Chip Kelly is long gone, but the extreme secrecy at Oregon continues without him.
Buried in The Oregonian's discussion of Ducks running back De'Anthony Thomas' role this season is a note that the versatile junior left practice early Wednesday "his helmet off and head down," needing the help of an athletic trainer.
A request to interview Thomas was refused, and Oregon does not release any injury information. Thomas, a prolific and entertaining presence on Twitter, has not posted anything since Tuesday night and his last action on the social media website was a retweet Wednesday morning.
The odds are Thomas, who has scored 36 career touchdowns on 306 total touches, will be absolutely fine when Oregon opens the season against Nicholls State. But it is a reminder that for all his game-breaking ability, Thomas is only 5-foot-9 and 176 pounds and struggled to stay on the field in high school. While his health hasn't been an issue at Oregon, it will be a strong consideration for NFL teams in projecting how Thomas fits in at the next level.
Follow Dan Greenspan on Twitter @DanGreenspan.
