One of the few bright spots of the 2009 season was watching the development of Devin Thomas. He first started to shine when Jason Campbell was (frequently) under pressure. He showed a knack for breaking off his route and making himself available as a safety valve, turning a lot of broken plays into drive-sustaining first downs. This appears to be how Campbell gained confidence in him.
As the season wore on, Thomas was a primary read on more and more plays. And a lot of the wide receiver screens and quick hitches that has long been directed to Santana Moss were now called to Thomas. Think of how long Moss has been the one playmaker who justified finding ways to get the ball in his hands in space – by mid-season Devin Thomas had taken over that role. Santana had once been the most important man to keep healthy; without him the offense collapsed. But the last two weeks of the season, when Thomas was out with injuries, a similar decline occurred. And Santana Moss was not enough to overcome the loss of Thomas.