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If Michael Thomas was on the Falcons


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7 hours ago, ki46dinah said:

Michael Thomas is a possession receiver. A great possession receiver no doubt....but not a top 3 wideout in the NFL. 
Julio, Mike Evans, Hopkins.

Imagine someone like Larry Fitz if he had Brees his whole career. He would probably average 140 receptions/season

This is almost as bad as the OP...lol

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13 minutes ago, FalconsIn2012 said:

This is almost as bad as the OP...lol

I'm not entirely sure he's off the mark. Great hands, great route running, knows how to use his body to gain leverage, but he's not taking the top off your defense. You're not double teaming him because he doesn't go deep often enough for it to matter. 

His average yards per catch supports this argument. He is well below that of great wide receivers (by great, I mean generation talents). And it's consistent - he's never been higher than around 12 yards per catch so far in his career. His target rate on deep throws down field? I've seen 0.6 per game. For comparison, JJ has 2, Evans 2.6, Hopkins 1.6.

I think that can support the argument that Thomas is a great possession receiver. He has the benefit of a truly great QB and masterful play calling to pad his stats. 

 

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5 minutes ago, nuccah said:

I'm not entirely sure he's off the mark. Great hands, great route running, knows how to use his body to gain leverage, but he's not taking the top off your defense. You're not double teaming him because he doesn't go deep often enough for it to matter. 

His average yards per catch supports this argument. He is well below that of great wide receivers (by great, I mean generation talents). And it's consistent - he's never been higher than around 12 yards per catch so far in his career. His target rate on deep throws down field? I've seen 0.6 per game. For comparison, JJ has 2, Evans 2.6, Hopkins 1.6.

I think that can support the argument that Thomas is a great possession receiver. He has the benefit of a truly great QB and masterful play calling to pad his stats. 

 

He is bracketed as often as any receiver in football.  And his numbers were identical when the backup QB played for 6 weeks.  Yes,, he runs out of the slot more than most #1’s, but he tuns incredible routes and makes tough catches in traffic.  Nobody gets open in short space like MT

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9 minutes ago, nuccah said:

I'm not entirely sure he's off the mark. Great hands, great route running, knows how to use his body to gain leverage, but he's not taking the top off your defense. You're not double teaming him because he doesn't go deep often enough for it to matter. 

His average yards per catch supports this argument. He is well below that of great wide receivers (by great, I mean generation talents). And it's consistent - he's never been higher than around 12 yards per catch so far in his career. His target rate on deep throws down field? I've seen 0.6 per game. For comparison, JJ has 2, Evans 2.6, Hopkins 1.6.

I think that can support the argument that Thomas is a great possession receiver. He has the benefit of a truly great QB and masterful play calling to pad his stats. 

 

52 catches for 640 yards and 3 tubs while Brees was out injured. You guys can say whatever you want about the Saints and their players but give real props when due. He clearly would have went well over 1000 yards without Brees. Dude is a top 5 receiver in the league. Y’all do whatever ya can to discredit him though. Been seeing it since he got paid. Can’t get mad because he's in a scheme that works in his favor

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7 minutes ago, ya_boi_j said:

52 catches for 640 yards and 3 tubs while Brees was out injured. You guys can say whatever you want about the Saints and their players but give real props when due. He clearly would have went well over 1000 yards without Brees. Dude is a top 5 receiver in the league. Y’all do whatever ya can to discredit him though. Been seeing it since he got paid. Can’t get mad because he's in a scheme that works in his favor

Right on....MT just passed Randy Moss for most yards in first 4 years...he also broke the record for most receptions in first 5 years of career, except he has only played 4 years.  But somehow he is a product of the system

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5 minutes ago, FalconsIn2012 said:

Right on....MT just passed Randy Moss for most yards in first 4 years...he also broke the record for most receptions in first 5 years of career, except he has only played 4 years.  But somehow he is a product of the system

The Saints hate is unreal. I get that a lot of people get caught up in that rivalry but the guy is good. Definitely one of the best in the league. He’s definitely in the same atmosphere as Julio, Hopkins and Evans. Amazing how someone can say he pads his stats in that system but don’t say the same about Evans. Man has 835 targets in only 6 years lol. Talk about forcing the ball to one guy. But that’s neither here nor there. Respect the production

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15 minutes ago, ya_boi_j said:

The Saints hate is unreal. I get that a lot of people get caught up in that rivalry but the guy is good. Definitely one of the best in the league. He’s definitely in the same atmosphere as Julio, Hopkins and Evans. Amazing how someone can say he pads his stats in that system but don’t say the same about Evans. Man has 835 targets in only 6 years lol. Talk about forcing the ball to one guy. But that’s neither here nor there. Respect the production

 I'm not saying he's a product of the system, only that the system is clearly perfect for his skillset. He's not 'the best receiver in the NFL' as many are saying since he broke the record. I'm only making the argument that he is a great possession receiver, and that's not a knock on him. He is a top 5 receiver, but my opinion stands that I would take JJ, Hopkins, and possibly Evans over him because they have the deep game that Thomas does not. 

Wes Welker was never the 'best receiver in the NFL', and Thomas' stats are very comparable from a statistical standpoint. The difference being that Thomas is more athletically gifted. 

Edit: Also I replied to the poster stating that Thomas not being a top 3 receiver is as asinine as this thread. That is definitely not the case as an argument can be made. This thread however is clearly asinine. 

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18 minutes ago, nuccah said:

 I'm not saying he's a product of the system, only that the system is clearly perfect for his skillset. He's not 'the best receiver in the NFL' as many are saying since he broke the record. I'm only making the argument that he is a great possession receiver, and that's not a knock on him. He is a top 5 receiver, but my opinion stands that I would take JJ, Hopkins, and possibly Evans over him because they have the deep game that Thomas does not. 

Wes Welker was never the 'best receiver in the NFL', and Thomas' stats are very comparable from a statistical standpoint. The difference being that Thomas is more athletically gifted. 

How can you accurately say he doesn’t have a deep game? The times he’s been asked to go deep he’s came through with positive results. 
 

 Plus, you don’t have to be a deep threat to be considered the best. I’m not saying he is but you definitely don’t have to be a deep threat to be considered the best. Just like you don’t have to have a cannon for an arm to be truly considered the best QB, etc. Prime and great example although unpopular, Lamar Jackson barely throws downfield despite being capable yet is considered the best in the league mostly because he’s a dual threat. Being a dual threat shouldn’t make you the best if your talent isn’t on full display based on what you’re saying

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17 minutes ago, ya_boi_j said:

How can you accurately say he doesn’t have a deep game? The times he’s been asked to go deep he’s came through with positive results. 
 

 Plus, you don’t have to be a deep threat to be considered the best. I’m not saying he is but you definitely don’t have to be a deep threat to be considered the best. Just like you don’t have to have a cannon for an arm to be truly considered the best QB, etc. 

I'm extrapolating based on the stats I can find, what he's asked to do, and his measurables. If you have detailed stats showing his effectiveness (# of routes ran, targets, results), I'd love to see them and I'd gladly change my opinion. 

After looking up a bit more, I didn't realize that Evans and Hopkins are having relatively poor years from what I expected, so I definitely give Thomas the nod into the top three. I'd still keep JJ on top, and I don't think I'm being a Homer in that opinion. 

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32 minutes ago, nuccah said:

I'm extrapolating based on the stats I can find, what he's asked to do, and his measurables. If you have detailed stats showing his effectiveness (# of routes ran, targets, results), I'd love to see them and I'd gladly change my opinion. 

After looking up a bit more, I didn't realize that Evans and Hopkins are having relatively poor years from what I expected, so I definitely give Thomas the nod into the top three. I'd still keep JJ on top, and I don't think I'm being a Homer in that opinion. 

You can find most of your detailed stats here. 
https://www.pro-football-reference.com/players/T/ThomMi05.htm

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1 hour ago, ya_boi_j said:

The Saints hate is unreal. I get that a lot of people get caught up in that rivalry but the guy is good. Definitely one of the best in the league. He’s definitely in the same atmosphere as Julio, Hopkins and Evans. Amazing how someone can say he pads his stats in that system but don’t say the same about Evans. Man has 835 targets in only 6 years lol. Talk about forcing the ball to one guy. But that’s neither here nor there. Respect the production

Just because he won you your fantasy league doesn't mean you gotta suck his *****

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Who cares if he can take the top off a defense, if he can consistently get open and methodically help drive his team down field.

 

He's not the assassin that sneaks up behind you and puts a bullet behind your ear and ends is quickly.

He's the assassin that sneaks up behind you and slowly sticks a knife in your jugular, then sticks around and watches you bleed out and suffer.

Edited by RubberDucky
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