1454 Words
As Roman Thomas stepped onto the field at his player tryout his nerves were at an all time high. He knew every team would be in attendance to see the highest rated free agent safety for the ongoing NSFL season. Even though his nerves were high though Roman was determined to prove his worth to any GM’s and scouts in attendance and his nerves would only help to improve his skills that day.
Roman has been dealing with nerves since he first stepped on a football field at age 7. Even though he was young and playing against kids he couldn’t help but be nervous with all the adults watching. These nerves though helped him stand out even then though as he tore up his peewee league in route to a 1st place finish that season. Roman would continue to dominate these local leagues until he finally got to high school and got to play for real. While he was used to dominating the competition, Roman was in for a rude awakening when he was pushed to the varsity team after a freak accident to the team’s starting safety. That freshman season was a nightmare as well as a learning experience that would greatly help Roman’s career going forward. His first game as the starting safety Roman misjudged how fast his new competition actually was and got beat deep for touchdown just seconds into the game. He made mistake after mistake after mistake but he never let it hurt his confidence. After that first season of humiliation he vowed never to let that happen again.
That first offseason he trained as hard as he could day in and day out working on his strength and hands but most importantly his speed. He never wanted to get beat in a foot race again. By the end of that first summer Roman had become faster than he could have ever imagined and had decided while he could work on other areas of his game later speed was the most important right now. Nothing would get past him again. His second year of high school went much better than his first. The starting safety who went down with an injury had graduated and since Roman knew the playbook well enough he would keep his role. His first game he never allowed one player to get behind him and even intercepted a pass just for good measure. As the season wore on he got better at his reads and cuts and ended up leading the team in interceptions. Sadly, the team wouldn’t make the playoffs though and while heartbreaking to Roman it just meant more time to train even harder.
His junior season would be his coming out party so to speak. He was the star defensive player for his team leading them to a 10-1 record landing them a spot in the state playoffs. Roman lead the county in turnovers getting the county’s all first team spot at safety. The playoffs started well enough for the team earning a couple easy victories but fell short in the state quarter finals. Once again Roman would taste defeat and it was a taste that he never wanted to experience again. He worked harder than he ever had before to be the best player his senior year. Not only for that championship but because college scouts had finally started to take notice. Many prestigious schools had come to see his games but the one he wanted most had yet to show up. The Florida State Seminoles, Roman’s favorite and closest D1 school. This alone was enough to make him train and train because Roman had wanted nothing more since his first day stepping on a field then to eventually do the same at Doak Campbell Stadium in Tallahassee. Growing up watching Bobby Bowden and watching the highlights of Chris Weinke beating Virginia Tech for that national championship. That’s all Roman ever wanted in college. So, that offseason would be devoted to becoming the best high school player in the state and to get that recruitment letter in the mail one day.
Roman’s senior season started right where it left off as he had 2 interceptions the first game of the season to get things going. He wouldn’t slow down either and by the final game of the regular season he had already broke the state interception record in a season by 1. Going into that game hopes were high and everyone was excited but after a defensive war of attrition Roman’s team fell 3-0 and dropped the last game of the season, once again going into the playoffs 10-1. The loss seemed to motivate them like nothing had ever done before though as they tore out of the gate annihilating their first 3 opponents on the way to a rematch with the team who eliminated them last year. Never had a game been so grueling and hard for Roman and after plenty of mistakes he was able to intercept the hail mary pass as time expired to seal a spot in the finals. After going through that game nothing would be as hard for Roman for the rest of his high school career as they coasted to a 21-7 win in the state championship game. As happy as he was to win that game though nothing would top the excitement of finally seeing that letter from Tallahassee when he got home. There was never any doubt in his mind about who he would sign with and Roman immediately committed to FSU. Signing his letter of intent soon after would be one of the most proud moments of his life, up to this point at least. The first time he stepped onto the field at FSU would quickly pass that though.
His freshman season at FSU would mostly be spent contributing on special teams but Roman never let this get him down. One of his biggest strengths is his team first mentality. No matter what at the end of the day all that mattered was getting the team another victory. If that meant punt and kick off coverage then so be it, Roman intended to excel at it. Sophomore year would finally see Roman taking the field but only in limited roles as the he was competing with another sophomore for the starting spot. He wasn’t used to this level of competition as he breezed through high school opponents and the depth chart but it allowed him to dig even deeper to make the field no matter what. About halfway through the season though Roman would finally make it as the starter and finish respectively in the top 3 for team interceptions. The team would fall short in the NCAA playoffs though getting upset in the first round after a heart wrenching performance from their QB. Once again Roman would feel defeat but once again it would help him train to be the best that he could be.
Going into his junior season at FSU, Roman had shot up watch lists as a dark horse candidate for a few awards. He wanted nothing more than to prove them right but the task would not be easy. Game after game went by and Roman played his heart out. Going into the last game of the season against their rivals, The University of Florida Gators, Roman had put up insane number easily securing his spot as a first team All-American. Tragedy would strike though as in the second quarter of the game Roman would blow his ACL ending his season on the spot. Without Roman on the backend FSU would once again fall short in the playoffs. Roman wished for nothing more than to be the best and despite his childhood dream of winning a championship at FSU, Roman decided to forgo his senior season and enter into the NSFL draft.
Roman had entered into the draft as a consensus All-American and as one of the best safeties to come into the league in quite a while. But despite all this, injury concerns over his blown ACL would keep Roman from being drafted at the time. So, enters Roman today as he steps onto the field ready to prove that his ACL is healed and that he’s ready to do what he does best, train to be the best. So, as he steps onto the field and does everything perfectly, the GM’s and scouts can’t help to take notice. Roman proves without a doubt that he’s healed and that whatever team takes him will eventually have a star. If there is one thing that separated Roman Thomas from the rest it will forever be his ferocity for training; training to be the best.
As Roman Thomas stepped onto the field at his player tryout his nerves were at an all time high. He knew every team would be in attendance to see the highest rated free agent safety for the ongoing NSFL season. Even though his nerves were high though Roman was determined to prove his worth to any GM’s and scouts in attendance and his nerves would only help to improve his skills that day.
Roman has been dealing with nerves since he first stepped on a football field at age 7. Even though he was young and playing against kids he couldn’t help but be nervous with all the adults watching. These nerves though helped him stand out even then though as he tore up his peewee league in route to a 1st place finish that season. Roman would continue to dominate these local leagues until he finally got to high school and got to play for real. While he was used to dominating the competition, Roman was in for a rude awakening when he was pushed to the varsity team after a freak accident to the team’s starting safety. That freshman season was a nightmare as well as a learning experience that would greatly help Roman’s career going forward. His first game as the starting safety Roman misjudged how fast his new competition actually was and got beat deep for touchdown just seconds into the game. He made mistake after mistake after mistake but he never let it hurt his confidence. After that first season of humiliation he vowed never to let that happen again.
That first offseason he trained as hard as he could day in and day out working on his strength and hands but most importantly his speed. He never wanted to get beat in a foot race again. By the end of that first summer Roman had become faster than he could have ever imagined and had decided while he could work on other areas of his game later speed was the most important right now. Nothing would get past him again. His second year of high school went much better than his first. The starting safety who went down with an injury had graduated and since Roman knew the playbook well enough he would keep his role. His first game he never allowed one player to get behind him and even intercepted a pass just for good measure. As the season wore on he got better at his reads and cuts and ended up leading the team in interceptions. Sadly, the team wouldn’t make the playoffs though and while heartbreaking to Roman it just meant more time to train even harder.
His junior season would be his coming out party so to speak. He was the star defensive player for his team leading them to a 10-1 record landing them a spot in the state playoffs. Roman lead the county in turnovers getting the county’s all first team spot at safety. The playoffs started well enough for the team earning a couple easy victories but fell short in the state quarter finals. Once again Roman would taste defeat and it was a taste that he never wanted to experience again. He worked harder than he ever had before to be the best player his senior year. Not only for that championship but because college scouts had finally started to take notice. Many prestigious schools had come to see his games but the one he wanted most had yet to show up. The Florida State Seminoles, Roman’s favorite and closest D1 school. This alone was enough to make him train and train because Roman had wanted nothing more since his first day stepping on a field then to eventually do the same at Doak Campbell Stadium in Tallahassee. Growing up watching Bobby Bowden and watching the highlights of Chris Weinke beating Virginia Tech for that national championship. That’s all Roman ever wanted in college. So, that offseason would be devoted to becoming the best high school player in the state and to get that recruitment letter in the mail one day.
Roman’s senior season started right where it left off as he had 2 interceptions the first game of the season to get things going. He wouldn’t slow down either and by the final game of the regular season he had already broke the state interception record in a season by 1. Going into that game hopes were high and everyone was excited but after a defensive war of attrition Roman’s team fell 3-0 and dropped the last game of the season, once again going into the playoffs 10-1. The loss seemed to motivate them like nothing had ever done before though as they tore out of the gate annihilating their first 3 opponents on the way to a rematch with the team who eliminated them last year. Never had a game been so grueling and hard for Roman and after plenty of mistakes he was able to intercept the hail mary pass as time expired to seal a spot in the finals. After going through that game nothing would be as hard for Roman for the rest of his high school career as they coasted to a 21-7 win in the state championship game. As happy as he was to win that game though nothing would top the excitement of finally seeing that letter from Tallahassee when he got home. There was never any doubt in his mind about who he would sign with and Roman immediately committed to FSU. Signing his letter of intent soon after would be one of the most proud moments of his life, up to this point at least. The first time he stepped onto the field at FSU would quickly pass that though.
His freshman season at FSU would mostly be spent contributing on special teams but Roman never let this get him down. One of his biggest strengths is his team first mentality. No matter what at the end of the day all that mattered was getting the team another victory. If that meant punt and kick off coverage then so be it, Roman intended to excel at it. Sophomore year would finally see Roman taking the field but only in limited roles as the he was competing with another sophomore for the starting spot. He wasn’t used to this level of competition as he breezed through high school opponents and the depth chart but it allowed him to dig even deeper to make the field no matter what. About halfway through the season though Roman would finally make it as the starter and finish respectively in the top 3 for team interceptions. The team would fall short in the NCAA playoffs though getting upset in the first round after a heart wrenching performance from their QB. Once again Roman would feel defeat but once again it would help him train to be the best that he could be.
Going into his junior season at FSU, Roman had shot up watch lists as a dark horse candidate for a few awards. He wanted nothing more than to prove them right but the task would not be easy. Game after game went by and Roman played his heart out. Going into the last game of the season against their rivals, The University of Florida Gators, Roman had put up insane number easily securing his spot as a first team All-American. Tragedy would strike though as in the second quarter of the game Roman would blow his ACL ending his season on the spot. Without Roman on the backend FSU would once again fall short in the playoffs. Roman wished for nothing more than to be the best and despite his childhood dream of winning a championship at FSU, Roman decided to forgo his senior season and enter into the NSFL draft.
Roman had entered into the draft as a consensus All-American and as one of the best safeties to come into the league in quite a while. But despite all this, injury concerns over his blown ACL would keep Roman from being drafted at the time. So, enters Roman today as he steps onto the field ready to prove that his ACL is healed and that he’s ready to do what he does best, train to be the best. So, as he steps onto the field and does everything perfectly, the GM’s and scouts can’t help to take notice. Roman proves without a doubt that he’s healed and that whatever team takes him will eventually have a star. If there is one thing that separated Roman Thomas from the rest it will forever be his ferocity for training; training to be the best.