Link: Bryan Thomas’ Wake Up Call
Rich Cimini of the Daily News had an excellent article in yesterday’s paper about Bryan Thomas and he re-dedication to be the best player he could be this year for the Jets, for himself, and for his family.
The turning point in Bryan Thomas’ career occurred last Feb. 28 at 12:42 p.m. The moment was so profound that he decided to make it indelible. He typed up the exact time and date, made a printout and taped it inside his locker at the Jets’ facility. He also made a smaller, laminated version, which he keeps inside his wallet. …
“It inspires me,” the veteran linebacker says.
It’s so deeply personal that Thomas won’t reveal too many of the particulars, except to say he was in his living room, watching football highlights on ESPN. Suddenly, he was overcome with shame, which turned to anger, which turned to determination.
… Thomas … started thinking about how he had disappointed his hard-working father, who went into the Alabama coal mines 33 years ago and came out with a metal rod in his back and a new titanium knee. Stanley Thomas worked 14-hour days to support his family, always flirting with potential tragedy in the infamous Jim Walter No. 7 mine in Tuscaloosa City.
So it all hit Bryan at once – the guilt, the embarrassment, everything. It hit him so hard that he got emotional. At that moment, he decided enough was enough.
“I thought about how last season went and how I couldn’t let something like that happen again,” he says, reflecting on 2/28/08. “I decided at that moment that it had to be different, that it would be different.”
I’d be curious to know a little more about that moment, but keep in mind that February 28th 9PM marks the start of free agency.
It’s hard to say for sure what it was he saw. Was it that his teammate Jonathan Vilma was taking physicals in other cities? Did the NFL Countdown crew say something about him or the Jets?
Ultimately, it doesn’t matter because Bryan Thomas has determined to play better, and he’s doing just that. With 4.5 sacks so far this season, his play is up from last season by leaps and bounds, and he’s been a big part of the Jets becoming one of the best QB pressuring front sevens in the league.
4 Responses to Link: Bryan Thomas’ Wake Up Call
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Fonz says:
He has done well for the first part of the season but we need him because he is the “Vrabel” of the linbacking corps in my opinion. He has done exceptionally well and is still learning. Gholston now must start executing and working twice as hard as he is doing. He has all the physical talents in the world but it appears I would take Bryan Thomas who works at it more and more everyday than someone like Gholston who needs that time to catch up and depend on his talents. I mean yes he is in the same mold as LT minus the “killer instinct and relentlessness” but for Mangini’s system Bryan Thomas will be the better play longterm. I think Pace needs to be moved inside some now to let Gholston a chance. Pace for a while now has been quite. We paid him “42 million in his contract” to provide a constant attacking force. He right now ties or leads by a little Bryan Thomas’s sack total.
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DannyMazz says:
He’ s certainly performed better this season without question. Any news on Harris?
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Bent says: He hasn’t had a sack for five games though. What a bust. (Kidding, kidding).
I just went and checked that there were no “Bryan Thomas is Awful” posts on that date by drose or anything. Nope. Although at the time, the Jets were still in the hunt for Pace, so I bet somebody on TV said something like “…the Jets need Pace because Bryan Thomas is terrible. In fact, Victor Hobson of all people was probably better than him last season”. I would laminate that for inspiration too.
He has done well for the first part of the season but we need him because he is the “Vrabel” of the linbacking corps in my opinion. He has done exceptionally well and is still learning. Gholston now must start executing and working twice as hard as he is doing. He has all the physical talents in the world but it appears I would take Bryan Thomas who works at it more and more everyday than someone like Gholston who needs that time to catch up and depend on his talents. I mean yes he is in the same mold as LT minus the “killer instinct and relentlessness” but for Mangini’s system Bryan Thomas will be the better play longterm. I think Pace needs to be moved inside some now to let Gholston a chance. Pace for a while now has been quite. We paid him “42 million in his contract” to provide a constant attacking force. He right now ties or leads by a little Bryan Thomas’s sack total.