In case you still cling to the belief that wide receiver Devin Thomas was listed behind Joey Galloway and Anthony Armstrong on the depth chart simply to motivate him, then you probably should heed the message offensive coordinator Kyle Shanahan gave after Redskins' practice today. Thomas isn't down on the depth chart because of motivation; he's down on the depth chart because the Redskins don't think he's good enough to be higher.
↵Here's what Shanahan said after practice today, via TBD's Mike Jones:
↵↵↵kyle shanahan on Devin Thomas: "He's not slated to do a whole lot for us [Sunday] because of the group ahead of him."
↵
"The group ahead of him" includes guys like Galloway, Armstrong and maybe Roydell Williams. Without disrespecting those guys too much, I think it's safe to say that most felt Thomas would have beaten those guys out. He didn't, and now, the third-year wide receiver that showed a ton of promise at the end of last year has been buried.
↵There's a lot of talk about how Thomas has done this to himself, whether it's through lack of dedication or poor attention to detail. But from all accounts, Thomas has worked hard in training camp and in the offseason, so I don't really buy the "underachiever" explanation. Really, I think the problem is simpler.
↵Maybe, just maybe, he's just not that good to begin with.