The Bobcat Nation

Was named a starter opposite Al Harris in Green Bay, he played good coverage also had a great 3rd down open field tackle & Ahmad Carrol (who he was competing against) had a pass interference & holding call in the game. Although it pains me to be a Pack fan and have a Bobcat on the team, it looks like Joey has made some big leaps this year to get a starter spot at Lambeau Field.

For me, I really don't care which school they went to. I want to see as many kids from both schools make it in the NFL as possible. Any news on where Scott Gragg ended up? I'll be surprised if he hasn't been picked up yet. "Lurch" has been a very good and extremely steady player for a long time in the NFL.

GO CATS!!

Do you have a link to something that names him the starter? The only thing I could find that mentioned anything was this from packernews.com:

Also, it will be interesting to see if Sherman and defensive coordinator Jim Bates saw enough in Joey Thomas to bump him into the starting lineup at cornerback ahead of Ahmad Carroll. Thomas has a lot of ground to make up because he missed a big chunk of training camp with calf and hip injuries, but he played good coverage defending a couple of passes and making a third-down tackle short of a first down while in the nickel defense. Carroll, on the other hand, was called for holding and pass interference penalties in the first quarter.

“We’ll make that decision (today),” Bates said. “But we’ll go on a lot of plays and the total preseason, not just tonight.”

And the official depth chart on the packers site still says Carrol or Thomas.

I do think it is quite ironic to hear Joey may be getting a starting spot over another guy because the other guy is getting too many interference penalties. Whether or not he does start, Joey should be commended for all the hard work it seems he has put into making himself the best he can be.

kmax wrote:Do you have a link to something that names him the starter? The only thing I could find that mentioned anything was this from packernews.com:

Also, it will be interesting to see if Sherman and defensive coordinator Jim Bates saw enough in Joey Thomas to bump him into the starting lineup at cornerback ahead of Ahmad Carroll. Thomas has a lot of ground to make up because he missed a big chunk of training camp with calf and hip injuries, but he played good coverage defending a couple of passes and making a third-down tackle short of a first down while in the nickel defense. Carroll, on the other hand, was called for holding and pass interference penalties in the first quarter.

“We’ll make that decision (today),” Bates said. “But we’ll go on a lot of plays and the total preseason, not just tonight.”

And the official depth chart on the packers site still says Carrol or Thomas.

I do think it is quite ironic to hear Joey may be getting a starting spot over another guy because the other guy is getting too many interference penalties. Whether or not he does start, Joey should be commended for all the hard work it seems he has put into making himself the best he can be.

Kmax. Re-max. Brothers!? If so I think I know Re's mom.

Re/Max Griz wrote:Was named a starter opposite Al Harris in Green Bay, he played good coverage also had a great 3rd down open field tackle & Ahmad Carrol (who he was competing against) had a pass interference & holding call in the game. Although it pains me to be a Pack fan and have a Bobcat on the team, it looks like Joey has made some big leaps this year to get a starter spot at Lambeau Field.

How did swaggert play? Will he make the Titans team?

wbtfg wrote:
How did swaggert play? Will he make the Titans team?

Yea Cyborg and Raver were put on the IR creating room.
(People with kids 5 to 12 year old will get this lame joke!)

Had Thomas played I-A ball he never would of had 1/2 as many pass interference/holding calls. That was a Big Sky thing only. Another call that you see the BSC officials call way too easily (and the one I hate the most) is excessive celebration. Plays like Qualls diving into the end zone vs. UM a couple years ago are hardly ever called in I-A. I just saw two players do that last night. I watch a lot of college football and I cannot distinctly recall a I-A player being called for excessive celebration for diving into the end zone. It's such a harmless act and isn't very obvious or obnoxious. It should be interpreted as a player being anxious to get in the end zone.

iaafan wrote:Had Thomas played I-A ball he never would of had 1/2 as many pass interference/holding calls. That was a Big Sky thing only.

I agree, but deserved or not Thomas was known for holding and interference penalties during his time here--usually at key moments in a game. Thus the reason I thought it ironic that he may earn a starting spot in the nfl due to Carrol being too grabby.

I realize this and didn't mean to sound like I was downplaying your point. Joey definitely had that reputation. But it's like someone going around spreading a false rumor about you. Joey would get called for all these penalties during the day, then on Sat. night you'd watch the I-A guys doing the same thing and no calls. It's poetic justice to see him starting for Green Bay, hopefully the BSC officials are humble enough to realize they were messing up. I doubt it, they probably think he's drastically changed his style. I have heard that several of the officials thought he'd never make it in the NFL. WRONG!!! Of course, they'll probably up the ante now...."don't think he'll make it for 5-6 years." Or, "don't think he'll be a pro-bowler."

iaafan wrote:I realize this and didn't mean to sound like I was downplaying your point. Joey definitely had that reputation. But it's like someone going around spreading a false rumor about you. Joey would get called for all these penalties during the day, then on Sat. night you'd watch the I-A guys doing the same thing and no calls. It's poetic justice to see him starting for Green Bay, hopefully the BSC officials are humble enough to realize they were messing up. I doubt it, they probably think he's drastically changed his style. I have heard that several of the officials thought he'd never make it in the NFL. WRONG!!! Of course, they'll probably up the ante now...."don't think he'll make it for 5-6 years." Or, "don't think he'll be a pro-bowler."

All the coaches needed to do in Green Bay is teach him to turn his head and play the ball. If you do that, the contact will not be penalized. Joey can stick with any WR out there (maybe not Moss or TO) 1 on 1 with his instincts/cover skills, but if they have him turning/playing the ball he will definately be a great corner in the NFL. Quentin Jammer for the Chargers took a while (and is still learning) as well to learn to play the ball/'know' when it's about to arrive. That was the only thing Joey was lacking in college. If he had just turned his head on half of those plays he wouldn't have gotten the reputation he did from the refs. He was a 'blanket' on those WR's he faced.

Re/Max Griz wrote:Was named a starter opposite Al Harris in Green Bay, he played good coverage also had a great 3rd down open field tackle & Ahmad Carrol (who he was competing against) had a pass interference & holding call in the game. Although it pains me to be a Pack fan and have a Bobcat on the team, it looks like Joey has made some big leaps this year to get a starter spot at Lambeau Field.

I know what you mean! I am a Cat fan so I want to see Joey do very well. But I HATE the PACKERS. If the Pack can go 0-16 and Joey can get 20 interceptions that would be a GOOD season.

I've never been a big fan of Deion Sanders, but in his prime (sorry), Neon would literally MUG the receiver in front of him before he left the line of scrimmage. Joey played that same way and it simply wasn't "done" in the Big Sky at that time.

Hopefully Joey's injuries won't become an issue; if not, I think his future is bright.

From story on Minn. vs. Tulsa game

"Maroney started with a bang, taking the first play of the game 67 yards for a touchdown. He broke over the left side, shed several tackles and then did a somersault into the end zone."

He didn't just dive, he somersaulted. No flag.

I was just looking at Joey's bio (which is better than the bio he had at MSU), and it took me by surprise that he owns his own hip hop record label, and has a 3 year old daughter.

Sweet! Finally there's an MSU alum out there that I can ping to lay down some tracks for my rural-Montana inspired hip-hop creation. I'm picturing a mellow groove with lots of references to tractors and cows and FFA contests juxtaposed against my hard-edge street persona who likes to pimp his ride and roll with a crew while saying and doing badass things to people we disrespect.

It's a can't miss one-up realer-than-keepin-it-real sort of thing on that pretender Eminem, I swear.

iaafan wrote: I watch a lot of college football and I cannot distinctly recall a I-A player being called for excessive celebration for diving into the end zone.

You apparently aren't privy to catching Oregon State games on TV. I tend to be a Duck fan, but the Beavs get flagged for these calls all the time.

first and goal

There are possibly two other open starting spots on defense: at linebacker, if injured Na’il Diggs can’t play; and at cornerback, where Ahmad Carroll and Joey Thomas have battled for the spot opposite Al Harris
Carroll gained a big edge in camp when Thomas missed two weeks of practice and two preseason games because of his injury. Thomas, however, finished with a strong performance in the preseason finale at Tennessee, whereas Carroll picked up two more penalties, so it’s not a given Carroll will be the starter Sunday.
“That’s a decision the coaches have to make,” Thomas said. “All I can do is put my best foot forward and hope that’s enough.”

According to this thread on a packer fan forum(may require registration to read) radio reports in Green Bay say that Joey has been given the starting nod for the first game of the season.

Congrats to Joey! Can't wait to hear him introduce himself on the first Green Bay Monday night game.

WOOOHOOO!

Congratulations Joey! My TiVo is set!