He was thrust into the lineup on Sunday at Indianapolis when Paul Posluszny went out with a high ankle sprain.

Armbrister played 38 snaps, called the defense and also handled the blitzes that were in the game plan for Posluszny.

The Jaguars lost the game 16-13 in overtime.

“There was a lot of pressure on me,’’ Armbrister said. “At first, I was kind of nervous, but I realized what I came here for and that the coaches had a lot of trust in me to put me in there in charge of the defense.’’

He had to make the defensive calls to get the players in the right position and said although he made a few rookie mistakes, it was “nothing catastrophic.’’

Armbrister will be starting Sunday in Tampa Bay if Posluszny can’t go, but Bradley said he there is hope Posluszny didn’t suffer a “traditional’’ high ankle sprain.

A traditional high ankle sprain involves tearing or damage of the ligaments connecting the tibia to the fibula and usually sidelines a player for six to seven weeks.

Of Armbrister’s debut, coach Gus Bradley said, “There was a first third-down I think he got out-leveraged to the flat and they ended up getting 14-15 yards, but I thought he settled down.

“The big thing was run fits,’’ Bradley said. “Just a few assignment errors, but he’ll learn from that. I thought overall for getting thrown in like he did he did a pretty good job,’’ he said.


(jacksonville.com)

The odds have always been stacked against Jacksonville Jaguars rookie Thurston Armbrister.

As a no-star recruit, Armbrister was not heavily recruited coming out of high school. He eventually signed with the Miami Hurricanes, but not much was expected of the young linebacker. After barely seeing the field early in his collegiate career, he made his mark on special teams and eventually grew into one of Miami’s top defensive playmakers. In 38 career games with the Hurricanes, the 6-foot-3, 241-pound Armbrister recorded 129 tackles and seven sacks.

Despite his success at the collegiate level, Armbrister was not invited to the NFL combine. Doubts about his athleticism and ability in coverage led to him going undrafted. The Jaguars quickly signed him following the draft.

The Jaguars’ starters at linebacker are set with Telvin Smith, Paul Posluszny and Dan Skuta. However, depth at the position remains a concern. Aside from third-year linebacker LaRoy Reynolds, the Jaguars lack quality players at the position. Second-year linebackers Jeremiah George and Khairi Fortt, as well as fellow undrafted rookie Todd Thomas, are competing with Armbrister for the final two linebacker spots.

Through two preseason games, Armbrister appears to be on the verge of locking down one of those spots. He is third on the team with eight tackles. He has played well against the run, and has greatly improved in coverage throughout training camp and the preseason. He also has the versatility to play all three linebacker spots.

With Reynolds and Fortt suffering knee injuries in Saturday’s preseason game against the New York Giants, Armbrister should have plenty of opportunity to prove his worth over the next couple of weeks. Being in this position is nothing new to Armbrister. He has played his entire career with a chip on his shoulder. If he can continue to impress in the final two preseason games, his roster spot will be all but secured.


(rantsports.com)

Thurston Armbrister looked good all night for the Jaguars. He had great burst on the field, closing in on the opposition and managing to wrap them up in the three tackles he was a part of.

It’s clear that he has become one of the better depth linebackers for the Jaguars so far this preseason. I would like to see better consistency from his play, though. I viewed him as a bit slow to diagnose and move in Week 1 of the preseason, but he really turned it on against the Giants this week.

The Jaguars are becoming thin at linebacker and will need players like Armbrister to step up if they hope to keep a strong rotation on the field. The rookie linebacker may have showed enough in Week 2 of the preseason to warrant another look from the Jacksonville Jaguars front office and coaching staff before deciding whether to cut or keep him.

I saw potential from Armbrister that I really liked in this game. I want to see him put it all out on the field the final two games as well to prove that he really can be someone on this team in 2015.


(blackandteal.com)

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Few football get the opportunity to go from high school to college to the NFL in the same state, but Jacksonville Jaguars linebacker Thurston Armbrister is hoping stick on the roster and stay in Florida.

The Hollywood, Fla. native went undrafted this offseason and quickly signed with the Jaguars following the selection process.

For most undrafted rookies, entering an NFL locker room and competing with some of the top football talent in the world can be a daunting and overwhelming task, but Armbrister was able to find solace rather quickly.

Armbrister joined a locker room full of young talent that included three former teammates from his college days.

"Not only the former [Miami] teammates, but the new teammates made me feel at home," said Armbrister, regarding his adjustment to his first NFL opportunity.

Since joining the team, Armbrister has been a common noteworthy name in press conferences. Both Head Coach Gus Bradley and defensive coordinator Bob Babich have praised the young linebacker, as he fights for a roster spot.

"I'm just doing what I can, showing the coaches what I can do," said Armbrister, following Monday's practice.

"That's all I can do, everything else is out my hands."

Throughout training camp, Armbrister has played well against the run and surprisingly, has been breaking up passes in coverage with regularity.

"Coming out, [coverage] was a weakness that everyone said I had," said the former Miami Hurricanes linebacker.

"This offseason I worked hard on it and my coaches have been helping me out a lot. I'm looking forward to doing big things this coming season."

The rookie has also put a focus on special teams, which is actually nothing new to him.

"[Special teams] is how I made my name [in college] first," said Armbrister.

"I know I have to do that here, and I know I need to take that responsibility to make the team better."

The rookie recently took part in the team's scrimmage at EverBank Field and getting the taste for the crowd and the atmosphere has Armbrister aspiring for more.

"It was a moment, I had to take it in, being in my first 'live' NFL practice," said Armbrister.

"It was a big deal for me. I'm glad it happened and I'm ready for the games now."

Armbrister will have his opportunities to play in the exhibition games that will start on Friday against the Pittsburgh Steelers. If he is able to continue to impress the coaches, he could be in line for a lot more action during the regular season.


(firstcoastnews.com)

The Jaguars signed nine rookie free agents the day after the draft and three are linebackers: Miami’s Thurston Armbrister, Pittsburgh’s Todd Thomas and Maryland’s Matt Robinson.

During last week’s rookie mini-camp, Armbrister played the middle (Mike), while Thomas lined up on the weakside (Will) and Robinson manned the strong-side spot (Otto).

The Jaguars’ starters are set with Paul Posluszny (Mike), Telvin Smith (Will) and Dan Skuta (Otto). However, there isn’t much proven depth behind them.

The enormous opportunity to make the Jaguars roster was something the trio noticed.

Caldwell and coach Gus Bradley reached out to Armbrister shortly after the draft ended. He received a $12,500 signing bonus on his three-year, $1,587,000 contract.

“I felt this was the best situation for me,” Armbrister said. “It made me feel welcomed and wanted that the two of them called. The other teams that called me were scouts. That didn’t make me feel as comfortable.

“This is a great opportunity to make the team.”

Thomas and Robinson did not receive a signing bonus in their contracts (three years, $1,575,000). Still, the opportunity to see game checks in the fall was obvious.
“The Jaguars were the team from the start for me for a lot of reasons,” Thomas said. “But, you look at things like that [depth chart].”

Robinson echoed Thomas’ comments.

“It appealed to me,” Robinson said. “When you’re undrafted, it’s even less of a guarantee and nothing is guaranteed in this league. You’ve got to show what you can do and find a way to contribute to the team so they’ll keep you around. That played a part in coming here.”

The 6-foot-3, 241-pound Armbrister has been in this situation before. He was the rare no-star recruit to sign with a major program like the Hurricanes. His only other offer came from Northern Colorado. He started his career at safety before moving to linebacker.

Armbrister finished his career with 129 tackles (15 for loss) with seven sacks in 38 games (23 starts). Last season, he notched 56 tackles with five sacks and two forced fumbles.

Armbrister impressed Bradley with his agility in rookie camp.

“He’s very fast for a linebacker skill set,” Bradley said. “I think what shocked us a little bit about him was his lateral movement was maybe a little bit better than we thought.”


(jacksonville.com)

Earlier this afternoon, Drew Rosenhaus announced on Twitter that former University of Miami linebacker Thurston Armbrister has signed with Rosenhaus Sports Representation.

As part of an 18-member 2011 signing class that featured four four-star recruits, Thurston Armbrister played his college football career with a chip on his shoulder. In the summer that followed his graduation from Hollywood Hills HS (FL), Armbrister found himself with a zero-star recruiting rank and only one scholarship offer. It wasn’t until Miami’s Mark D’Onofrio took notice of Armbrister’s speed, size, and potential that Armbrister realized his dream to play NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) football.

Entering the University of Miami as an undersized safety, Armbrister soon found himself questioning whether or not his dream had actually come true. “At first I didn’t think it was going to last long,” Armbrister said, “but after getting here, putting in the work, things started going may way.” While looking up to Ray Ray Armstrong and Vaughn Telemaque on the safety depth chart, Armbrister didn’t think he had a shot at being a safety in big-time college football. After receiving praise from his coaching staff and given the starting nod on special teams, Armbrister started believing that he “could work [his] way up.”

–Boy, did he ever.–

Following a move to the linebacker position following his freshman year, Armbrister continued to grow in his new role, and has made his presence felt ever since. So much so that, today, Thurston Armbrister has “worked his way up” from an un-ranked, un-recruited and, perhaps, under-valued high school player to signing with an NFL super-agent and preparing for the 2015 NFL Draft.

Projected as the 55th-best pick at outside linebacker, Armbrister is praised for his intangibles, such as his playmaking abilities, as well as his tangible skills, including his strength at the point of contact. Armbrister may find that his best chance to enter the League will come in the form of a 7th-round selection or as an undrafted free agent signing in the days following the conclusion of the Draft.

Drew Rosenhaus is no stranger to Miami Hurricane football, so it comes as no surprise that he and Rosenhaus Sports Representation have signed another ‘Cane. Rosenhaus has served as player-representative for several football stars who profess an unwavering allegiance to “The U,” of the most notable are Warren Sapp, Zach Thomas, Frank Gore, and Willis McGahee.


(sportsagentblog.com)

It’s likely that Ereck Flowers will be the first Hurricanes player chosen in the NFL draft, which begins April 30.

It’s clear the Carolina Panthers, who own the 25th pick, really, really like him.

Flowers, the 6-foot-6, 324-pound offensive tackle who left UM after his junior season, fills an immediate need for the Panthers on the right side and could eventually move to the left side. He interviewed with Carolina at the NFL combine, visited the team and worked out for top brass. The team also sent several representatives to watch him at the Hurricanes’ April 1 pro day. The Charlotte Observer even flew their beat writer to do a profile on him (though as usual, Flowers didn’t talk).

If he’s available when Carolina picks, he’ll probably join Cam Newton and Kelvin Benjamin. But several analysts think he might not be.

In the slew of mock drafts we found online, Flowers is slotted as high as No. 9 overall. FoxSports.com’s Peter Schrager has him going at that spot, to the New York Giants.

Click here to read what Schrager, who has no other Hurricanes in his two-round mock, wrote about Flowers as well as the rest of the proCane potential draft picks by Matt Porter of the Palm Beach Post!


(palmbeachpost.com)