Thomas has a big game, then fans flames of discontent

SEATTLE — Earl Thomas had all but doused the flames of controversy Sunday afternoon.

Following a week of high drama that left Seattle Seahawks observers wondering whether Thomas was even going to show up to CenturyLink Field for Sunday’s game against the Dallas Cowboys, Thomas turned in a vintage performance. The All-Pro free safety set aside his frustrations with the organization, intercepting two passes and making seven tackles to play a huge role in Seattle’s 24-13 victory.

Thomas even poked a little fun at the moment that kicked off this whole soap opera. Last year, after Seattle won at Dallas, Thomas was caught on video running over to Cowboys coach Jason Garrett and telling him to “come get me.” On Sunday, Thomas again found himself jogging toward Garrett, but this time it was to bow at the Dallas sideline following his second interception — a gesture that earned him an unsportsmanlike-conduct penalty.

It all should have led to a brief respite in the saga. Whatever Thomas was doing or not doing during the week, he was fully present on Sunday and ready to do everything within his power to help the Seahawks win a football game.

But instead of pulling the fire extinguisher off the wall after the game to douse the fire — at least for now — Thomas instead found a gas can and drenched the dying embers, bringing the flames roaring back to life.

The talk after the game should have been about Thomas’ contributions to the team’s first victory of the season, about his ability to set aside his differences with the team and be fully present when it counted. It instead became yet another dialogue on the rift between Thomas and the team.

By now the details are well known. Thomas is in the final year of his contract and wants either an extension or a trade, and the Seahawks show no inclination to accommodate him in either respect. Thomas held out all of training camp and preseason, and this week Thomas missed two practices for mysterious, non-injury related reasons. Trade rumors again began to swirl.

All this became the focus of Thomas’ postgame media scrum. Not Thomas’ amazing first-quarter interception, in which he pinned the ball to his own shin to prevent it from hitting the ground. Not the overall performance of the defense, which largely shut Dallas down. Just another rehashing of Thomas’ discontent.

On why he missed the two practices during the week:

“I need to make sure my body is 100 (percent). I’m invested in myself. If they were invested in me, I’d be out there practicing. But if I feel anything, I don’t give a damn if it’s small, I’ve got a headache, I’m not practicing.”

On if he’d considered that Sunday’s game might be his last with the Seahawks:

“Yeah, of course. I heard chatter, people were coming up to me and saying a trade might happen. Even pregame a couple Cowboys coaches — I don’t know if they were trying to play psychological games — were like, ‘Are you ready for the trade tomorrow?’ But at the end of the day I had a great time with the guys I’ve been practicing with — I haven’t been practicing, but the guys I’ve been around.”

On if he wants a trade:

“I love Seattle, my family’s here. I’m hopeful these guys would call my agent and let’s work something out. But I’m going to be taken care of.

“Let’s keep it moving. Take my talents and we’re going to ball out.”

Seahawks coach Pete Carroll, a verbally adept individual who’s usually able to talk his way around any subject, even seemed at a loss.

“I haven’t talked to him about it, other than we made it through and we’ll talk next week,” Carroll said when asked about Thomas missing practices. “There’s nothing to even tell you about right now. I’ll let you know next week.”

The good news for the Seahawks, if that exists in this scenario, is that Thomas’ teammates seem at peace with the situation. After the game Thomas ran off the field alongside fellow safety Bradley McDougald, both with big grins across their faces.

“I was just trying to remind Earl where our locker room was, in case he got confused or anything and needed a reminder that the Seahawks locker room was on this side,” McDougald quipped.

Linebacker Bobby Wagner, Seattle’s defensive captain, said the thought didn’t even cross his mind before the game about whether Thomas would play.

“When I see 29 on the field, I expect him to make plays,” Wagner said. “He got a couple picks, he was flying around, being himself. That’s what we expect from him.”

Defensive end Frank Clark described Thomas’ play as that of a Hall of Famer.

“Everybody is panicking and wondering where Earl is at, but I’m sure he’s getting better somewhere in his little cave or something. At the end of the day I’m just glad to have him.

“I knew he was going to be out there,” Clark added. “I know what everybody was talking about last year with the Cowboys and him walking into the locker room. We don’t trip on that. We know what’s going on, we know the real behind everything. At the end of the day, we know his heart belongs with the Seahawks.”

Thomas could have said words to that effect himself. But he didn’t. And that means, should Thomas remain a part of the team, all sides are going to be forced to muddle through this once again.

Follow Nick Patterson on Twitter at @NickHPatterson.