According to this article, Pierre Thomas has put on 15 pounds this offseason and rumor has it the bulk of that weight has been added to his legs. Personally, that makes me a little nervous. Thomas struggled in some short yardage situations last year, but still averaged a nifty 4.8 yards per carry last year. When you’ve got a guy that getting 4.8 yards a pop, I wouldn’t advocate he start changing things. By the way, he also averaged 4.8 yard per carry in 2007. If this added weight can improve his toughness AND his speed, I’m all for it. My concern is he’s sacrificing a little speed for power, and that would just be a questionable move. The Saints have Mike Bell, Lynell Hamilton, Heath Evans, and 2 undrafted rookie free agents that can potentially fulfill that role for the Saints. Partially sacrificing what Thomas does best to improve short yardage situations is not going to improve the offense in my opinion. His combination of toughness and speed last season was deadly to opponents more times than not. I don’t know about you Saints fans out there, but I’m taking 4.8 yards per carry again this year if it’s offered to me, even if that means Pierre Thomas doesn’t see the field on 3rd and 1. While everyone wants a versatile back, you have to be careful about turning away from the things you do well. The great thing about Saints offense is Sean Payton always does a great job of utilizing player’s strengths and putting them in a position to succeed. Pierre, make sure those strengths don’t diminish in an effort to improve your weaknesses.
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