The Road Back ... What Michael Thomas Are We Getting?
I know what you're thinking, we've seen this story before. Michael Thomas is once again working his way back from injury, and the hype train is starting.....or is it? There has been a major conflict in reporting style as of late on what Michael Thomas brings to the table, and where his recovery may be.
Saints fans collectively have done the old confused dog head turn when seeing the confliction in reports from two respected Saints writers who are typically.....in the know.
So let's ask the question. Is Michael Thomas poised for a big return, or is he cooked?
Before we get all worked up on who may be right, let's take a step back here and realize, not everything is black and white. The answer could be somewhere in the middle. Perhaps one reporter is getting their information from someone internally who is more....cautious to their approach, and thus they are gravitating towards information that may temper expectations. Or, perhaps they are going the route of many casual fans in their assessment, and don't want to get too worked up. OR, perhaps one reporter knows that if they say something controversial they'll get more clicks. 👀
I, respectfully, believe in the eye test, and history. Now you may say, "well historically Michael Thomas has been injured." Sure, thats fair. However, he also has been known to be a freak athlete, and work harder than just about anyone out there on his preparation and recovery.
So with that, lets go with the eye test and recap all of the things we've seen so far:
By a Wild Coincidence, the NFL Posts a Video of Michael Thomas' Insane Deadlift, Then Immediately Schedules a Drug Test https://t.co/7nt14NKOAS pic.twitter.com/SnjzuzZZUc
— Barstool Sports (@barstoolsports) April 19, 2023
Here you see Michael Thomas deadlifting 315 pounds. THREE HUNDRED AND FIFTEEN POUNDS. In case you were wondering, thats roughly 945 Smash Burgers (shoutout Coops Burgers), 2 kegs, 37 gallons of milk, one baby african elephant, or a black bear.
Aside from him being an absolute ANIMAL in the gym, how about him on the field?
Michael Thomas vs JC Jackson pic.twitter.com/wDR5WGemvC
— NOF (@nofnetwork) August 17, 2023
In 7-on-7 drills, Saints WR Michael Thomas is dominating the DBs with his impressive performance. #Saints pic.twitter.com/V1PJDa69Hx
— JOSE ALVARES (@Alvaresjose11) August 17, 2023
Michael Thomas vs Derwin James pic.twitter.com/CKrXynbTG7
— NOF (@nofnetwork) August 17, 2023
He gave the Chargers secondary fits in these clips, which is the same practice we got reports stating the opposite.
In his one preseason game this season against the Chiefs, he played one drive, which led to a touchdown. He was targeted twice, hauling in one catch for 16 yards, and was fingertips away from hauling in a touchdown on a fade route to close the drive. In between there, the Chiefs secondary sure seemed to give him a lot of attention, opening things up for other guys.
In all honesty, we probably wont know truly until week one or two what version of Thomas the Saints are getting, but I can tell you this, I wouldn't bet against him.
What version of Michael Thomas do you guys think we're getting?
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