Thomas Eager to Prove His Worth

[saden1]

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.

[SouperMeister]

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.

[MiraclesHappen07]

Originally Posted by saden1

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.

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

[MTK]

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

[LandrySlice]

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

[FRPLG]

Originally Posted by Mattyk72

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

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.

[44Deezel]

Originally Posted by Mattyk72

Thomas Eager to Prove His Worth

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

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.

[Ruhskins]

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.

[freddyg12]

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.

[BDBohnzie]

Originally Posted by 53Fan

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.

First thing I thought of when I read this...

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.

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...

[firstdown]

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.

[70Chip]

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.

[sportscurmudgeon]

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 not 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 REALLY 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.

[MTK]

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.

[The Goat]

Originally Posted by Mattyk72

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.

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