http://phinphanatic.com/2012/05/09/high-expectations-for-daniel-thomas/ Good read on Daniel Thomas. He has some questions to answer in his sophomore season, not the least of which is can he stay healthy, but if he can we can have a very strong RB position.
our running stable is as good as any in the NFL for 2012 with Jim Turner taking over @ OL coach & the addition of Martin to compete for the right side of the line against Murtha, Garner & Jerry I see nothing but a tremendously improved ground game no lack of talent here Thomas should provide the power off tackle we drafted him to bring to the table In 2012
I fully expect D Thomas to be above average. Not really a slam on him, just haven't seen anything that ells me he'll be more than a very solid contributor. Bush and Miller will be our electricity, Thomas can be 3rd part of the committee
I still believe in him. Rookie year battling injuries isn't going to change my mind about him. I expect him to have a much better season.
While I do like what Thomas brings to the table, I just am extremely concerned with his durability. He literally got ran into the ground at KSU. He was the focal point of the offense. 545 carries and 52 receptions in 2 years. If you include his JUCO numbers, he has had almost 900 carries in 5 years(first year at KSU he was academically ineligible). That is a staggering amount of abuse to put on your body. I really hope he is limited and successful in his reps this year so he can get somewhat healthy.
I think having a full offseason of working out, OTAs, mini-camps and a full training camp should help him out. Plus, I think he fits the style of offense we're going to see much better than Brian Daboll's offense from last year. I would almost go as far as to say that if Daniel Thomas stays healthy, he could be our leading rusher, but Reggie Bush may have more total yards when you combine rushing and receiving.
not to worry: 1)Bush is on top of his game 2)Thomas will begin his second year healthy 3)Miller will most certainly step up then you still have Messam, Slaton, Thigpen & Gray to round out the competition in the stable
I think a lot of fans are prematurely giving up on Thomas. He struggled last year, but it was his rookie year, he fought injuries and he didn't have a training camp. He needs a little time, to remain healthy and an lmproved offensive line. We need him to at least show enough to have some trade value.
about Thomas: most fans are smart enough to know why we drafted him & the football he capable of playing he's coming out of a rookie year, banged up & running an entire season behind a very bad OL I believe most of Dolfandom is looking for Thomas to break out this year big time & I think he won't disappoint. Thomas has to be extremely motivated to produce going into his second season with the talent we sport in the backfield in the wost hypothesis, if Thomas is re-injured, we can always return to Clay @ the FB/HB position, if their is their is need of a power runner/blocker or promote Messam seems to me the running stable is flush, with talented depth & all contingencies are covered
Still think he's Ronnie Brown but we'll see. He has to see Lamar Miller ready to keep him on the bench.
My problem is that Reggie Bush was running behind the same crappy right side of the offensive line, yet he is a thousand-yard back. We drafted Thomas to be a power back. I haven't seen much power. We'll see if it was the hamstring injuries or the inability to succeed at the next level.
I think a lot of Daniel Thomas' issue is blocking scheme change. He came from a more zone-oriented run game in college, and his skill-set was good vision and short-area quickness. He's not that fast or powerful, but you don't really have to be to be a successful NFL player. Brian Daboll's offense included a fairly diverse blocking scheme, but in terms of execution the Dolphins were pretty woeful in terms of the bread and butter stuff Thomas would be comfortable with. They couldn't run an inside zone competently, much less some of the outside zone/pin and pull/etc. stuff Daboll likes to utilize, and Thomas would be a better fit for at least short term. Thomas had issues with hitting the line of scrimmage hard and making good decisions, which have been strengths in the past. Part of the issue is certainly rookie transition, but I can't help but think a different run scheme is part and parcel. I think that's a pretty big reason for hope with Thomas this upcoming year- It's going to be a more zone-oriented offense. On the other hand, what does that do to Reggie Bush?
Lol, He does have beautiful feet.. Seriously, when a player has talent there, sometimes the mind just has to catch up, but when it does, your talking about beautiful music...I know he has talented feet so me giving him more time is not just based on being a fan, it's based on, it's worth it to be a bit more patient with this dude.
Maybe because Bush wasn't being used in that way His 88 receptions his first season should be an indication of that
Does missing 3 games in your rookie season after an off-season that allowed such little opportunity for conditioning make you an "injury liabilit(y)?" He had 239 total yards and a touchdown in weeks 2 and 3 before injuring his hamstrings. He ended up finishing the season with 653 yards in 13 games as the #2 back while playing injured and running behind a terrible right side of the o-line. Personally, I'm not willing to cut bait with a second round pick that showed a lot of promise in college who we traded up to get just because he had a rough rookie year. Also, I don't agree with your strategy to approaching the RB position and I don't believe it would be successful in the NFL.
Id like to see a situation this year where Thomas and Bus split the load about 40/40, with Miller getting the rest to show his skills. I havent given up on Thomas by any streach, but he didnt show much after week three last year either. He's an incomplete.
I think Ricky Williams had close to 400 hundred carries the season before he walked, I believe that having a full off season with coaching and training we may see a very different group from last years rookie crop, Gates was also injured