the Final Countdown : OLB Bryan Thomas ~ ~ ~

Discussion in 'New York Jets' started by kelly, Jul 20, 2009.

  1. kelly

    kelly Banned

    Joined:
    Apr 21, 2003
    Messages:
    2,445
    Likes Received:
    0
  2. Angry Teste

    Angry Teste Active Member

    Joined:
    Apr 24, 2005
    Messages:
    1,167
    Likes Received:
    3
    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.
     
  3. Jets n Boys

    Jets n Boys Banned

    Joined:
    Mar 17, 2008
    Messages:
    6,203
    Likes Received:
    0
    She's always been lazy
     
  4. Murrell2878

    Murrell2878 Lets go JETS!
    Moderator

    Joined:
    Feb 1, 2003
    Messages:
    24,459
    Likes Received:
    858
    He has the skills to be an edge pass rusher. Why he's never fully commited himself to being a pro is unfortunate.
     
  5. abyzmul

    abyzmul R.J. MacReady, 21018 Funniest Member Award Winner

    Joined:
    Jan 6, 2003
    Messages:
    52,388
    Likes Received:
    24,193
    Between Gholston and Thomas... we have a lot of money tied up in 1st round pass-rushers that suck.
     
  6. JCotchrocket

    JCotchrocket Active Member

    Joined:
    Apr 29, 2007
    Messages:
    3,645
    Likes Received:
    0
    Great piece of unnecessary logic, that.
     
  7. Big Blocker

    Big Blocker Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    May 7, 2008
    Messages:
    13,104
    Likes Received:
    1,348
    Heh.

    Lemme see... Badway picked Thomas. Tanny picked Gholston. What do they have in common?

    Both play for the Jets.

    Sigh...
     
  8. Jets n Boys

    Jets n Boys Banned

    Joined:
    Mar 17, 2008
    Messages:
    6,203
    Likes Received:
    0
    Wrong!!! Only BT plays for the Jets. Gholston plays for the opponents. So far atleast...
     
  9. joe

    joe Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Mar 30, 2009
    Messages:
    8,993
    Likes Received:
    5,633
    Bryan Thomas eh? Please get 'well' soon, Calvin Pace.
     
  10. Dierking

    Dierking Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Apr 4, 2006
    Messages:
    16,695
    Likes Received:
    15,726
    Well, he's been better than Blair Thomas.




    So he's got that going for him, which is nice.
     
  11. nyjcanada

    nyjcanada Active Member

    Joined:
    Aug 22, 2007
    Messages:
    6,846
    Likes Received:
    16
    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.
     
  12. James Hasty

    James Hasty Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Feb 5, 2003
    Messages:
    15,953
    Likes Received:
    5,218
    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.
     
  13. The Uniform Bomber

    The Uniform Bomber Spivey's Agent

    Joined:
    Jan 22, 2005
    Messages:
    8,389
    Likes Received:
    177
    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.
     
  14. tomdeb

    tomdeb Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Apr 3, 2004
    Messages:
    4,387
    Likes Received:
    3,101
    in my opinion only Drob has sucked more $$$$ out of the jets for so little production than invisible Thomas.
     
  15. Omar316

    Omar316 New Member

    Joined:
    Mar 29, 2009
    Messages:
    13
    Likes Received:
    0
    BT is garbage and he'll always be
     
  16. The Uniform Bomber

    The Uniform Bomber Spivey's Agent

    Joined:
    Jan 22, 2005
    Messages:
    8,389
    Likes Received:
    177
    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.
     
  17. twown

    twown Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Nov 16, 2008
    Messages:
    3,003
    Likes Received:
    3,990
    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.
     
  18. Run_N_gun10

    Run_N_gun10 Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Mar 17, 2005
    Messages:
    2,166
    Likes Received:
    27
    u actually make sense here...:drunk:
     
  19. SixFeetDeep

    SixFeetDeep Red Hot Robbie Cano

    Joined:
    Jan 24, 2007
    Messages:
    2,781
    Likes Received:
    2
  20. plinko

    plinko Absolute Ruler

    Joined:
    Aug 28, 2002
    Messages:
    6,595
    Likes Received:
    0
    Actually that's about what it does. It posts a link, which is often broken, and nothing else.
     

Share This Page