Pierre Thomas
 

I have felt this way for a long time, and after last night's game I finally had to vent.
Why do we not feature this guy? I am not a NFL personnel guru and don't have access to practice footage, but he is clearly are most versatile and productive running back on the team.
He is a quality runner, can catch passes, is a beast to tackle and what really sets him apart is he can block in passing situations.
Yet, we have three other guys who constantly steal carries and catches. Darren Sproles is high quality player, but not a traditional "every down" back. Which means he is limited when it comes to play calling and the defense only has to prepare for a limited package.
Mark Ingram was overrated coming out of college and has provided nothing to this team.
Chris Ivory is a fun runner to watch, but he is not a starting caliber running back.
Yet in one of the biggest games of the year (SF), Pierre Thomas gives up touches to this group. In fact, PT gave up touches to everyone as he saw the ball once. ONCE.
How is that possible? A running back that has averages 4.8 ypc for his career. A running back that is one of the hardest players in the league to bring down.
If the argument is "Carmichael was saving him for ATL," then Carmichael needs to find a new job. There is no reason not to feature this guy in every single game.
Ray Rice carried the ball 20 times the Sunday before Baltimore played on Thursday night.
Adrian Peterson 23 times before his Thursday night appearance.

If Pierre isn't good enough then de-activate him and move on to the next guy. But he is that good.

Re: Pierre Thomas
 

If you feature Pierre Thomas and void out the other running backs and Drew doesn't gte big games...
Plain and simple and I hear you. I'd love to see Pierre Thomas get 20 touches a game

Re: Pierre Thomas
 

If he's our "feature" back, in this offense, then defenses key on him and Drew alone. We turn back into the 2 dimensional beast that was our running game when we started running Ingram up the middle to hit the backs of o-linemen first 4 games of the season to "keep 'em honest."

As for those other guys, if we did feature PT and he got injured we'd be right back where we were when we lost to Seattle in the playoffs when we were scouting Craigslist for running backs.

Now last week was the exception. For a guy like PT who is our BEST all-around running back, we ran him ONCE (1) last week. This is where Carmichael fails.

Last night we fell behind with PT making 8 yard runs... then we suddenly stopped running because we would run out of clock. It's a damned if you do, damned if you don't thing.

Re: Pierre Thomas
 

Pierre is the man - he should be getting more carries.

Re: Pierre Thomas
 

We fell behind because Drew threw an interception in the end zone and Pierre touched the ball only one more time in the first quarter.

Re: Pierre Thomas
 

Pierre is THE MAN, he can pick up the whole team and carry them down the field on his shoulders, and I do not understand why the coaches do not seem to "get" it.

Actually I think Sean Payton "gets it" -- he knows, you can tell he loves Pierre, how he talks about him. Especially in the playoffs, you can see it in the game plan, Pierre always really shines, and is the go-to clutch guy.

But after watching this year and the end of last year very closely, I am beginning to feel like Pete Carmichael is kind of on a different planet from the rest of us. I don't think he "gets it" -- or if he does "get it," whatever he is getting is a little off kilter or the wavelengths are not penetrating to his brain. He's a tinkerer, like McMahon on special teams. And he's pass happy, like the younger less mature Sean Payton was. And I sometimes feel like I don't think Pete Carmichael really "gets it," that he knows WHO Pierre Thomas is. He's the closer. He takes games over. And for some reason Pete Carmichael doesn't seem to see it this way. They just don't seem to be USING him.

Re: Pierre Thomas
 

I have been stating this for 3+ years, PT is the most underrated back in the league. Guy is a natural. Shifty, powerful, speedy, great hands, down hill runner.

Just an overall badass.

Give this man the rock more, love watching him play.

Re: Pierre Thomas
 

Christ all mighty.. I love PT as much as any of you but he had bad games too...


Some of you need to carry ladders around with ya... Makes it easier to hoist a different player up to the alter each week.....

Either sacrificially or in homage

Re: Pierre Thomas
 

I totally agree. Pierre is the guy we need to start next year. Trade Ingram and keep Ivory.

Re: Pierre Thomas
 

I would have to say sproles has the most big-play potential of the group, but the problem is that we're missing big daddy payton. All the running backs are contributing in some way right now, we just need SP to work his magic.

Re: Pierre Thomas
 

I love to watch him run.

Re: Pierre Thomas
 

Ivory and PT are good mix. Ingram, although playing better, is still the one I'd be willing to trade.

Re: Pierre Thomas
 

I love me some Mark Ingram............unfortunately he doesn't fit into the system. I was hoping for more from him.

Re: Pierre Thomas
 

I don't care. Just make one of the a featured back and there will be better results tha what we are geting right now.

Re: Pierre Thomas
 

I beginning to think switching up RBs so much during the course of the game i s beginning to hurt more than help.

Sometimes you run PT, he has the hot hand, then you run INgram or Ivory who goes no where.

Think of the QB situation in NY with Tebow and Sanchez, Sanchez is leading you down the field, and then you decide to put Tebow in and he turns it over.

They need to see who has the hot hand, stick with it.

Re: Pierre Thomas
 

I agree that the score had a lot to do with us sort of abandoning the run thursday night, but I can't agree that featuring Pierre makes us one dimensional. Pierre IS our best all around back, and so it makes no sense not to feature him. That doesn't mean you give him all of the touches, as I'd personally like to see Ivory get no less than 10 touches a game.

It's difficult to key on on a guy who can run it well, or leak out of the back field and make big plays. You don't want to load the box and then get burned in play action. And if they do key in on him, then that's what you want, because it DOES open up the passing game. The thing about Mark Ingram is he was supposed to be a really good all around back, but he has been virtually non-existent in the passing game. Consequently, teams are loading the box without fear against him. The coaches need to understand what Pierre brings to the table and use him accordingly, and at the same time realize that Ingram isn't who they thought he would be in the passing game.

They've also used Sproles wrong, in a reverse way of Mark Ingram. Last year they mixed up his running and receiving, whereas this year almost every time he's in the game you can pretty much bet the house they're gonna throw it to him. There is a way to use all these guys better, and I don't think the coaching staff has done a good job there, but I do think Pierre needs the lions share of touches until someone else steps up. The other guys have to be mixed in properly.

Re: Pierre Thomas
 

Would we get a decent LB or Draft pick for Ingram ....?

Most of the time (not all) PT and Ivory get a touch or two and don't do anything they are not seen from again. Ingram however is allowed to touch all game.... No matter what he is doing.

Re: Pierre Thomas
 

Its not about who is hot so much... Having 4 RBs is a double edged sword. It gives you great depth and you have niche backs that can do what they do best... The flip side is that the defense knows what is coming at them just by nature of who is on the field.

It actually makes us more predictable than confusing since we run them in specific rolls.

Re: Pierre Thomas
 

My theory is that is has something to do with Carmichael's interpretation of the data from the "scripted" plays (assuming they are still using them this year). Under Sean Payton, we all know the first dozen or so plays were "scripted" or planned out beforehand. In the early days of Payton, 2006-2008, if one of those first running plays did NOT break out for a big gain, he would abandon the run and go "pass happy." Then in the 2008 off season, Payton had the realization of how much patience he needed with the run, he had a "Eureka!" moment where he learned about the importance of balance, and Payton himself said remarks along the lines of that he needed to learn to adjust his playcalling to the "feel" of the game, stuff like that. Which basically means, don't abandon the run or put too much weight on those scripted plays.

Carmichael reminds me a lot of young, "immature" Sean Payton. He gets impatient, he's pass-happy, he occasionally does stuff that seems over-thought or just doesn't make sense. I wonder if some of that is because he is putting too much weight on what happens in the first 12 scripted plays, like the way it used to be a bit of a problem for Payton 2006-2008.

Re: Pierre Thomas
 

How about we give each RB a quarter to play? PT in the first, Ingraam in the second, Sproles the third and Ivory to finish banging the defense up in the 4th.

Re: Pierre Thomas
 

Then defenses know what to expect by quarter..

Screens in the first
Up the gut in the Second
Short passes in the third
Whip out Medusa in the 4th... She is the only thing to stop The Kraken!