The“ Black Mamba” and no I am not talking about Kobe Bryant of
the Los Angeles Lakers, I’m talking about arguably one of the most exciting
players in all of college football and his name is De’ Anthony Thomas of the #3
ranked Oregon Ducks. What is a “Black Mamba”and whats the significance of this
nickname? By definition a black mamba is “A highly venomous, slender,
olive-brown to dark gray snake that moves with great speed and agility. Native
to eastern and southern Africa, it is the largest poisonous snake on the
continent”
A Little Glimpse if you haven't seen him play before...Now back to the story...
These characteristics and attributes applied to Thomas his entire life, a native of
Crenshaw California Thomas used his mental and physical abilities to stray away
from the temptations of the gang affiliated area where he was raised. At the
age of 12 Thomas played for the Crenshaw Bears in Snoop Dogg’s youth football
league, it was there where it was said the story of the “Black Mamba” begun. A
human joystick zig zagging through defenders, breaking ankles whit his peers
seeming to have an ice cubes chance in a sauna to bring him down or even
contain him. The D O double G aka Snoop Dogg credits himself for giving him the
nickname while announcing one of his games but Sports Illustrated reported that
is was actually another coach in the league who originally anointed him the
“Black Mamba”. I would tend to believe it was the quick witted rapper who came
up with the name but that’s another argument. Thomas actually prefers it
spelled “Momba” which is the solo difference between him and Bryant’s spelling
of the nickname. Nevertheless, both of these athletes are game breakers and
game changers, and even though Thomas received the name first, I don’t think he
has a problem sharing it with one of the greatest athlete’s in his own
respective sport. Standing merely 5’9 and 175lbs soaking wet Thomas is a threat
to strike and go the distance each and every time he touches the ball. With his
fastest 40 time being clocked at a 4.2,5 his lightning speed and ability lead
him to being the number 1 recruit in the class of 2011, a year where he led
Crenshaw High to its second of consecutive city championships. At the next
level there hasn’t been a drop off, since he chose to attend the University of Oregon over the closer to hometown USC.
Think about these stats for a second, as a true freshman at Oregon he racked up 2,235 all-purpose yards,
if that isn’t eye popping he added 18 touchdowns which set the school record
for the number of touchdowns by a true freshman. For a kid in his first year
with all the hype and expectations to have an impact right out the gate with
the number of options Oregon
has at its disposal year in and out is needless to say, impressive. In a recent
interview on ESPN Thomas considers his role with the Ducks similar to the NBA’s
James Harden of the Oklahoma City Thunder, a 6th man who comes off
the bench to provide a spark, and more times then not that spark leads to an
outright fire that the defense can’t put out. Thomas who you will not see on
the field every snap has a role which would very accurately be defined as such
a comparison, a spark in the offense who takes advantage of his opportunities,
and boy does he. Oregon
takes on Pac-12 rival Arizona St.
who is also undefeated in the conference at 3-0 and 6-1 overall. Oregon has had
their number as of recent but they may pose some challenges for the Ducks as
they have proven to be solid and maybe somewhat underrated on both sides of the
ball in the early season, if not for their one loss coming in a close game
against Missouri. Will this be an early statement game in the Pac-12 where the
Ducks prove are fore real? Or will this be that one trap game which cut short
another perfect season for the team with the best uniforms in all of college
football. I will tell you one thing when #6 is on the field, make sure you
don’t blink because you might miss the “Black Momba” strike.
Enjoy some more highlights #3 Oregon vs Arizona St. 9:00 pm ESPN
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