The cliché is simple: Big time players deliver in big time situations. While that may seem simple, it’s not always the case. Some guys have the clutch gene and some don’t. This applies to superstars as well.
Troy Tulowitzki is a superstar devoid of the clutch gene.
Demaryius Thomas, on the other hand, is a superstar with an extra-clutch gene.
Take his performance against the Kansas City Chiefs as the latest example. Thomas had three catches for 63 yards; all three catches moved the chains and one came on a crucial 3rd and 8.
Thomas’ performance on the final drive against the Chiefs was the definition of clutch. When the Broncos and Peyton Manning needed their $70 million man the most, he rose to the occasion. On that defining drive of the game (and maybe of the young season) Thomas pushed his lackluster performance from earlier in the night out of his mind and asserted his dominance, carrying the Broncos down the field.
No. 88 not only torched the Chiefs but he opened up the field for Manning’s game-tying 19-yard touchdown pass to Emmanuel Sanders. That is what superstars are supposed to do. That is what superstars get paid to do. Tulowitzki could stand to take some notes.
This isn’t a parting shot at a superstar that has moved on, but rather a comparison of two guys whose performances differ greatly when it matters most.
Tulo’s numbers in a Rockies uniform are undeniable; he hit a bunch of balls out of the park and drove in a ton of runs. He won Silver Slugger awards and multiple Gold Gloves, but none those numbers equated to wins at 20th and Blake. And the bigger problem is that most of those numbers were accumulated when the games didn’t matter.
Over his career, Tulowitzki is hitting .290 in the first half of the season and .306 in the second half. Every year when Colorado needed their best player the most, Tulo struggled to find his swing. And, during those stretches in April and May, the Rockies were always digging themselves into a hole.
Couple that with the fact that Tulowitzki has a .285, .268 and .290 career batting average in the 7th, 8th and 9th innings, respectively, and it’s clear why people don’t associate him with the clutch gene.
What Thomas did last Thursday was hit a go-ahead homerun in the top of the ninth on the road against the Giants – a situation in which Tulowitzki would have notoriously gone down swinging.
There is no dismissing that Thomas played poorly for the first three quarters in Kansas City. He did little to help Manning or the rest of the offense move the chains. He was also continually pulling himself out of the game in critical situations to catch his breath.
Cross your fingers that that’s a byproduct of Thomas still working himself back into game shape and not a superstar who’s become fat and happy after landing a huge contract.
That said; which player would you rather have? The one that is great for three quarters and falls apart at the end or the one that’s bad for three quarters, can brush that off and step up when they’re needed most? Everyone takes the latter 10 out of 10 times.
What Thomas has consistently proven throughout his career is that he can be that player. When it comes to No. 88, you have to take the good with the bad.
He had a rough three game stretch to start the season in 2014 but was a monster to close it out. In 2011, Pittsburgh held him in check for most of that playoff game, but in overtime he raced 80 yards for the game winner. And, last Thursday he had fans scratching their heads until he came up huge in the last two minutes of the game.
Thomas embodies what you want from your superstars: A guy who knows how to finish a game and a season. He provides Broncos fans with everything that Rockies fans wanted so badly out of Tulowitzki.
When it comes to being clutch, Demaryius Thomas is the anti-Troy Tulowitzki.