Team doesn’t want Thomas to have his pick
Ravens safety’s style of play gives chance to make interception
Earl Thomas read the pattern by wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins as he broke over the middle, along with the eyes of Texans quarterback Deshaun Watson as he scanned the Seahawks’ defense.
The hard-hitting veteran safety instinctively jumped the route, intercepting Watson, a rookie at the time much more prone than now to lock onto his primary read. Thomas returned the interception 78 yards for a touchdown in a 2017 win by Seattle.
Now, the Texans are preparing for another encounter against Thomas on Sunday against the Ravens at M&T Bank Stadium.
Thomas joined the Ravens on a four-year, $55 million contract in the spring that included $32 million guaranteed. He has been a major upgrade over Eric Weddle, who was cut and signed with the Rams.
Watson has already heard from Thomas this week. They have the same Austin-based agent, David Mulugheta.
“Earl called me Monday,” Watson said. “He FaceTimed me Monday, and I told him I was in meetings, like, ‘I’m preparing right now to play against you.’ It’s a family, especially in the group of circle and my agent and the clients that he has.
“We have family ties. We’re very supportive of one another and when we play against each other, we compete. It’s pretty cool to have a guy like that to support you and be like a big brother.”
Thomas’ hard-hitting reputation and instinctive game precedes him.
As the Texans’ potent passing combination of Watson and Hopkins prepares to face a deep secondary that includes top corners Marcus Peters and Marlon Humphrey, they’ll have to contend with Thomas’ ball-hawking presence.
“He’s a monster, he’s a beast,” Hopkins said. “He’s Earl Thomas, so we’ve got to come out and play our game.”
Named to six Pro Bowls, Thomas has two interceptions this season, including picking off New England quarterback Tom Brady in a dramatic win. The 30year-old has 30 career interceptions and 10 forced fumbles.
“Earl is a great player,” Texans coach Bill O’Brien said. “We’ve gone against Earl quite a bit. Very instinctive. When you think about the great safeties in this game over the years, obviously in Baltimore, Ed Reed, Troy Polamalu, Earl Thomas. I mean, this guy’s had a great career, right?
“He can do a lot of different things in that defense: blitz, play in the deep part of the field, play down near the line of scrimmage.” Beyond his range and hitting ability, Thomas has a proven knack for disguising his intentions. He’ll bait a quarterback into thinking he’s going to be in a different area of the field before swooping in for the interception.
“His style is so unique, right?” Ravens coach John Harbaugh said. “He gets compared. We had Eric Weddle and Tony Jefferson this year too, but then you go back to Ed Reed and all of the different safeties we’ve had. He’s unique.
“He’s a hitter, he’s got great acceleration, he’s got great anticipation. He’ll show up in spots where the offense doesn’t expect him to be quite often, which is a trait that Ed Reed also had. Those are all parts of his game.”
Competing against Watson after practicing against another mobile quarterback in Lamar Jackson and Russell Wilson from when he was in Seattle covers familiar ground for Thomas.
“I see similarities,” Thomas said. “They both use the option-type college football game, especially in (shot)gun. This team is going to be a great challenge for us.
“Deshaun is a great quarterback. We just have to understand the personnel that they’re trying to throw at us, and I think we’ll be fine.”
What message would Watson like to send to Thomas if they connect before kickoff?
“Just don’t play like you usually always play,” Watson said. “Just kind of play down here, not up there. That’s pretty much it.”