Because they missed out last Sunday when the San Francisco 49ers returned to Monster Park to play the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, the longtime desert residents were hoping to see their son, Jeremy - then a rookie free safety in his second week as a 49er - play in front of the home crowd today.
Jeremy was along the sidelines last week when the 49ers beat the Bucs 15-10, but this week, the 6-foot, 195-pounder out of Cathedral City High School and Northern Arizona University will stand on the soon-to-be frozen tundra of Green Bay.
Thornburg was waived by the 49ers early this week and claimed by the Packers - his third NFL team this season. He will wear No. 38 today when Green Bay faces the Pittsburgh Steelers.
"My wife (Angela) is stressing out over this," said Thornburg from his hotel room in Green Bay where the team stays the night before home games. "We have two apartments now. Our stuff is in storage in Philadelphia. The car is in Philadelphia.
"My brother and some friends came to the game last week and my parents will probably end up going to the game anyway. They had tickets and they have friends there. I'll be in Green Bay. My wife is visiting (family and friends) in Arizona."
Following four preseason games where he turned in some eye-opening statistics as an undrafted rookie, and then four regular-season games where he was listed as inactive and did not dress, he was waived.
He was told by his agent, Max Hanneman, that he may never clear waivers and would likely be placed on the Eagles' practice squad. There he would bide his time, continue to learn the system and wait for an opportunity to make the game-day roster.
"I knew I had to wait my turn (in Philly)," he said. "They had a lot of proven players in Philly and they weren't going to bench them. I kind of took the attitude that I was redshirting and learning - learning from Pro Bowlers.
"I think being undrafted doesn't help because they want to develop their draft picks, and I think Philly kept me on the team for the future. They wanted to have the rights to me and watch me develop."
Thornburg thought it was rare because of what he had been told. Then, he heard three different teams tried to claim him, and the 49ers were awarded his rights.
It's been a whirlwind trip for this 23-year-old newlywed who was signed as a free agent in April by the Eagles. He landed in San Francisco on the team's bye week and dressed for two games. He finished with three special teams tackles in a 52-17 road loss to the Redskins.
"It not that frustrating the first time (when you are waived), but when San Francisco picked me up, they waived me without (me) really getting a chance," he said. "That's why the 49ers are struggling. They're not making smart decisions. They bring in a guy and never really even try him out after a loss. When we were playing Washington - when we were losing by 40 points - they kept the starters in. They were tentative putting a new guy in there."
Although he said he was told by the 49ers organization that they liked what he did in his limited role on special teams, he was the odd man out due to the quarterback situation (the 49ers signed Jesse Palmer after losing their top two QBs to injury). If he cleared, he was told that he'd be brought back to the practice squad.
In his first two NFL stops, what Thornburg has learned has not come from the playbook. He says the day-by-day details have guided him along the way.
"I've learned what an NFL team expects from a player," he said. "It's helped me even when I moved to another team. Coming from a team that's been a winner and to the Super Bowl, they know how to win. They know what to do, how to practice, technique-wise.
Today, in the third stop in his short NFL career, Thornburg's technique will be tested against the Steelers. He's expected to start on all special teams play.
"It's crazy," he said. "I showed up Thursday and went out to practice. The coaches introduced themselves and said 'glad to have you' and I was on the field."
"He's someone we've been watching since training camp and kind of took a shine to in preseason," Thompson said this week. "He's a pretty good athlete. He looks kind of like a Tim Hauck (a 5-10, 187-pound safety who played 13 seasons in the NFL with seven different teams)."
"The positive thing about not playing in Philly is that my body is at 100 percent and special teams doesn't beat you up as much as defense does," he said. "The hardest part about it (being with two other teams) is not knowing your teammates.
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