CHARLOTTE — The one constant in the NFL is change, and being prepared for it is the first step to adapting. It’s going to happen, so better to know that going in so you’re not surprised or disappointed.
And perhaps no one here knows that better than Shaq Thompson.
The veteran linebacker is about to walk into the latest version of a new team around him, and having gone through so many transitions in recent years, he knows more of what to expect. And it shapes the way he works, knowing what happens and what’s required for him to remain in the middle of it all.
“It’s been a business, you know what I mean? That’s just what business is about,” Thompson said with a knowing grin. “You’ve got brothers leave, and you get new brothers, and you just got to create that atmosphere, that mindset.
“You’ve got to instill in everybody the energy; you’ve just got to make sure everything that went out and all the stuff that comes in are on the same page.”
The 30-year-old Thompson does that literally, as the guy in the middle of the defense who they trust to call signals. But he also does it figuratively, as the conscience of the defense in the locker room, the old head, the guy who has seen things.
“He’s our captain, man when he speaks, his voice is heard,” said defensive tackle and defensive foundation Derrick Brown. “He knows he knows the defense in and out, and sometimes he talks to me and asks me questions, and I’m like, don’t ask me that because I don’t need to be thinking about that.
“But Shaq’s been the captain since I’ve been here, so I still got a lot of respect for Shaq.”
Thompson has earned that kind of respect with his play and his knowledge, and also with the lessons that come with time. So it’s no accident when you see offseason workout pictures before camp starts, there’s Thompson and Brown alongside the young leaders on the other side of the ball like Bryce Young and Chuba Hubbard. But Thompson’s also putting in his time on his own, getting his running in this week, working quietly to be ready for the next thing.
And he’s seen a lot of things.
He walked into that locker room as a rookie on a Super Bowl team, lining up alongside legends like Luke Kuechly and Thomas Davis. Then they left. Then he lined up with a bunch of top-end draft picks, guys like Brian Burns and Donte Jackson. Then they left. Then he lined up next to the pure energy of a Frankie Luvu. Then he left.
So when asked about this latest version of a defense he’s in the middle of — it’s, conservatively speaking, Shaq version 3.0 — and he just shrugs. This is what happens.
“I think the first time was a little tougher because somebody that you came in with, looked up to and played with, you know what I mean?” he said of watching Kuechly and Davis leave. “I think that was a little tougher, just because I was a younger guy and saw my role models leave and pass the baton or whatever you want to call it.
“But, the second time still hurt, you know what I mean? Those are my guys. I also played with them for multiple years, you know. They’re my brothers, I call them my family, and it was tough to see them go. But, they got paid, and I’m happy that they got paid, and we’ll see them this year.”
That’s a lesson that has to be learned, like so much of the football. And Thompson learned how to do it from some of the best. So last year, after a broken ankle in Week 2 sidelined him for the season, he was sharing those lessons. He was still engaged and trying to keep things together as things skidded into the ditch. Luvu was high energy, but he wasn’t a natural inside linebacker, so Thompson stayed here watching film and working with him, trying to make the best of a bad situation.
Now, he’s meeting a new set of people, creating a new partnership with veteran pickup Josey Jewell, looking outside and seeing Jadeveon Clowney where Burns used to stand, and knowing the standard he has to maintain.
It’s a skill set as much as speed or recognition or physical health, being able to build those bonds quickly, and Thompson knows it’s part of his job description. And when you watched him on the field with Jewell this spring, there’s an obvious connection, an easy rapport of mutual respect between two veterans who know this system (Jewell from his time in Denver with coordinator Ejiro Evero).
“I think one thing about me is I could kind of connect with every and anybody,” Thompson said. “I could feel the energy. If you just feel open to somebody coming to talk to you, of course, somebody’s going to come talk to you and feel genuine and open. But, I mean, if you look at me and Josey, you’ll think me and Josey knew each other for years. It’s just the chemistry that you’ve got to build, and you’ve got to build it quickly.”
“We don’t got time just to be waiting to build a firm relationship, you know what I mean? We’ve got to build a brotherhood, a relationship, build a chemistry and we’ve got to do it now. It happened over the years. It happened with Frankie, and now it happened with Josey. So you get used to it. At the end of the day, we’re all here for one thing. We want to win, and we want to play good football.”
The 29-year-old Jewell, who spent the last six years in Denver, said he was impressed with how open Thompson was to building that bond when he arrived. It’s not the kind of thing you can take for granted in the NFL, where players come and go every year and they’re all independent contractors with families to provide for. Jewell only knew Thompson by reputation and from watching film and wasn’t necessarily expecting the welcome he received, on and off the field.
“I knew a little bit about him just watching film and stuff like that, and just seeing him out on the field and he balls out out there,” Jewell said. “But he’s very involving right away. I mean, I walked in the door, and he was like, what’s up, man? How’s it going? And that’s pretty cool. I mean, not everybody’s like that; not everybody just brings somebody in and is all cool about it.
“That’s an amazing thing to have just to be able to walk into a new facility with a bunch of new people and have somebody like that.”
Of course, as much as the two are building a partnership, Thompson is also aware of his own place in it and what could happen. He’s 30 years old and in the last year of his contract. He’s experienced the business. He can laugh about the inevitable onslaught of time. He also saw the team draft two linebackers this year.
He feels like he’s got plenty of good football left in him, and he also admits a “huge chip” on his shoulder to prove himself this year, which motivates him even though coming back from last year’s injury and trying to improve things here provided plenty of motivation anyway.
“I got five left in me,” he said, very matter-of-factly, because that’s how he says things. “I don’t think I’ve lost a step. To be honest with you, I think after breaking my leg, I probably gained a step. I’m way lighter than I used to be, feeling the game more.”
Brown, another one of those say-less-do-more guys, concurs.
“I think he’s doing even better,” Brown replied when asked if Thompson was still capable of playing at the same level. “I mean, he had a horrible incident last year. But he’s out there still flying around, and he’s still got a lot of wisdom for the game.”
That’s the kind of wisdom that comes with time, which provides Thompson with the ability to lead and the perspective to know how to do it in an evolving atmosphere.
“Those guys taught me that it is definitely a business; you see guys come and leave,” he said of his early mentors on that 2015 team. “And just seeing the business just for myself over these years, and just seeing how it goes. You’ve got to have a short-term memory in this game; you’ve got to have a strong heart and strong mind.
“Because a lot of guys are up and down. I’m fortunate to stay level-headed and stay here for 10 years. Kind of blessed. I don’t know if I’m doing something right or something wrong. You know what I mean?”
He laughed as he added that last part, since he’s just doing what he’s learned over the years, and knowing they all have to be ready to adapt, because change and the next thing is always right around the corner.
