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| New Lions WR Mike Thomas is anxious to work with an up-tempo offense and QB Matthew Stafford. (US Presswire) |
Before he was traded to Detroit on Tuesday for a conditional draft pick, wide receiver Mike Thomas was practicing in 80-degree weather in Jacksonville as a member of the Jaguars.
So when he stepped on to the Lions’ Allen Park, Mich. practice field in 41-degree weather Thursday, his first reaction to playing football in Detroit was a predictable one:
“It was cold,” he said. “It was a total climate change for me.”
Once he got involved in drills, Thomas quickly became excited at the prospect of working with a Lions’ offense that currently ranks second in the league in total yards and passing production.
“The team has a quick tempo,” he said. “I’m looking forward to coming in and fitting in wherever I can…I think I’m pretty explosive and can help make plays, and can complement what’s here.”
The Lions are just as excited to have Thomas on their roster as he is to be in Detroit, but offensive coordinator Scott Linehan said his role won’t be determined before he becomes integrated in the offense.
“[Thomas has] been here less than 24 hours,” Linehan said. “Right now he’s just got to learn, get comfortable with the system, then go from there. My thing is -- don’t want to put too much on a guy’s plate from the get-go. Once he gets comfortable in the system, then we’ll see what some of the type things he can do that he did in his past and try to apply those to our offense.”
The part of Thomas’ past that Linehan is most likely referencing is the receiver’s productive 2010 season, when he caught 66 passes for 820 yards and four scores.
That was before Blaine Gabbert arrived in Jacksonville, and Thomas’ production dipped dramatically. After catching 114 passes for 1,273 yards and five touchdowns before Gabbert’s arrival, he made 57 catches for 495 yards and one score with the second-year quarterback at the helm.
When asked about Gabbert’s future as an NFL player, Thomas was diplomatic, seemingly blaming the draft for Gabbert’s assignment to a struggling Jaguars franchise.
“He’s still young,” Thomas said. “He came out and got kinda stuck into a situation [in Jacksonville] that might not have been ideal for him, but he has all the intangibles he needs to be a great quarterback.”
That said, when Thomas was asked if he was looking forward to working with Matthew Stafford -- who is a more consistent passer than Gabbert -- he responded: “Absolutely.”
The changes he was asked to make to his role in Jacksonville, coupled with the arrival of rookie receiver Justin Blackmon, made the move to Detroit an attractive prospect for Thomas.
“I was getting set to the side a little bit [In Jacksonville], so just to be somewhere where opportunities may come is a definite benefit for me.”
Along with the Lions’ potent offense -- and the somewhat cooler practice temperatures -- Thomas said he noticed another difference between his new team and the Jaguars. He says the Lions’ upbeat locker room is a stark contrast to the one he left in Jacksonville.
“Anytime you’re losing, it’s not good from the top down,” he said. “It’s football. [Losing] does happen. Somebody’s got to win, and somebody’s got to lose. Unfortunately, Jacksonville’s kind of been on the losing end.”
Now that he has joined a team with viable playoff prospects, Thomas’ first challenge will be facing the franchise he just left. He says the emotion of returning to Jacksonville to face his old teammates won’t hit him until he arrives in Florida.
As for the amount of inside information Thomas can provide the Lions about their Week 9 opponents, he says he expects Jacksonville to make the scheme Detroit will face as unfamiliar to him as possible.
“They know I know pretty much everything, so I’m pretty sure they’ll have different verbiage and signals,” he said.
If Thomas is fortunate enough to play and score against his old team, he says he’s looking forward to celebrating the score with a little flair – something he wasn’t able to do as a Jaguar because of coach Mike Mularkey’s preference that his players simply hand the ball to officials after they score.
“I’ve got a few dances in mind,” he said.
Follow Lions reporter John Kreger on Twitter at @CBSLions and @JohnKreger
