Is Ambry Thomas Good?
SANTA CLARA -- It's probably a tad early to say definitively that 49ers rookie Ambry Thomas is a good cornerback.
But it's fair to say he played a good game last week.
It was his third career start, and by far his best -- his first two starts the past two weeks were rough. But Thomas has improved in each game he has played, and last week against the Titans, he was targeted four times and gave up just one catch.
Of course, as you probably remember, that one catch was a 42-yarder on 3rd and 23, so that wasn't good. But Thomas got beat by A.J. Brown, who's elite, plus Brown got away with a small push before the catch. Thomas also broke up a pass in the end zone intended for Brown, and probably got away with defensive pass interference during that play, so the non-calls evened out.
Thomas clearly was the 49ers' best cornerback last week. The Titans targeted him in the first half with no success, so eventually they turned their attention to 49ers cornerback Josh Norman, and found that the veteran was much easier to pick on than the rookie, because Norman's coverage is much looser.
The past two weeks, teams have targeted Norman 9 times, and he has given up 7 catches, 116 receiving yards, 1 touchdown and a passer rating of 155.8. He might as well not be on the field.
Thomas definitely is better than Norman. And when Emmanuel Moseley returns from his high-ankle sprain, Thomas should stay in the starting lineup, not the vet.
