INDIANAPOLIS --- He's the guy who made the big hit on Titans tight end Delanie Walker, causing the ball to pop into the air into the intercepting hands of safety Dwight Lowery before Lowery returned it 69 yards for a touchdown. For cornerback Josh Thomas, not bad for less than a week's work in Indianapolis, after starting a real estate company in January.
The Colts signed Thomas last Tuesday in desperate need of depth, with injuries to starting corner Greg Toler, nickel corner Darius Butler, and rookie D'Joun Smith. The 5th-year corner who spent 2011-2013 with the Panthers, before cups of coffee with the Seahawks, Jets, and Lions last year caught a break.
Thomas wasn't sure he'd make an NFL roster again. He wasn't with a team during OTAs in the Summer and had just one workout, before eventually missing the final cut with the Vikings in training camp.
"I was watching you guys play (last) Monday (against the Jets). I knew I was going to have to fly out the following day, because I had some (workouts) set up with other teams," Thomas told Colts.com this Monday about the crazy week that was. "(The Colts) called me after the game. It was two o'clock in the morning. My wife woke me up."
Mrs. Thomas informed a groggy Mr. Thomas that he had a 9:30 AM flight to Indianapolis from Charlotte, North Carolina.
"This is in the middle of my sleep," Thomas laughed. "I'm sleeping with my son, by the way, because I know it's crunch time. I'm getting ready to leave somewhere. That morning my little son was like, 'Dad, are you leaving? No, not again!'"
Sorry, son. The NFL calls.
By Tuesday afternoon, Thomas had completed his physicals and contract details with his agent, all in the middle of getting fitted for a new helmet and shoulder pads and figuring out where his new locker is. One hotel check-in Tuesday evening and one practice Wednesday followed before his new coaches were already telling Thomas he needed to get ready to play Sunday at Tennessee. Most new additions are inactive for their first game.
Like the game in Tennessee, how quickly things changed in the second half of 2015 for Josh Thomas, after opening that real estate company in Charlotte at the start of the calendar year.
"To serve the community, we look for distressed properties that are well under market value. We go in, rehab them, and (price) them right under market value to get families a nice home," said Thomas of his company, Brick & Tree Properties. "I just want to make a difference in a big way."
Thomas says ultimately he'd like to systemize his company to where he can plug other people into it and teach them how to rehab homes like these. It's a good investment for them, and improves the communities of the originally distressed properties.
"This is just the start of what I want to do off the field," said Thomas. "Right now, I'm playing ball with the Colts, and we have a game coming up."
Thomas said he's just embracing everything right now. That's something he learned to do, even when his NFL prospects were dwindling after last season.
"There's this book I read called The Power of Now. It was during the offseason," said Thomas. "The Power of Now just talks about your ego. A problem is your ego talking to you...Anything I face in my life or adversity I embrace it. Doubts? That's an option. I can choose to doubt who I am, but I know who I am. Just booting the ego out, grasping my conscience and living in the now moment. That was really big for me this offseason."
That now moment was pretty good Sunday against the Titans, with three tackles and two passes defended, including the one that led to Lowery's pick-six.
"It's a privilege just to be here," said Thomas. "That's probably the best win I've ever experienced, ever. I'm just taking it in."
Pretty good seven days for Josh Thomas, as he now invests in a second week in his new home.
