What's up in the Yard?

I head to Jacksonville tomorrow to start my NFL career. I am so excited. I get in Thursday and start working Friday. I've talked to the linebacker coach several times so that I can come in prepared.

I finished my finals last week and celebrated by calling my mom. I told her to keep setting goals for me and I'll keep knocking them down. I really can't believe college is over. It seems like yesterday when I came in as a freshman. Getting all my stuff packed allowed me to really look back and remember some of the great times I had at USC. It really is unbelievable to see your life experience and watch yourself grow up through all these pictures. I was watching my high school highlight film and that was funny. I remember being a sophomore on varsity and seeing some of these kids who had facial hair at that time. I wonder how some of those guys are doing now.

It is exciting to be going to the next level but it is hard to leave this place.

Yesterday my NFL dream, at least the start of it, became a reality when the Jacksonville Jaguars called and selected me in the 5th round. I can't tell you how excited I am.

When the day started I had no idea how it would turn out. I had gotten a call Thursday or Friday from the linebacker coach in Atlanta asking me about positions I played and where I would fit into their scheme. When they drafted Curtis Lofton from Oklahoma and Robert James from ASU I knew that wasn't happening. I went for about a 45 minute run on this path near my mom's house. They just moved so the area is new to me. I did take my cell phone with me just in case. After my run I just hung out on the couch and had my mom and her boyfriend, my grand parents, my cousin and 3 or 4 of my high school friends with me.

At about 11:30 things got interesting. The Cowboys traded spots with Jacksonville then my phone rang and it was one of the coaches at Jacksonville. I had not spoken to them since my Pro Day workout. He asked me if I was healthy and what I had been doing since Pro Day and if I was ready to play. I told him absolutely! he then told me he'd call me back. When I hung up and looked at the TV I noticed that Jacksonville didn't pick for another six picks. Talk about leaving me biting my nails. I was chewing on those for the next 30 minutes. Then the phone rang, close to 12, and it was Coach Del Rio and he said "congratulations on becoming a Jacksonville Jaguar." Then I saw my name flashing on the screen. It was so exciting. I could hear the Jacksonville coaches and staff in the background on the phone cheering. I am just so happy, but it still hasn't really hit me yet. I'm still a college student, going to class today and I'm also going to an NFL team.

I do know that I am going to go in there and learn the defense and contribute on every special team and do everything that is asked of me. I am going to give them everything I have. This is a dream come true. I know that I still have to work and compete to make the team, but even getting to this point is part of the dream.

They had 11 wins and we had 11 wins last year. I am going from one great team to another great team. They are such a tough, physical, agressive defense. You can just see it watching them on NFL Network how much passion they have to play defense. I want to be a part of that kind of team. Coach Del Rio played that way. I have watched a lot of footage of him in NFL Network when he played for Minnesota and of course he did it at USC too. I have that passion, that motor and the drive to make sure the guy with the ball feels me when I get there. I love the hunt.

I set this goal so long ago and here I am living it. I am just so blessed to get to this point. Now I can't wait to get to Jacksonville!

Today was a great day for me. I went to Vacaville and spent the whole day seeing my friends and coaches from home. I had breakfast this morning then met my buddy Joe, who just beat cancer. It was so great to spend time with him. We ran this hill together that I've been running since 10th grade. I also got a chance to catch up with my high school coach and meet some kids at the school. It was really fun for me to see all these people who have meant so much to me over the years and share with them what I have been going through the last four months.

Tomorrow is going to so exciting for me because I am really anxious to see where my teammates are going. We have been a part of each other for the last four years, we've done so much together. I'm proud of all of them and look forward to sharing this next stage of our lives together.

Back in the Yard and I am coming to grips with the fact that my life is about to change dramatically. I am in the final couple weeks in LA at USC and I am trying to enjoy every moment of it. I'll be going to the spring game this weekend and that will literally be my last moment as a student-athlete on the field at USC.

I remember my first spring here not having a clue. Here it is five years later and I am preparing for the NFL Draft and watching all these young kids develop like I did.

One thing Coach Norton has done for us is explain what to expect going into our first mini camp and how to prepare for that. He has been such a great leader for us and has provided us with so much guidance. We are so lucky he is part of our lives. He has helped us understand that there are so many things we can't control so Keith and I are preparing for the things we can control, like attitude, work ethic, being focused, being in shape and being ready. We know that it's not going to be the same level anymore. The NFL is the elite of the elite and we have to raise our levels of preparation, our workouts, our study habits. We know that there are big changes ahead but we are excited for the next phase in our lives.

If you want to talk about speed, this year's WR draft class has just that. It's amazing to hear these guys' times that they put up at the Pro Days. I'm just glad I don't have to cover them. Keith and I talk about a few of the wide receivers that we've played against in the Pac-10 (DeSean Jackson and Lavelle Hawkins from Cal, and Mark Bradford from Stanford).

Thomas

I want to say to my teammates who are entering the Draft and who I have played with over the past four or five years, I've enjoyed every second of it. Whatever team that they go to, the fans and the teammates are going to enjoy these guys just as much as I did. I enjoyed every memory that we had, every championship that we won, and every game that we played. I hope I get a chance to play with some of them again. Here is a video where Keith Rivers and I talk about some of the USC Draft prospects. You may have already seen this on Keith's blog...

Thomas

Yesterday my teammate Keith Rivers posted an article about our mentor, Ken Norton. Coach Norton was a great football player. Now he's able to coach us the way he played. We owe our success and accolades to him, and he helped transform how people look at USC. USC has been known as Running Back University, but now Keith and I like to consider it LBU (Linebacker University). We have a plethora of linebackers here, not just Keith and I but also in years past and in years to come. Next year's Draft should include Rey Maualuga, Brian Cushing, Kaluka Maiava, Clay Matthews...

I have been meaning to write about this for the last week, but just didn't find the time.

Pro Day was a once in a lifetime experience and I enjoyed the moment. I know that it did not end there so I am continuing with my workouts and I'm also catching up with some people I haven't seen for a little while. I know that I will be moving soon so I want to make sure I touch base with many of the folks who have helped me during my time at USC.

I was caught off guard at USC's spring practice last week. I went out to watch the linebackers and I was walking along the field and some guy grabs me and it was only Ronnie Lott. Ronnie Lott and Marcus Allen! I have met Ronnie before and he has said some things to me at games, but I have never really talked to him like that. He told me to really enjoy this time because it's once in a lifetime and will never come again. Marcus told me to just be myself at the next level. It was really cool for those guys to take the time to talk to me. It really meant a lot to me.

Here's a funny story that I am going to tell Ronnie the next time I see him. I was 7 or 8 and he was signing autographs in a store in Vacaville. My mom took me so that I could get his autograph on this 49ers book he was signing. I got a picture of him shaking his hand. I still have it. Here I am 15 years later and he's helping me get ready for the next stage in my life. It was really exciting for me. I am going to see him again in a couple weeks and I'm going to have him sign that photo. He invited me to come to his office and visit with him more about everything - getting ready for the NFL, and life off of the field. He is such a great role model on how to conduct yourself on and off the field. I want to pick his brain on what he has done and try to incorporate some of those things into what I do. Ronnie has earned so much respect by the way he played. He's a Hall of Famer, but seeing what he has accomplished off the as well takes the respect to another level. He's a caring and respectful person off the field and I want to follow those some guidelines.

Here's a video filmed the day after Pro Day, me and my road dawg Keith Rivers talking football in the team room at USC.

This is it - the eve of my Pro Day workout. I am very excited about it. We have been working so hard to get ready for this and we're almost there. I will do a very light workout today just to keep my body fresh.

Your body is like a clock and you don't want it to get off course so you get into a routine and do the same things. Yesterday was a full workout but we went a little lighter. Today I will do enough to get a good sweat and get stretched. Just enough to keep my body loose and active. It's almost like a walk through practice the day before a game. You go through practice, work through the things you're going to do, but it's a lot lighter than a full practice. Today will be my walk through.

I will go through all the mental reps just like at practice. I will visualize each of the drills and how I need to perform. Some people have asked if I'm getting nervous. Not at all. I'm excited. I'm just going to be doing the drills that I have been for so many years. As long as I stay focused everything will go well. It's really no different than practice. There may be a few more people there watching, but I'm sure there won't anymore than the 92,000 we get for our home games.

Keith and I have been slowly calming the workouts down this week to make sure we are fresh for our Pro Day next week. I have been trying to get some more rest in as the week has gotten older. For the most part my down time consists of MTV and SportsCenter. Actually with March Madness going on I've been watching a lot of basketball.

I do like to read. The Bible is very important to me. My workouts strengthen my body and the Bible strengthens my faith and my soul. I have also been reading the book See You at the Top by Zig Ziglar. It's a positive image book that has a lot of good stuff in it. It has a lot of stuff that has related well to what I'm going through now.

One of the first things I highlighted in it was the line "do more with what you have so you'll have more to use." You often hear people say "I wish I was that guy" or "I wish I could do that like him." This book has really taught me not to pay attention to what others have and to focus on everything that I have. It has been very helpful to me and has allowed me to grow into the player and person that I have become. Playing football with all the great linebackers at USC - Lofa, Oscar, Rey, Brian, Keith - they have so many great talents you catch yourself thinking "I wish I had that." When you do that you lose sight of what you do have. I have been able to make up for what I don't have by taking advantage of what I do have and building on those things. For example, I am versatile and I feel I have showcased my leadership skills. I am fast to pick up defensive schemes and we have a complex defense. I don't just focus on what I have to do on each play, I like to have an understanding of what everyone is supposed to be doing. I may not be as fast as some guys in the 40 but by having a strong understanding in what everyone is supposed to be doing on each play I can play every bit as fast as those guys. That's an example of doing more with what you do have so you'll have more to use.

Aside from working out all the time I am finishing up my final class to graduate in May. My class is Exercise Science and we meet Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. We just finished our second midterm so we're done with the tests. All that is left is a big paper the last week.

I really enjoy this class. We talk a lot about drugs in sports, human growth hormone, steroids, beta blockers, all the things you read about these days in the newspaper or hear about on TV. It is really interesting to me to hear about what these drugs really do to people's bodies. We talk a lot about the stories you read about and the athletes being investigated. Now we all have a better understanding about what is really going on, what they're taking and what it's doing to their body. When the teacher talks about body size and weights when these guys first come into their leagues and compares it to where they are now 15 years later it's interesting. As an athlete your body is in it's prime around 27 or 28 and here these guys are 38 and 40 years old getting bigger and stronger. Just some interesting facts.

It's not all about performance enhancing drugs though. We also learn about the proper foods to eat, what to eat before you work out and what to eat after, all the foods that will help you maximize what you get out of your body. It's an interesting class.

I said it the other day on my blog - Keith Rivers is my road dawg. We are in this together, preparing for the draft, and having that close relationship and experiencing the same thing at the same time makes a big difference. This has been a very long process. If you think about it, we really started this journey last July, working out with each other to get ready for our final season at USC. We wanted to send the message to everyone that USC is a linebacker factory. From July until now - that's a long time to be working like we have. He has been very inspirational to me and I am there to motivate him through the ups and downs - and there have been plenty of those.



We work out together every day and we call or text each other two or three more times a day. We are constantly challenging each other to be better and keeping each other on our toes. I may get a call from him at night and he'll tell me he's going to wear me out the next day and I'll do the same thing. When we're running sprints we're always trying to beat each other or trying to make each other quit. Really both of us would rather pass out and fall over than let the other one know he won that day.



Even though we're preparing for the same draft we are in two different boats. Keith will be a top 10 or 15 pick and I'm just hoping my name will be called. But we're doing this together. Without him this would be much more difficult and it wouldn't be nearly as fun.

It's spring break here at USC, but you won't find me or my road dawg Keith Rivers hanging in Cabo. We are working together every day to get ready for our Pro Day workout for the NFL scouts April 2.

I flew to New Jersey this past weekend to meet with a personal trainer to get some pointers on the 40, 3-cone and short shuttle. I was there Sunday through Tuesday getting coached up on some techniques for those drills.

Keith and I have the same routine. We wake up about 8, eat breakfast, get to campus about 9 or 9:15 to get stretched and warmed up and then we start our on field workouts at 10 sharp. We do not wait for each other so we arrive early and get loose. We work on the 3-cone and shuttle drills for about 35-40 minutes, go inside and lift weights and then come back out to do some special running drills. We did some resistance running today pulling each other 40 yards with the bungee cords.

When we got out there yesterday Jerry Rice was on the field working out with a bunch of guys. He wasn't just watching, he was running drills, running routes, catching balls, he was doing the whole 9. For a guy 20 years older than us it was amazing to see how hard he works and what a perfectionist he is. I have heard all about his workouts before so getting a chance to see it was really cool. It was also very motivating for me and Keith. He is so inspirational and just seeing the way he works helped push us even more. We knew exactly what we needed to do - FINISH STRONG.

When we get done with our running drills we go inside and get an ice bath to keep the body fresh. Then I head home and take a nap for a couple hours, relax and get ready for the next day. This Friday we're going to run the Coliseum stairs as part of our running routine. On Saturday we will head to a big hill in Brentwood at about 6 in the morning and run that. It will be an hour workout. Sunday we rest so that we're ready for Monday.

I had my first individual team workout yesterday with the New England Patriots. They came in and visited with me at USC and worked me out. Even though it was my first workout and it was the Patriots I wasn't nervous at all. I was just excited. I mean I got to work out for an NFL team and that's part of the dream. They had me do 8-10 drills to see how my hips turn, how I catch the ball and how I break on the ball. In all, it lasted about 25 minutes. I think they were trying to get me tired but that's one of my strengths I don't get tired especially with all the work Keith Rivers and I have been doing with Coach Norton. But they asked me a couple times during the workout "Are you sure you're not tired? Do you need some water." No sir, let's keep going.



I like this kind of stuff. I'm not a tester, I'm not a combine guy, I'm a football player, that's what I do. When you do drills like these you get to show that. They wanted to see if I could catch the ball and I caught every one of them. I'm not the fastest in the 40, but I'm fast getting to the ball because of my instincts and my desire. And I don't get tired. When you watch the film you see it. You see who wants to be there, who wants to be in the hole one on one. I believe in being accountable and I love being in those situations.



This was a great experience for me. I was with their defensive coordinator and one of their scouts. We got a chance to talk on the way to the field. They asked me about my family and wanted to learn more about me as a person. They also wanted to learn more about my football background, positions I've played and what I've done on special teams. I really enjoyed it. I called Coach Norton right after to tell him how it went. I called Keith too, because he was working out with the Jets this morning. I wanted to let him know how it went and encourage him for his workout. Treat it like practice and don't get nervous. We never got nervous before practice before, you just go out and compete against yourself.