FanPost

Could Marques Colston and Pierre Thomas be on their way to Canton? (Part 2: Pierre Thomas)

Pierre-thomas_medium Pierre-thomas-bucs_medium


Pierre Thomas is vital to the Saint's offence. But is it only the Saints that see something in him?

Before I continue, here is a disclaimer:

I am in NO way claiming Pierre Thomas is a Future Hall of Famer; these FanPosts are merely for analysis and speculation.

Now, with that aside, let's get on with it.

It is somewhat agreed throughout the league, and the fan base, that Pierre Thomas is one of the most underrated running backs in the game today. (For crying out loud, not even Wikipedia has a half-decent article on him)

A lot of things stand out about PT; his chemistry with Drew Brees (especially with the screen pass) is simply amazing. He is well-liked on the team and sort of an unsung fan favorite (that much was evident with the outrage that came with the news that he could possibly have been traded or cut in this year's free-agency). Another good quality about him, is that he has nearly perfected the art of being a receiving RB; over the course of his 7-year tenure, he has amassed an average of 318.43 receiving yards per season. Now while that's not exactly good...for a wide receiver, for a running back, that shows the flexibility trait between positions that every football coach loves. He is also known throughout the league for being ridiculously difficult to bring down, just like Marshawn Lynch of the Seattle Seahawks.

Yet, despite all these good points about Pierre Thomas, he unfortunately shares the same curse as his teammate, "The Quiet Storm", Marques Colston: He is on a team with such good talent, in a division (NFC) that has so many big name players, that he is overlooked quite often.

Now let's look at PT's stats since debuting in the NFL in 2007.

2007-

252 Yards Rushing

1 Rushing TD

4. YPC

151 Yards Receiving

1 Receiving TD

8.9 Yards Per Reception


2008-

625 Yards Rushing

9 Rushing TD

4.8 YPC

284 Yards Receiving

3 Receiving TD

9.2 Yards Per Reception


2009-

793 Yards Rushing

6 Rushing TD

5.4 YPC

302 Yards Receiving

2 Receiving TD

7.7 Yards Per Reception

SuperBowl Ring


2010-

269 Yards Rushing

2 Rushing TD

5.1 YPC

201 Yards Receiving

0 TD

6.1 Yards Per Reception


2011-

562 Yards Rushing

5 Rushing TD

5.1 YPC

425 Yards Receiving

1 Receiving TD

8.9 Yards Per Reception


2012-

473 Yards Rushing

1 Rushing TD

4.5 YPC

354 Yards Receiving

1 Receiving TD

9.1 Yards Per Reception


2013-

549 Yards Rushing

2 Rushing TD

3.7 YPC

513 Yards Receiving

3 Receiving TD

6.7 Yards Per Reception


Now I know many will call for my head for this but let's compare his career stats to the 7-Year averages of two other star Running Backs in the league, Marshawn Lynch, and Reggie Bush

-Pierre Thomas

7,983 All-Purpose Yards

37 Total Touchdowns

4.6 YPC Career Average

7.9 YPR Career Average



-Marshawn Lynch

8,921 All-Purpose Yards

68 Total Touchdowns

4.2 YPC Career Average

14.7 YPR Career Average


-Reggie Bush (7-Year Average/Total)

7,097 All-Purpose Yards

43 Total Touchdowns

5.2 YPC 7-Year Average

7.42 YPR 7-Year Average


Now, after looking at this comparison, you will see that PT is staying relatively close to Reggie Bush, and Lynch's stats, even leading Reggie Bush in 7-Year All-Purpose Yards. Regardless, we still have to acknowledge that he trails in most aspects.


But here is something to think about...

Both Reggie Bush, and Marshawn Lynch are the undisputed head Running Backs on their team; their capability to start and produce is almost never questioned.

The same is not the case for Pierre Thomas...

In Sean Payton's offense, most players at skill positions rarely stay on the bench for long; he is always rotating them. The same way he uses the tandem of Mark Ingram and Khiry Robinson, and the Wide Receiver Mix of Kenny Stills, Marques Colston, and Nick Toon (and Lance Moore, before he was traded).

You also have to recall that in 2010, Pierre Thomas, and two other star running backs, Reggie Bush and Chris Ivory were ON THE SAME TEAM (gasp!)

What makes Pierre's case an interesting one is that he is not the undisputed starting running back on his team, yet his 7-Year average/totals aren't exactly light years behind undisputed starters like Marshawn Lynch and Reggie Bush.

So if Sean Payton had handed the reigns of the running back position solely to PT, would his stats have been the same?

It is obvious that as of now, PT isn't exactly at future HOF status, especially considering that he sustained a season-ending rib injury this year.

Now could PT pull and Adrian Peterson, and come back in 2014, and put up god-like stats?

Plausible? Yes.

Chances of it happening? Can't say.

With PT's varying stats through out his career, you can never know with him. I personally just hope that at the end of his career, he doesn't share the same fate as former Jags Running Back Fred Taylor, who people hardly remember despite the fact he worked wonders for the Jaguars and retired as recently as 2010.

But as of now, what we do know, is that PT will need at least 2 or 3 more seasons with between 800 and 1000 all-purpose yards, to reach the 10,000 all purpose yards mark, which effectively puts any rb in the conversation for the Hall of Fame (not officially branding them as future HOFers).

But if he does indeed reach the career 10,000 all purpose yards mark within the next 2-3 years, how much more will he need?

Will he need at least 2 Pro Bowls?

Will he need at least 1 more Ring?


What do YOU think?


Stay tuned, as part three of this series will be my final personal thoughts on this.



This FanPost was written by a reader and member of Canal Street Chronicles. It does not necessarily reflect the views of CSC and its staff or editors.