“To the 20, Thomas to the 10, Denver is headed to New England.” Iconic words on what jump-started Denver Broncos wide receiver Demaryius Thomas’s career.
On Monday, the 5-time Pro Bowler Demaryius Thomas retired from the game of football. Thomas is widely regarded in Broncos Country as one of the best wide receivers in Denver Broncos history.
In a career that received a good share of praise and criticism near the end, Thomas still managed to be one of the most productive wideouts in his career with Denver. There were so many memorable moments by Thomas in a Broncos uniform and it’s fitting it all started before Peyton Manning.
The playoff pass from Tim Tebow to Demaryius Thomas will go down as my favorite playoff moment based on the pure emotion that happened in the first few seconds of overtime. From then on, Thomas’s career really took off.
With Manning as his quarterback Thomas had one of the most prolific and productive five year stretches you’ll ever see from a wide receiver. Thomas registered five straight 1,000 yard seasons and was very close to a sixth in 2017. We might even go a step further to appreciating the greatness of Thomas.
The top wide receiver after Calvin Johnson at Georgia Tech was Demaryius Thomas. You could only imagine the pressure that was Thomas’ shoulders accepting the torch that had been passed by Johnson.
Thomas came into the NFL like Johnson before him as a new breed of wideout. Big, strong, physical, and fast at the position who could make everything easy for a quarterback. Manning said himself that there was no wide receiver as talented, big, and physical as Thomas.
He was one of the NFL’s best in that span and at the very least will be considered for the Hall of Fame. We all know Thomas is destined for the Denver Broncos Ring of Fame, but now the question becomes do the voters who help induct players to Canton think Thomas has done enough?
One of Thomas’s best traits has been playing through pain and adversity. Had the outcome been a lot more different or Super Bowl 48 been closer, Thomas’s performance would be looked at much more closely as a big-time performance in a Super Bowl.
Thomas at that time broke the receptions record in a Super Bowl. He went on to battle numerous injuries throughout his career, but it’s how he continued to finish games and perform at the highest level that made Thomas one of the best.
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In my book, Thomas is a Hall of Fame player and person. Hopefully, he is destined for Canton. Congratulations on an incredible career Demaryius Thomas.