N.Y. Times Article: Bryan Thomas

Jet Is Now Baring Teeth, Not Gnashing Them

By LEE JENKINS

Published: December 10, 2006

HEMPSTEAD, N.Y., Dec. 6 ? The teeth of the Jets? defense, once tender and sore, now chew up barbecue ribs, turkey breasts and all cuts of quarterback.

The teeth belong to Bryan Thomas, the Jets? carnivorous outside linebacker, who could always run and tackle. What set him apart from most of the N.F.L.?s players was that he could not always eat.

Thomas would go to McDonald?s once a day, then retreat to his apartment and stare at an empty kitchen. First, he blamed anxiety for his bad eating habits. Then, he blamed an operation to remove his wisdom teeth.

He dropped nearly 30 pounds in his rookie season and lost any hope for a starting position on the defensive line. He needed a dentist, a nutritionist and finally a wife to help repair his teeth, balance his diet and get him back into game shape.

?That was really the beginning of my growing up here,? Thomas said. ?It was part of my getting older, getting wiser.?

More than four years have passed since the Jets drafted Thomas in the first round out of Alabama at Birmingham, and fans can finally see what the team was thinking. Thomas has not become a Manhattan foodie, but he has become a hungrier player.

The Jets are an unlikely wild-card contender this season, and Thomas is an even more unlikely anchor. Under Herman Edwards, the former Jets coach, Thomas was a scrawny defensive lineman often stuck on the bench. Under Eric Mangini, the Jets? first-year coach, Thomas is a beefy linebacker who brushes off tight ends.

The position switch was as crucial for Mangini as it was for Thomas. Mangini needed Thomas to play linebacker to put in his 3-4 defense. Thomas needed to play linebacker to extend his career.

Thomas already has as many sacks this season, six and a half, as he did in his first four seasons. He has twice as many tackles, 48, as he did all last season. He is a primary reason the Jets have gone a month without giving up more than two touchdowns in a game.

In his first season, Thomas told his agent that he could not wait to get out of New York. This season, he told his agent that he wanted to negotiate a long-term extension.

?He?s gone from a kid who wondered if he was going to be on the Jets to one of their prominent defensive players,? said Brian Mackler, Thomas?s agent.

Last week, the Jets signed Thomas to a five-year contract, startling in that they once considered releasing him. Besides his dietary issues, Thomas was also accused of assaulting a female acquaintance at La Guardia Airport during his rookie season.

Even though charges were not filed, the incident damaged Thomas?s reputation. He was a rookie who had grown up in Birmingham, gone to college in Birmingham, been booed on draft day in New York and labeled a bust soon thereafter.

Despite the millions in his bank account, Thomas was hungry and homesick. He spent his first Thanksgiving in New York eating takeout by the television. The Jets had to hire a nutritionist to prepare his meals and deliver them to his home. Once Thomas discovered the benefits of healthy eating, he also discovered the importance of homework in the N.F.L.

atterning himself after two veteran ends, Shaun Ellis and John Abraham, Thomas showed marked improvement in his second season. But it was difficult to overcome the poor first impression he made, and impossible to overtake more experienced starters.

?People said the Jets made a mistake by drafting me, but you can?t prove anything when you?re not on the field,? Thomas said. ?I wanted playing time and I didn?t get it.?

Thomas could not complain, at least not in front of his father, Stanley, who worked in the Alabama coal mines for more than 25 years. Stanley commuted 90 minutes each day, coming home with coal dust on his face, in his ears, in his eyes.

After the Jets drafted Bryan, they took the unusual step of inviting his father for a meeting at the team?s headquarters. Officials wanted to reassure Stanley that they would protect his son and give him time to develop. The Jets seemed to recognize that this project would require patience. They drafted Thomas mainly because of his breakout senior season and his clock-stopping speed. He had loads of potential but lacked the necessary polish.

?When he got here, he went through a lot,? Ellis said. ?But he picked himself up and eventually took advantage of his opportunity.?

Today, Thomas is married, living year-round on Long Island and eating well. He is listed at 266 pounds, a little light for a defensive end, but ideal for an outside linebacker.

When he is asked about spending five more years in New York, the place that used to call him a bust, he breaks out a wide smile.

He is finally flashing some teeth.