Taysom Hill is now 3-0 as a starting quarterback and one of the factors he credits that start too is Michael Thomas, who’s been his top target in those three games.
"Michael Thomas is phenomenal. He's a big, strong, physical receiver,” Hill said. “Such a security blanket for a quarterback early in their career. I know that dude has fight on every play, he's so big, strong and physical that if you make the right throw, he's open. I appreciate how hard he plays, how competitive he is and I love playing with him."
Thomas missed five games earlier this season with ankle and hamstring injuries but has looked like the player who in 2019 set the NFL record for receptions in a single season, the past three games.
Saints coach Sean Payton said he was proud of the way Thomas has been able to battle back from those injuries.
“Man, he's come up with some big plays here and for a quarterback, new in the lineup, you know, to have that target in someone who is going to come down with the ball, make plays, that's a big deal,” Payton said. “So, he's doing well.”
Thomas and Hill appear to have quickly established chemistry on the field with the fifth-year Saint catching 22 passes for 259 yards in Hill’s starts. Payton said that chemistry starts with Thomas “being a great receiver.”
“He’s able to separate, he gives you a great target radius, an area to throw to and I think that suits anybody who's passing the ball to him,” Payton said. “The key each week is to find different route concepts to give him those opportunities and continue to find more of those even in the red zone.”
Thomas said he’s simply been focused on making himself available for Hill to go with the ball.
"Yeah, whatever he asks for me to do, however he wants me to run it and wherever he needs to be, when my number's called I'm trying to be there and be exactly where he needs me to be,” Thomas said.
Thomas said that it’s a blessing for his team be in the situation where they’ve racked up nine straight wins despite injuries to several key players, including himself and Drew Brees.
“I feel like it's the culture that we've built since I've gotten here,” he said. “We've slowly built it. And we demand it, we demand it now. We demand success, we demand excellence, we come into it, home or away, we're coming to win games, we're not just coming here to play the team we're going against. As long as we keep that mindset, with the coaches that we have, and the skillset we have on both offense, defense and special teams, we're a very dominant team and everyone knows that."
