Despite showing flashes of power and speed, I think it is fair to deem Daniel Thomas' rookie season a complete failure. Hopefully, he will improve, but for now, he's clearly a crappy RB. He carried the ball 165 times for 581 yards. That's a 3.5 yards/carry average. When you look at the top 50 NFL rushing leaders by total yards amassed, only Thomas Jones had a crappier yards/carry average (3.1). In fact, only 6 other RBs in the top 50 in rushing averaged less that 4 yards/carry. And of course, when he started against the jets in Week 17, he carried the ball 12 times for 28 yards. If you believe in the advanced statistics by the footballoutsiders, he was the second worst RB in the league: http://footballoutsiders.com/quick-reads/2012/quick-reads-2011-review If his 2012 season is anything like his 2011 season, add him to the long list of wasted second round picks. Ugh....
ehhh, grain of salt...to many variables and too few of a sample size.... 2011 ROOKIE STATISTICAL LEADERS Rushing [TABLE="width: 85"] [TR] [TD]Player[/TD] [TD]Team (draft status)[/TD] [TD]R[/TD] [TD]YDS[/TD] [TD]YPC[/TD] [TD]TD[/TD] [/TR] [TR] [TD]DeMarco Murray [/TD] [TD]Dallas (3)[/TD] [TD]166 [/TD] [TD]896 [/TD] [TD]5.4 [/TD] [TD]2[/TD] [/TR] [TR] [TD]Cam Newton [/TD] [TD]Carolina (1)[/TD] [TD]126 [/TD] [TD]706[/TD] [TD]5.6 [/TD] [TD]12[/TD] [/TR] [TR] [TD]Roy Helu[/TD] [TD]Washington (4)[/TD] [TD]151 [/TD] [TD]640 [/TD] [TD]4.2 [/TD] [TD]2[/TD] [/TR] [TR] [TD]Daniel Thomas[/TD] [TD]Miami (2)[/TD] [TD]165 [/TD] [TD]581 [/TD] [TD]3.5 [/TD] [TD]0[/TD] [/TR] [TR] [TD]Mark Ingram [/TD] [TD]New Orleans (1)[/TD] [TD]122 [/TD] [TD]474 [/TD] [TD]3.9[/TD] [TD]5[/TD] [/TR] [TR] [TD]Kendall Hunter [/TD] [TD]San Francisco (4)[/TD] [TD]112 [/TD] [TD]473 [/TD] [TD]4.2 [/TD] [TD]2[/TD] [/TR] [TR] [TD]Stevan Ridley[/TD] [TD]New England (3)[/TD] [TD]87 [/TD] [TD]441 [/TD] [TD]5.1 [/TD] [TD]1[/TD] [/TR] [TR] [TD]Deleone Carter [/TD] [TD]Indianapolis (4)[/TD] [TD]101 [/TD] [TD]377 [/TD] [TD]3.7[/TD] [TD]2[/TD] [/TR] [TR] [TD]Evan Royster[/TD] [TD]Washington (6)[/TD] [TD]56[/TD] [TD]328[/TD] [TD]5.9[/TD] [TD]0[/TD] [/TR] [/TABLE]
While statistically Ryan Mathews had a better season his rookie year, I think the two are comparable. Both were hampered by injury their rookie season and I believe that with a full offseason/training camp in Miami, Thomas will be able to get himself into NFL shape and will be a good compliment to Reggie Bush in 2012. I'm not saying he was in bad shape this year, but a full offseason will be very nice being he didn't have one last season with the NFL lockout.
I have been saying this same thing for weeks now and all the Thomas fans seem to think I have no idea what I am talking about. I just see Thomas as another failure by Ireland in the second round of the draft. Since Ireland has been the GM, the Dolphins have yet to hit on a player in the second round who actually is a quality player in the NFL. Merling, Henne, White, Koa Misi, and now Thomas. Not a single one of these selections have been worthy of a second round pick. Koa Misi is probably the best of this entire group and he should have been no higher than a fourth round selection.
there was a reason he wasnt in top 5 rbs in the big 12 but I think he had some good runs earlier in the season but i havent heard his name mentioned or read any post about him lately. Miami needs to stop wasting the first two rd picks in each draft on no name players they need to get some marque players and that is all i will say for now.
I agree, the stats make it look like he is near awful, but I think my own eyes say different. I see a kid who runs very hard at times, and CAN be tough to tackle. He also may have been more hurt than he let on throughout the year. Point being, while the stats weren't close to great, there still may be something there, that needs more time to be explored. Granted, he has to stay healthy, which is half the battle, and if he can't, well then he's all that much closer to the "wasted pick" category.
I saw a guy who ran hard, but didn't break tackles. He's not a burner, either. I can recall several plays where breaking one more tackle and he probably scores. He reminds me a lot of Ronnie Brown in that way, though Ronnie showed he could run over people near the goal line. Thomas hasn't yet.
That's a good point, he had two chances Sunday vs. the Jets, and couldn't deliver. You could tell they were trying desperately to get him the score.
Yep. Not sure why he didn't go for the dive. If you're not a guy who can lower the shoulder, you gotta try and leap over the line. I'm just not a fan of him because he's a "Tweener". Not very fast or elusive (like Reggie Bush) not a bulldozer (like a Peyton Hillis). You have to be one. A little of both means you're an average at best RB. Those are a dime a dozen in this league.
No "losers' limp" for DTrain, he was not good this yr. I think a part of it was, the OL was not good at blocking for the runs he was asked to make, other part was nicks, third part was inexperience. He has a lot to prove in 2012, heck, he was easily outplayed by Kendall Hunter and dallas' rookie rb
A lot of times the Dline had enough penetration to blow up the run our Guards were so slow off of the ball they allowed easy penetration in short yardage situations.
Eh... he hurt his hammy before the season started and never got it fully right all year. He showed plenty of flashes though. I think we will see a dramatic difference when healthy and with a full offseason...
I think he's an average back that could get 1000 yards if healthy and starting the entire season. However i'm fine with him as a backup to Bush. He's more than serviceable in that area. Not worth the pick we spent on him though. I would have much rather seen us go after DeMarco Murray or Evan Royster. Those were the two backs I wanted us to look at. Instead we went with Thomas and he really didn't do much, where Murray once a starter broke records in Dallas and Royster once a starter had I think two or three hundred yard games in a row.
Yeah, Larry Johnson had a slow start to his career as well, do think if we land Fisher if he wants to upgrade then we should upgrade. Interestingly enough, this is the first time a Rb that Ireland has drafted has disappointed.
This pick is the biggest reason I think Ireland doesn't get it. Trading up for what all evidence up to that point, and now hindsight showed to be a mediocre RB all while passing on a talented prospect in a position of need (Mallet) shows he just doesn't realize how important the QB is to success in today's NFL. It was a Parcellian and obsolete draft maneuver that yielded little results and cost us draft picks. And I know, we have no body of work to judge Mallet on. But taking a talented prospect at QB over a mediocre RB is always the better move when you do not have a franchise QB on your roster. Someone on this board mentioned there's a GM who says you keep drafting QBs till you find a franchise player. Someone needs to send Ireland that memo.
Come on Padre. You're better than comparisons like that. Maybe you're being sarcastic, but if not - Mallet didn't need to play. Yet the Patriots still understood enough about the value of the QB position that they spent a pretty high pick on him. With Tom ****in Brady on the roster. Yet we decided to take a RB when we had nothing but an unproven Chad Henne. I'll say it again: Ireland doesn't get it.
They valued him as much as the Cowboys valued Quincy Carter. 3rd round quarterback is like a 5th round runningback.
Sounds exactly like the criticism about him right after we drafted him. Most comments were commenting on how slow he looked on film, getting caught from behind a lot.
I am not sure exactly how you come up the statement that this is the first time a running back Ireland has drafted has disappointed. The reality is that Ireland has only drafted three running backs since he came here four years ago. He drafted Jalen Paramele, and Rex Hilliard in 2008. He then drafted Thomas in 2011. Paramele was certainly a disappointment and while Hilliard is still with the team. He has been nothing but a below average RB since he was drafted in 2008.
So what's your argument here? That Daniel was a better pick because he ran for a few yards? Because Ryan Mallet's services weren't needed by playing behind a hall of fame QB? Ok.
Never mind the stats: I wasn't terribly impressed with DT all around. Slow to the hole. Can't read blocks. Tentative. Very little explosiveness. Just didn't see a RB that could be our guy...or even our second guy.
It's not just about DT either. Look at some of the other guys who went after him - Murray, Helu, Hunter. Why did we need to trade up to get Daniel Thomas in the second round while other guys were still around. Was Thomas THAT much better? I didn't think so at the time, and while I hope a full NFL offseason really allows him to shine next year, I have my doubts.
Seriously? 6th rd pick running backs? One was our Fullback, the other poached off of the practice sqaud as a rookie. Lighten up Francis.
That's fair, I thought DTrain lacked the 4th gear he needs to break long runs, did see a guy who could slash and run with power, but not a guy who lower his pads and one who did not press the hole as well as he should have. Did notice that in short ydg situations the Dline tended to just blow running plays up, the Eagles gm was particularly bad in that regard, Carey and Incognito were glacial coming off of the ball.
that would be your argument as you're the one that said mallet was much more talented, and as you have pointed out hasn't played a snap in the league. Which means you're trying to compare something dt has done to something you think mallet will do.
Nope. Not what I said at all. I said he was a talented prospect. And never even came close to saying he was more talented than Daniel Thomas. I don't compare RBs to QBs. That would be crazy. My point was we had a position of need and traded up to take a prospect that at the time was considered a mediocre prospect at his position and not a greater need than QB. I don't know if you honestly have a reading comprehension problem, or just have a problem with me but you've been giving me a lot of unwarranted **** all over these boards lately. You can hop off my nutz anytime now.
No, your point was poorly written and argument was pretty poor to begin with. Now you are just lashing out at people to try to cover that up.
Another thing is, I thought the Parcells/Ireland MO was that RB's were overvalued? Not to mention a premium being put on draft picks. Seems like Ireland broke both of those commandments with one pick.
No one's on your nuts. I can't help you don't know what you're saying half the time. Thats your problem not mine.
Is that what 'horrible' rookie season looks like? A kid who started his career averaging over 100 yards per game?
1) no offseason, very critical for a rookie. 2) new offensive coordinator who didn't have the benefit of the offseason to implement his schemes. 3) The PS was spent trying to work the Bush experiment into the offense, Thomas was an afterthought. 4) crappy OL...nearly all season except for a few flashes. 5) he was 2nd fiddle to the Bush experiment anyway. 6) he was injured early in the season, setting him back even more. 7) He may have been the second worst rookie in the league, but he was a backup, not the primary back. 8) he had a crappy season, but whether or not he's a crappy back remains to be seen.... I think the kid deserves a bit more time before we bash him...
Lest we not forget the O-Line. Reggie got his because he has the skills to do it and the speed. I think Thomas is more of an Arian Foster one cut and go runner and with a line like Houston's he could excel. He has good burst on paper as he was the second fastest RB to 10 yards behind Ingram who is all sorts of disappointing. I doubt NO is calling for his demise just yet. I don't easily discount the fact that this was only DT's third year in his life playing RB at any level, and he started off injured. I think the earlier season 100 yard DT is closer to reality.
I disagree. Thomas broke plenty of tackles, his problem was not being able to get to the second level of the defense. That IMO is a vision issue which hopefully he'll figure out with time. It was his rookie year, after all.
It does look like a bad pick at this point. I think we need to give him a full offseason (without a strike) before we write him off, but if he doesn't improve in the coming season, he needs to be cut.
And what ever happened to having some patience and letting players develop? It's like if they don't make a huge difference in their first year, they're a bust to some fans. He was a rookie without an offseason who was hampered much of the year with a hamstring injury. Give the kid some time.
I thought the kid had a pretty good rookie year really. He was pretty good with blitz pick ups, had some good games while healthy early in the season, then got hurt and didn't really impress too much after that. Watching that last jets game he looked like he was thinking a lot. He wasn't decisive and picked the wrong place when he did decide, vision didn't look great. Rookie season with no camp, plus injury,,, there is talent there. I hope he gets with reggie bush this off season and trains hard (after he is 100% healthy), reggie can teach him a lot. He can be an impact guy next season in my opinion.
