Remember that backflip 315-pound Marcus Thomas performed on opening day of training camp?
The Broncos players do. One of them clipped out the picture of Thomas flying through the air and stuck it on a bulletin board in the team’s locker room.
Some thought his high-flying act might be the signature moment of Thomas’ rookie season, at least early. He had, after all, spent most of the past year watching football instead of playing it, having been suspended from the team at Florida five games into his senior season.
Instead, Thomas, the Broncos’ fourth-round draft pick, has shaken off the rust and become a solid contributor in the defensive line rotation. The surprise isn’t that he’s holding his own as a rookie. Thomas would have been a No. 1 draft choice had he not encountered off-field problems at Florida.
It’s that he’s doing it this soon.
Rookies, of course, are supposed to be seen, not heard. They’re supposed to keep their mouths shut and let the veterans do the talking. But that doesn’t mean a rookie can’t talk about another rookie.
Who better to ask than former Florida teammate Jarvis Moss?
“He is, definitely,” said Moss, when asked if Thomas were showing signs of being the player he was for the Gators. “That’s a scary sight, somebody like Marcus finally getting back in the groove, in the mix of things. I’m really excited for him, the way he’s playing, the way he’s coming around so fast.”
Staff writer Jim Armstrong can be reached at 303-954-1269 or jmarmstrong@denverpost.com.
