While it was difficult to take away any positives from the Miami Dolphins’ 40-0 loss to the Baltimore Ravens last Thursday night, Michael Thomas’s performance was one of them. Not only did Thomas do well on special teams but he also stepped in at strong safety when the team needed him.

Starter Nate Allen left the game in the second quarter with a calf injury. For the night, Thomas recorded four tackles and a pass breakup.

During his press conference on Friday, Dolphins coach Adam Gase gave admiration for what Thomas brings to the team.

“He’s always ready to go,” Gase said. “That’s the thing about Mike, he’s a true pro. He gives you everything he has on special teams, makes a ton of plays and then when he gets thrown on defense, he always knows what to do, whether he’s playing safety or nickel. It’s a tough role to get thrown into when you don’t get as many reps during the week. For him to go in there and be able to do his job and make sure he’s doing the part of his job that we need him to do. He did a good enough job for us to have a chance. When he gets a full week’s worth of work, that’s going to help a lot to where he’ll really understand what’s going on.”

Thomas has been a leader for the Dolphins on and off the field. In 2015, Thomas was awarded the Dolphins’ Nat Moore Community Service Award. He has also been recognized as the NFL Players Association Community MVP in Week 7 of 2015 and again in Week 14 of 2016.

Thomas is the Dolphins’ Swiss Army knife. If the team needs him to play cornerback, no problem. If the Dolphins need him to play at safety or special teams, it has never been an issue.

During his five seasons in Miami, Thomas has gone above and beyond the call of duty and never once complained about his role on the team. That’s why Thomas is one of the five team captains and one of the heartbeats of the team.