The Final Countdown : OLB Bryan Thomas Posted on July 19th, 2009 - by Bent > http://www.thejetsblog.com/2009/07/19/the-final-countdown-olb-bryan-thomas/
Here you go, you've gotten extremely lazy of late... Position: Outside Linebacker Player: Bryan Thomas Summary: When the Jets drafted unheralded “workout warrior” Bryan Thomas with the 22nd pick in 2002 out of UAB, they already had Shaun Ellis and John Abraham playing defensive end. Thomas was therefore used as a situational pass rusher and made little impact, recording just 5 tackles and half a sack. He was just a back-up for the next two years, after the Jets quickly aborted an ill-conceived plan to convert Ellis to DT, but with Abraham’s “injury” problems, he saw plenty of opportunities to play, including two starts in the playoffs at the end of the 2004 season. He started the opener against KC in 2005, but they ran right at him, blowing out the Jets 27-7 and his performance that year was a huge disappointment, leaving him unable to shed that dreaded “bust” tag. The switch to a 3-4 system in 2006 revitalized his career and he led the Jets with 8.5 sacks and earned himself a big contract extension in the process. However, 2007 was another disappointment and he even admitted he hadn’t approached the year fully committed. Vowing to be more consistent in 2008, he got off to a great start, but had a disappointing second half of the year so who knows what to expect in 2009? Thomas was drafted for his incredible athleticism (4.47 forty time!), but has proven to be a more steady player in the pros. His skillset would seem to be more suited to the weakside (WILL) position, but Mangini mainly seemed to use him on the strongside. Initially, it was thought that this was due to a limitation in Victor Hobson’s abilities, but when Calvin Pace replaced Hobson, he seemed to be the WILL more often than not, perhaps suggesting that Mangini believed Thomas’ speed would be more of an asset against slower right tackles. He can be a productive pass rusher, but seems to lack consistency for whatever reason. Last season, he had 4.5 sacks and 5 QB hits in the first 5 games and 1 sack and no QB hits thereafter. Theoretically, if he could produce consistently throughout the season, he could be one of the most productive defensive players in the NFL. In the past, Thomas has had a reputation for only having played well because he was in a contract year. If that’s what it takes to motivate him to play well, then perhaps he will have a good year this year, since if he fails to perform well this year - and possibly even if he does manage to play well - the Jets might consider releasing him and he will have to seek a deal on the open market. Moving Forward: Thomas’ role this season is vital, especially in the first four weeks of the season when Calvin Pace is suspended. The Jets need him to produce consistently throughout the season, whether as a weakside pass rusher or in the more complete role on the strongside.
He has the skills to be an edge pass rusher. Why he's never fully commited himself to being a pro is unfortunate.
Heh. Lemme see... Badway picked Thomas. Tanny picked Gholston. What do they have in common? Both play for the Jets. Sigh...
hmm, i didn't realize he got off to such a great start last season. maybe a guy like ryan can keep him motivated for an entire season, but we'll have to see i guess.
Last year he played hard for the first five or six games. A repeat this year would get us past the four game suspension for Pace.
Alas, the cactus has returned in full immobile form. At this point, I'm just hoping Rex and Bart Scott can find a way to tap into these players' potential -- that has to be the most frustrating part about all of this; the Jets have players that possess the ability to be good/very good, and for some reason (be it coaching or whatever), they never maximize their talent.
in my opinion only Drob has sucked more $$$$ out of the jets for so little production than invisible Thomas.
Dude, have you ever been on a message board prior to this one? Did you read the 'guidelines' for posting? If you want to continue to post here, you probably should czech them out.
I haven't read the guidelines either, but I gotta get behind Omar on this one. It's always seemed to me that the stars have to line up right for Thomas to contribute. It's always a coverage sack, or luck, or a double team somewhere else. He's never just making a damn play with God-given talent. The Jets have so often been mired with sub-par LB's that I honestly believe our standards in this area are too low. I just pray it's not about to happen again with madbacker Scott.