Of course, if we kept Abraham, we would not have Mangold. In the end, a question is who is, or who would be more valuable to this team, Mangold or Abraham. Considering the way Abraham quit on the team because he was more concerned with his next contract, I'd argue Mangold. Perhaps Abraham has matured since then, and would not act similarly now, but there was no way Abraham could return with the Jets under those circumstances and in the end, the 1st Round pick the Jets received in return for him, became Nick Mangold. Mangold is arguably the best center in the National Football League. I'd rather have him than Abraham.
Good point. You are right in that getting Mangold for the pick was huge. I forgot to take that into account. But when they let Abe go, there was no way to know that Mangold would be there at 29. Abraham is an impact player that would be the missing link that would make the Jets a dominant defense right now. In any event, what's done is done and I don't want to hijack this thread, which is about Thomas.
Whether it's fair or not, it's not, I will always remember the safety who got away. Saying that, Thomas has been a serviceable pick. A first round pick? No. A serviceable pick, yes.
He's become a very decent player and it's worth considering that at the time there were a lot of people wanting Mike Rumph or Lito Sheppard.There weren't that many people yelling for Ed Reed at the time(although a lot of people became experts after the event on Reed)
BT was brought in to be an Abraham clone. That didn't happen and he really didn't do much until Mangini used him in 3-4. I think this role fits him best. I'd say he is solid.
9 years out of a player doesn't not make him a bust. He has not been a dynamic playmaker, but he's been reliable and that's worthy of plenty of respect from our fanbase. He's rarely out of position and makes the tackles. He buys into this defense and has done well under Rex. Is he replaceable? Yes, but you better find someone who does the job better, not just as good.
Good analysis by OP and the rest. I would have to agree that BT is solid. He had a rocky start but has been good since the Mangina era because of the position he's been put in. Anyone that lasts 9 years in the NFL has to be considered solid. Most guys don't last that long, especially with one team, if they are below average. Stallworth and Duckett should not be labeled as shitty. Stallworth had a great career in Philly for a long time and I remember Duckett gashing our run defense (along with others) on more than one occasion.
Good post. Also one must take into account the fact that aside from his rookie year, Thomas has barely missed a game due to injury. Another reason I had no problem saying goodbye to John Abraham because it also brought Nick Mangold. B. Thomas is SOLID. P.S. --- I can't believe we're still having the John Abraham conversation.
The J. Abe conversation is stupid. Its hilarious how everyone hates him when he's here for never playing in important games and being selfish, but now that he's gone and doing well in Atlanta we want him back. Having the best center in the league means nothing, apparently. It was the right move at the time and the Jets FO would make that trade over again if they had to.
While you guys were busy complaining. BT had 2 sacks that put them in third and long situations. Unfortunately one of them was credited to Drew Coleman who knocked the ball out of Ben's hand while Thomas was doing all of the work bringing him down.
Thomas is solid and im not just basing that on the great game he had today. He hasnt been the pass rusher we thought he would be when we drafted him but he is very good against the run and is a solid part of our defense.
This is the same unfair bullshit with Al Toon and Ken O'Brien. Those cats were two of the best players ever drafted by this team and all we hear is whining about how we should have figured out that Jerry Rice and Dan Marino were better players when neither guy did enough in college to prove it. Bryan Thomas was a late first round pick and after getting stuck on the bench behind a superior player (John Abraham), made the most of his opportunity to prove that he was well worth it.
We still need to upgrade at OLB despite the good games today by BT and JT. We know these guys have talent but they aren't consistent enough in the passrush dept. and PIT's OL problems have been well-documented.
I would go as far as calling him a bust, but if we could go back, I probably wouldnt pick him again (Especially if Ed Reed was available)
Reed was the guy I wanted back then and really wish we had taken him, but Thomas has been solid for us. We drafted worse busts much higher than Thomas
