The big thing about Michael Thomas’ presence and availability for the New Orleans Saints this season is that nowadays, it doesn’t appear to be much of a big thing at all.
With each passing day and practice of Thomas doing what Thomas has done, newspaper clippings of the recent past yellow a little more, pictures become a bit more outdated and the eye test rolls forward to the present.
Early questions about whether he could stay healthy have dissolved as Thomas simply has gone about his business each and every day, competing for every pass in his vicinity, rarely if ever missing practice let alone a rep, working as hard when there are no cameras as he does when the lights are on and the videos can show him from almost every conceivable angle.
“I feel good,” Thomas said. “I like the progress that I’m making. I feel like just being able to be a part of an offense like this with guys like A.K. (running back Alvin Kamara), (receiver) Chris (Olave), (receiver) Rashid (Shaheed), is just exciting for any player.
“When you have opportunities to come out there and play with that group every Sunday, it’s fun. So whatever it takes to be out there, I’m all in.”
It definitely took a lot for Thomas to be back out there, participating in his eighth NFL season. The Saints (4-4) will play Chicago (2-6) on Sunday in the Caesars Superdome.
From 2020-22, due to ankle and toe injuries, Thomas played in 10 games. He missed all of 2021, and in the abbreviated time he caught 56 passes for 609 yards and three touchdowns.
But months of rehab after multiple surgeries put Thomas on track not only to return, but to return to form. So far that has been the case: 38 catches for 439 yards and a touchdown in eight games, with the trademark traffic catches and the willingness to deliver and absorb a level of contact that might interrupt participation for others. His career totals now stand at 564 catches (second in franchise history to Marques Colston’s 711) for 6,560 yards and 36 touchdowns.
Thomas never doubted that he’d be back, playing at a high level.
“That’s what it’s all about, keeping that confidence, keeping that belief in yourself, your ability, your craft and your preparation,” he said. “The days that you took to get to this point, that’s really what it’s all about. You can’t lose that. If you lose that, that’s kind of like the fire.
“That’s kind of like what keeps you going. I felt like that was the most important thing I couldn’t lose. At the end of the day, I had to stay positive and keep moving in the right direction.”
When Thomas is moving in the right direction, so, too, is the Saints’ offense. In the last three games New Orleans has totaled 430, 407 and 511 yards, the first time the offense has gained 400 or more yards in three consecutive games since the 2018 season.
“I think Mike’s had an important part in our offense, and hopefully as we continue to go throughout the season he’ll continue to be that,” Coach Dennis Allen said. “I think probably as much as anything, his competitiveness, his toughness, his grit, his willingness to battle through and compete has been awesome. He’s been a great teammate and been a really vocal force amongst our offense.”
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