TUALATIN – The Portland Thunder’s inaugural season is underway. Less than five months after owner Terry Emmert announced the purchase of an AFL franchise, the team held a media day at Tualatin Indoor Soccer, following its first practice in pads.

Forty players are competing for a spot on the final 24-man roster. Final cuts must be made by March 8, in preparation for the Thunder’s season-opening game March 17, when they face the San Jose SaberCats at the Moda Center.

“It’s a competition, but you want to see everybody succeed,” said

. “All forty guys here think they’re going to be the starter … that’s my expectation.”

Thomas, a two-year starter at the University of Oregon, will vie for the Thunder’s starting quarterback job with Nathan Enderle, a former fifth-round pick of the Chicago Bears.

After leading the Ducks to the 2011 BCS Championship game and the 2012 Rose Bowl, Thomas chose to forgo his final year of eligibility, but went unclaimed at the NFL draft.

Thomas is one of a handful of players on the Thunder roster with ties to the state. Wide receiver Andrae Thurman, who played for Southern Oregon, is the most experienced of the group. Thurman was a member of several NFL teams before joining the AFL in 2007. Linebacker Marquis Jackson and wide receiver Justin Monahan both join the Thunder out of Portland State, and defensive back Bryce Peila attended Western Oregon.

Many of the offensive players, including Thomas and Enderle, are new to arena football.

“It’s a learning curve,” Thomas said. “The more reps, the better you’re going to get.”

“These walls are tough,” coach Matthew Sauk said. “And to learn how to catch the ball and do that stuff … it takes time.”

“Our defense has veterans,” Sauk said. “So I want them to play as hard and aggressive and nasty as possible, and then offensively as we grow, the team will mesh.”

Sauk has been impressed by the defense as a whole through the early stages of training camp. “I thought they played fantastic,” he said. “Our defensive line is very good. They are very strong and athletic. ... They’re playing well together.”

Sauk will be making his head coaching debut after several seasons in the AFL, both as a player and coach. Sauk began his coaching career in 2008 for the Spokane Shock, before moving to the Utah Blaze in 2011. He spent the last four seasons as an offensive coordinator, twice winning the AFL’s Assistant Coach of the Year award.

This year, according to Sauk, his biggest challenge will be, “Getting 24 guys who have never played together, to play together.”

“I told these guys on the first day: this is my first head coaching job. I’m not going to be perfect, but I’m going to do my best to make sure you guys are taken care of and I get you in the right position to succeed.”

--Lars Steier, special to The Oregonian