Julius Thomas – July 30, 2017
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Sunday, July 30, 2017
TE Julius Thomas
(How have you felt physically so far in this training camp?) – “I feel pretty good. You get the humidity off your back a little bit. I’m getting used to it, so it’s been a good camp for me. I’m getting into the swing of things so I’m encouraged about how it’s going.”
(What is your biggest asset to this team and offense? Is there a specific part of the field you feel you will succeed the best at?) – “I think, just the flexibility I give our offense. Being able to do different things out there for us gives our coaches a lot of ability to call some pretty intricate stuff. I think that would probably be my biggest asset.”
(You did a lot of blocking today, I saw that. Do you think that’s an underrated part of your game?) – “It’s probably always going to be that way. It’s hard to shake the basketball (player stereotype) and catching passes. It will always be … If you can’t do it to the same level as somebody else does or whatever … I always try to do it – it’s important for me to do to help my teammates. I’m going to give it my best every play.”
(Your offseason training, did you change anything this year as far as some of the injuries you’ve had to strengthen those areas more than usual to prepare?) – “Luckily for me, none of my injuries have been wear and tear. All of them have been just getting hit in the wrong position, none of them have been chronic. I stick to the things I do. I’ve been a little more calm this offseason. I’m getting a little bit older now so I’ve been able to have a more mindful approach to it. That’s about it.”
(Is that pacing yourself basically because you know what this is already?) – “Yes, a lot of it is. I used to kind of burn the candle on both ends a little bit more than I do now. I think it’s just, you’re 29 now so your life starts to settle a bit and you start to understand more about yourself and the things you need and want to be doing. I feel like I’m in a good place.”
(Head Coach Adam Gase compared Devante Parker’s development a little bit to a young WR Demaryius Thomas. Do you see any of that?) – “6-foot-3, fast as (heck), yes I can see how you could liken those two. DeVante is having a good camp. He’s an amazing athlete. We’re going to depend on him big time to make big plays for us this season.”
(Obviously you’re a veteran who’s done it. When you go through a practice and you don’t catch two or three passes. Do you start to look around like, “Hey what’s going on around here?”) – “Luckily I’ve gotten a little practice at that. You learn not to value your day based on the passes, based on the touchdowns, based on the yards. That’s part of me getting older and understanding that I just have to be my best every day. I can’t control the outside factors. I can’t worry about that. I’m just going to focus on making myself a better player. The catches, that’ll all come.”
(You’ve talked about the age and the durability. As you’ve matured, how have you started treating your body differently?) – “You get better time management. You start to understand that, ‘Man, I don’t have no time.’ Well actually, you have a lot of time if you do some things differently in your day. You make more time for things. You cut out things that you were doing. Maybe I don’t pick up the sticks to play the game anymore, I don’t have as many shows that I used to watch. All that time you spend maybe not even treating but working with people, helping people understand movement and different things you can do to prevent injury. That’s what it’s all about.”
(What are you doing now different than maybe four years ago?) – “Just the understanding I have of the body. It’s completely different. Four years ago, I stretched because they said stretch, I ate these foods because they said you should; but now I understand the muscle groups. I understand why you’re stretching. I understand the order, whether it’s heating, stretching, is it myofascial work, is it ice tubing and how to do that. But a little bit more of a scientific approach, that’s making a big difference in how well I feel coming into practice each and every day.”
(Are the durability concerns that come with you bother you?) – “No, not at all. I think that everything I’ve always done was to be my best. You’re never going to be able to affect the things that happen to you in life and you can’t consume yourself in that. What I’m going to do is I’m going to come be the best player I can be every day. I’m going to give it all I had. That’s the only thing I can control.”
(As a former college basketball player, how much did you enjoy have Golden State Warriors F Draymond Green out here?) – “It’s funny just to see a basketball player again and remember how skinny I used to be. I graduated college at 217 pounds. Even though I don’t play, I still watch the game a lot. It’s hard to remember back to being a basketball player for me at this point. It’s great to see a guy that has been a champion. He’s part of one of the most exciting basketball teams I’ve even been able to watch.”
(Could you have taken him one-on-one in your prime in basketball?) – “No. He’s a good player. Unlike most football guys who are like ‘Aw, man I’ll get buckets,’ I’ve been there before, I know how hard it is to get those buckets. (laughter)”
(Did this feel familiar to you out here with Head Coach Adam Gase the past few days? Is it what you expected having known him?) – “The offense has changed a little bit, but it’s the same terminology. ‘Goose’ (Adam Gase) is always going to be the same guy. That’s the beauty of playing for him. That’s why so many guys appreciate him and want to play for him. That’s what made me want to come back here and play for a guy that I respect and the way he relates to players. He’s humble. He doesn’t have that aura of ‘I’m this head coach.’ He just comes to you and he talks to you and lets you know what’s expected and he holds you to that. That’s always been appreciated.”
(Where does the nickname ‘Goose’ [Head Coach Adam Gase] come from?) – “Where does ‘Goose’ come from? You’d probably have to ask him that. When I was a rookie in Denver, that’s what everybody called him. He’s still ‘Goose’ in my phone.”
