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Michael Thomas likes to downplay his success in interviews and especially on Twitter. The problem there has become his own doing with how well the New Orleans Saints wide receiver played in his rookie season in 2016.

He ranked tied for sixth in receiving touchdowns with nine and ninth in the league in receiving yards (1,137) and receptions (92). Thomas also broke all of the notable Saints rookie receiving records, which meant passing all-time team great Marques Colston.



For all of that, VIZIO has named Thomas as one of five finalists for their "Top Value Performer" honor, along with the Dolphins' Jay Ajayi, the Chiefs' Spencer Ware, the Chargers' Tyrell Williams and the Raiders' Latavius Murray. The award recognizes the player who most exceeded the value of their contract.

I caught up with Thomas on Wednesday to discuss being nominated, along with some other questions about his rookie season and beyond:

Q: So, you're the one who really deserves this honor, right?

Thomas: "I hope I'm the one that wins it. But for me and the other group of guys that are nominated for it just for our performance this year, I definitely appreciate it being a rookie with a lot of other great guys for this award. I definitely appreciate Vizio for recognizing me and try to win this award. I just want to campaign the right way."

Q: What is the one thing that you take away from your rookie season, despite the team finishing with a losing record?

Thomas: "I learned a lot of great things from a lot of great teammates and veteran guys from all across the locker room. I did feel like I dealt with some adversity in my first year so I know that will help me later on and help me appreciate the little things. I also learned that games in the NFL are so much closer than what you would think coming in. It's just like one little thing can change the outcome. You have to stay on point the entire time. Staying focused and finishing games out is so important. Teams will be up, and then teams come back all the time."


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Halo

Danno

I'd be more shocked if we didn't bounce back.