Thomas regains footing

Now healthy, TE is looking sharp

Because of a broken foot suffered last October, David Thomas (left) hasn't been a familiar sight catching the ball since 2006. (Matthew J. Lee/Globe Staff)

FOXBOROUGH - Patriots tight end David Thomas paused for a second to consider the question yesterday at Gillette Stadium: "When was the last time you were in the end zone?"

Thomas nodded and chuckled. "Yeah, it's been a while," he said.

Asked to recall when that was exactly, the third-year veteran replied, somewhat wistfully, "I guess Jacksonville, my rookie year."

That was two years ago, when Thomas came to the Patriots as a third-round draft choice (86th overall) out of Texas, where he was one of Vince Young's most reliable targets.

In fact, Thomas departed Austin as the most productive tight end in school history.

He established school career tight end records for receptions (98), receiving yards (1,367), and touchdown receptions (15). He saved his best game for last with 10 catches in the Rose Bowl - setting the school's single-game record for receptions by a tight end - to help the Longhorns win the 2005 national championship.

So when Thomas had a breakout performance as a rookie at Jacksonville - leading the Patriots with five receptions for 83 yards, including a spectacular, diving 22-yard touchdown grab in a 24-21 triumph Dec. 24, 2006 - there was every expectation it would be part of his natural progression. That it was a glimpse into the future after he finished his rookie season with 11 receptions for 159 yards, including a long gain of 36 against the Jaguars.

That it was the start of something special.

Then came 2007, a not so special year for Thomas.

The 6-foot-3-inch, 248-pounder from Wolfforth, Texas, wound up making just one catch for 9 yards in two games before he was placed on injured reserve Oct. 3 with a broken right foot suffered at Cincinnati.

"The bad news was that he got hurt early last year, but it worked in his favor a little bit," said coach Bill Belichick. "He was able to get those things taken care of and rehabbed."

Belichick said it afforded Thomas the luxury to heal and do the work necessary during the offseason conditioning program to prepare for training camp "vs. some other players who kind of played through the year with some nagging stuff, and by the time they rehab it, it's kind of rolled into the season.

"The bad news for Dave Thomas was '07," Belichick added. "The good news was that he really got off to a good start in '08, and that's carried over to the spring and training camp."

For Thomas, it was of paramount importance to begin training camp healthy and on solid footing.

"I mean, injuries are always frustrating, but I've tried my best to get healthy and pay attention to everything that's going on," said Thomas, who never missed a game in college. The most important thing to me in this camp was to improve every day, get some consistency, and to string practices together.

"First time out after you've been out a while, you're shaking off the rust.

"But football is football, and it's exciting to be out there and doing what you love doing."

Said Benjamin Watson, the No. 1 tight end, "I think he's doing well. I think he's working on the stuff he needs to be working on, and he has a good attitude, so I think that goes a long way."

Thomas's No. 2 spot on the depth chart seemed to be solidified this week when the Patriots released Marcus Pollard and re-signed free agent Tyson DeVree, who had been released June 11. Rounding out the training camp roster of tight ends are journeyman Stephen Spach and undrafted rookie free agent Jonathan Stupar.

"I don't worry about all that," Thomas said of the recent moves. "I just worry about who's here and what our job is and the next game and the next practice, and whatever's next is what's most important right now. I just want to make sure that we do a good job stringing plays together and stringing practices together."

Through it all, Thomas worked on those aspects of his game that became atrophied during his protracted hiatus.

"When you miss time, you've always got things you can work on," he said. "As a tight end, you've got to be able to block both in the run game and pass game, run routes, get open, catch the ball, and run with it. So it was important coming off the injury just to be able to improve on all that and to get back into the swing of things."

Asked about Thomas's blocking, Belichick said, "He's done a good job with that. He's not a 280-pound road-grating tight end, and that's not his style. But he can be an effective blocker and he's shown the ability to do that, which is the same thing he did in college."

Although he has yet to make a catch in the exhibition season - he played sparingly against Baltimore and did not play at Tampa Bay - Thomas hopes to improve on that when the Patriots host the Philadelphia Eagles tomorrow night. Perhaps there even will be a return visit to the end zone.

"Game day is always game day, and it's fun and you're excited to be out there, but it's important to do your job," Thomas said. "The things we do now are going to carry on from these preseason games into the regular season, so it's important to get a good foundation started right now."

Michael Vega can be reached at vega@globe.com.