Tag: Thurman Thomas

New England Patriots join elite NFL MVP fraternity

Tom Brady’s exit and Cam Newton’s entrance in New England makes the Patriots part of a small NFL MVP grouping.

The New England Patriots saw a three-time NFL MVP, Tom Brady, check out. Now, the 2015 league MVP Cam Newton checks into Foxboro.

How many times has a team lost an MVP QB only to add another MVP QB in the offseason? Once.

And if you were wondering how many times a team has lost an MVP and added another in the same offseason, this makes three.

 

Bills draft history without a first-round pick

Here is Buffalo’s draft history when they have not participated in the first round of the NFL Draft.

The Buffalo Bills lack a first-round pick in the upcoming 2020 NFL Draft. The club traded their selection as part of a package of picks in exchange for wide receiver Stefon Diggs. It’s not the first time that’s happened.

This is the sixth time in Buffalo’s history that they will not have a scheduled first-round selection. The other five times? Well, the team has found efficient players with their first pick in the draft, even if it didn’t occur in the first round. 

Here is Buffalo’s draft history when they have not participated in the first round of an NFL Draft: 

2 Jan 1999: Thurman Thomas #34 of the Buffalo Bills. Credit: Andy Lyons /Allsport

1988: Thurman Thomas

The origins of this pick started seven months earlier. The Bills were a part of one of the biggest blockbuster deals in NFL history. There were many moving pieces in this trade. The three-team trade involved the Los Angeles Rams, Indianapolis Colts, and the Bills. Rams superstar running back Eric Dickerson was not impressed with Los Angeles’ contract discussion, and he was ultimately put on the market. During the same time frame, Cornelius Bennett, the No.2 overall pick in the 1987 draft, could not agree to a deal with the Colts. 

In the end, Buffalo dealt two first-round picks, a second-round pick, and Greg Bell to acquire the rights of Bennett. Dickerson ended up in Indianapolis, and the Rams earned a slew of draft picks and Bell. 

The pick: 

Buffalo’s second-round pick ended up being one of the best players in team history. The Bills, with the 40th overall selection, chose Oklahoma State running back Thurman Thomas. The 2007 Hall of Famer was an integral part of the Bills Super Bowl run and the most successful time in the team’s history. 

Thomas was a two-time All-Pro, five-time Pro Bowl nominee, and led the league in yards from scrimmage four times. He won the league’s MVP award in 1991. Thomas is the team’s all-time rushing leader with 11,938 yards on the ground and 65 rushing touchdowns. 

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Who are the career leading rushers for all 32 NFL franchises?

Who are the career leading rushers for all 32 NFL franchises?

 

Who are the career leading rushers for all 32 NFL teams?

Jim Brown, Emmitt Smith and many surprises are the career-leading rushers for each of the 32 NFL teams.

Who are the leading career rushing yardage gainers for each of the 32 NFL teams?

Arizona Cardinals: Ottis Anderson

Herb Weitman-USA TODAY Sports

Ottis Anderson went on to win a Super Bowl in his time with the Giants but he was rock solid with the Cardinals, though they were not in Arizona. He played eight seasons with the birds and rushed for 7,999 yards. Would have been nice if he could have gotten another yard to have averaged 1,000 year season as a Cardinal.

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26 of the weirder and wilder moments around Super Bowls

Janet Jackson, Justin Timberlake, fake Tom Brady are among some of the zanier Super Bowl moments.

The Super Bowl brings out the best and weirdest in football and the events surrounding the big game. Some of those that have made it to the top.

Thurman Thomas forgets his helmet

Getty Images

It was surprising when Kenneth Davis took the first handoff of that Super Bowl from Jim Kelly. Why? Because Thurman Thomas was the Bills’ main back. Meanwhile, the Bills’ equipment staff was searching for Thomas’ helmet. “I firmly believe that one of his teammates picked up Thurman’s helmet thinking it was theirs and walked to the other end of the bench and realized it wasn’t his helmet, put it down and then went to find his own,” said equipment manager Dave Hojnowski in 2011. Thomas’ helmet was found on the defensive side of the bench in time for Buffalo’s third offensive play.

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To which RB does Thurman Thomas compare Devin Singletary?

Buffalo Bills Hall of Fame running back sees a bit of his college teammate, Barry Sanders, when watching rookie Devin Singletary.

It’s high praise when one of the greatest players in a team’s history takes note of a rookie’s accomplishments. It gets taken to another level when the player draws comparisons to a Hall of Famer.

Buffalo Bills Hall of Fame running back Thurman Thomas sees a bit of his college teammate, Barry Sanders, when watching rookie Devin Singletary, he recently revealed to the team’s website.

“The signs that I saw from him reminded me of when I was a junior and Barry Sanders was a freshman coming in (at Oklahoma State),” Thomas said. Same kind of situation. Just like Devin Singletary this past summer, (Barry) hadn’t shown moves, so you didn’t know what this guy could do. I saw the same thing with Devin this past summer.”

Singletary electrified the Bills offense this year, giving the unit an explosive element out of the backfield. Singletary averaged 5.1 yards per carry on 151 rushes this year. He had seven carries for 20 yards or longer on the season. He earned 37 first downs for the Bills this year.

Thomas was also impressed with Singletary in the rookie’s playoff debut.

“And then in the playoff game, he showed me a lot. He showed me that this is a guy that needs to be out there. If you’ve got 60 snaps on offense, you need him on the field for 54 or 55 of them,” Thomas said.

The FAU product rushed for 58 yards on 13 carries. He added 76 receiving yards on six carries as well.

Singletary will most likely move to the top of the depth chart at running back this offseason. With a year under his belt, he will most likely carry a greater load in the 2020 season.

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