Demaryius Thomas said he’s striving to break the NFL’s single-season receiving records in 2015. (Joe Amon, The Denver Post)
Gary Kubiak’s zone-blocking, run-oriented offense will call for adjustments from not just quarterback Peyton Manning but also his top targets. A more balanced offensive attack likely means fewer catches and yards for his receivers.
But when Demaryius Thomas signed his five-year, $70 million contract, he wasn’t concerned. In fact, he .
He wants to break the NFL’s single-season receiving records. Marvin Harrison’s 143 catches in 2002? Thomas wants more. Calvin Johnson’s 1,964 yards in 2012? Thomas hopes to break that. And Randy Moss’ 23 touchdowns in 2007. Thomas is out to shatter that, too.
Rod Smith, the Broncos’ career leader in receptions (849), yards (11,389) and touchdowns (68) who won two Super Bowl titles with Kubiak as his offensive coordinator in Denver, said doing so . And not because he lacks the talent but because the offense just doesn’t cater to gaudy receiving numbers.
“It’s definitely not a knock on Demaryius,” Smith said. “I love what he’s thinking. His mentality is, ‘Take my opportunities and make the best of it.'”
Broncos general manager John Elway wasn’t willing to rule out the possibility of Thomas reaching his goals.
“You always have lofty goals, and the bottom line is with Demaryius, he has that ability to be able to do that,” Elway said Thursday. “I like his mindset and the fact that he wants to be that, he wants to be that good and he set that goal. I’m hoping he can get there.”
Emmanuel Sanders, the Broncos’ No. 2 receiver, agreed. And he, too, is gunning for the top — both in individual and team achievements this season.
“For me, I want to be the best wide receiver in the National Football League this year,” he said. “That’s my goal; that’s why I work my butt off in OTAs. You want guys to have goals like that. I think Demaryius is capable of that. To me, it’s never about the numbers. Obviously I want to go to out, I want to put up good numbers, but it doesn’t matter at the end of the day. I think that bringing a Super Bowl to this city is what really matters.”
