Ever since the John Abraham trade, fans in general are afraid for our lack of talent at Defensive End/Outside Linebacker. With the loss of The Predator, the Jets lose one of the best pass rushers in the league and a playmaker. His success was eminent and I wish him well in his new endeavor in Atlanta. His success here will hopefully be continued through our current players. *********************************************************************** (Watch out Jerome) Bryan "Head Hunter" Thomas (nickname from High School) Position: Defensive End/Outside Linebacker College: Alabama-Birmingham Height: 6-4 Weight: 266 Hometown: Birmingham, Ala. I want to dispel the notion that the NY Jets have lost its only pass rusher. The infamous Bryan Thomas, though raw, will adequately replace John Abraham at the Right Defensive End position. More commonly known as ?the bastard who we picked instead of Ed Reed,? Thomas has amazing athletic ability. He was stronger, faster, taller, and heavier coming out at 2002 than John Abraham was coming out at 2000. In fact, he is faster and stronger presently than he ever has been. As stated above Bryan Thomas has all the measureables you look for in the prototypical defensive end. He is around 6?4? and now 275 lbs. (the stats above are his combine numbers). He ran a 4.47 second Forty Yard Dash, defeating Abraham?s previous time of 4.52 seconds. He also lifted 225 lbs. a whopping 33 times!!! Just for the people who do not understand these numbers, that is two repetitions less than Mario Williams and equivalent to Vernon Davis?s numbers. Hell, let me just give you his combine numbers so you believe me. AGILITY TESTS 4.47 in the 40-yard dash ? 2.61 in the 20-yard dash ? 1.6 in the 10-yard dash ? 4.01 in the 20-yard shuttle ? 34.5-inch vertical jump ? Bench presses 225 pounds 33 times ? 550-pound squat ? 33 ?-inch arm length ? 9-inch hands. If that isn?t a specimen I don?t know what is. Anyway to continue with my analysis, Bryan Thomas is a prototype. He is exactly what you want from a pass rusher. The picture above is not helpful enough but think Jason Taylor physique. Now to the analysis of his game type play I evaluate Defensive End/Rush Line Backers with the following in mind *No particular order, it is very hard to judge a DE/OLB trait importance. You need to be complete 1. Burst (Acceleration) 2. Agility (Cut Back Inside) 3. Strength (Ability to Keep Offensive Lineman away from chest, Ability to Bull Rush, Shedding) 4. Tackling 5. Read/Recognition 6. Gain Leverage (Run Game) 7. Size (Measureables) 8. Pursuit 1. Bryan Thomas is the perfect burst player. He shows a tremendous first step quickly getting outside or inside depending on his gap responsibility. He ran his 20 yard dash in 2.61 seconds which is fast enough for a WR. He closes to the QB moving into him which crunching force. 2. He has a very good shuttle time (4.01 seconds) but he does have trouble moving inside after the initial outside step due to shedding. He also has good lateral movement to the flats during his short time at OLB at UAB. If in open space, he can probably defeat any offensive lineman with ease. 3. He has great arm strength with long arms, keeping offensive lineman away from his chest. He also can bull rush with his amazing core strength in his quads and back. He gets leverage often in pass situations due to this burst, pushing offensive lineman back and creating more room to move to the gap and reach the Quarterback. His main problem with strength is shedding. He has a torrid time trying to get away from Offensive Lineman who grabs his chest. If he is locked out, he will not get the Quarterback, it?s that simple. The corresponding problem is that he is so aware of his weakness that he wastes time protecting it. He has to learn to use his monster arms better. In the NFL, OT?s will lock on with much more ease than in college and they are athletic enough to move with him. 4. He has great crunching force on the QB, causing fumbles and injuries but he has terrible form tackling. He tackles with his arms rather than body. He also arm tackles the thighs going too low to get a proper grip of the player. He has slipped of many running backs where he could make impact plays. 5. He is TERRIBLE in this portion of the game. He has terrible recognition of pass or run and will also move incorrectly taking himself out of the play. If he ever wants to play OLB, he better improve on this aspect of the game. Known to take bite on play fakes and play action. Once he knows what is happening he can get back into position quite quickly but his mistakes are so large that it is very difficult to get him self back into the play. 6. He has very good leverage in the run game as running games are usually aiming to run through gaps rather than lineman but he has troubles similar to Abraham where he cannot gain leverage straight through on running situations directed right at him (In running situations, OT?s go forward easily reaching their target while on passing situations DE have creativity to get to the QB). He is surprisingly good against runs to the outside which is interesting considering that he has trouble shedding. It shows he has all the ability but lacks instinct. Another interesting note is that ever since he has been a pro he has greatly improved in this aspect of his game. 7. Size See above. He has a prototype size?what else can you ask for? 8. He has a great motor and is always fired up. With respect on this team as a veteran he can greatly increase his leadership role. As we can see above he has all the potential in the world and is yet to put it into a complete package. His talent is very rare and if harnessed correctly he can really be a playmaker. He is a good kid who wants to get better. A Mangini type for sure. He should do well as the weak side (RDE) in the 4-3 system while being a great ?rush backer? in the 3-4 system. We have seen the flashes, all we need is consitency. Here are some interesting quotes?. ?He has natural pass rush ability, which is something that of all the ends in the draft, our coaches felt he was the most natural of the group,? (Terry Bradway) He has great speed,? said Dick Haley, the Jets? director of player personnel who will retire after this draft. ?And, he?s naturally strong, and he?s quick and has good rush moves. He?s got the tools and he uses them. He?s a dedicated player. Everything was positive coming out. He ran a blazing time at Indianapolis (NFL Combine). He strained a muscle, but came back and was able to work out for us after that. Any time you run 4.5 or under at Indianapolis, you?re one of the fast guys there.? (Dick Haley) ?Might be a Steelers Rush Linebacker? (Pro Football Weekly) Thoughts? :feedback: For Further Information: Pro Football Weekly Analysis NYJ Website Article PFW Article NFL Sports XChange Prospect Profile
Full Name: Bryan Thomas Born: June 7, 1979 Birmingham, AL Height: 6-4 Weight: 266 lbs. Age: 26 Pos: DE Experience: 4 years College: UAB 2005 Scouting Report - Scouts Inc. Grade: 71 | Key Alert: None Comment: He is firing off the ball low and doing a good job of getting into opponents' pads. He has long arms and has become much stronger. He does a good job of keeping separation and of stalemating OT's and TE's when teams run at him. He is much more disciplined versus the run and won't run himself out of plays nearly as often as he did in his first two seasons. He is tougher and stronger at the POA. Will jar OL back and will do a good job of keeping with the play. He shows good power as a pass rusher. Is quick as an interior rusher and will beat some OT's to the inside. Also has closing burst if he gets a clean lane. Still needs to improve his consistency as a tackler, but is getting better in that area.
He's started 22 games and has never seen a double team. Jets are entering year five of the 'Bryan Thomas is really good, don't let your eyes lie to you'. Another Bradway workout warrior reach.
Maybe he'll play better with better coaching. God knows it couldn't be any worse. I saw some flashes of good play ability from Thomas. But not enough.. Maybe he will show up this year, if not he will be out the door quick.
brian thomas if thomas can run a 4.47 forty.then I am sure that the jets will try him at outside linebacker in a 3-4- defense.if they draft mario williams I think thats where the jets will play thomas.
Measurables make you look good in shorts, but ability makes you look good on the field. He's got all the measurables... but very little ability. He did ok filling in for abe in 04 when abe missed all those games, but I would be shocked if he was our "plan" to replace abe.
Agreed, but he will definately be a part of Mangini's plan. He has the potential and I truly feel that inept coaching has stunted his growth. He was never paid much attention and why would he have been with two pro bowlers on either side. He was a project coming out of college. Mangini should improve his great potential to real product.
Even if you disagree, this was one of the best and most thorough posts on this board in a while. Well done.
There are players in the NFL who don’t have any of those measurable but get it done on the field. I want to see some production when he is playing. He has played a lot, played well at times, but where are the sacks? Let’s hope he turns the corner and gets the job done.
I will say one thing, he did play a lot better towards the end of the year, then I ever saw him play. He's gonna have a lot of PT next year, so he better continue getting better.
I'm willing to give Thomas a chance if he comes to it. This is an awesome post, one of the best I've seen here (haven't been a member for long but have been reading since the days of Sean Taylor for President). He has all the potential in the world, and with any hope Mangini and co. can bring that out.
This is his opportunity to shine...This could be a turning point in his career if he can prove his worth..Its now or never Bryan
Dude this is a awesome post. You read all these numbers that he did and you wonder why what is going on with this guy??? I have read all these articles before and after the draft and thought he was going to be a good player. But all you can do is say one word BUST
We didn't waste a first round pick on Mark Brown. Thomas needs to prove not only to us, but to himself that he was worth it. All I've seen about the guy's character has been class-he didn't whine once to be traded, or that he was behing a nice DE tandem in Ellis/Abe. I want to see the guy succeed. I just don't know if it's still possible.
He's a headcase. His ex girlfriend tried to get a bogus assault charge dropped on his head. He had a real hard time adjusting to living on his own. His rookie year he basically only ate McDonald's because he never bother to learn about proper nutrition or even to cook for himself. He has the athletic ability, but he doesn't have the smarts or instincts to be a quality NFL player.
We're just going to see what Mangini can do with the kid...he can teach him to not fall for the PA so much
