Antics And All, Michael Thomas Proved On Sunday That He's A Special, Special Kind Of Savage11/5/2018
Michael Thomas is a lot of things. He's dramatic. He can be overly sensitive. He's loud and proud in a way that can surely be seen as showy. In short, no matter how many times the comparison has lazily been drawn, for far more better than worse, the one thing he is most certainly not is Marques Colston. In a way that isn't all that uncommon and/or shouldn't be all that unexpected of athletes that have dedicated their lives to beating the best of the best when they line up face-to-face across from them, Michael Thomas both loves the attention and takes it extremely personally when he doesn't get it. Whether or not that's the most admirable of attributes is inconsequential, because the way in which is manifests itself on the field is anything but detrimental to a team that feeds off the pompousness of his play. Simply put, who the Saints' brand spankin' new holder of the franchise record for receiving yards in a game is as a person makes him who he is as a player, and who he is as a player is a special, special kind of savage that is loved unconditionally in his own locker room. The term "diva" gets thrown around anytime a skill position player acts in vain, but there's a huge difference in being self-assured and selfish. The latter, the best wide receiver of the Sean Payton era is not, as you'll notice no difference in his disposition whether he's racking up 6 targets or 12 catches. Look no further than Alvin Kamara, a player with which he's competing for touches, flashing Michael Thomas' patented flex after 2-3 of the 12 catches that his teammate reeled in on a record setting night for proof that a little bit of arrogance sits well on a sideline with which the bravado very much spills from the top on down. With Sean Payton being the biggest repeat offender, the current culture in New Orleans is one that tightropes the thin line between cocky and confident, and if Michael Thomas is going to continue catching 90% of everything that's thrown his way then no one whose job could actually be made more difficult by his antics are going to criticize him for taking the occasional step out of bounds. Now, I was of the opinion that Michael Thomas owed Reggie Bush an apology for the over-the-top and childish way in which he responded to what was a completely meaningless air-filler of a wide receiver ranking. However, after yesterday evening, I think it's more than fair to say that an apology should also be coming from the other direction, as the aggrieved party made a bulletproof case that his claim to Top 5 wideout status is airtight. Michael Thomas ate, and ate, and ate, and then he ate some more. And when he was finally done chewing up and spitting out Marcus Peters (who is ironically an example of narcissism actually gone wrong), it was a goddamn miracle there wasn't a line of regurgitation left lying in his wake to an end zone in which a flip phone was both strategically and sentimentally placed. So yeah, if there is a former Saints' player with which Michael Thomas' personality compares then it's the one he paid tribute to with a celebration that had multiple generations of the Who Dat Nation hooting and hollering like it was a goddamn family reunion. That personality may have a drawn an otherwise unnecessary 15 yard penalty on a kickoff in the late stages of a relatively close, season-defining game. However, the touchdown that preceded it also defined the season-defining game, so if you don't think a hat-tip to Joe Horn motivated every member of a team that had it's foot placed firmly on the gas by Michael Thomas then you should probably change your adult diaper, as it's clear to the entire sports' world that you have a big old dump in your pants. If, by some chance, those 15 yards ended up mattering then the man whose accurately come to be known as 'Can't Guard Mike' would be the first person lined up to make up for them by proving his twitter @ true for the umpteenth time. Above all else, he's a ruthless competitor that takes every perceived slight out on opposing cornerbacks that dare to challenge him physically, and he's a leader for a Saints' team whose collective attitude makes their definition of leadership slightly different than that of those with antiquated sensibilities. By that, I mean that your mildly racist grandfather (or his favorite sports radio host) that still uses the type of cell phone that Michael Thomas hid under the padding of the goalpost 10 hours earlier probably won't like them. Which is fine, because - from one man to the next - they love, appreciate, and play for each other...peerless, peacocking pass catchers and all. To imply Michael Thomas is not a team player is to have a fundamental misunderstanding of the team he plays for, as the success of this iteration of the New Orleans Saints comes packaged in a certain level of swag. So throw the damn flag, because they'll do what it takes and more to overcome a flipped phone.
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