Adalius Thomas

Adalius Donquail Thomas (born July 18, 1977 in Equality, Alabama) is a football linebacker for the New England Patriots of the National Football League.

College career
Adalius Thomas attended the University of Southern Mississippi, where he was a prolific defensive player. In college he wore #97. In the 1998-99 season, Thomas was a first team All-American and tied for Defensive Player of the Year. Thomas was also the MVP of the 1999 Liberty Bowl. He was named as a finalist for the Conerly Trophy in 1999. The 2000 Senior Bowl was Thomas's final college game.

Professional career
Adalius Thomas was a sixth round pick by the Baltimore Ravens in 2000 (pick 186). Competing with Peter Boulware and Michael McCrary for playing time, Thomas made only 89 tackles in his first three years. In 2003, Thomas was recognized for his special teams play and was selected to his first Pro Bowl. That year, he registered 34 tackles (23 of them on special teams) 8 passes defended, 4 sacks and a forced fumble.

Thomas was a backup linebacker until 2004, when he finally began to shine. That year he amassed 72 tackles, 4 forced fumbles, 5 passes defended, an interception and 8 sacks. In 2005, Thomas enjoyed his finest year to date. With Boulware relegated to situational pass-rush duty, Thomas was named the starting left outside linebacker, where he accumulated 84 total tackles and 9 sacks. In the absence of Ray Lewis, Thomas stepped up as the leader of the Ravens Squad, becoming the first ever player to play 5 defensive positions (DE, OLB, MLB, Safety, and CB) in one game (a feat he recorded three times).

Thomas finally got recognition in 2006, where he helped a Ravens defense that was ranked #1 overall, and finished 13-3 getting the #2 seed in the playoffs (ultimately losing to the Colts). He also earned his 2nd Pro Bowl bid to the 2007 Pro Bowl. In the game he returned a Marc Bulger fumble for a touchdown.

On March 2, 2007, Adalius Thomas signed a 5-year contract worth $35 million, including $20 million in guaranteed money.

Stats
In seven NFL seasons, Thomas has recorded 261 solo tackles, 38.5 sacks, forced 13 fumbles and recorded 6 interceptions. He was selected to play in the Pro Bowl two times, in 2003 and 2006.