Majors hoping Thunder can help him reach NFL career

The Southern Utah standout was assigned to Mahoning Valley last week
By JOHN KOVACH
VINDICATOR SPORTS STAFF
YOUNGSTOWN -- Brian Majors of Moreno Valley, Calif., is hoping to use the Mahoning Valley Thunder as a comeback and stepping stone into the National Football League.
A defensive back from Southern Utah, Majors (6-foot-1, 180 pounds) wants to make up for lost time in his career after suffering a pulled hamstring muscle running track in the spring of 2006 that forced him to put his NFL bid on hold.
Majors, who was assigned by the af2 to the Thunder last Friday, made the final 19-player roster after a couple of practice sessions to get an opportunity to renew his attempt to make the NFL.
He is looking forward to seeing what he can do after being shelved a full season, and is hoping for a strong opening game Saturday when the Thunder launches its franchise against the Tri-Cities (Wash.) Fever at the Chevrolet Centre at 7 p.m.
"That's what messed me up," said Majors of his track injury incurred running in the 4x100-meter relay. "And then the [NFL] camps come around in July and August, and I had just blown my hamstring and so I couldn't try out."
He said he didn't have surgery, just trained a lot to regain his stride after being injured.
Got call from his agent
"It took a while. It was high hamstring pull. That's usually worse. It cost me a year of football. I don't like thinking about it," said Majors, who was going to try out for the Montana Billings Outlaws indoor football team when his agent called him to tell about the Thunder opening.
"Coach [Michael] Hold had contacted my agent and told him he was looking for DBs," said Majors, who is looking forward to renewing his quest for the NFL.
"This is a stepping stone for me. The NFL has been by No. 1 priority and I am going to develop a resume here," said Majors. "I am hopeful that from here I can generate enough interest in myself to get an NFL workout [after the season]."
But as a sprinter and long-jumper, track also has helped Majors to develop those skills so necessary to defensive backs.
In fact, he had one NFL tryout at the University of Utah during the 2006 track season before he was injured, and thought he did very well.
"The thing they liked the most was my 4.29 seconds in the 40. And I had a 6.67 seconds in the agility drill and a 371/2 inch vertical jump," said Majors, who also has the speed and height to help him defend against passes. "I am taller than most DBs at 6-1. Most DBs are 5-10 and 5-11."
As a result, "teams have to [throw] over the top of me."
Guarded top receiver
Majors played cornerback for Southern Utah and usually was assigned to guard the opponent's top receiver.
"I would try to limit his catches," said Majors, who played wide receiver at Utah State for two seasons with one redshirt year before transferring to Southern Utah, which had wide receivers but needed defensive backs.
"It was my choice to be switched to DB. They needed DBs and they were looking for someone to fill the need and I was satisfied doing that," he said.
He wound up with 33 tackles, including 22 solo stops, ranking No. 1 on the team in total tackles by cornerbacks and seventh overall. He also had six pass break-ups to share the team lead, with one interception, one QB hurry and one blocked field goal attempt.
Majors expects a real challenge and learning experience with the Thunder, and he believes his experience will make him better.
New to the indoor game
"I will be a defensive specialist but they might be moving me to a regular DB," said Majors, who never before played indoor football and still is learning the rules and the game.
"[The game] is a little different. It is a whole lot faster. You can't gamble as much playing corner like you could outdoors, because it will be six [points] if you lose. There isn't much room for error because the field is smaller and faster."
To minimize the chances for error, he hopes to keep the receivers in front of him, so that if they do make the catch he can hone in and make a tackle.
"My thing is to keep everything in front of me. I don't want anything to get behind me. I want to be able to see everything," said Majors.
An honor-roll student, Majors majored in criminal justice with an emphasis in forensics with a sociology minor.
kovach@vindy.com