Category: Michael Thomas

Michael Thomas goes the distance, breaks Marvin Harrison’s record

New Orleans Saints WR Michael Thomas broke Indianapolis Colts WR Marvin Harrison’s NFL record for the most receptions in a single season.

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He’s done it: New Orleans Saints wide receiver Michael Thomas broke the record Marvin Harrison set with the Indianapolis Colts back in 2002, when Thomas was 9 years old. What Harrison accomplished that year was legendary — he caught 143 receptions in 16 games, the most in a single season in NFL history.

Thomas only needed 15 games to catch 144 receptions, with the record-breaker coming late in the second half during Sunday’s game with the Tennessee Titans. He also shattered the mark Randy Moss established for the most receiving yards in a player’s first four years (5,396), having increased his total to 5,473 yards after his performance against the Titans.

It speaks to his skill and durability that he’s able to handle whatever coverage assignments teams try to guard him with each week, and overcome them anyway. There’s a lot to be said for someone who can beat the defense when they all know that the ball is coming his way before it’s even thrown.

It’s why he has quickly become a favorite target of Drew Brees. He’s a three-time Pro Bowler (having been named to the all-star game in 2017, 2018, and 2019) and a favorite to repeat as a first-team All-Pro again this year, having done so in 2018. Thomas isn’t the biggest or fastest receiver on the field, but his work ethic in practice has translated into historic production. Now he needs to go get a Super Bowl ring.

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Watch: Michael Thomas gifts every Saints teammate a pair of Air Jordan 11 sneakers

New Orleans Saints wideout Michael Thomas celebrated his third Pro Bowl nod by gifting each teammate a fresh pair of Air Jordan sneakers.

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Michael Thomas was named to his third consecutive Pro Bowl on Tuesday, and helped celebrate the season on Wednesday by gifting every one of his teammates their own pair of Air Jordan 11 Bred sneakers ahead of Christmas. These shoes run for about $300 at retailers, but Thomas can afford it between the five-year, $100 million contract extension he signed with New Orleans earlier this year and his exclusive sponsorship agreement with Nike as one of their few Jordan brand ambassadors.

He’s previously gifted sneakers to Saints coach Sean Payton, who wore a pair of Air Jordan 11 Concords at the Zurich Classic golf tournament. “He’s got a pretty good shoe deal, different than any coaches have,” Payton joked.

The Saints put together a supercut of various Saints players’ reactions as they received their new kicks, ranging from Pro Bowl kicker Wil Lutz to veteran wide receiver Ted Ginn Jr. It’s great to see Thomas embracing the giving season, and his teammates’ responses speak for themselves. New Orleans’ front office has put a lot of effort into cultivating strong team chemistry in the locker room, and the appreciation these people have for each other is on clear display. You love to see it.

 

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Watch: Michael Thomas makes ridiculous one-handed catch vs. Colts

New Orleans Saints wide receiver Michael Thomas shredded the Indianapolis Colts secondary with a touchdown catch and a huge one-handed grab.

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The Indianapolis Colts did a solid job planning for the New Orleans Saints offense, snuffing out several run plays and pressuring Drew Brees in the pocket. But they forgot one important tenet of playing the Saints: you can’t guard Michael Thomas.

The All-Pro, Pro Bowl-quality wide receiver asserted himself early against the Colts with several big gains on vertical routes downfield. He’s done most of his damage running against underneath coverage throughout this year, lacking the top-end speed other athletes are gifted with to separate deep downfield. But what he lacks in speed he more than makes up for in clean routes and strong hands at the catch point.

In this case, Thomas only needed one hand to make a big play. The Colts defense allowed him to get behind them on a seam down the field, and Brees saw an opening to exploit. He fired the ball over, but Thomas was a little behind it — and it didn’t matter, because his outstretched hand corralled the ball in for a 24-yard gain. It was a thing of beauty, and well worth watching:

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Michael Thomas trails only Amari Cooper in Pro Bowl voting

New Orleans Saints WR Michael Thomas might be the best in the game, but he’s behind Dallas Cowboys WR Amari Cooper in Pro Bowl voting.

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The 2020 Pro Bowl is months away, giving New Orleans Saints fans an opportunity to vote their favorite players into this year’s exhibition game. Fans can vote by following this link; we put together a list of all of the Saints players on this year’s ballot in this post.

Voting has been open for over a week, but no Saints players yet lead their category in votes earned, which is disappointing. It doesn’t help that the Pro Bowl’s position breakdowns are outdated, pitting fan-favorite Saints such as linebacker Demario Davis against pass rushers like Green Bay Packers star Preston Smith.

According to a report from NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport, one Saints player is within striking range of first place: wide receiver Michael Thomas, who some have suggested deserves recognition as the league’s Most Valuable Player. But even Thomas, the NFL’s leader in both receptions (94) and receiving yards (1,141), trails behind someone else: Dallas Cowboys wide receiver Amari Cooper.

That shouldn’t be too surprising. Cooper’s career has gone through a complete turnaround since the Cowboys acquired him in a trade with the Oakland Raiders, and he’s the focal point of their passing attack (logging 56 receptions for 886 yards so far). Dallas also enjoys the benefits of a national brand they’ve spent decades building, spurred on by the Cowboys’ first playoff win in five years last season. Cooper is one of the best players on a popular team, so of course he’s going to earn a ton of votes.

So it’s important for Saints fans to get out the vote and put in a ballot for Thomas. Be sure to check out the ballot and get your votes in before the Dec. 12 deadline for Pro Bowl fan voting.

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Michael Thomas has more catches than entire Ravens, Eagles WR corps

Michael Thomas has broken more records for the New Orleans Saints, and caught more passes than the Baltimore Ravens and Philadelphia Eagles.

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New Orleans Saints wide receiver Michael Thomas has been on fire this season, and he passed several more milestones on Sunday against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Thomas finished that game with eight catches, giving him 94 receptions on the year so far. He’s the first player in NFL history with 90 or more catches in each of his first four years. And the pace he collected them — catching 94 passes in just 10 games — is the most of any player in NFL history.

What’s really impressive about this is that Thomas is basically doing it alone. He’s commanding attention from opposing defenses and drawing extra coverage, but he still finds ways to win at the catch point and pick up a few extra yards after the catch. He’s almost impossible to guard despite having few teammates who can threaten opponents from the other side of the field.

In other words: Saints wide receivers have amassed 126 receptions this year, and Thomas is credited with 94 (75%) of them. That’s unheard of.

But here’s some added perspective on what Thomas has accomplished. His 94 catches are more than what some teams’ entire wide receiver corps have combined for, putting him ahead of both the Baltimore Ravens (74) and the Philadelphia Eagles (93). Read that again: Thomas has caught more passes this season than all of the wide receivers on two other teams.

He’s certainly living up to his social media handle, backing up the bold statement that you “Can’t Guard Mike.”

Two Saints players fined $21,054 for fouls against the Falcons

The NFL issued $10,527 fines to New Orleans Saints WR Michael Thomas and DB J.T. Gray for unnecessary roughness against the Atlanta Falcons.

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New Orleans Saints wide receiver Michael Thomas committed a rare mistake against the Atlanta Falcons last week, and it ended up costing him $10,527 in a fine from the league office. Amie Just of Nola.com reported Saturday that Thomas received a fine for unnecessary roughness after being fouled for grabbing the face mask of an opponent during the second quarter.

It was an uncharacteristic penalty from one of the Saints’ most-dependable players, and one he’s unlikely to repeat. The good news is that Thomas can afford it easily enough — he inked a five-year, $96.25 million contract extension this offseason that pays out roughly $96,943 per game this season.

But Thomas wasn’t the only one to get a letter from the NFL. Just also reported that backup safety and special teams ace J.T. Gray was also fined $10,527 due to a roughing the kicker penalty in the same game, in which he fell into Falcons punter Ryan Allen’s planted leg during the fourth quarter. And unlike Thomas, Gray is still playing on his rookie contract — meaning almost a third of his $33,529 weekly game check will go towards paying for this mistake.

Unfortunately, these sorts of mental errors and sloppy mistakes were common a week ago. Self-inflicted penalties like these (and a series of fouls for hands to the face from four different defenders) hurt the Saints, wiping out big gains and nullifying defensive stops on third down. The Saints know they can’t repeat that kind of messy performance, and while they don’t need added motivation, these hits to their wallets certainly won’t keep them from remembering that.

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