Signed on short notice last Friday, running back Pierre Thomas caught one pass on Sunday against the Bears as he continues his transition to a new team.
It wasn't anything special, just a 12-yard pass over the middle. But to running back Pierre Thomas it was the moment of acceptance by his new teammates.
"That's when I feel like I got the real welcome, right then and there, when I showed I could execute a play and do positive things on that field," Thomas said. "I got a real welcome, right there after that play."
Check out these top offensive shots from the Washington Redskins' 2015 Week 14 matchup against the Chicago Bears Dec. 13, 2015, at Soldier Field.
Thomas only played in four snaps, which included that reception, in the Redskins' 24-21 victory over the Bears on Sunday. His short time on the field is understandable considering he was just signed, and participated in one practice, on Friday.
Still, Thomas said he's picked up the playbook quickly – he's continuing to learn the "verbiage" – and has digested a lot in his short stint with the team.
"I had a lot of help with the coaches, players, to help push me along to get me into this system and they said they were going to have me limited for a few plays, which is understandable because I just got in," Thomas said. "I knew what I had to do, I was ready to go out there and play."
Thomas said specifically that the running backs – Alfred Morris, Matt Jones and Chris Thompson – made his transition much easier, answering any questions he had before the team took off to Chicago, his hometown.
"This group is not selfish and that's what I respect about these guys," Thomas said. "We're all in here to win the game, and to do the best job we can and in my years, I was that guy, I was a starter in New Orleans, I'm here to help these guys out whatever it is. It's something I see, I want to tell them about it. I want to say hey you can work on this, and this is what I see to make you guys a better player, make you stay in this league a lot longer."
With a shoulder injury sidelining Thompson for most of the week, Thomas was brought in for his pass catching and blocking skills, something that defined his play in eight years with the Saints. He has just three games left to make an imprint with the team, but feels ready to embrace the challenge or, in his mind, opportunity and make it count.
If anything, his first time in the burgundy and gold collided with the Redskins' first road victory of the season, a correlation he's happy to be associated with.
"[I'll] be a good luck charm, yeah," Thomas said with a smile. "I'm here to do whatever I can. I'm going to help out this team as best as I can because I want us to go to the Super Bowl and I want these guys to feel what I felt in 2009 when I was with the New Orleans Saints."
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