To What Extent Should the 49ers Worry About Ambry Thomas?
Against the Packers, Ambry Thomas had by far his worst performance in months. When the 49ers play the Lions, should this bother them?
One of the reasons why 49ers defense improved after the regular season by week with the addition of Ambry Thomas to the lineup.
Before he was there, the 49ers ran Deommodore Lenoir out with Isaiah Oliver. It was a recipe for disaster as Oliver gave up more plays than he wanted to.
So the 49ers went outside with Thomas looking for nickel packages with Lenoir flying inside. And boy, did the change pay off. Suddenly, the coverage of the 49ers was more sticky and allowed to pass.Thomas has been playing at a pretty high level ever since.
Against the Packers, however, he returned to his old self. The Packers got anything and everything they wanted from Thomas offensively.
He just didn’t have the game and it was clear that the lights were too bright for him. Now it’s just another game. Thomas hasn’t looked this bad since becoming the starter. But it does make one wonder if the weight of the playoffs is overwhelming for Thomas, which is a concern.
How worried should the 49ers be about Thomas going to the NFC Championship?Very worried. I usually like to give players who are having a bad game some slack if they are already playing well like Thomas. But he got beat by receivers who aren’t exactly the most dangerous.
Worst of all, when he could play ball, he couldn’t. He made a defensive tackle when the opportunity was there for him.Thomas looked in over his head in this game and I’m not too sure he can make it to the Super Bowl. Kyle Shanahan was asked during a conference call Monday about his concerns about Thomas and what his coaching points are this week. You can’t catch men. So sometimes you have to stay closer to them so you don’t catch them when they make another move, andquot; Shanahan said.
andquot;So there could be one. As the second on the field, yes, not everything depends on him. He needs a little more help and stuff. But with its downhill and distance, you have to stay on it to flatten things out when you dig from behind. Every dropped ball is extremely difficult to avoid contact with the receiving receiver. So he needs to make sure he gets better places before he gets into this trouble.All these points are there from Shanahan. What he did wrong was fundamental and can be fixed, but if you’re worried, you’re playing badly. I think Thomas’s issues may not be his plays, but rather his nervousness. It’s kind of like when Ahkello Witherspoon was here. He always played well with his receivers, but always struggled to make plays on the ball.
This is due to lack of self-confidence. Caught like a deer in headlights.Hopefully Thomas worked out all the nerves in the divisional round because the 49ers can’t afford mediocrity again. The Lions have a much stronger offense than the Packers and will easily exploit Thomas if he doesn’t get it again..
