Bills Draft Gems, No. 2: RB Thurman Thomas

by Brian Galliford on Apr 27, 2011 8:00 AM EDT in Blog Series

With the 2011 NFL Draft quickly approaching, we thought it'd be a good idea to run down the Buffalo Bills' ten biggest draft successes and failures. I decided at the last minute to make this an "of my lifetime" series, meaning that the only busts and gems that you'll see listed here every day were picked in 1985 or after.

So... Thurman Thomas. He was pretty good at football. He's in the Hall of Fame. He rushed for 12,074 yards, caught 4,458 yards worth of passes, and scored 88 touchdowns in his 13-year career. A supremely versatile runner, Thomas was one of the first multi-purpose NFL backs that hurt opposing defenses as a runner and receiver out of Buffalo's K-Gun offense. He was, is, and will always be one of the most revered players in team history.

He did all of this despite the fact that a knee injury caused him to slide into the second round of the 1988 NFL Draft, where GM Bill Polian selected him with the 40th overall pick out of Oklahoma State. When you pick a Hall of Fame player in the second round, you're doing something right.

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Comments

ahhh the good old days

Here’s hoping our 2nd round pick this week can be almost as successful !

The Buffalo Bills - Drafting for size, speed and destruction since 2011.

by Will G on Apr 27, 2011 8:09 AM EDT reply actions

Thurman

was always a pleasure to watch – except for that last SB :(

The Buffalo Bills - Drafting for size, speed and destruction since 2011.

by Will G on Apr 27, 2011 8:10 AM EDT reply actions

Oddly enough, that last Super Bowl was his second-best performance in the game. They had a real chance to win the fourth game, until Emmitt Smith destroyed them on the Cowboy’s opening drive following halftime. I was speechless.

In the year two thousaaaaaaand.
In the year two thousAAAAAAND!

by TheAfghanTwilight on Apr 27, 2011 8:29 AM EDT up reply actions

The fumbles

killed us though.

Would have been nice if he could have found his helmet a bit sooner too :)

The Buffalo Bills - Drafting for size, speed and destruction since 2011.

by Will G on Apr 27, 2011 10:38 PM EDT up reply actions

He was one missed field goal away from being MVP of Superbowl XXV. I would say he’s runner up to Bruce Smith as the greatest Buffalo Bill of all time.

by The Adam Bomb on Apr 27, 2011 8:15 AM EDT reply actions

My Favorite Bills player EVER.

I remember thinking that once he hit 100 yards the team was going to win. I can’t say enough how awesome a player he was.

In the year two thousaaaaaaand.
In the year two thousAAAAAAND!

by TheAfghanTwilight on Apr 27, 2011 8:26 AM EDT reply actions

With all due respect....

and not knowing who is #1….. Thurman would be my pick for #1 on this list. Truly an awesome all-around threat. People forget two things about Thurman….1. he could run through a crease in the O-Line sideways better than most backs of his era could run north & south and….2. This guy could pick up a blitz…… many many times he saved Kelly’s bacon with a key block

THAT WE GOING TO RUN OVER EVERBODY THAT STEPS IN FRONT OF THE WHAGONBLASTER - Abayarde

by Jax Bills Fan on Apr 27, 2011 8:27 AM EDT reply actions

Knowing that the criteria is ‘85 and newer, i’d say it HAS to be Bruuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuce.

In the year two thousaaaaaaand.
In the year two thousAAAAAAND!

by TheAfghanTwilight on Apr 27, 2011 8:30 AM EDT up reply actions

It's definitely Bruce

Brian already said in another discussion that Bruce was on the list, and we haven’t seen him yet.

by The Adam Bomb on Apr 27, 2011 9:15 AM EDT up reply actions

I'm sure it will be Bruce, however....

when I think of a draft “gem”, my thought is that it should be a player that wasn’t first overall and expected to be the absolute best at their position (which Bruce was), to me guys like Andre, House Ballard and Thurman qualify as “gems” because of their draft position and ultimately their high level of performance.

THAT WE GOING TO RUN OVER EVERBODY THAT STEPS IN FRONT OF THE WHAGONBLASTER - Abayarde

by Jax Bills Fan on Apr 27, 2011 9:28 AM EDT up reply actions

I would agree under normal circumstances

But this is the Buffalo Bills we’re talkin about. Any player selected who is any good at all should be considered a gem because that only happens about half a dozen times in a decade.

by The Adam Bomb on Apr 27, 2011 9:54 AM EDT up reply actions

I’m with you. I thought it was limited to the less-obvious-when-drafted players.

In the year two thousaaaaaaand.
In the year two thousAAAAAAND!

by TheAfghanTwilight on Apr 27, 2011 10:10 AM EDT up reply actions

Also loved how he could run backwards through a hole, and use his lineman as springboards and leverage points.

In the year two thousaaaaaaand.
In the year two thousAAAAAAND!

by TheAfghanTwilight on Apr 27, 2011 8:31 AM EDT up reply actions

I remember that draft

He falling asleep on the couch, and me hoping he be our pick….. been a draft junkie since

by Bufbills on Apr 27, 2011 8:30 AM EDT reply actions

Hail to "The Thurmanator"...

Best all around back in Bills history but the best pure runner still goes to the Juice.

Thurman always rose to the occasion and played with a chip on his shoulder. His total dislike for the Miami Dolphins is what rivalries are all about.

Another great player from the Superbowl era that was superb on the field and a class individual off the field.

You drank beer, you played golf, you watched football - WE EVOLVED!

Frank Zappa

by Goose22 on Apr 27, 2011 9:21 AM EDT reply actions

I never understood why he signed with the Dolphins. I still wonder if it had more to do with being upset at Ralph for letting him go. To this day, he bashes that team and doesn’t want to talk about his time there.

In the year two thousaaaaaaand.
In the year two thousAAAAAAND!

by TheAfghanTwilight on Apr 27, 2011 10:11 AM EDT up reply actions

I always thought he went to the Phins just to collect a pay check.

You drank beer, you played golf, you watched football - WE EVOLVED!

Frank Zappa

by Goose22 on Apr 27, 2011 10:27 AM EDT up reply actions

Most amazing thing I ever saw

Thurman catching a Jim Kelly pass at the twenty going airborne because of the reach and landing on the fifteen. He flew five yards in the air and another seven yards when he hit the ground and was touched. Most amazing play from a player I ever saw.

YOU ARE OUT of you kuku fufu mine craker laker Flaber baber FUNKI chunki brain. WE want to winn every year -- abayarde

by VanScottM on Apr 27, 2011 9:23 AM EDT reply actions

A nice story about Thurman...

I met Thurman many years ago (back in the 80’s) while bartending. He use to come in on Sunday Nights with a lot of the other players and have a great time. He was polite and a gentleman.

In 2001 while playing in a charity golf tournament at Disney, Thurman was playing. He noticed my Bills golf bag and walked up to my cart. When we started talking and he realized we had met years before we were like old friends from Buffalo. After the tourney we met up at the bar and had a couple of drinks and literally hugged each other & laughed our asses off. I’m thankful that one of my golf partners had a camera and took a couple of nice pictures—-one which currently hangs on my office wall….

Thurman is truly a HOFer both on the field and off.

You drank beer, you played golf, you watched football - WE EVOLVED!

Frank Zappa

by Goose22 on Apr 27, 2011 10:54 AM EDT reply actions