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Winning mentality Colts DE Thomas hopes to motivate teammates with ring
Posted: Friday January 07, 2000 08:36 PM
INDIANAPOLIS (AP) -- As the Indianapolis Colts prepare for their first ever playoff game in the RCA Dome, defensive end Mark Thomas plans to provide his teammates with a little inspiration. Thomas said he'll bring his Super Bowl championship ring to practice next week and show it to the team. "It might not come out until the [next] weekend, maybe Saturday night in the hotel," Thomas said Friday after the Colts completed their second day of practice since they ended the season with a 31-6 loss at Buffalo on Sunday. The Colts, who won't know their AFC semifinal opponent until Sunday, will have the weekend off and start serious preparations for their Jan. 16 date against either Seattle, Buffalo or Tennessee. Indianapolis will play Seattle if it defeats Miami. If the Dolphins win that game, the Colts will take on the winner of Saturday's wild card game between Buffalo and Tennessee. The Colts haven't concentrated on a possible opponent during the past two days of practice. "The biggest thing was just [reviewing] fundamentals and techniques. The last two weeks we haven't done a good job on the little things," said Thomas. "In this game, the little things will wind up being big things that get you beat and send you home." Thomas, who was a reserve for most of the season, is the only member of the team who has experienced the jubilation of winning the Super Bowl. He did that as a member of the 1994 San Francisco team. "I just know for me, when I was in San Francisco before we had won ... coach [George] Siefert to one of the meetings brought in the Super Bowl trophy, sat it down, and said this is what we're fighting for," Thomas said. "For me, personally, it really affected me because it was the first time I got to see it. "When you see something tangible, you realize this is what you're going for. It just makes [it] more real. For me, it really made a difference." About half of the Colts will be in the playoffs for the first time. "There are a lot of guys on this team that are young, a lot of guys that may not have even seen a Super Bowl ring. I think it can be a good source of motivation," Thomas said. "I don't think it is necessarily going to be the thing that puts us over the edge, but I think anything you can do to help get an edge, can only help." The Colts were uncertain if linebacker Cornelius Bennett, who led the team in tackles with 114, will be ready to play in the AFC semifinal after injuring his left knee Sunday. "I hope he can come back. We need him. He's obviously a good player, and a good leader. Any time we can get him on the field, even if he can only play sparingly it will be a great thing," Thomas said. The game will be the first home playoff game for the Colts, who produced the biggest turnaround in NFL history by finishing 13-3 after going 3-13 in 1998. "This [first-round] bye definitely has helped us. Hopefully, guys have taken this week to focus on in what they need to do to get better and to improve on our past two performances," Thomas said. "We're going to come in next week, know who we're going to play, and be ready to go to work."
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