselves." I don't think so...

Here is the deal. Thomas has to focus on NFL football to see if he can become an NFL player. At the moment, he is [B]not[/B] one. He made it through college football on his physical skills because most of the time he was up against an opponent with significantly lesser skills. That is simply not the case in the NFL... [As an analogy for Washington DC area residents, remember Kwame Brown and how he dominated high school basketball games before he came to the NBA Wizards and stunk out the joint. And he continues to stink out the joint in other cities to this day...]

Now, Thomas has to learn how to run pass routes and how to block and how to get open - [B]without pushing off so blatantly that Stevie Wonder could call the penalty from his luxury suite[/B] - and how to work as part of a team of players where he is NOT the best player on the team.

Lots of players make that transition. Lots of others do not. Matty cited Michael Westbrook earlier. That was a player whose physical skills were at least equal to Thomas' - and maybe greater - but Westbrook never "got it" when it came to being a factor in the NFL.

So far there are ZERO indications that Thomas can make the jump. He had a year to show progress; he showed none. That is none as in zero, nada, zilch, nil ...

The important changes he needs to make this summer are ones that exist between his ears. Reportedly, one of his "problems" is that he likes the "night time club scene" a lot more than he likes the film study and the game-plan study scenes. We won't know if he [B]REALLY[/B] focused on football stuff until sometime in Game 1 or Game 2 of next season. Don't rely on what he says he focused on; what else might you expect him to say?

Until the regular season in 2009 - - speculate away. Just recognize that some of the speculators here have burgundy and gold tinted glasses on when they look to the future.[/quote]

lol, classic!!
'Booth review by Stevie Wonder...play stands as called, offensive pass interference'