Unsung Heroes - RB Anthony Thomas

To me, Thomas wasn't anything more than average last year in place of McGahee.  The three games where he carried the load were against three of the worst run D's in the league.  He didn't exactly put up huge numbers against any of those teams, but he did consistently pick up the 3-4 yards that McGahee never did.  His downhill style allowed the offense to have some semblance of a ball controlled style for those few games.  I was impressed with his receiving skills, though not extraordinary, they were above average and he was a big factor in us winning the Houston game on the final drive.

Going into the preseason this year I expect him to be the starting RB, at least in title.  I'm not sure he'll ever see more than 12-15 carries in any game this year, barring injury, but I can see him starting out getting the heaviest workload.  I'm not sure the coaches will have the confidence in Lynch to just feed him the rock like a true #1 back.  I would guess Thomas gets about 50% of the carries, Lynch 40% and Wright a couple per game, at least initially.  Thomas is our only veteran RB capable of getting extended playing time and we will need him as a sort of calming influence while the rookies get up to speed.  Luckily, with all three of our top backs, we will be able to incorporate them in the passing game without a problem.  Unlike McGahee, who was a terrible receiver, I have confidence in Thomas to catch the dumpoffs or swing passes and turn them into nice gains.  He is never going to be a breakaway threat, if he ever was one to begin with, but he should help grind out yards and control the ball.  

As the season wears on I can see Lynch taken over the majority of the load with Thomas and Wright getting a few carries or series here and there.  One thing I will mention is I believe Fairchild will use two-back sets more this year, especially on 3rd downs.  Thomas has proven to be able to hold up in pass protection and I've heard Lynch and Wright aren't terrible in that regard either.  Having multiple options out of the backfield in passing situations will really give JP better options, especially with the expected double teams of Evans.

I will disagree with your thoughts on Thomas potentially being the catalyst for Losman's improvement.  I think that improvement had more to do with the OL reshuffling and improvement and Fairchild opening the offense up more to get the ball downfield to Evans.  I think Thomas being in the lineup was a coincedence at that time.

In the end I'm expecting Thomas to get around 10-15 carries a game, at least for a good portion of the season, and end up with around 700 yards and 6-7 TD's.  For the offense, especially the run game, to be successful we must be able to pick up the short 3rd downs and keep the chains moving.  Last year the offense was too big play oriented.  We need to establish a solid run game that will keep our young D on the sidelines.  I believe Thomas will help in that and will definately help inside the red zone.  I'm really looking forward to seeing how our RB trio will be utilized and I also expect there to be a gradual shift towards the young guys as the season progresses.  It's good to have a veteran presence in the backfield that will not only help the offense, but will also help Lynch and Wright learn to be better runners at this level.