Hollis Thomas walked into the Carolina Panthers' locker room yesterday and sneaked up on an unsuspecting group.
"Hey!" Thomas yelled, causing two reporters to jump and another to flinch. "How are things going!"
Thomas then let out a hearty laugh and walked to his locker, where a SpongeBob SquarePants backpack sat on the shelf.
Thomas, the Panthers' newest starting nose tackle, is a self-proclaimed "happy-go-lucky fat kid" who has brought girth and a lighthearted personality to a club in desperate need of both.
"He's a funny dude," fullback Brad Hoover said. "I like Hollis a lot. He's so jolly all the time."
The Panthers signed Thomas, 35, on Oct. 1, the day after St. Louis released him. He is the latest in a group of nose tackles to pass through since Maake Kemoeatu ruptured his Achilles tendon on the first day of training camp.
Marlon Favorite, Ra'Shon Harris, Nick Hayden and Louis Leonard either got hurt, weren't big enough or didn't work out. The Panthers entered Sunday's game against Washington -- Thomas' debut -- winless and allowing a league-worst 182.7 yards rushing a game.
Then Thomas, whose weight is listed at 340 pounds, effectively took on the double-teams that the position requires. He clogged the middle of the line, and the Redskins managed only 74 yards rushing as Carolina rallied for a 20-17 win.
"It was kind of a perfect fit, so to speak," Thomas said of coming to Carolina. "I was talking to them a year ago to the date, and nobody knew that this was going to come about. Nobody knew all of the big guys would get hurt and the Rams were going to release me. Everything happens for a reason."
Now the Panthers hope that Thomas can last the rest of the season. Bringing a smile to his teammates won't hurt.
"Um, this is a game. I always thought when you are playing a game you're supposed to have fun and enjoy what you're doing," Thomas said. "Sometimes you can have fun with looking at mistakes and stuff and making light of stuff. You might have gotten dumped on a play or rolled up on. It's not going to be the first time, and it won't be the last."
Struggling St. Louis released Thomas, a 14-year veteran, when it decided to focus on younger players. It took only hours for Coach John Fox and the Panthers to call.
"Every once in a while, you get double-teamed in there and I think that size is a real advantage," Fox said. "We call it the 600-pound block. That's what you're getting two 300-pound (offensive) linemen coming off on you. He's got the experience, technique and size to do it."
Thomas provides more than a hefty on-field presence. His personality helped a team feeling loads of pressure after losing its first three games. For a guy who once wore SpongeBob SquarePants pajamas in public, he's an irreverent addition.
"He just brings that vibe to the team as far as having fun," defensive end Everette Brown said.
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