|
|||
|
|||
|
 |
|
|
UNIVERSITY OF NOTRE DAME MEDIA CONFERENCENovember 9, 2006Travis ThomasQ. Travis, going into the tenth game of the season, can you talk a little bit about the leadership role being captain now for ten games and what the responsibilities have been so far? TRAVIS THOMAS: I think it's just become easier for me. I find myself being more vocal, especially being on the defensive side. There's a lot of help from Zibby obviously, but I just feel real comfortable with that. My special teams role is limited compared to last year, but I still try to keep the guys motivated and things like that. Q. When Maurice is calling the plays on the defensive side, how much communication do you have with him either after he calls it or to make sure you have the right formation set? TRAVIS THOMAS: We communicate every play. He'll usually get the signal from the sideline and I kind of echo that throughout the defense so everyone is kind of on the same page. Q. Kind of going back through your career, talk about the fact that you only have two games left in your senior season, the possibility of coming back next year. Kind of give an overview of what you've gone through and where you are. TRAVIS THOMAS: Man, it's been a different year for me obviously with the position change, but it's been a fun one. A lot of new things, playing with new guys on the other side of the ball, just a new experience. I welcomed it, and I'm glad I made the choice. Q. One of the things Coach Weis said when he moved you to linebacker is you were one of the best 22 players, he just needed to find a place to put you on the field. Did you feel that way last year? And if you did feel that way, was it tough to know that you were in limited role when you felt like you tried to get in the game more? TRAVIS THOMAS: Yeah, it definitely felt that way, but whenever I got my opportunity I tried to shine. I think it was noticed, and I think it was a good decision for everyone to come together and make the choice and move me to the other side. I think it was a good thought on Coach Weis' part. I just think it was a good decision overall. Q. One of the things -- I think you're management major in business school. Can you kind of talk about how that's been going? Are you graduating in January, are you graduating in June? TRAVIS THOMAS: I'll graduate in May. Things are going real well in the classroom. Senior year is probably the easiest semester I've had so far. Everything is really a lot of discussion and group work. I'm a consulting major so it deals with a lot of problem solving and things like that. So it's pretty good right now. Q. I think when you came to Notre Dame you were the scholar athlete award winner after the All-American game. Was that what you were looking for when you came here or was that something that came about once you got here? TRAVIS THOMAS: I was interested in business but I was a little more interested in engineering, but that would have been a heavy load to deal with that and football at the same time. But I was looking at a program that had great athletics and great academics, as well, and it meshed well with Notre Dame. It was a good fit for me. Q. One of the things you've said is you haven't made any decisions as far as next year goes. Can you talk about what kind of things you're going to be talking about when you talk to Coach Weis about it? What are going to be some of the main factors when you talk about next year? TRAVIS THOMAS: I don't know. It's really not a concern of mine right now, so I'm not going to comment on that. Q. Going back to Georgia Tech to where you're at now, talk about how you've grown. TRAVIS THOMAS: I've become more comfortable. I think my technique has gotten a lot better, although there's still room for improvement. I kind of have a sense of what calls are going to be now being in the defense for the number amount of games, nine games now. I see myself being more vocal and able to make calls quicker and react quicker to things on the offensive side of the ball. I just think I've evolved. Q. During games did you really have to try and lean on Crum early in the year? TRAVIS THOMAS: Initially, having not played defense for four years, obviously you're going to need some help. But the more you play, the more comfortable you feel, so I think that's how it's going. Q. Were there some times when he had to really make sure you were lined up in the right spot before the snap? TRAVIS THOMAS: I don't think there was a time where he had to make sure I was lined up right. We took care of that during the week so I knew where to be. It was just a matter of recognizing fronts and making the calls. That's something I had to work on in the beginning parts of the year. Q. When you were a little mixed up Coach Weis said there was kind of a way to test the ribs and make sure you were ready to go. Can you go over the details about how they made sure your ribs were ready to play? TRAVIS THOMAS: The only way to test it is to get out there and start hitting people and see how you feel. We took care of that during the bye week and things were good. Q. At first were you kind of trying to disguise the pain a little bit so you could get out there? TRAVIS THOMAS: I didn't know what the injury was initially; all I knew is it hurt. It was the last play of the game, so I mean, it wasn't something I had to play through. We looked at it and got it corrected, had time to heal. Q. You got to line up at linebacker all fall camp and whatnot, but how fast was the game on game day at first for you? TRAVIS THOMAS: The first couple plays were pretty fast. Your reaction time has to be a lot faster. But as the game went on, I felt more comfortable and every game has been pretty much the same. Q. Can you pinpoint the time where things started slowing down for you, where you felt comfortable and when you knew exactly where the defensive call was going to be and you knew where to be and things like that? TRAVIS THOMAS: I would say it was probably the fourth game of the year, Michigan State. I felt really comfortable that game, and as things started going good for us in the second half, I had a lot to do with the calls and things like that as far as adjustment. I started feeling really comfortable around that time. Q. Does it get to a point where you're able to help other people get lined up or are you still a long way from that? TRAVIS THOMAS: That's something I've been doing these past couple games. I might call out the backfield set or something like that, just make calls. Just like I said before, I echo what Mo Crum sees from the guys on the sidelines. That's kind of my role. Q. Was there a time where you've helped someone make a play by your vision before the ball was snapped? TRAVIS THOMAS: I mean, we know what our assignments are before the ball snaps, so it's just a matter of me doing my job to help other players do theirs. Q. Having already faced an option team, how does that help you going into Air Force this weekend? TRAVIS THOMAS: You have an idea what to expect. They're two different teams, though, even though they're similar in some ways. But it's just a lot of preparation, fundamental technique work we're going to have to focus on this game. Q. From going into practice, do you see a big difference in the speed between practicing against an option team and actual game day? TRAVIS THOMAS: Yeah, the speed is hard to simulate, but our scouts have done a good job of giving us a great look, having experienced that earlier in the year. The speed is definitely going to be different in every game. It's hard to simulate another team's tempo. But they do the best they can. Q. Can you talk a little bit about what it means to go into this game with a tribute to the 66th Rescue Squadron? TRAVIS THOMAS: It means a lot. There's obviously a lot of emotion going to be involved in this game. There's a lot to play for. I mean, it's definitely an extra motivational factor for us. Q. Kind of more on that, what is it like to play in a game like that where the coach talked about his family and what happened and knowing that you're going out there and obviously you're going to have a heavy heart, and just what is that Saturday going to be like for you? TRAVIS THOMAS: Obviously both sides are going to play hard. You know, it kind of makes us want to play even harder for your coach and go out there and do things right and represent him well. Like I said, there's going to be a lot of emotion involved in this game, and we just want to win it for him. Q. Last night when he talked about it, that's the most emotional I've ever seen him. When he talked to the defense was there a moment where he just let you know what was going on? TRAVIS THOMAS: Coach Weis let us know the whole deal. I don't know if there were too many guys who knew about that situation. You know, it was a surprise, but it's also a reality of things happen. Like I said, it's just going to be a motivational booster for us. Q. I would think that the amount of respect that you have for these academies, this probably even adds to it, knowing what could happen when these guys are done playing football? TRAVIS THOMAS: Right, we have a lot of respect for them because this is just like recreation period for them. They're representing our country and putting their lives on the line for us, so we have the utmost respect for them. Q. One of the things that you were talking about is how throughout the course of the season you've been developing as a linebacker and knowing where you are. Can you just talk about the relationship you have with guys like Maurice Crum and Joe Brockington maybe off the field and how that helps on the field? TRAVIS THOMAS: I'd say I have a greater relationship with Mo Crum off the field now that I'm on defense. Before Joe Brockington and I were really good friends just because we're from Pennsylvania and we had similar things to relate to. But yeah, I think Mo Crum and I's relationship has strengthened now that I've moved on defense, but we've always been really cool, even before that. Q. Did you know Joe Brockington before you got here or did you just meet him when you got here? TRAVIS THOMAS: I didn't know him personally. I heard of him. I heard he committed here. He might have been the first commitment in our class, something like that. But I never knew him personally. Q. Talking about commitments, is there anything that you do in general like when you're talking to people who are going to be here, recruits, and is there any aspect of Notre Dame that you try to show them or that you try to lean them to? TRAVIS THOMAS: I just try to let them know that you're going to have to work for everything you earn here. You're going to have to earn everything. Nothing is going to be given to you. Every game is a championship game for the people you play against, and academics are tough, so if this is what you're really looking for, then you're going to get it. Just come in here with an open mind and make sure this is a decision you really want to make. Q. Just following up with some of those Brockington questions, where have you seen him improve the most throughout the course of the season? TRAVIS THOMAS: I think he's reading the offense very well. I think he's reacting quick to line stunts and things like that and just going with the flow of the play. I think he's really evolved and he's playing really good right now. Q. When did you really kind of see that? Was that when he got on the field, or is that something that you maybe even saw last year when you were going against him when you were a running back? TRAVIS THOMAS: I've seen Joe play since I've been here, and he's been making plays since I've been here, and I've been noticing that. He's been playing really well. I think it was just a matter of him getting the opportunity to get on the field and shine and make things happen. This is nothing new for me. This is what I've been seeing since I've been here. Q. Was there ever a point when you made that transition at first because you basically took his spot? Does that ever cross into your mind at all, that wow, this kid might never get to play? TRAVIS THOMAS: I didn't really think of it like that. I was thinking of it as my opportunity to come in and help the team more. I didn't know exactly what side he was going to play on and whatnot, I just knew where my position would be and how I could help the team more. Q. How often do you guys hang out off the field? Do you guys hang out a bunch? TRAVIS THOMAS: Not as much as we have before. I mean, time is kind of cut down right now that we're in season. So we don't really do too much. We're pretty much bummed out and tired after the game. Whenever we get a chance on Saturday night after a home game or something like that after we hang out with our families, we may get together and just hang out or something. Q. What's he like off the field? TRAVIS THOMAS: He's a fun guy to be around, good sense of humor. He just makes you feel comfortable. I mean, he's a good guy. Q. What type of humor is it? Is it dry wit, is it like slapstick? TRAVIS THOMAS: It's not dry. I mean, Joe is kind of a sarcastic guy, and he makes his jokes in that way, and you kind of know that's how he is. I mean, everything is really funny. Just the way he talks, you just have to be around him to know what I'm talking about. Q. I was talking to some of the guys on offense, and they were saying that in practice when you go ones on ones, when Mo Crum hits you, you remember it. Do you remember when you were practicing with the offense in years past, have you ever taken a hit from him? TRAVIS THOMAS: Yeah, I've taken a hit from him. I think it was my sophomore year, and he was lined up outside the box, and I think it was maybe like a zone or something, and he folded into the box late and no one picked him up, and I kind of got blindsided from the side. I kind of know what the running backs on the other team feel like from that day. Q. Is it a memorable collision when he hits you? TRAVIS THOMAS: I don't know if it's the hardest hit that I ever felt, but it's something that I'll never forget, I'll tell you that. Q. The other thing is he's one of those linebackers who does a really good job of when the opportunities present themselves getting behind the line of scrimmage and getting to the quarterback. What does he do that makes him so effective at doing that? TRAVIS THOMAS: Mo is one of those guys that really defines the definition of a student of the game. He watches more tape than anyone I know on defense, and I think he really talks to Coach Minter a lot and he's really on the same page as him. When Coach makes a call, he kind of knows what Coach Minter is thinking and what he expects the offense to do. He's kind of on the same page as him. We call him "Coach" because he really knows the defense in and out. I think he studies a lot and that helps him make all the plays that he does. End of FastScripts |
|
||||||||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
About ASAP Sports •
FastScripts Archive •
Recent Interviews •
Captioning •
Upcoming Events •
Contact Us
FastScripts | Events Covered | Our Clients | Other Services | ASAP in the News | Site Map | Job Opportunities | Links |
|
ASAP Sports, Inc. | T: 1.212 385 0297
|