Jump to content
Washington Football Team Logo
Extremeskins
Forum Rules and Guidelines

Redskins.com: Thomas Knows 'Pressure Is On' (Thomas/Campbell practice tidbits)

#98QBKiller

By #98QBKiller
in The Stadium

Recommended Posts

#98QBKiller

#98QBKiller

Posted
Posted

http://www.redskins.com/gen/articles/Thomas_Knows__Pressure_Is_On__36653.jsp

Devin Thomas likes to play football at a high tempo--making him a good fit for Jim Zorn’s high-tempo West Coast offense.

Thomas has learned, though, that he needs to be more measured in terms of how he runs his routes.

“In the NFL, it’s not always about speed, it’s about how you use your speed,” Thomas said. “A lot of times I get caught up with running fast, but you have to balance your speed with how you run your routes.”

Coming off a rookie season in which he caught 15 passes for 120 yards, Thomas says he is determined to improve this offseason.

Working on the practice fields with Jason Campbell and other quarterbacks, Thomas has focused on becoming a more precise route-runner.

That means adapting his speed to keep defensive backs a step or two away, allowing him to get open downfield.

Thomas has also developed a better rapport with that Campbell.

“We have been coming out here after workouts, one-on-one together, doing the little things like perfecting routes,” Thomas said.

Campbell said during OTAs he has seen a “greater sense of urgency” this offseason in Thomas and Malcolm Kelly.

“Devin is getting a better understanding of the game,” Campbell said. “The more he can understand, the more he can help us. He’s an explosive guy. He’s a big play guy. The thing we want to do is continue to encourage him.”

It’s all part of “turning the page” for Thomas after what many regarded as a disappointing rookie season.

The former Michigan State standout was the Redskins’ top pick in the 2008 NFL Draft. He was selected in the second round with the 34th overall selection.

Thomas knows the spotlight is on both him and Kelly as they head into their sophomore seasons in the NFL.

They are regarded as key components to the Redskins’ passing game, which was ranked 23rd in the league last year.

“I feel like both Malcolm and I need to step up this year,” Thomas said. “They brought us in as second-round picks and a lot of people were looking for us to do something big last year.

“Being a receiver, you’re always going to deal with pressure, so yeah, the pressure is on. We’re looking forward to the challenge.”

Kelly struggled through an injury-plagued season, catching three passes for 18 yards. He continues to rehab from off-season knee surgery but is expected to be on the field when OTAs resume in June.

Thomas has been slowed by a hamstring injury this offseason, but he also is expected to be back in action during OTAs.

As he refines his route-running in the NFL, Thomas hopes to get off to a fast start early in the season.

He wants to catch his first NFL touchdown early on so that he can get into a rhythm.

“I want to get the ball in my hands early and get a touchdown to get my season rolling,” he said. “Once you get that early start, you can get over that hump. Then it’s ‘Let’s roll.’"

Link to comment
Share on other sites
MartinC

MartinC

Posted
Posted

Jim Zorn needs to spend some time developing a Devin Thomas 'package' with plays which he is really comfortable with and then feed him early in the season to get him established and his confidence up.

If we can get Thomas productive it will open things up for Moss and make a huge difference to our offense and to Jason Campbell.

I'd like to see Fred Davis have a similar package witha focus on the red zone. Teams took Cooley away from us last year in the red zone (he only had 1 TD and that was an option pass from Randle El) becuase they knew he was our only real red zone threat - get Davis involved down there and it makes them think twice about focuing on Cooley.

I'm not writing Kelly off yet either but I have concerns at bout him ever being up to the physical challenge his knee issues are causing. If we can get and keep him healthy I think Kelly can be also be a huge deal for us in the red zone.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
ucfSKINS

ucfSKINS

Posted
Posted

I have a lot of hope for Thomas, Kelly, and Davis. Realistically though, Kelly's knee problems are very disconcerning. Great to hear about Thomas, and I'd love to hear something similar about Davis.

Either way, never stop working hard, sophmores.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
sens11

sens11

Posted
Posted

Campbell said during OTAs he has seen a “greater sense of urgency” this offseason in Thomas and Malcolm Kelly.

This is the most important thing for me to hear.

I gather that DT is really putting it together right about now. However, I don't get the same feeling on MK. I guess injuries will do that.

One of these two guys, if not both, really need to surface with production this year. If not, you really have to start questioning the choice to draft them.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
ChillSkinzFan84

ChillSkinzFan84

Posted
Posted

Im really excited about our redshirts from last year. They both are putting in alot of work. Kelly is doing as much as he can. They think his knee will be fine this year because they went in and fixed it instead of doing a patch up job like last year. He says he feels fine but the trainers want him to take it slow until OTA's in June. All those people who said the rookies from last year are busts and sorry will be forced to eat crow this year.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
theboomking

theboomking

Posted
Posted

I don't know if anyone else saw this bit on redskins.com nightly news, but Vinny Cerrato was recently on saying how good Davis has looked, and stated that he is "pound for pound the strongest player on the team" and probably "the most explosive player on the team". I'd like to see some of this on the field this year.

Devin sounds like he is working hard with his preparation, but that more importantly, it has been translating to success on the field. I'm excited for the pre-season games this year, probably for the first time since we drafted Lavar and Samuels.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
JimmyConway

JimmyConway

Posted
Posted

He wants to catch his first NFL touchdown early on so that he can get into a rhythm.

“I want to get the ball in my hands early and get a touchdown to get my season rolling,” he said. “Once you get that early start, you can get over that hump. Then it’s ‘Let’s roll.’"

-------

Agree with him. He needs to see a lot of action early so he can hit the ground running. With early match-ups against the Cheifs, Rams, and Lions, I don't see any reason why that can't happen.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
terrifNick21

terrifNick21

Posted
Posted
I don't know if anyone else saw this bit on redskins.com nightly news, but Vinny Cerrato was recently on saying how good Davis has looked, and stated that he is "pound for pound the strongest player on the team" and probably "the most explosive player on the team". I'd like to see some of this on the field this year.

Think he could be saying that just to cover his ass?

Link to comment
Share on other sites
terrifNick21

terrifNick21

Posted
Posted
He wants to catch his first NFL touchdown early on so that he can get into a rhythm.

“I want to get the ball in my hands early and get a touchdown to get my season rolling,” he said. “Once you get that early start, you can get over that hump. Then it’s ‘Let’s roll.’"

-------

Agree with him. He needs to see a lot of action early so he can hit the ground running. With early match-ups against the Cheifs, Rams, and Lions, I don't see any reason why that can't happen.

Sounds good to me. I'm hoping for 7-8 TDs for him. Would be fantastic.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
#98QBKiller

#98QBKiller

Posted
  • Author
Posted
Im really excited about our redshirts from last year. They both are putting in alot of work. Kelly is doing as much as he can. They think his knee will be fine this year because they went in and fixed it instead of doing a patch up job like last year. He says he feels fine but the trainers want him to take it slow until OTA's in June. All those people who said the rookies from last year are busts and sorry will be forced to eat crow this year.

Yeah I agree about Malcolm. I'm glad they decided to get in there and completely fix it in January and didn't mess around with "testing it" throughout the offseason. It puts him back a little bit but he's on track to be full-go in June and ready when the season starts.

We'll probably see a lot of him in preseason too.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
flexxskins

flexxskins

Posted
Posted

It's easier for us to get excited about Thomas this season, he has already showed us flashes of what he can do when it counts...at game time.

However, we can only go on what players like Shawn Springs has said about Kelly and just hope that it's all ture, and also hope that Kelly can stay healthy.

I for one am just sick of hearing all of the rah rah. I would like to see some of these great offseason reports translate onto the field on game day.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
TD_washingtonredskins

TD_washingtonredskins

Posted
Posted

I love hearing this...he's the most likely of the 3 to get the opportunity to flourish. I was more excited about Kelly, but his knees have me concerned. Davis seems like the most slam-dunk prospect, but he's blocked by Cooley. Granted, you can put two TEs on the field at once or move Davis around...but it'll be "easier" for Thomas to crack the lineup.

Let's hope they all contribute this year and help improve this offense.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Archived

This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.

Go to topic listing

  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.
×
×
  • Create New...