PHILADELPHIA, PA – DECEMBER 13: Michael Thomas #13 of the New Orleans Saints looks on against the Philadelphia Eagles at Lincoln Financial Field on December 13, 2020 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Mitchell Leff/Getty Images)
Michael Thomas exited the playoffs in embarrassing fashion, but you can bet he’s watching from home.
How do we know this? Well, Thomas is live tweeting the NFC Championship Game. Thomas had a tough zero-catch performance against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the Divisional Round last weekend. As a result, the Saints exited the playoffs despite hosting Tampa in what was likely future Hall of Fame quarterback Drew Brees’ final game.
Thomas’ tweets showcase just how knowledgable he is regarding the game of football. At the same time, they come off as relatively fresh to Saints fans who watched Brees’ final season in frustration.
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Thomas was utterly useless in the NFC Divisional Round, making just as many catches as you and I did watching from home. Much of this was due to the creative coverage schemes put in place by Raheem Morris, but Brees’ lack of arm strength played a major role as well.
Opposing defenses didn’t have to respect the downfield passing game, so much so that the longest pass of the game came from backup Jameis Winston on a trick play. It remains to be seen if Thomas can play the role of a deep threat, as he’s become one of the best underneath to intermediate passing game targets in the game today.
Without Brees, he’ll be asked to continue playing to his strengths but perhaps do a little more, especially with one of Taysom Hill or Winston throwing him the football. Sean Payton’s offense will look different — and potentially better — in 2021. Will Thomas once again flourish and silence his doubters at the same time?