Humility suffered a setback Friday. Demaryius Thomas stood before the press and admitted he wanted to break the NFL’s single-season receiving yards record.
2K. That’s roughly what it would take to supplant Detroit’s Calvin Johnson, who holds the mark with 1,964 yards in 2012.
Why2K? Why does it matter? Thomas seeks greatness, wants to be measured among the all-time best. What appears as self-serving serves the exact opposite goal. His relentless desire for excellence makes his team better. Sift through his words, and clarity emerges. Of course, he wants to reach new heights. No superstar signs a monstrous contract and declares mediocrity as his obsession. In admitting his goal publicly, Thomas turned the mirror back on himself, a move that will ultimately benefit the Broncos.
“I watched some games that I played, and there were some where I took a play or two off and missed a couple of blocks,” Thomas said. “I think that if I do those little things, it will make everybody around me better and make me a better player. That’s my main focus right now.”
Fear ripples through secondaries with those words. Or should. Thomas turns into a running back after the catch, races past and through undersized defenders. With a new contract and a louder voice in leadership, he brings more confidence into confrontation this season.
It takes little imagination to believe Thomas will be better. But will he produce bigger numbers? Thomas’ assertion — the mental edge needed from stars — got me to thinking. What is realistic for Thomas in a Gary Kubiak offense?
First, Thomas has to grow comfortable with the route tree, the adjusted audible language. He will be playing catch-up after missing offseason workouts, though summer practices with Baltimore Ravens receiver Marlon Brown should accelerate his learning curve.
Thomas has shown he can thrive in any offense with any quarterback. And Kubiak, with a trait learned from Mike Shanahan, excels at creating mismatches. Examining history, it appears unlikely Thomas will reach 2,000 yards. But it doesn’t mean he won’t have a similar or greater impact.
In Kubiak’s 20 seasons as an offensive coordinator or head coach, seven receivers have led the team in receptions and six in receiving yards. Houston’s Andre Johnson established bests in both categories with 115 receptions in 2008 and 1,598 yards in 2012.
The average season for Kubiak’s leading receiver over two decades: 87 catches, 1,186 yards. Shorten it to the last nine years — eight as the boss in Houston and last season as Baltimore’s offensive coordinator — it looks like this: 92 catches, 1,233 yards.
Thomas will get his numbers. Even if they don’t break records.
He has a good problem: someone to share the spotlight. Emmanuel Sanders experienced a starbust season last year. He and Thomas combined for the most receiving yards (3,023) and tied for the most receptions (212) by an offensive tandem in 2014.
The only reason Thomas won’t break Johnson’s mark is because Sanders also will be open. It provides Kubiak his best one-two receiver punch since Ed McCaffrey (101 catches) and Rod Smith (100).
Put Thomas through the shredder, computing Kubiak’s scheme with Thomas and Johnson’s best seasons, and I predict Thomas’ 2015 season: 105 catches, 1,537 yards and 11 touchdowns. It would match him with Marvin Harrison as the only receiver in NFL history with four consecutive seasons of at least 1,400 yards and 10 scores.
2K is an admirable goal. If his production results in a third Super Bowl, it will have longer staying power, reflecting his importance to the team and a franchise’s legacy.
Troy E. Renck: trenck@denverpost.com or
