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With Demaryius Thomas and Dez Bryant enjoying their best season of their careers, I want to re-visit the past.
In the 2010 NFL Draft, Josh McDaniels selected Demaryius Thomas over Dez Bryant. I remember a lot of criticism of the pick back then. Bryant was ranked as the top wide receiver by most people then. When Thomas was selected, obviously, there was a lot of controversy. Thomas was the complete package (a raw one) with some route-running defiency at the time. Bryant was the talented and arguably the consensus-best WR, but he was also an immature diva from Oklahoma State. When the Broncos traded down and picked Thomas, McDaniels said that Thomas reminds him of "Brandon Marshall".
In their rookie year, Bryant's production (45 receptions, 561 yards, 6 touchdowns) was twice that of Thomas's (22 receptions, 283 yards, 2 touchdowns). However, you can't fault Thomas. "DT" had to battle injuries and caught passes from Kyle Orton. There were moments of promise, such as his debut against the Seahawks (in which he scored his first career touchdown) and his touchdown catch over Darrelle Revis against the Jets. Thomas handled kick-return duties as well. However, Thomas's first season was cut short by an ankle injury that landed him on injured reserve.
Bryant, on the other hand, had a decent season for the Cowboys. Bryant was catching footballs from Tony Romo with Miles Austin and Co. Who did Thomas have to complement himself? Brandon Lloyd (okay, he did have a good season), Eddie Royal, and Jabar Gaffney. None of those receivers are on the team anymore. Bryant had some highlight-reel plays that included two punt-return touchdowns.
In their sophmore campaigns, both Thomas and Bryant improved their numbers. Bryant had 9 touchdowns on 63 receptions. Thomas (who missed five games because of an achilles' tendon injury) had a nice debut against the Dolphins considering he was catching volatile bombs from Tim Tebow. In that Dolphins game, Thomas caught one of the touchdown passes that would eventually lead to a comeback win and ultimately, sparking a season full of national media attention that is still attent today. Thomas had his run, too. Optimus Prime averaged over 100 yards receiving (from Tebow) through the latter part of the season. Thomas had incredible numbers in the playoffs (4 receptions, 204 yards vs. the Steelers) which included "The Stiff Arm" for the stunning (for both Broncos and Steelers fans) game-winner. Despite Tebow's struggles against the Patriots in the next game, Thomas managed to have a good game receiving (mainly by YAC).
The real breakthrough for Demaryius Thomas was the signing of the legend, Peyton Manning. Manning, himself, said that he never had "a receiver like Thomas", referring to Thomas's size, speed, and talent. Manning and Thomas, for the most part, clicked from the onset of this season. Executing on screens, Thomas's catch-and-run for a 71-yard touchdown was Manning's 400th of his career. For the next few games, Thomas struggled with fumbling, but has since fixed that issue. Thomas's development has grown before our eyes and on the field (look at http://forums.denverbroncos.com/show...maryius-Thomas). Thomas is having a Pro Bowl-worthy season with 74 receptions, 1,197 yards, and 8 touchdowns so far. Manning is unlocking Thomas's potential and in my opinion, Demaryius still has room to grow and improve. Early in the season, Manning was trusting Eric Decker more than Thomas if you pay attention. Now in the backstretch of this year, Thomas is the reliable target of Manning's (not that Decker isn't, but Decker hasn't had a ton of targets lately). Evident against the Buccaneers, Manning mainly targeted Thomas and Jacob Tamme, which caused a lot of my fellow members to complain about their FF teams. Considering Thomas started out as a "raw" wide receiver from the Triple-Option offense of the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets, to the "real" Option offense as tailored by our OC Mike McCoy and conducted by one of the best Option quarterbacks of all-time in Tim Tebow, to the sophisticated, mind-blowing symphony as operated by Peyton Manning, who is always on top of his receiver's actions and development. Whether hot-routing or audibling Thomas, Manning keeps him and Decker in their playbooks. After every drive, Manning breaks down what happened and adjusts the offensive attack (with Osweiler right behind him!) further testing whether Thomas is game-ready or not. Remember Thomas is only 24 years old and still not fully-polished, considering everything he has gone through.
Dez Bryant started the season facing an arrest over the offseason. The serious off-field issues led Jerry Jones, the Cowboys owner, to "babysit" Bryant everywhere he went. Given the Cowboys' struggles over the course of the year, Bryant has put up similar numbers to Thomas. However, Bryant has been inconsistent, putting in a pattern of average, average, good, average, MONSTER, good, average, and MONSTER performances this season (note the Cowboys' opponents). Bryant has made over a handful of mental mistakes including a critical dropped pass against the Ravens, which is something that Peyton Manning wouldn't accept.
Finally, looking back, who is the better player? Controversy was stirred with the selection of Demaryius Thomas by the Broncos. Now, how do they compare? What was your opinion about Thomas at the time when he was drafted? I have been posting in the Draft, Scouting, and Free Agent Talk section of the forum for a short while now. This is my first thread in the main Broncos Football section. I have a lot to say and this was the first to spring into my mind. I hope all of you enjoyed and share your thoughts on this strenuous post. If you liked it, please feel free to invest some CP
.
COMMENTS, THOUGHTS, AND OPINIONS ARE WELCOME! GO BRONCOS!
- HDbroncos02
In the 2010 NFL Draft, Josh McDaniels selected Demaryius Thomas over Dez Bryant. I remember a lot of criticism of the pick back then. Bryant was ranked as the top wide receiver by most people then. When Thomas was selected, obviously, there was a lot of controversy. Thomas was the complete package (a raw one) with some route-running defiency at the time. Bryant was the talented and arguably the consensus-best WR, but he was also an immature diva from Oklahoma State. When the Broncos traded down and picked Thomas, McDaniels said that Thomas reminds him of "Brandon Marshall".
In their rookie year, Bryant's production (45 receptions, 561 yards, 6 touchdowns) was twice that of Thomas's (22 receptions, 283 yards, 2 touchdowns). However, you can't fault Thomas. "DT" had to battle injuries and caught passes from Kyle Orton. There were moments of promise, such as his debut against the Seahawks (in which he scored his first career touchdown) and his touchdown catch over Darrelle Revis against the Jets. Thomas handled kick-return duties as well. However, Thomas's first season was cut short by an ankle injury that landed him on injured reserve.
Bryant, on the other hand, had a decent season for the Cowboys. Bryant was catching footballs from Tony Romo with Miles Austin and Co. Who did Thomas have to complement himself? Brandon Lloyd (okay, he did have a good season), Eddie Royal, and Jabar Gaffney. None of those receivers are on the team anymore. Bryant had some highlight-reel plays that included two punt-return touchdowns.
In their sophmore campaigns, both Thomas and Bryant improved their numbers. Bryant had 9 touchdowns on 63 receptions. Thomas (who missed five games because of an achilles' tendon injury) had a nice debut against the Dolphins considering he was catching volatile bombs from Tim Tebow. In that Dolphins game, Thomas caught one of the touchdown passes that would eventually lead to a comeback win and ultimately, sparking a season full of national media attention that is still attent today. Thomas had his run, too. Optimus Prime averaged over 100 yards receiving (from Tebow) through the latter part of the season. Thomas had incredible numbers in the playoffs (4 receptions, 204 yards vs. the Steelers) which included "The Stiff Arm" for the stunning (for both Broncos and Steelers fans) game-winner. Despite Tebow's struggles against the Patriots in the next game, Thomas managed to have a good game receiving (mainly by YAC).
The real breakthrough for Demaryius Thomas was the signing of the legend, Peyton Manning. Manning, himself, said that he never had "a receiver like Thomas", referring to Thomas's size, speed, and talent. Manning and Thomas, for the most part, clicked from the onset of this season. Executing on screens, Thomas's catch-and-run for a 71-yard touchdown was Manning's 400th of his career. For the next few games, Thomas struggled with fumbling, but has since fixed that issue. Thomas's development has grown before our eyes and on the field (look at http://forums.denverbroncos.com/show...maryius-Thomas). Thomas is having a Pro Bowl-worthy season with 74 receptions, 1,197 yards, and 8 touchdowns so far. Manning is unlocking Thomas's potential and in my opinion, Demaryius still has room to grow and improve. Early in the season, Manning was trusting Eric Decker more than Thomas if you pay attention. Now in the backstretch of this year, Thomas is the reliable target of Manning's (not that Decker isn't, but Decker hasn't had a ton of targets lately). Evident against the Buccaneers, Manning mainly targeted Thomas and Jacob Tamme, which caused a lot of my fellow members to complain about their FF teams. Considering Thomas started out as a "raw" wide receiver from the Triple-Option offense of the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets, to the "real" Option offense as tailored by our OC Mike McCoy and conducted by one of the best Option quarterbacks of all-time in Tim Tebow, to the sophisticated, mind-blowing symphony as operated by Peyton Manning, who is always on top of his receiver's actions and development. Whether hot-routing or audibling Thomas, Manning keeps him and Decker in their playbooks. After every drive, Manning breaks down what happened and adjusts the offensive attack (with Osweiler right behind him!) further testing whether Thomas is game-ready or not. Remember Thomas is only 24 years old and still not fully-polished, considering everything he has gone through.
Dez Bryant started the season facing an arrest over the offseason. The serious off-field issues led Jerry Jones, the Cowboys owner, to "babysit" Bryant everywhere he went. Given the Cowboys' struggles over the course of the year, Bryant has put up similar numbers to Thomas. However, Bryant has been inconsistent, putting in a pattern of average, average, good, average, MONSTER, good, average, and MONSTER performances this season (note the Cowboys' opponents). Bryant has made over a handful of mental mistakes including a critical dropped pass against the Ravens, which is something that Peyton Manning wouldn't accept.
Finally, looking back, who is the better player? Controversy was stirred with the selection of Demaryius Thomas by the Broncos. Now, how do they compare? What was your opinion about Thomas at the time when he was drafted? I have been posting in the Draft, Scouting, and Free Agent Talk section of the forum for a short while now. This is my first thread in the main Broncos Football section. I have a lot to say and this was the first to spring into my mind. I hope all of you enjoyed and share your thoughts on this strenuous post. If you liked it, please feel free to invest some CP
.COMMENTS, THOUGHTS, AND OPINIONS ARE WELCOME! GO BRONCOS!
- HDbroncos02
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