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METAIRIE — The challenges that the heat and humidity of Jackson, Miss., present to the New Orleans Saints players in training camp hit defensive tackle Hollis Thomas harder than just about anyone else last summer.
Thomas, who weighs more than 300 pounds and has asthma, and his teammates will endure the first two of 28 practices at Millsaps College today.
During the Saints offseason workouts that concluded last month, coach Sean Payton said Thomas’ weight is “not where he wants it to be yet, but it’s going in the right direction.”
Today’s work should demonstrate how far he has come.
Thomas could have avoided the Jackson heat by signing elsewhere when he became a free agent in March, but he wanted to come back. New Orleans, NFC South champion and NFC runner-up last season, wanted him back as well, even though he missed the last four games of the regular season after being suspended for violating the NFL’s substance abuse policy.
“It was good that they wanted me back, and I wanted to be back,” Thomas said. “It’s great when a winning team wants you. Losing teams always want you. It’s no big deal when a losing team wants you, but when a winning team wants you it makes you feel pretty good.
“I was comfortable with the team. I wanted a chance to win a championship. I’m getting pretty old. In your last few years you want at least an opportunity to win a championship and this team has the makeup to do that.”
Thomas returned after the Saints split their last four games, including a loss to Washington in which they yielded 161 rushing yards, 32 more than their seasonal average, which ranked 23rd in the league.
“Just anticipating the road that we had ahead of us,” defensive line coach Marion Hobby said, “we couldn’t wait to get him back (for the playoffs).”
Thomas was back in the starting lineup as New Orleans defeated Philadelphia in a divisional playoff game before losing at Chicago in the NFC Championship.
“I think last year that he proved to us as well as everybody else that he can be a stout run-stopper for us inside,” Hobby said. “He’s got all the leadership qualities that you want in that position, as far as meeting room, on the field, experience, and all that. He’s a big addition.”
The Saints made another addition at defensive tackle last month when they signed Kendrick Clancy after he was released by Arizona in a salary-cap move. In addition to his ability to stop the run, Thomas tied for third on the team last season with 3 1/2 sacks.
“One thing we talk about all the time is you’re not just a plugger, you’re a playmaker,” Hobby said. “I think he showed that he can make plays for us with great effort, size and strength. He’s got some natural ability for a guy with his build and size. He can be a playmaker and he’s got to be a playmaker.”
Thomas is one of the more jovial players on the team and became a leader in the locker room last season after being acquired in a draft-day trade with Philadelphia. His personality can be especially helpful during training camp.
“You’ve got to have that kind of personality because you get into these long two-a-days and you get in the grind,” Hobby said. “One thing we talk about in our meeting room is having energy. Somebody has to come in every day with something that might ignite the other ones.”
If Thomas is going to win that championship he talked about this season, it likely will require improvement by the Saints defense, which was 11th overall in yards allowed, 13th in points allowed and second-to-last in takeaways.
New Orleans is beginning its second season in defensive coordinator Gary Gibbs’ system. Besides Clancy, other key defensive acquisitions include linebackers Brian Simmons and Dhani Jones, safety Kevin Kaesviharn and cornerback Jason David.
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N.O.'s Thomas glad to be back
N.O.'s Thomas glad to be back
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