#40

 

THURMAN THOMAS

The picture has become one of the NFL rites of passage on Draft Day. Every year as the draft moves through its first round, the cameras focus on the Green Room. That’s where many of the top prospects in the draft sit, waiting to be trotted out to shake hands with the commissioner and don the hat of the team that drafts them.

While there are a lot of smiling faces among the players who are called at the top of the draft, there is a painful awkwardness for the final players in the Green Room who get called. Everyone realizes that money is slipping away as anticipation turns into disappointment.

The first player who had to endure this live in front of ESPN cameras in the Green Room was Thurman Thomas in 1988. He was finally drafted by the Buffalo Bills with the 40th overall pick—well into the second round. Thomas had been a brilliant runner at Oklahoma State, and most of the scouting reports indicated that he had what it took to be an NFL star. But what he also had was a damaged knee. The reports said that Thomas was playing on a knee that was “bone on bone,” and surgery would not be an option if he suffered another knee injury because there was no more cartilage or ligament to repair. His career would be over. As a result, Thomas dropped like a stone until Buffalo Bills general manager Bill Polian and head coach Marv Levy took a chance on him.

To say that Thomas came into the NFL with a chip on his shoulder is like saying that George W. Bush had just a bit of a problem with the economy. Thomas was a motivated performer. He wanted to show everyone in the league who had bypassed him that they had made a big mistake. His entire career was based on that premise.

He succeeded in his goal. Thomas became one of the best running backs of his time and one of the most productive backs of all-time. The 1991 league MVP, Thomas led the NFL in total yards from scrimmage four consecutive years (1989–1992) and became one of only four running backs to rush for 1,000 yards or more in eight straight seasons. As of the writing of this book, his 12,074 rushing yards ranks him 12th all-time in league annals.

Thomas played on all four of the Bills’ Super Bowl teams, and of course, he tasted defeat four times. However, he put on a performance for the ages in Super Bowl XXV against the Giants when he rushed for 135 yards and caught five passes for 55 yards. That Super Bowl slipped away from the Bills when Scott Norwood’s field goal attempt sailed wide right, but his running had Giants head coach Bill Parcells and linebacker Lawrence Taylor feeling the pressure. “He was on our minds throughout the game,” Taylor said. “He was as difficult for us to contain and keep track of as any running back we ever faced.”

While Thomas did not play as well in his other Super Bowls and committed a memorable gaffe in Super Bowl XXVI against the Washington Redskins when he could not find his helmet on the sidelines and was forced to miss the start of the game, he still earned entrance into the Hall of Fame and is remembered as one of the most versatile backs of in NFL history.

Thomas specialized in getting the job done with his quickness and smooth moves. He could hit full speed in an instant and then fake defenders completely out of position with a head fake or even just a look to the outside. His ability to cut quickly had defenders playing on their heels throughout the game.

Thomas may have been at his best in 1991 and 1992, when he led the league in total yards from scrimmage both seasons. Thomas rushed for 1,407 yards and averaged 4.9 yards per attempt in 1991 while catching 62 passes for 631 yards. A year later, Thomas rushed for 1,487 yards and caught 58 passes for 626 yards. Thomas was not the kind of player who would call attention to himself in the locker room, but he became one of the Bills’ team leaders because of his production.

“Thurman wasn’t the guy in the locker room who would stand up and say a lot, but when he got on the football field that’s when his leadership came out,” said Bills quarterback Jim Kelly. “Things he would say to offensive linemen on the sidelines and things he would say in the huddle. He’d say things on the field that would keep us going. Behind the scenes the attitude he brought to the game once he was on the football field was something not many people had a chance to see.”

Levy was impressed with the business-like attitude and the professionalism Thomas brought to the field. “He was the most consistent player we had,” Levy said. “You could always count on Thurman for his effort and his production because he was so determined. Underneath it all was the fire that started, I believe, when he was drafted. It was disappointing for him but it was a great day for the Buffalo Bills. He took out his frustration on his opponents and that’s why he got to the Hall of Fame.”