Michael Thomas meets with the media following Tuesday's Saints training camp practice.
Category
🥇
SportsTranscript
00:00 [BLANK_AUDIO]
00:03 >> Mike, how would you describe how you're feeling right now?
00:06 >> I feel like I'm trending in the right direction.
00:09 Taking every day, one day at a time, trying to execute at a high level.
00:13 Come out here and make plays and move the chains for the offense.
00:18 Take great coaching, correct my mistakes and
00:21 get to the meeting room and just come out here and add value.
00:26 >> When you say trending in the right direction,
00:27 would you say you're not quite 100% yet, still working up to it?
00:31 >> I don't really know what you guys, what you're 100% in.
00:34 I'm always chasing perfection and trying to win as a ref.
00:37 I'm a competitor, I don't prepare to lose.
00:42 I prepare to execute and make the play.
00:44 So it's a process, it's a learning process.
00:47 But the good thing about the Saints,
00:49 we have a lot of great competition on the other side of the ball.
00:52 So I feel like it won't take long, but you gotta get in the groove.
00:56 You gotta get some things down.
00:58 But with the coaching and the players I'm surrounded by,
01:02 I'm not really worried, I'm just taking it one day at a time.
01:05 >> How would you say that relationship with you and
01:06 Derek has been progressing in training camp so far?
01:09 >> I think it's been progressing tremendously.
01:11 Derek, he's a great leader, very vocal, knows what he wants.
01:15 He tells us what he wants.
01:17 As an offense as a whole, we lean on him to be able to come out there and
01:20 make his job easier.
01:22 So we're taking it one day at a time, but
01:24 we're doing a lot of communicating and correcting our mistakes when they happen,
01:28 after practice or right after, during special team, certain situations.
01:33 So I feel like that's something that's trending in the right direction, but
01:38 we never wanna feel like we arrived or we're 100% because it's a long season.
01:42 And right now we're just in training camp, we have like a preseason game, yeah.
01:45 So we're just building and staying honest with ourselves and
01:49 competing at a high level.
01:51 Eventually, as much as you compete and compete, you'll be there.
01:54 You compete to win, so you'll eventually start winning.
01:58 >> How long does it take to really get those nuances of learning?
02:01 Like, hey, I'm gonna be here when here, we see this defense.
02:04 Does it just take time?
02:05 >> It's attention and detail, being on the same page.
02:08 I don't have a perfect answer for you guys, what it takes, but
02:11 I know they'll get there.
02:12 And we take pride in that, and we know that's our job, and
02:17 that's what we have to do.
02:18 So we'll get there, we'll get there when we need to be there.
02:20 >> Mike, we saw a couple snapshots of you in training camp.
02:23 How good does it feel to be out there full training camp with no limits?
02:28 >> It's a blessing for sure, just to be out there, out on the side watching.
02:33 And just being able to put stuff on film and then go back and
02:37 critique it and go back and hone on your craft.
02:40 Because that's all the receiver position is, just craft and
02:44 creating separations, pretty much like art.
02:47 You just have to know how to use your body, get your steps down,
02:51 certain things like that.
02:52 The little nuances that probably won't show up on paper,
02:55 or some people from the side won't even know what we did.
02:58 We just made it look kind of easy.
02:59 So just a small thing, just building on the details.
03:03 And like I said, just taking hard coaching and
03:07 trusting the coaching and applying it to my game.
03:09 That's what I really miss, just coming out here to be able to perfect my craft.
03:14 >> Hey, Mike, everybody always talks about how serious you take every rep.
03:18 When did that start for you, and what is that drive and motivation come from?
03:22 >> I think, well, I went to, I think that kind of came, I mean,
03:26 a little bit I probably built from just my childhood.
03:29 But then it really built when I kind of went to Ohio State.
03:33 I had ups and downs there, like my second year,
03:35 people did not know I registered it.
03:37 People used to know I registered for the second year.
03:38 So that kind of put a chip on my shoulder, it made the chip on my shoulder bigger.
03:42 And just knowing how to pull from those situations in life where you couldn't
03:46 compete, or you couldn't win.
03:48 Or even just like my injury where I just had to be watching from TV or
03:55 watching from the side and couldn't put my head in the crowd.
03:58 Just those things building up make you wanna lock in and be seen and
04:04 home it and just take advantage of the opportunity when it presents you and
04:09 just not let your game get away.
04:10 So I mean, I credit my coaches for just coaching me hard, believing in me.
04:16 Just kind of in a sense like challenging me to dig deeper and
04:22 then I gotta dig deeper to get to my pressure.
04:25 >> How big is the chip on your shoulder this season?
04:28 >> Man, the chip is very big, it's very big.
04:31 But it grows every day, I feel like.
04:37 But that's a good thing about this game, you get to go out there,
04:41 you get the attack coming on.
04:42 And then you get to go out there and you get to compete at a high level and
04:44 score points and win games.
04:46 So that's what I'm looking for mostly in it,
04:48 win games, compete at a high level, help organization, help the guys around me.
04:54 Just I come from a women's coach here from Ohio State, so
04:59 that's what we was trained to do.
05:00 We was trained to win everything, we kept scoring every game.
05:04 So we bring that here, a lot of guys that came from Ohio State,
05:08 they bring that here too and we just try to add to the pile.
05:11 >> Mike, there's a maintenance schedule for you being said.
05:15 How difficult is that for you because you don't like to not work?
05:18 >> I'm learning, like I said, just taking coaching,
05:23 trusting the plan you have in front of me.
05:26 And then doing more when I can.
05:28 You don't always have to do stuff when the camera's out here,
05:31 people are watching, you can still go find ways to get better and work on yourself.
05:34 No one's watching, so I take pride in that too, being able to do stuff like that.
05:39 And it's limited, but if you wanna get better, you still gotta work on your game,
05:43 work on your craft, work on the little things.
05:45 So I'm always trying to find ways to get better,
05:48 whether it's taking care of my body off the field, or
05:50 if it's just catching jugs after practice, or many things.
05:57 Just a lot of nuances that go into it to create the player that I wanna be.
06:01 >> Mike, speaking of that Ohio State bond,
06:04 how do you approach the daily competition with Marshawn?
06:07 Should you guys get along well, or you don't wanna?
06:09 >> Yeah, it's good on good.
06:10 He gets his legs, I get my legs.
06:11 I've been going against Marshawn like eight years, nine years.
06:15 So I think I'm very grateful for that because it allows me to not do the same
06:20 things, you have to be locked in, you have to, it forces you to
06:24 pay attention to the details, know your opponent, and it's always gonna be it.
06:30 It's always gonna be a competition, it's always gonna be a fight.
06:34 He's a tremendous player.
06:35 I look up to him.
06:36 I've always said since I came into the league from the time where it was time to
06:40 draft, the year after, draft him, go get him.
06:44 It's always believed in Marshawn, always felt like he was the best D.B.
06:46 So I take a lot of pride in going against him and
06:50 schedule him for him because he still has so much untapped potential.
06:52 So knowing that and coming up to be able to come out here and
06:57 compete with a guy like that.
07:00 I think that's a blessing in disguise, and that'll pay off in the long run.
07:05 >> How intense is it?
07:06 I mean, is it like if you're going against your brother,
07:08 you're even, you wanna win even more, or do you guys-
07:10 >> Yeah, for sure,
07:11 it's a little bit of that too, indefinite brotherhood.
07:14 I spend a lot of time with him off the field.
07:17 We talk a lot.
07:18 He's a competitor, he hates losing too, and it was times when, right?
07:23 You gotta just be on top of your game.
07:26 He's a ball player, and I'm a ball player, so we compete at a high level.
07:30 But as long as we compete at a high level, we're gonna be able to add value to this
07:34 team and everybody else to come up to our level, and we just keep getting better.
07:39 >> My God, how good do you think this offense can be with just all the weapons
07:42 and different guys you guys got here?
07:43 >> We can be tremendous, honestly, one day at a time, but
07:49 we see a lot of flashes on the film.
07:51 We've already been seeing a lot of flashes of it, just in practice.
07:56 We have a tremendous group, a lot of guys that are gonna
08:00 show up and show out after the season here.
08:03 And it's gonna be fun, it's gonna be explosive.
08:05 Coach Breeze is explosive plays, and they can explosive plays.
08:08 We have a lot of explosive players, so from all across the offense.
08:12 So we're eager to put that on display and win games and handle our business.
08:20 >> And what's your message to the people who doubt you?
08:23 >> I mean, I kinda just, well, off the doubt, I kinda like,
08:26 people might call it crazy, or people might call it, I don't know.
08:30 But some people say if you don't have behaviors, you ain't popping.
08:34 I mean, I really like using it as fuel for me.
08:38 I mean, if you doubt me, first off, you're probably not in my shoes.
08:42 And now I'm just gonna go harder, and then I'm gonna prove you wrong.
08:44 But certain ways, it's just like the whole mental thing.
08:47 If you got a strong mind, anybody can doubt you, it don't matter.
08:51 I've been blessed to be in this position.
08:53 And all I know is it's about my craft and perfecting it.
08:57 And I have a strong faith, so I think doubters and stuff is good for the game.
09:02 But a lot of guys come out here and come to work, and
09:04 people don't care about nothing, doing whatever.
09:06 So it's more so, I mean, I like it.
09:09 Like, you doubt me, you can doubt me, then I'll get you.
09:12 And then you see what happened, and that might be a psychological thought for you.
09:17 But I just proved you wrong, and you still doubt me.
09:20 I'm gonna prove you wrong.
09:21 >> [INAUDIBLE]
09:31 [BLANK_AUDIO]
09:41 >> We've got time for one more.
10:07 >> Aspect of that is proving that you can stay on the field and
10:10 be healthy for entire seasons.
10:12 >> Yeah, I go hard.
10:13 I go hard.
10:13 So sometimes you might get injured going hard.
10:15 Like I don't know, I go hard.
10:17 And sometimes when you go hard, you gotta learn how to channel it a little bit.
10:22 But I mean, I love this game.
10:24 I love competing.
10:25 The game doesn't change.
10:27 It's the same thing.
10:29 Getting over it, creating separation, making plays, and living the change.
10:34 That's how I look at it.
10:35 I don't really get caught up in new style of the game where it's a lot of questions
10:39 and stuff, I just execute myself and execute between those lines.
10:44 And just make sure I make my plays.
10:47 >> Mike, what are you right now as far as your top end speed from when you first
10:53 came into the league?
10:55 >> I would have to ask Doc that.
10:56 He said I'm running pretty well, hitting pretty good speeds and stuff.
11:00 But like I said, I never feel like I arrived.
11:01 Even when I was one offensive player and did all those things,
11:05 like I still have more left.
11:08 We always evolve in this game, and it's all about chasing perfection.
11:13 And executing at a high level.
11:16 So I never wanna feel like I'm there.
11:21 But I'm always looking for more work to move in that direction,
11:26 to get faster, to get open more, to catch more passes.
11:30 So that's the stuff I'm always looking for.
11:33 >> Last question with Catherine, then we're done.
11:35 Mike, when you started practicing again, was there any point that you felt like
11:39 you had to regain confidence in your body?
11:41 Or that you could plant your foot and the injury would hold up or
11:45 anything like that?
11:46 >> Not really, once I passed my physical and they gave me the green light and
11:50 they checked all the details they needed to check, I trusted it.
11:54 Like I said, I have real strong faith in God.
11:57 I know the process to get here, I didn't cheat that process.
11:59 So eventually, if you don't cheat the process and you stick to the grind,
12:03 you'll reap the reward and the benefits.
12:05 So it allowed me to come back out here.
12:07 And like I said, I'm just fine tuning everything,
12:10 missed a decent amount of time.
12:12 So for me to say, yeah, I'm 100, get out here, no.
12:18 But I'm moving in that direction every day.
12:20 When I leave here, I'm gonna go find ways to move in that direction and
12:23 just chase perfection.
12:24 >> Great.