Matt Rhea on Saints WR Michael Thomas' injury/rehab: 'He's constantly working … to return'

AsylumGuido · 11-15-2022, 09:36 AM

Really good interview here.

For the second consecutive season a confluence injuries has become a major talking point as things go awry for the New Orleans Saints, but one thing has changed.

This year it's Matt Rhea at the helm as the Director of Sports Science, a change that's been lauded by players and team personnel despite the continued run of bad injury luck. Longtime strength and conditioning coach Dan Dalrymple was let go during the offseason as the team revamped that staff.

So what is the culprit to continued injury issues like those that have plagued Michael Thomas yet again? Rhea joined Mike Hoss and Bobby Hebert on WWL this week to talk about that subject and more.

"Without really diving into this particular injuries or people, I will say this on Mike: He works his tail off. The guy has worked hard in his rehab. He does extra work. He's constantly working on the things that he needs to work on to get better and to return. And so I think there's a lot of things that go into different injuries and different situations.

"And it's probably frustrating for fans when you don't have all the information and you don't see all of the factors that are involved that sometimes it becomes, you know, the frustration can be come something that boils up because of a lack of that information.

"Our guys work hard. Our staff works hard. Everyone, I think, they're doing everything they possibly can to limit the risk of injury, minimize the severity of an injury if it's going to happen, get them back as fast as possible, that's healthy and appropriate for return to play, and then to stay on the field and be healthy throughout it. There's some really good people involved in this and then players that, well, I'll tell you what, I really enjoyed coming here and seeing the buy-in from the players and the excitement from the players to train, to do things we're asking them to do, or not do things we're asking them not to do. I've been very impressed with and I think that's something that often gets overlooked or not not addressed enough with the fan base that these guys, these guys are working hard. They want to be healthy. They want to perform at their best. They want to win. That's why they do it, and I really appreciate their efforts in that regard."

Full interview here ...

SaintsBro · 11-15-2022, 10:14 AM

I'd say we've seen the last of Thomas in a Saints uniform.

rezburna · 11-15-2022, 10:32 AM

I’m still rocking with MT. Hope he gets healthy and comes back balling. Loved what I saw Week 1 when he was killing AJ Terrell.

Rugby Saint II · 11-15-2022, 12:24 PM

Unfortunately, Mike Thomas may have that nasty injury bug that just doesn't seem to go away. I wish him well and would like to see him play well for the Saints again but that may be a pie in the sky dream.

AsylumGuido · 11-15-2022, 12:31 PM

Originally Posted by Rugby Saint II

Unfortunately, Mike Thomas may have that nasty injury bug that just doesn't seem to go away. I wish him well and would like to see him play well for the Saints again but that may be a pie in the sky dream.

Or he may be like those players that get hit by a couple of injuries and then never misses any more significant time for the remainder of their careers. I've seen it both ways. His two injuries have been totally unrelated with one being the left ankle and the other a toe on the right foot so there's no indication it could be anything chronic.

jnormand · 11-15-2022, 01:00 PM

Not holding my breath. The guy was a beast. Until he wasn’t.

leilung · 11-15-2022, 01:21 PM

Just call me a resident of Missouri....

Show Me!

Boston Saint · 11-15-2022, 01:23 PM

Originally Posted by leilung

Just call me a resident of Missouri....

Show Me!

YouTube

cmike · 11-15-2022, 01:42 PM

Originally Posted by AsylumGuido

Or he may be like those players that get hit by a couple of injuries and then never misses any more significant time for the remainder of their careers. I've seen it both ways. His two injuries have been totally unrelated with one being the left ankle and the other a toe on the right foot so there's no indication it could be anything chronic.

Kinda like #80 Rice. He missed most of the ‘97 season.

AsylumGuido · 11-15-2022, 01:47 PM

Originally Posted by cmike

Kinda like #80 Rice. He missed most of the ‘97 season.

Yup. Then he played the next seven years without missing a single game.

11-15-2022, 09:36 AM	#1
AsylumGuido 10000 POST CLUB Join Date: Sep 2007 Location: Bossier City, LA Posts: 26,220	Matt Rhea on Saints WR Michael Thomas' injury/rehab: 'He's constantly working … to return' Really good interview here. Twitter For the second consecutive season a confluence injuries has become a major talking point as things go awry for the New Orleans Saints, but one thing has changed. This year it's Matt Rhea at the helm as the Director of Sports Science, a change that's been lauded by players and team personnel despite the continued run of bad injury luck. Longtime strength and conditioning coach Dan Dalrymple was let go during the offseason as the team revamped that staff. So what is the culprit to continued injury issues like those that have plagued Michael Thomas yet again? Rhea joined Mike Hoss and Bobby Hebert on WWL this week to talk about that subject and more. "Without really diving into this particular injuries or people, I will say this on Mike: He works his tail off. The guy has worked hard in his rehab. He does extra work. He's constantly working on the things that he needs to work on to get better and to return. And so I think there's a lot of things that go into different injuries and different situations. "And it's probably frustrating for fans when you don't have all the information and you don't see all of the factors that are involved that sometimes it becomes, you know, the frustration can be come something that boils up because of a lack of that information. "Our guys work hard. Our staff works hard. Everyone, I think, they're doing everything they possibly can to limit the risk of injury, minimize the severity of an injury if it's going to happen, get them back as fast as possible, that's healthy and appropriate for return to play, and then to stay on the field and be healthy throughout it. There's some really good people involved in this and then players that, well, I'll tell you what, I really enjoyed coming here and seeing the buy-in from the players and the excitement from the players to train, to do things we're asking them to do, or not do things we're asking them not to do. I've been very impressed with and I think that's something that often gets overlooked or not not addressed enough with the fan base that these guys, these guys are working hard. They want to be healthy. They want to perform at their best. They want to win. That's why they do it, and I really appreciate their efforts in that regard." Full interview here ...
	“The pessimist sees difficulty in every opportunity. The optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty.” — Winston Churchill

11-15-2022, 10:14 AM	#2
SaintsBro Site Donor Join Date: Sep 2010 Location: in line with my ridiculous CLEAR PLASTIC BAG Posts: 3,650 Blog Entries: 3	Re: Matt Rhea on Saints WR Michael Thomas' injury/rehab: 'He's constantly working … to return' I'd say we've seen the last of Thomas in a Saints uniform. Rugby Saint II likes this.

11-15-2022, 10:32 AM	#3
rezburna 5000 POSTS! + Join Date: Feb 2013 Location: Kenner, LA Posts: 7,903	Re: Matt Rhea on Saints WR Michael Thomas' injury/rehab: 'He's constantly working … to return' I’m still rocking with MT. Hope he gets healthy and comes back balling. Loved what I saw Week 1 when he was killing AJ Terrell. AsylumGuido, cmike, bobdog86 and 2 others like this.

11-15-2022, 12:24 PM	#4
Rugby Saint II Bounty Money $$$ Join Date: Oct 2008 Location: 5800 Airline Dr. Metairie, LA. Posts: 24,052	Re: Matt Rhea on Saints WR Michael Thomas' injury/rehab: 'He's constantly working … to return' Unfortunately, Mike Thomas may have that nasty injury bug that just doesn't seem to go away. I wish him well and would like to see him play well for the Saints again but that may be a pie in the sky dream.

11-15-2022, 12:31 PM	#5
AsylumGuido 10000 POST CLUB Join Date: Sep 2007 Location: Bossier City, LA Posts: 26,220	Re: Matt Rhea on Saints WR Michael Thomas' injury/rehab: 'He's constantly working … to return' Originally Posted by Rugby Saint II Unfortunately, Mike Thomas may have that nasty injury bug that just doesn't seem to go away. I wish him well and would like to see him play well for the Saints again but that may be a pie in the sky dream. Or he may be like those players that get hit by a couple of injuries and then never misses any more significant time for the remainder of their careers. I've seen it both ways. His two injuries have been totally unrelated with one being the left ankle and the other a toe on the right foot so there's no indication it could be anything chronic. cmike and Rell&Gold like this.

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11-15-2022, 01:00 PM	#6
jnormand 5000 POSTS! + Join Date: Sep 2003 Location: The Free State of Idaho Posts: 5,661	Re: Matt Rhea on Saints WR Michael Thomas' injury/rehab: 'He's constantly working … to return' Not holding my breath. The guy was a beast. Until he wasn’t. leilung and SaintsBro like this.

11-15-2022, 01:21 PM	#7
leilung Booty Bandit Join Date: Oct 2005 Location: The Wastelands that are NJ Posts: 1,369	Re: Matt Rhea on Saints WR Michael Thomas' injury/rehab: 'He's constantly working … to return' Just call me a resident of Missouri.... Show Me!

11-15-2022, 01:42 PM	#9
cmike 1000 Posts + Join Date: Oct 2010 Location: Gulfport Posts: 1,427	Re: Matt Rhea on Saints WR Michael Thomas' injury/rehab: 'He's constantly working … to return' Originally Posted by AsylumGuido Or he may be like those players that get hit by a couple of injuries and then never misses any more significant time for the remainder of their careers. I've seen it both ways. His two injuries have been totally unrelated with one being the left ankle and the other a toe on the right foot so there's no indication it could be anything chronic. Kinda like #80 Rice. He missed most of the ‘97 season. AsylumGuido likes this.

11-15-2022, 01:47 PM	#10
AsylumGuido 10000 POST CLUB Join Date: Sep 2007 Location: Bossier City, LA Posts: 26,220	Re: Matt Rhea on Saints WR Michael Thomas' injury/rehab: 'He's constantly working … to return' Originally Posted by cmike Kinda like #80 Rice. He missed most of the ‘97 season. Yup. Then he played the next seven years without missing a single game.