thomaswilliams's Blog

16
Sep
Day off in Jacksonville

Each and every Tuesday I get a few more errands knocked out that allow me to have my normal life back here in Jacksonville. My car finally came and I had a whole bunch of stuff in it I had to move into my place. It was great to finally have my car again, but the battery was acting up so I had to go get a new battery for it this morning. Then it was on to Best Buy to get a DVD stand. I got a growing collection, about 100 DVDs now that were just laying on the floor, needed to get those reorganized. Then it was on to Costco for a vacuum. Not sure how you shop for vacuums but I just pick the one that looks cool and is going to be able to pick up after my messes. Now it's time to squeeze in a nap before I head off to Tony Pashos' foundation bowling event tonight.
3 Comments
04
Sep
Gregg Williams

Jaguars defensive coordinator Gregg Williams is exactly the kind of coach I want to play for. He loves physical football and that's the style I'm used to playing. His mindset is to be physical and to be tough. We want to be more physical than our opponent and I love that about him and our team. It's how we played at USC. No one on this defense is soft, everyone can hit. The 180 pound safeties hit like 250 pound linebackers. I mean it, everyone on our defense can bring it and they love doing it. I had a chance to wear the headset during the last preseason game against Washington and I was amazed at the stuff Coach Williams was saying. Everything he was calling was right. He knows all of their moves, like a chess game he knows where the pawns are, the knights are the kings. It was an amazing experience. These coaches have been in the league for many years and they have faced each other so many times it's like they know exactly what they're going to run. 9 times out of 10 they're right.
2 Comments
03
Sep
Finding My Routine

As of right now I'm spending a lot of time by myself just trying to get into my routine. I moved into my place over the weekend and have been just kind of hanging around there. I'm kinda approaching this the same way I attacked my senior year. I'm watching a lot of film, watching the veteran guys - how they practice and how they prepare - and picking off little things and adding them to my approach. I'm literally trying to be the hardest working guy on the team. You can always learn from watching the vets. I watch the way they train, how they take care of their bodies, messages, cold tubs all the little things they do to keep their bodies right. When you see guys who have been playing in the league for 10 years still taking notes in meetings that's really motivating to me. You are never too old to learn especially at this level. And all these guys are great. Mike Peterson is the leader of the linebacker unit. He's so smart and is always taking notes. Daryl Smith plays all the positions so he's been very helpful. Justin Durant is in his second year so he's the one I'm closest to on an experience level. He is able to tell me some of the things he went through a year ago. I try to get tips from all of the linebackers and just try to be a sponge. I'm really focusing on the smaller details when I'm watching film... things like plays they call after penalties, after turnovers, when they're in the red zone and down and distance stuff. All of it is helping me be a better student of the game.
3 Comments
02
Sep
#53

We practiced yesterday for the first time since the roster was set. Coach Del Rio congratulated us all for making it. Having been out there the last month with 80 guys it was kinda crazy to see so few out there now. I had been thinking about changing my number but I decided not to because #53 made the 53... it's symbolic now. Keith has always been talking #55 so I started thinking about that. He's one of my best friends and it would've been cool to wear the same number, especially when we played each other we could see which 55 had the better game. But 53 became very meaningful to me so I'm not changing it.
9 Comments
30
Aug
It's official: I made the team

When I got drafted by Jacksonville I went in as realistic as possible. I knew that you aren't guaranteed anything and that you never know when it's going to be over. That's why I focused on enjoying every moment: the games, the practices, taking plane trips, walking through airports, getting the veterans food, everything. I was going to prepare and play as hard as I could and just see what happens. I prayed before our last preseason game at Washington. I went out there and for 60 minutes I was going to leave everything out there. After the game I had no regrets. We had the day off yesterday, and then a team meeting, and Coach told us that if you're not a starter to keep your phones on and stay in Jacksonville. A few guys had already been released but they had more cuts to make to get to the limit. I called one of the guys in the front office today, right before the USC game started to find out what time the cuts were going to be made. He told me congratulations Thomas, you've made it. The cuts have already been made. I immediately called my mom and told her. I knew she was waiting. She called this morning to say hi. She was really happy and that lifted a weight off of her shoulders. I called my dad and he was excited. I got text messages from a bunch of my friends because they had been following it too. I must say, it hasn't really sunk in yet. It was a goal and I'm thrilled, but it hasn't fully hit me. I'm sure after watching the Trojans today with my friends it will start to hit me. I am officially a Jacksonville Jaguar!
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Day off in Jacksonville

Gregg Williams

Finding My Routine

#53

It's official: I made the team

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