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<\/a><\/p>\nBut this offseason Thomas is making one of the biggest transitions in an already long career in the CFL, having retired in December to become the team\u2019s new defensive line coach \u2014 a role he\u2019s already attacking and which will be on full display this weekend at the CFL Combine as the tutor for the defensive line prospects gathered here.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s been easy so far,\u201d said Thomas with a grin in a chat with bluebombers.com on Friday. \u201cThe real challenge will be May 1st and the first day of rookie camp. I\u2019m not sure what it\u2019s going to be like, to be honest.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think it\u2019s one of those jobs where you have an idea of what it is, but you don\u2019t really know what it is until you\u2019re doing it. That\u2019s how I\u2019ve been approaching it.\u201d<\/p>\n
Thomas has long had a quiet confidence that, mixed with his self-effacing sense of humour, makes him a good fit in any situation in the game. Head coach Mike O\u2019Shea recognized that long ago and, coupled with Thomas\u2019 work ethic it made him a natural to make the transition from the locker room to the the D-line meeting room.<\/p>\n
Asked Friday what made him convinced Thomas would crush it in his new role, O\u2019Shea offered this:<\/p>\n
\u201cJake is going to be good at anything he does. I mean, you don\u2019t have that kind of longevity in pro sport just because you\u2019ve been blessed with some physical attributes that allow you to play. It\u2019s all sorts of things. He\u2019s wickedly smart and he\u2019s been wired to think about building teams for a long time. He\u2019s extremely well respected. He\u2019s thoughtful in how he goes about his business and h\u2019s fiercely competitive.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt was the routines he followed \u2014 they were always professional \u2014 and just liked watching him prepare all those years. You know what? I would have personally liked to have seen him play forever but it\u2019s just not possible in our line of work. The way he approached the game, in my mind, he deserved to play forever.<\/p>\n
\u201cSome guys short change things. But not him.\u201d<\/p>\n
Added Mike Miller, the Blue Bombers special teams coordinator who is also here at the CFL Combine and a long-time teammate and buddy of Thomas:<\/p>\n
\u201cHe\u2019s such a personable dude. He wants well for other people, he was always the ideal teammate. He\u2019s a detail-oriented guy. He\u2019ll take this very seriously. He knows the game. He knows how to talk to people and connect with people.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe reached out to tell me he was going to do it and the first thing I said was, \u2018You\u2019ll be perfect for this.\u2019<\/p>\n
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Thomas (left) alongside Blue Bombers Director of Football Operations Matt Gulakow<\/p>\n
This is actually the second CFL Combine Thomas has worked as a coach, having helped at the 2024 regional combine as part of the CFL\/CFLPA Mentorship Program in 2024. He also regularly returned to his alma mater, Acadia University, to help with their spring camps.<\/p>\n
Since taking on his new role he\u2019s spoken regularly with Blue Bombers defensive assistants Richie Hall, Jordan Younger and James Stanley. He\u2019s taken on-line coaching clinics and spoke at a Football New Brunswick clinic as well.<\/p>\n
Not too long ago he reached out to former teammate Jamaal Westerman, who is on staff at Rutgers University as an assistant strength and conditioning coach to pick his brain about the drills they run and their coaching points.<\/p>\n
In short, it\u2019s already been a no-stone-unturned approach for Thomas in his new gig.<\/p>\n
\u201cI view it as a teacher going into their first year of teaching,\u201d he said. \u201cYou\u2019ve got to create a lesson plan. Right now I\u2019m making my bank of lessons. It\u2019s, \u2018here are the drills I\u2019m going to do\u2019 and, \u2018these are my coaching points.’\u201d<\/p>\n
What he\u2019s also heard repeatedly is a coaching truism: be authentic. And if you know Thomas, that will hardly be a problem.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m not going to be something that I\u2019m not,\u201d he added. \u201cThe first thing guys can smell out is bullshit. If guys ask me questions and I don\u2019t know the answers it will be, \u2018I don\u2019t know but I\u2019ll get back to you.\u2019 I\u2019ve been in those meeting rooms when people ask those questions and people try to dance around the answer and not sure.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s one of those things where you just find your way. If I\u2019m fortunate to have a long coaching career I\u2019m sure how I view things the first time won\u2019t be the same 10 years down the line.\u201d<\/p>\n
More from the CFL Combine in the latest edition of 1st & 10\u2026<\/p>\n
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<\/p>\n
\u2013Friday was testing day at the CFL Combine\u2026 with players running the 40, doing the vertical and broad jump, 3-cone and shuttle drill and the bench press, which is always a big one.<\/p>\n
Full combine results can be found here:<\/p>\n
CFL Combine presented by Anytime Fitness<\/a><\/p>\n<\/p>\n And here is Western University OL cranking out a Combine best 30 reps of 225 pounds in the bench press.<\/p>\n https:\/\/t.co\/NSvoF4rkIs<\/a> pic.twitter.com\/wSYaQHlNdI<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 CFL (@CFL) March 27, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n The Blue Bombers have a number of football operations staff here at the CFL Combine. Also here, in addition to O\u2019Shea, Thomas and Miller, are GM Kyle Walters, Director of Football Operations Matt Gulakow, Senior Director of Player Personnel Eric Deslauriers along with Darren Cameron, the Senior Vice President, Team Strategy\/Public Relations.<\/p>\n The staff was spread out to watch all the drills with O\u2019Shea, for example, camped out to watch the vertical all morning. Afterward we asked him how the team balances what the game film has already told them with resisting the urge not to get too fixated on the testing numbers.<\/p>\n \u201cI don\u2019t get obsessed with the numbers, not at all,\u201d O\u2019Shea said. \u201cBut it\u2019s nice when you see a guy who plays the game the right way \u2014 the way we like to see it played \u2014 and then the numbers bolster that opinion.<\/p>\n \u201cYou come in having watched their film and when (the numbers) matches up with their style and effort it\u2019s pleasing.\u201d<\/p>\n Miller, meanwhile, was stationed at the short shuttle station<\/a>.<\/p>\n \u201cYou\u2019re looking for that athleticism \u2014 the guys that move fluidly \u2014 for special teams,\u201d he said. \u201cAnd a lot of it is going to come down to the interview. We\u2019ve watched the film already. So, it\u2019s the mentality of these kids and what makes them tick.<\/p>\n \u201cIn the interview we often ask, \u2018How do you see your career going if you get drafted?\u2019 A lot of them say they want to be on special teams and then eventually make it as a starter on defence or offence. So, I like to ask, \u2018What if you\u2019re just a special teams player or a depth player for your whole career? How would that make you feel?\u2019 I like to hear their responses to that.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s also about finding whether they are wired to run into a wall for their teammates.\u201d<\/p>\n -The latest on the Taylor Elgersma watch\u2026<\/p>\n A towering QB with a howitzer arm from Wilfrid Laurier, Elgersma was selected in the second round of last year\u2019s CFL Draft before he attended training camp and played in the preseason with the Green Bay Packers. He had a handful of NFL looks after his release by the Packers and most recently was signed by the Birmingham Stallions, where he was one of three QBs and expected to push starter Matt Corral.<\/p>\n But Elgersma was one of the inactives listed for Friday\u2019s season-opening game and the scuttlebutt at the CFL Combine is that it is a work-visa related issue that is keeping him out of the lineup. Elgersma\u2019s camp is hoping his work in the UFL could lead to another NFL look.<\/p>\n week 1 inactives vs kings<\/p>\n \ud83d\udcfa 7 pm ct on FOX pic.twitter.com\/Id7hvqjUgo<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 Birmingham Stallions (@UFLStallions) March 27, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n