DMN: Blog: Zach Thomas ain't that smart

[Cbz40]

Zach Thomas ain't that smart

3:12 PM Mon, Jul 28, 2008 | Permalink | Yahoo! Buzz
Tim MacMahon


At least that's what the 12-year veteran linebacker wants us to think. But he was chosen as the league's smartest defensive player in an ESPN.com survey of head coaches.


"I don't know about that," Thomas said after this morning's practice. "I'm not going to win any kind of Trivial Pursuit games any time soon.


"But I know this: The smartest thing I do is simplify. The game is really simple, but you can get really complicated with all the different formations and all this stuff. But all you have to do as a linebacker is simplify. You've just got to run and tackle the guy with the ball."


How does an NFL linebacker simplify? By studying hours and hours of film each week.


Thomas, a seven-time Pro Bowler despite being an undersized dude who doesn't have great speed, scoffs at talk about instincts. He reacts quickly to plays because he's seen them over and over again on tape. "It doesn't matter how fast you are if you are if you read the play real slow," Thomas said.


To the untrained eye, Thomas has been pretty impressive in Oxnard. But he's not pleased with his play, although he is happy that he's butted heads with guys like Leonard "Bigg" Davis (who de-cleated Thomas this morning) and not had any problems after concussions cut his final season as a Dolphin short. He's still getting comfortable in a new scheme with his new team.


"You don't want to be thinking on the field," he said. "You just want to react. Right now, I'm thinking on the field, so I'm not playing my game speed. I'm trying to get the defense down and everything like that.


"Once I get in the games, if I'm thinking, I'm in trouble. I just want to react, just like you're playing on a playground in third grade, running around and just having fun."

 

[dougonthebench]

Zach Thomas ain't that smart

3:12 PM Mon, Jul 28, 2008 | Permalink | Yahoo! Buzz
Tim MacMahon


At least that's what the 12-year veteran linebacker wants us to think. But he was chosen as the league's smartest defensive player in an ESPN.com survey of head coaches.


"I don't know about that," Thomas said after this morning's practice. "I'm not going to win any kind of Trivial Pursuit games any time soon.


"But I know this: The smartest thing I do is simplify. The game is really simple, but you can get really complicated with all the different formations and all this stuff. But all you have to do as a linebacker is simplify. You've just got to run and tackle the guy with the ball."


How does an NFL linebacker simplify? By studying hours and hours of film each week.


Thomas, a seven-time Pro Bowler despite being an undersized dude who doesn't have great speed, scoffs at talk about instincts. He reacts quickly to plays because he's seen them over and over again on tape. "It doesn't matter how fast you are if you are if you read the play real slow," Thomas said.


To the untrained eye, Thomas has been pretty impressive in Oxnard. But he's not pleased with his play, although he is happy that he's butted heads with guys like Leonard "Bigg" Davis (who de-cleated Thomas this morning) and not had any problems after concussions cut his final season as a Dolphin short. He's still getting comfortable in a new scheme with his new team.


"You don't want to be thinking on the field," he said. "You just want to react. Right now, I'm thinking on the field, so I'm not playing my game speed. I'm trying to get the defense down and everything like that.


"Once I get in the games, if I'm thinking, I'm in trouble. I just want to react, just like you're playing on a playground in third grade, running around and just having fun."

]

sounds like he'll teach a few guys some things!

 

[Rack]

To the untrained eye,

That's the 2nd time I've seen a writer use that phrase in the last day (Matt Mosley was the other one) as if they're some kind of football experts.



Hey Morons, you're JOURNALISTS, not someone with a "Trained Eye" for football. Don't try and convince us otherwise. The only think you're "Trained" for is writing articles, and most of the time pushing your agenda through your articles in an attempt to create controversy (that isn't there).

 

[FuzzyLumpkins]

That's the 2nd time I've seen a writer use that phrase in the last day (Matt Mosley was the other one) as if they're some kind of football experts.



Hey Morons, you're JOURNALISTS, not someone with a "Trained Eye" for football. Don't try and convince us otherwise. The only think you're "Trained" for is writing articles, and most of the time pushing your agenda through your articles in an attempt to create controversy (that isn't there).

Welcome back bro.

 

[Cbz40]

That's the 2nd time I've seen a writer use that phrase in the last day (Matt Mosley was the other one) as if they're some kind of football experts.



Hey Morons, you're JOURNALISTS, not someone with a "Trained Eye" for football. Don't try and convince us otherwise. The only think you're "Trained" for is writing articles, and most of the time pushing your agenda through your articles in an attempt to create controversy (that isn't there).

Long time no see Rack....

 

[Chocolate Lab]

Except that when he said, "To the untrained eye", I think he was talking about himself.

 

[Rack]

Except that when he said, "To the untrained eye", I think he was talking about himself.

The problem is, if he's referring to himself, how would he know if his eye was "untrained"?


Like Parcells always said, "You don't know what you don't know".

 

[DallasCowpoke]

Except that when he said, "To the untrained eye", I think he was talking about himself.

That's the way I read it too CL. But don't fault Rack too much, he apparently has one too.

:

 

[Rack]

That's the way I read it too CL. But don't fault Rack too much, he apparently has one too.

:

I have the perfect comeback for this, but don't feel like getting banned so...

 

[DallasCowpoke]

I have the perfect comeback for this, but don't feel like getting banned so...

That's cool, my untrained eye probably wouldn't understand it.

 

[CrazyCowboy]

seems pretty smart to me.

 

[Disturbed]

I hope the young guys behind him learn his work ethic and try to copy everything he does....

 

[jobberone]

Modesty becomes him. Actually he's not being modest. What is simple to him isn't simple to all. But it's really simple to him. He's just got it along with enough talent for his instincts to be self evident.

I love me some LBs. The best position on defense by far.