The ability of safety Earl Thomas to cover so much ground in the back-end of Seattle’s defense is one of the key reasons why the Seahawks have led the league in points allowed each of the last four seasons.
However, his play in Sunday’s game against the Miami Dolphins is not likely to be a part of his career highlight reel.
Thomas missed several tackles on Dolphins ball carriers and got lost in coverage, allowing Kenny Stills to get behind him for a would-be 71-yard touchdown. Stills dropped the perfect pass from Ryan Tannehill to bail Thomas out.
Thomas said he was disappointed in his play. He didn’t even shower after the game before leaving the stadium.
“I just put my tights on and my shorts and slippers, and got out of there. Jumped in my Rolls (Royce) and went home,” he said.
After Cassius Marsh left Arian Foster uncovered on a swing pass, Thomas was unable to make the tackle as Foster ultimately gained 50 yards on the play. He missed another tackle on Foster on a 9-yard gain later in the second quarter and a tackle on Damian Williams on a 26-yard screen pass that set up Miami’s go-ahead touchdown with just over four minutes to play.
“I wasn’t in rhythm at all, I wasn’t tied in with the defense,” Thomas said on Thursday. “Everybody had a great game, upfront, Sherm [Richard Sherman], Kam [Chancellor], [Jeremy] Lane, [DeShawn] Shead. I was just a couple steps off and it really showed, especially in the open field when I missed those tackles. I got to put myself in better position, initially.”
Thomas added that he believes all of the issues he had against the Dolphins are correctable.
“Oh yeah, of course. Don’t get me wrong, we still played great ball, but everybody expects a lot out of themselves on this defense and that’s just how we roll,” he said.