Michael Thomas’ approach to organization, team lacks respect

The culture of any team, the character of any team, is an important aspect at any level.

Most certainly, the most important element necessary to have success is to have good players and good coaches.

The Saints have certainly had all of the above since 2017, winning four consecutive NFC South titles and posting double-digit victories annually while winning playoff games and reaching an NFC championship game.

While the finality of losing in excruciating fashion in the playoffs three straight years lingers in the “what could have been” mindset, the success of the Saints has been based on good talent, good coaching and good character.

It was not too long ago that the Saints had issues on the levels of culture, character, coaching and personnel – think about the post-Bountygate season of 2012 and the three consecutive 7-9 seasons of 2014-16.

It certainly helps when your best players also happen to be your highest character guys.

That has certainly been true with the Saints most recently, including the likes of Drew Brees, Terron Armstead, Ryan Ramczyk, Demario Davis, Cam Jordan and Alvin Kamara, among others.

With Brees gone – taking his leadership, positive attitude and accuracy with him to the NBC broadcast booth – the most accomplished player on the current roster, with all due respect to the superb players mentioned, is Michael Thomas.

What Thomas did in his first four years in the NFL was unprecedented, including an NFL-record 149 receptions in 2019.

Then came year five.

Thomas sent mixed signals before, during and after the season in which he unfortunately was rolled up on by a teammate in the opening game of the season, resulting in a severe ankle injury. It was nothing but bad luck.

Thomas returned, perhaps prematurely, because he wanted to help his team and wanted to be part of a team that had a real chance to win a Super Bowl.

Interestingly, some people were critical of Brees for playing at far less than 100 percent. Such a narrative about Thomas was seldom, if anywhere, to be found.

Now, Thomas has opened the door to criticism and the door is wide open.

Based on the reporting of a solid, respected journalist in Jeff Duncan, Thomas’ approach to managing his injury this offseason is not good.

Thomas was reportedly advised by the team’s medical staff to have surgery to repair the ligament damage in his ankle immediately following the season.

Giving Thomas the benefit of the doubt, he reportedly sought a second opinion.

On the surface, there is nothing wrong with that, as many of us, including myself, have done when surgery has been recommended to us. It is smart, prudent to do so.

Of course, the second opinion is equally as important as the first. If the two opinions differ, the patient has to make the best personal decision.

I had defended Thomas on my radio shows on 106.1 FM, saying that until the facts were made known, I would reserve judgement. Perhaps, I said, Thomas got advice from team doctors that he could heal his ailing ankle through rehabilitation. Perhaps he was given a choice to either rehab or have surgery.

As a responsible reporter, it is my duty to always be fair to all in assessing situations until the truth is known. The rush-to-judgement attitude which permeates sports and society is painstaking and often simply wrong.

In retrospect, that Thomas opted not to have surgery in late January or early February was clearly a mistake. The first opinion, that of the New Orleans team doctors, was obviously spot on.

The mistake was compounded by what can only be described as insubordination on the part of Thomas, who reportedly ignored attempts by multiple Saints staff members to contact him to check on his status.

Why would anyone take that approach?

In the working world, outside of the professional sports world where athletes make millions upon millions of dollars and receive the best creature comforts and treatment imaginable, such insubordination would result in termination, swiftly and decisively.

In the NFL, it is certainly not that simple.

Thomas is under contract through 2024.

The cap hit associated with the new deal he signed in 2019 is massive, averaging approximately $25 million annually. By the final year of the deal, Thomas is scheduled to make $18.5 million.

Some have maintained that Thomas got the deal, took the money and ran and is now taking total advantage of the organization.

I have defended him there as well.

Thomas signed his five-year, $96 million contract extension prior to the 2019 season.

He then went out and had his best season ever, a historic season, setting an NFL record with 149 catches and leading the league with 1,725 yards and nine touchdowns in leading the Saints to a third straight NFC South crown.

Then came 2020.

Then came the injury.

Then came the end of the season.

Then came his latest decision to rehab, which, while understandable, did not work out.

What is not understandable and is utterly indefensible is Thomas shunning his team, refusing to communicate for months about what his condition was and how the rehab was going.

According to Duncan, Thomas ignored his head coach, Sean Payton, his position coach, Curtis Johnson, and the team’s former trainer, Beau Lowery.

When he reported back to Metairie in June, it was clear that the ankle was not right and surgery was a necessity.

Now, Thomas is likely facing rehab and recovery that will stretch into the regular season on a team that no longer has Brees, no longer has Emmanuel Sanders and no longer has Jared Cook or Josh Hill.

More than ever, Thomas was going to be counted on to be “the man” that he obviously wants to be on this team.

Now, Kamara is left to be “the man” for all snaps when he is on the field.

To say that the Saints are lacking in the offensive weapon department would be accurate, some would say an understatement.

The Saints organization has done nothing but show respect to Thomas in how it has treated him, on and off the field.

The organization gets high grades on how it treats and communicates with its players traditionally.

Maybe Thomas will return from injury with a vengeance and return to being an elite player.

That would certainly be the hope of the organization and of fans.

If a lesser player had not responded to repeated attempts of its leaders to contact them, where to you think they would be right now?

Thomas is a great player and he is under a hefty contract, which he earned.

Now, he must work at earning the respect of teammates, coaches, the front office and fans all over again.

His trade value is certainly not helped by the lingering injury, the surgery and by the way he has handled his business to potential suitors.

The character of the character who goes by “Can’t Guard Mike” could create a negative culture on the team which he contributed to greatly and helped make better.

Moving forward, perhaps the moniker could change to “Can’t Have Mike,” based on his obvious lack of respect for the organization which helped make him famous and the teammates and coaches who have worked so hard to build a winning culture and tradition.