Matt Thomas Consistently Making Plays Now

Go to 3:47. Pressures the QB which causes the fumble AND runs it back 74 yards 1 yard out from the endzone.

They need to get this guy on the field more. Seeing good things.

 

He already looks like easily our best coverage backer. They need to figure out how to get him out there on passing downs.

 

He may be the next Batman we need for all these Robins they have .

 

Matt Thomas probably needs to find his way onto the field... without Shazier, we are in dire need of a playmaker like him.

On another note, Rudolph looked really solid.

 

It’s not whether or not he makes the team, it’s how many snaps he gets. I wouldn’t be shocked if he took Bostic’s starting job by the end of the year. Kid has talent

 

Trust me. Thomas is going to find a way onto the field this season; limited capacity or otherwise.


I am more interested in the level of conditioning and development he will be engaging upon for the entire season. Should he be conditioned enough to warrant both Tomlin's and Butler's trust to use him more frequently in packages, then we will know for certain that Thomas is another "Steelers Story".

 

He needs to start soon.

Williams
Bostic
Thomas
Fort
Tyler


Lol Tyler’s best play to date

 

Because he's the linebacker Pittsburgh deserves, but not the one it needs right now. So we'll use him. Because he can take it. Because he's not our hero. He's a silent playmaker, a watchful blitzer. A black and gold knight.

 

According to James Harrison; "That Thomas guy is a woos. He only had to go, what was it 75 yds, and he fizzled at 74? I could run 75 backwards with one leg asleep in flip flops."

 

Hope 44 starts over him. Love those few decent special teams plays every season !

 

Thomas will be on the field on passing downs, he will play in the Seminole package.

 

Do you know something about his conditioning beyond what we've seen from him on the field so far? I'm curious because you keep mentioning it.

 

The preseason games themselves; the final one doubly so in the case of Thomas.


That 74 yard return should have been a touchdown. Even before that play, Thomas appeared winded. Yes, he did catch his second wind but not for as long as he would have liked.



The preseason games themselves as a whole do not just test performance but endurance as well of both mental and physcial capacity. Matthew has the mental aspect down of both. It now comes down the physical side of the other equation. The 25% that is missing; endurance.


Or as you may call it; conditioning.

 

The vast majority of players would be losing steam after rushing the passer and running 70+ yards. I don't hold this against him.

 

You're joking right? He went 70+ plus. Also, didn't this dude chase down a ball carrier passing up the safety behre starting way behind him ?

 

I was quoting you when I called it conditioning.
I thought maybe there was a connection between him going undrafted and his 'conditioning' that you knew about. That 74 yard gallop showed me his conditioning isn't a problem, to be honest. The kid who ran him down is no slouch.

 

I believe you both misunderstand. Allow me to clarify.


I did not say he needed to improve his conditioning based on one play. I stated he needed to improve his conditioning due to the fact that he was likely winded leading up to that point.


Keep in mind that Carolina was efficient in moving the ball down the field on that drive. They did target the boundaries more on that series but also hit on the inside routes as well; Thomas usually within the vicinity of the ball. Such continual plays can wear down a player; a rookie especially. It is possible that Thomas simply ran out of steam during that drive but mustered enough to obtain his "second wind" when he recovered his own forced fumble. He likely ran out by then because you could see he was getting slower by halfway of his return.



Regardless if he scored or not, it was still a fantastic play. All I am stating is that, had he been more conditioned, rather, a year of NFL based conditioning, the result would have been different.

 

I saw it like this: If Bonnafon wasn't on the field for that play, Thomas cruises into the end zone untouched.

 

And the best part is....it doesn't matter. Bigger picture: found a diamond in the rough, and we needed it.

 

......



All the more reason I just stated, within that quote, "regardless".

 

He is still a rook. Tom Brady will make all our rookies look bad.

We’ll see how much he can help us this season.

 

Pretty much sums it up.

Dilly dilly