Öffentliche News » What can we expect from Thomas this season?"

The Patriots finally made a move to improve their receiving corps! Demaryius Thomas is going to be the dominant outside receiver that they’ve been lacking Jarrett Stidham NFL Jersey , and that he was for years in Denver! Or is he? I wouldn’t pencil him in for the Pro Bowl just yet. I think the absolute best case scenario for Thomas is Brandon LaFell. In LaFell’s first year with the Patriots, he had 74 catches for over 900 receiving yards and 7 touchdowns. He also caught 2 playoff touchdowns, including 1 in the Super Bowl. LaFell was also 28 and healthy, which makes me think this scenario is wildly optimistic. Two names that I think are more likely are Chad Johnson and Eric Decker. Johnson was 33 when he came to New England and was coming off a season that was, statistically at least, very close to what Thomas did last year. He was also healthy, so he had that going for him. He obviously never got fully into the system, and was an extreme disappointment, finishing the regular season with only 15 catches and being a non factor in the playoffs. Decker came to the Patriots after starting only 8 games with the Titans, but finishing with over 50 catches and 500 yards receiving. He seemed a lock for a roster spot, but could never get a hold of the offense, and was cut before last season started. Thomas will be 32 in December and is coming off another torn Achilles(the other was during the 2011 offseason), so there’s uncertainty if he’ll even be ready for the start of the season, nevermind training camp. Even if he is Jarrett Stidham NFL Draft , time will tell if he’s lost a step, and can ever be the player he was before the injury. The initial reports were that it was a 1 year deal for up to $6M, and while that’s technically true, the Patriots would only take on $300,000 in dead money if they were to cut him in camp. At the end of the day, no one knows exactly the impact that Thomas is going to have, but, based on his age, injury history, and contract, it’s a good idea for fans to feel how the team does. It’s possible he can help, but there’s a very good chance that he doesn’t, and there’s also a chance he doesn’t even make the team. Pat is a co-host of The Patriot Nation PodcastInteract with him on Twitter @plane_pats CLEVELAND (AP) — No awkward hug. No cold handshake. No holiday greeting.Baker Mayfield’s only interaction with former coach Hue Jackson was an icy stare.Mayfield threw three touchdown passes to thrill a sellout, holiday-spirited crowd that came out to boo Jackson Jarrett Stidham Buffalo Bills Jersey , and rookie Nick Chubb ran for 112 yard as the Cleveland Browns beat the Cincinnati Bengals 26-18 on Sunday to sweep their southern Ohio neighbors for the first time since 2002.Article continues below ...“Quite honestly, I couldn’t care about what happened in the past,” Mayfield said. “It is about this year and we won. We are moving forward.”The No. 1 pick in this year’s draft continued his stellar rookie season, one that took off after Jackson was fired by the Browns on Oct. 29. Mayfield has thrown 24 TD passes, third most in NFL history by a rookie and just two shy of the record shared by Peyton Manning and Russell Wilson.With their fifth win in six games, the Browns (7-7-1) improved to 5-2 under interim coach Gregg Williams, who has gone from long shot to legitimate candidate to become Cleveland’s next coach. It’s only the second time since 2007 that the Browns have won at least seven games.The Bengals (6-9), on the other hand, are disintegrating under coach Marvin Lewis. They lost for the sixth time in seven games and are assured of finishing last in the AFC North, a spot the Browns have occupied every season since 2011.Cincinnati made it interesting as Jeff Driskel threw two TD passes in a two-minute stretch to get the Bengals close.However, Mayfield connected with tight end David Njoku for 66 yards just before the two-minute warning and the Browns ran out the clock.Following the long completion, Mayfield jogged past Jackson standing on the sideline and stared at his former coach, whom he called “fake” after their matchup last month in Cincinnati.Mayfield playfully denied he was showing up Jackson.“I have no idea what you’re talking about,” he said.Told that the exchange was blowing up on social media Color Rush Byron Cowart Jersey , Mayfield said, “That’s all right. We won.”Lewis spent little time discussing what went wrong, holding a news conference that lasted just over a minute.“We came into this season thinking, ‘We can win this division,'” Driskel said. “You have to look at yourself and ask, ‘What can I do to prevent this next week or next season?'”Mayfield has Browns fans convinced there are glory days ahead. He challenged Clevelanders to fill FirstEnergy Stadium for the home finale, and they did show with a surge in ticket sales this week.The Browns were officially eliminated from the playoffs on Saturday. That hardly dampened the enthusiasm around a team that has recovered from a 0-16 season and become one of the league’s best stories in 2018.Mayfield’s the main reason.In the fourth quarter, fans chanted “Ba-ker, Ba-ker” after he scampered 10 yards. Moments later, they were roaring again after Mayfield stretched to reach for a first down before being shoved hard out of bounds by defensive end Carlos Dunlap, triggering a sideline skirmish near Cleveland’s bench.“It has been a good run,” Mayfield said. “Obviously, we would love to be in the playoffs, but like I said earlier in the year Youth Byron Cowart Jersey , you know that you have to go through some tough times to see the brighter end of it.”NO PASSING GRADEDriskel, making his fourth start for the injured Andy Dalton, was sacked three times and under duress all day. He completed two passes for 3 yards in the first half, when the Bengals had minus-15 yards passing.TRICK AND TREATBrowns offensive coordinator Freddie Kitchens went into his bag of tricks to set up Cleveland’s second TD. On first down, the Browns ran a pass off a reverse with wide receiver Jarvis Landry threading a 63-yard pass — the ball traveled more than 50 yards in the air — to Breshad Perriman. Two plays later, Mayfield rolled right and found just enough space to throw a scoring pass to Darren Fells.“I need to ice up my shoulder,” joked Landry.ROOKIE RECORDChubb and set the franchise rookie rushing record for a season, previously held by Trent Richardson.STELLAR STARTMayfield has thrown at least one TD pass in each of his 12 starts. He trails only St. Louis’ Kurt Warner (23 from 1999-00) and Minnesota’s Brad Johnson (15 from 1996-97) for the most consecutive starts with a scoring pass to begin a career.MIXON MILESTONEBengals running back Joe Mixon came in leading the AFC in yards rushing and attempts and needing 5 yards to reach 1,000. He got them on his first carry, a 6-yard run in the first quarter. Mixon is the first Cincinnati back to reach the plateau since Jeremy Hill (2014).INJURIESBengals: LB Vontaze Burfict played most of the first half before going out with a concussion. He came in listed as questionable with a head injury that forced him to miss practice. … Starting CB Dre Kirkpatrick hurt his right shoulder in the first quarter and did not return.Browns: Pro Bowl rookie cornerback Denzel Ward is back in concussion protocol after getting hurt in the fourth quarter. Ward had just returned after missing the previous two games with a head injury.UP NEXTBengals:At Pittsburgh on Sunday.Browns: Finish season at Baltimore on Sunday.