Broncos go green to cure Demaryius Thomas' butterfingers

Wide receiver Demaryius Thomas was forced to hold a green football when he wasn't running drills in practice Thursday as the Broncos try to end the third-year WR's penchant for fumbling.

By Andrew Mason

Oct 11, 2012 at 2:23 pm ET • 1 min read

This fumble lost by Demaryius Thomas on Sept. 30 wasn't even forced; he simply failed to correctly move the football from one hand to the other. (US Presswire)

Three fumbles in three games leads to some special corrective measures.

Broncos Wide receiver Demaryius Thomas opened Thursday's practice carrying around a football covered with green beanies at both ends. He was seen in the locker room Tuesday carrying the football, which was adorned with the initials of receivers coach Tyke Tolbert's two daughters.

Thomas has struggled with fumbles and dropped passes in recent weeks. In addition to the fumbles, Thomas has dropped four passes this season, according to Stats, Inc. Three of Thomas' drops have come in the past three games.

Only four receivers have more drops than Thomas, who is one of 16 players with three or more fumbles this year. Thomas, however, has one fumble per 10 touches; of those 16 players, only Carolina's Joe Adams (one fumble per 2.8 touches) and Arizona's Patrick Peterson (one fumble per 7.9 touches) have lost the football more frequently this year.

What makes Thomas' issues more profound compared to the others is that neither Adams nor Peterson saw all their fumbles recovered by the opposing team, as Thomas has.

For up-to-the-minute Broncos updates, follow Andrew Mason on Twitter at @CBSBroncos and @MaseDenver.