Tag: Michael Thomas

Drew Brees on keeping playmakers like Michael Thomas engaged in games

Drew Brees joined ESPN’s Monday Night Countdown set and shared his experience in engaging hungry playmakers — like Michael Thomas:

Legendary former New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees joined ESPN’s pregame set for Monday Night Countdown before kickoff between the Miami Dolphins and Los Angeles Rams, and a key point of discussion was the trouble offenses loaded with weapons like Miami experienced in spreading the ball around.

Tyreek Hill. Jaylen Waddle. De’Von Achane. Raheem  Mostert and Jaylen Wright. Those are just some of the playmakers clamoring for touches. And Brees knows a thing or two about keeping his superstars happy. He and Michael Thomas made a lot of history together with the Saints, and he shared some insight into managing that relationship with a player who has drawn so much attention — both from opposing defenses and spectators on social media.

“Look you’re always thinking matchups. And you’re always thinking we’ve got a lot of mouths to feed, how are we going to get all these guys opportunities, especially early in the game,” Brees said on the pregame show. He pointed to how opening scripts would set up the defense to tip their hand  and show who they’re focused on taking away, at which point he and the offense could counter.

It’s just an approach that took a lot of patience. Brees continued: “And a lot of times I’d come to the sideline after Drive 1, Drive 2, and I’d look at Mike Thomas and be like ‘Hey Mike T, stay patient. Alright? They’re going to be doubling you here for a while. Alright? Young bucks, alright, you guys are going to get the ball, you’re going to get the opportunities when we’re start to make them pay here, Mike T you’re going to get your opportunities.'”

Managing that relationship was something Derek Carr struggled with after taking the reins from Brees, which led to a messy divorce between Thomas and the Saints that has repeatedly spilled out onto social media. Thomas has joined dissatisfied fans in calling for Carr’s job, and when one of Brees’ co-hosts brought that up, he gamely laughed it off.

It’s a shame things have taken such a turn for Thomas and the Saints. But if teams like the Dolphins are going to get where Brees and New Orleans have gone (Miami hasn’t won a playoff game since before Brees was drafted by the San Diego Chargers way back in 2001), they’ll need to do more to follow in his footsteps. That’s true for Carr and the modern-day Saints, too.

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Former Saints wide receiver reacts to Dennis Allen’s firing

Michael Thomas gave Derek Carr multiple tweets on Sunday, but he needed just three words to react to Dennis Allen’s firing:

Michael Thomas kept his reaction to Dennis Allen being fired simple, “There it goes.” In just three words, Thomas had the reaction many New Orleans Saints fans had when they heard the news.

After the Saints lost to the Carolina Panthers, changes felt imminent and mandatory. It would be one thing if you dropped a game to the Panthers randomly, but the Saints lost to the worst team in the NFL after losing the previous six games.

Originally, the Saints likely wanted to let Allen finish the season or make it to the bye week at least. After the disappointing performance and various post game reactions, the luxury of waiting was gone. So, Allen being let go Monday morning was expected, and “there it goes” was likely uttered by a large amount of fans.

It was a surprise for Thomas to keep his message short and sweet. The former Saints star receiver is good for letting off multiple tweets to get his point accross. He did it on Sunday when airing out Derek Carr. Thomas kept it simple this time. There wasn’t a need to add insult to injury. Thomas just knew it was time for a change.

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Derek Carr responds to comments made by Michael Thomas

Derek Carr responds to mid-game comments made by former Saints wide receiver Michael Thomas

The New Orleans Saints’ loss to the Carolina Panthers was ugly no doubt, but losing Chris Olave to another concussion was also a horrible moment in this 2-7 season. Michael Thomas aired his grievances with Derek Carr after the play happened, and Carr ended up responding to these criticisms postgame. Firstly, Carr said, “I have love for Mike…and when he does that, I don’t really care for that. I’ve had so many teammates over the years and he’s the one dude I haven’t got along with.”

He then followed that up with the following statement regarding Thomas placing the guilt on him for the injury, “Anytime that happens I feel sick to my stomach.”

Ultimately the concern goes out to Olave and his health first and foremost no matter what else is going on outside that. The positive update of him coming back to the stadium and flying back with the team is a good start no doubt. The drama between Thomas and Carr ultimately has continued for a bit now, and continued to get worse today after Olave’s injury.

Michael Thomas rips Derek Carr after Chris Olave suffers concussion

Michael Thomas has no use for Derek Carr

Former New Orleans Saint great wide receiver Michael Thomas put Derek Carr on blast after the quarterback threw a pass on a play that ended up with Chris Olave heading to the hospital on a stretcher.

Carr’s pass over the middle in the game with the Carolina Panthers set Olave up to be blasted by Xavier Woods.

The receiver was taken to the hospital with a concussion. He had movement in all his extremities. Thankfully.

Thomas went on a rant about Carr, much of it with salty languaga.

Michael Thomas airs out Derek Carr after Chris Olave’s injury

Ex-Saints wide receiver Michael Thomas criticized Derek Carr immediately after Chris Olave went down with a concussion against the Panthers:

After returning from a concussion just a week ago, Chris Olave suffered another concussion at the beginning of the New Orleans Saints’ game against the Carolina Panthers. Watching from home, ex-Saints wide receiver Michael Thomas didn’t waste time calling out Derek Carr on social media in a series of tweets.

Carr threw a ball high over the middle to the point it was uncatchable, and Olave took a big hit on the play. Thomas jumped on Carr’s lack of accuracy by reflecting on Davante Adams’ catch percentage in his All-Pro season in Las Vegas.

Thomas also called out Carr’s tendency to get antsy with any pressure, saying Carr panics and just throws the ball. It’s difficult to argue with some of the points Thomas was making.

This isn’t the first time Thomas has called out Carr and most times it has been in defense of Olave. He and Olave are both Ohio State Buckeyes and appeared to have a good relationship since Olave was drafted. Thomas isn’t on a team after being released back in March, but you have to think a team will sign the 2019 Offensive Player of the Year sooner or later.

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Michael Thomas blamed Derek Carr for getting Chris Olave injured with a reckless pass

Michael Thomas thinks Derek Carr literally hung Chris Olave out to dry.

After missing roughly a month of action, the New Orleans Saints were excited to see Derek Carr back as their starting quarterback against the Carolina Panthers on Sunday.

However, more Saints misfortune struck when Carr hung up an inaccurate pass over the middle of the field to star receiver Chris Olave. The playmaker couldn’t catch the difficult ball and wound up taking a big shot from Carolina safety Xavier Woods, who knocked him out of the game.

Based on Saints receiver Michael Thomas’ reaction, Carr essentially hung Olave out to dry by hanging a high pass over the middle of the field — often referred to as a “hospital ball” by football fans because of the vulnerable and dangerous position it puts playmakers in.

Olave would be carted off the field and is already apparently recovering at a nearby hospital in Charlotte, according to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport:

Thomas called Carr out on his Twitter account after the Olave play and proceeded to go on an NSFW rant that I won’t link here for obvious reasons, but you can check it out for yourself. Here’s the initial segment with a blotted-out curse and inappropriate emoji:

Woof. That’s a fiery critique of a quarterback that has mostly been underwhelming in New Orleans. For what it’s worth, many receivers likely feel the same way about “hospital balls,” but it’s just a little uncouth to call your quarterback out for them in public. And this also seems to be about Carr’s play in general.

With Thomas on no NFL team at the moment, you’re seeing some honesty shine through there.

Michael Thomas served his suspension. But will he sign with a new team?

Michael Thomas served his one-week suspension. But will he sign with a new team now that it’s behind him?

Let’s start with the good news for Michael Thomas. The former New Orleans Saints wide receiver served his one-week NFL suspension stemming from an altercation with a construction worker near his home last year, and he’s now available to sign with a new team.

Now the bad news: Thomas doesn’t appear to be any closer to finding a new team to play for than when the Saints released him back in March. That’s not to say he doesn’t have options or that there won’t be suitors calling his agent in the days and weeks ahead. But a one-game suspension probably wasn’t going to keep anyone from signing him when so many teams are churning through wide receivers right now.

Look at the Cleveland Browns. There’s an obvious connection there with Jameis Winston backing up Deshaun Watson. Thomas was one of Winston’s strongest supporters when they were teammates in New Orleans. Cleveland just signed Kadarius Toney to their practice squad after a couple of other teams kicked the tires on him and didn’t find anything there.

The Buffalo Bills are another option. They have former Saints coaches on staff who also know Thomas well like offensive coordinator Joe Brady and quarterbacks coach Ronald Curry, who worked with the receivers in New Orleans. Buffalo has Super Bowl ambitions but rookie draft pick Keon Coleman led the team with just 51 receiving yards in their season opener. Thomas has averaged 53 yards per game over the last three seasons he’s played.

Thomas isn’t the same player now who broke (and still holds) the NFL record for the most receptions in a single season, who won all those awards and made all those plays. But he can still help a team in the right role. Finding that fit is going to be tricky. Beyond the football concerns, teams are going to be wary of someone with his injury history and who criticized his coach and teammates on social media. That sort of thing is popular with fans who share his opinions, but it’s a turnoff for teams looking for low-profile signings to fill out their practice squads.

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Michael Thomas suspended Week 1 for violation of NFL rules

Receiver Michael Thomas, a free agent, was suspended for Week 1 of the 2024 season.

Many of us have been wondering what’s going on with Saints free agent Michael Thomas, who’s had a quiet summer.

Today, we finally received our first bit of news on the player and it comes as a suspension.

Thomas will be suspended for the first game of the season after violating the NFL’s personal conduct policy after his arrest last November, per Ian Rapoport of NFL Network.

https://twitter.com/RapSheet/status/1829619843961602362

Many of you may remember Thomas’ arrest for simple battery and criminal mischief two days before last year’s game in Minnesota. It was initially reported that Thomas confronted a construction worker who was building a home across the street from where he resides. This reportedly resulted in Thomas throwing a brick at the worker’s truck windshield and knocking his phone out of his hand. It was understood later that contractors were reportedly filming Thomas at his home and blocking his property with trucks and trailers, ultimately leading to the frustration of the receiver.

Thomas is currently not on an NFL roster and there has been no indication that he will be signing with anyone soon.

Ex-Giants safety Michael Thomas named an NFLPA Player Director

Ex-New York Giants safety Michael Thomas is one of six new executive committee members for the NFLPA, having been named a Player Director.

Former New York Giants safety Michael Thomas is staying involved in the game during his post-playing career.

Thomas, 34, is joining the NFL Players association as a Player Director.

Thomas is one of six new members of the executive committees, joining Calais Campbell, Austin Ekeler, Ryan Kelly, Brandon McManus, and Thomas Morstead.

In addition to the two years he spent with Big Blue, Thomas played for the Miami Dolphins, Houston Texans, and the Cincinnati Bengals, where he spent the past three seasons.

Thomas spent the 2018 and 2019 seasons with the Giants, where he made a name for himself both on the field and off the field for his charitable work in the community. In addition to playing safety, Thomas was a key contributor on special teams as well.

Thomas also served as a team captain in both years with the Giants and earned the lone Pro Bowl nod of his career in 2018.

Thomas’ personality and leadership will suit him well for his new role within the Players Association.

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Could Michael Thomas be an alternate option to Brandon Aiyuk?

Michael Thomas remains unsigned, and Bleacher Report named him as a top option for teams who can’t land Brandon Aiyuk:

As of right now, it’s unclear if Brandon Aiyuk will play for the San Francisco 49ers, the Pittsburgh Steelers, or a different team this season. There have been reports about the wide receiver declining potential trade options. Regardless, he’ll only play for one team. Everyone else will have to look elsewhere to fill the void.

Insert former New Orleans Saints wide receiver Michael Thomas. Bleacher Report’s Kristopher Knox looked at the best options at the position not named Aiyuk. This goes for teams who were in the mix for him but didn’t land him and also other teams in the wide receiver market.

Thomas’ injury history is a big reason he isn’t in New Orleans any longer and likely why he isn’t on a roster at the moment. Thomas returned to action in 2022 after an injury that kept him out the better part of two years. In the two seasons that followed, Thomas has struggled to remain healthy.

The difference between Aiyuk and Thomas is you’re picking up the former to be your top option. It’s hard to imagine a team trusting Thomas to lead their wide receiver corps. He should come in as a complimentary piece with a high ceiling that depends on his health.

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