Kentucky Jet Posted August 9, 2007 Share Posted August 9, 2007 Jets' Thomas has turned the corner Wednesday, August 08, 2007 BY DAVE HUTCHINSON Star-Ledger Staff HEMPSTEAD, N.Y. -- For four seasons, Bryan Thomas heard the whispers. They grew louder after every game, it seemed. He was a bust, his critics said, and the Jets needed to admit they made a mistake drafting him in the first round (22nd overall) out of Alabama-Birmingham. In addition to his on-field woes, Thomas was accused of assaulting a female acquaintance at LaGuardia Airport (no charges were filed) and lost 30 pounds following an operation to remove his wisdom teeth. Some wondered if he was a small-town kid who couldn't make it in the big city. "When you're a first-round pick, you're going to take criticism," Thomas said. "That's just the way things are. Coming from a small school, being drafted in New York, you're not getting the productivity or playing time, you're going to take heat. I didn't let that get me down. I continued to work hard and focus." Last season under new coach Eric Mangini, Thomas put the slow start to his career -- he never had more than 3 1/2 sacks or 43 tackles from 2002 through 2005 -- behind him and emerged as a dominant player in the Jets' 3-4 scheme. It was a marriage made in football heaven. The 6-6, 266-pound Thomas, who came out of college with a reputation as a pass-rusher, had excelled as a run-stopper early in his NFL career. In the new defense, he took his run-stopping ability and combined it with his natural pass-rushing instinct and surprising agility. The result was 77 tackles and a team-high 8 1/2 sacks, both career highs, and a new five-year, $25 million contract that included a whopping $9 million signing bonus. Simply put, Thomas, not inside linebacker Jonathan Vilma, is the key to the Jets defense this season. And he is in a position -- the linebacker/defensive end hybrid in the 3-4 scheme -- that has produced some of the NFL's most dominant defenders the past few seasons, including Jason Taylor (Dolphins), Shawne Merriman (Chargers), Adalius Thomas (Patriots) and Joey Porter (Dolphins). From Day One, Mangini saw something in Thomas -- even though to that point he had just 6 1/2 career sacks in 61 games (19 starts), including just one in 10 starts in 2003 playing for an injured John Abraham. "I didn't really see him in the role he was in previously," Mangini said. "But he had the prototypical body type of the 3-4 outside linebacker/defensive end. And getting to know Bryan and how hard he worked... "You have to have the size and strength to play very stout against the run but also enough fluidness to drop back in the pass or convert quickly in the pass rush. You have to move in and out of those calls just based on the movement of the receivers because in one formation you could be rushing, the guy shifts, and now you're dropping." Thomas, 28, has made the switch from 4-3 to 3-4 with amazing smoothness, especially considering the well-documented struggles of Vilma. He has become a film-room junkie after barely, if ever, spending time studying the game in college. "That was the first real opportunity I got, and I had to take advantage of it," Thomas said. "It was just about me being more and more confident. The scheme we're playing, I love it. It allows me to be versatile and run all over the field and do all kinds of things. I can play free and just run to the ball. That's my thing. "When Eric first saw me out there, he said, 'BT, just get on the edge and just go. That's what I want you to do.' I started doing that, I wasn't doing a lot of thinking, and you saw my productivity started increasing. Eric told me to just use my ability and that's what I've done." Dave Hutchinson may be reached at dhutchinson@starledger.com Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
drago Posted August 9, 2007 Share Posted August 9, 2007 If Miller gets snubbed in his team MVP bid, Thomas will grab it for sure. anyone remember the play where the fullback took on Thomas, so thomas reaches arms around both sides of the fullback, still grabs the RB and brings them both to the ground? Yeah...i love bryan thomas. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AVM Posted August 9, 2007 Share Posted August 9, 2007 Team MVP? Try league defensive MVP! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Damaged89 Posted August 9, 2007 Share Posted August 9, 2007 Team MVP? Try league defensive MVP! If Bryan Thomas becomes league defensive MVP, I will **** my pants. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kentucky Jet Posted August 10, 2007 Author Share Posted August 10, 2007 plays better then AT of NE! I would love to see that happen! And it just might! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RSJ Posted August 10, 2007 Share Posted August 10, 2007 Bradway deserves some credit. I would right now rather have Bryan Thomas than Ed Reed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
green_blood Posted August 10, 2007 Share Posted August 10, 2007 Because we have Rhodes to compensate. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RSJ Posted August 10, 2007 Share Posted August 10, 2007 Because we have Rhodes to compensate. Ofcourse that doesn't hurt. It also helps that it is rare to get a professional, hardworking player that keeps his mouth shut these days. Also when comparing BT's contract at 27 to that of Adalius Thomas at 32 we have ourselves one helluva deal. Ed Reed has been suspect as of late. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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