Zach Gets the Call to the Hall
In this story:
Zach Thomas is a Hall of Famer.
The former Miami Dolphins great was announced as one of the members of the Class of 2023 during the NFL Honors show (televised by NFL Network, NBC and Peacock) on Thursday night.
Thomas was elected along with cornerback Darrelle Revis, tackle Joe Thomas, linebacker/defensive end DeMarcus Ware and defensive back Ronde Barber .
Thomas was one of the 15 modern-era finalists, the fourth consecutive year as a finalist for Thomas, who played 12 seasons with the Dolphins after arriving as a fifth-round pick out of Texas Tech in 1996.
The other finalists were DE Jared Allen, OT Willie Anderson, DE Dwight Freeney, PR/KR Devin Hester, WR Torry Holt, WR Andre Johnson, CB Albert Lewis, WR Reggie Wayne, LB Patrick Willis and DB Darren Woodson.
Freeney, Revis and Joe Thomas all were in their first year of eligibility.
The Selection Committee could elect up to five modern-era players for the Class of 2023; each needed to receive a minimum positive vote of 80 percent for election. Four others — Seniors category Finalists Chuck Howley, Joe Klecko and Ken Riley, along with Coach/Contributor Finalist Don Coryell — also are candidates for the Class of 2023. Voting on each of those four was held individually, in conjunction with the meeting to decide which Modern-Era Players were elected and all four of them were elected.
Our prediction Thursday morning was Zach Thomas, Revis, Joe Thomas, Ware and Andre Johnson, so we went 4-for-5. Fortunately, we got the big one right with Zach Thomas.
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ZACH THOMAS' HALL OF FAME CREDENTIALS
Thomas was inducted in 2012 into the Dolphin Honor Roll along with Jason Taylor, the other half of the Dolphins' dynamic defensive duo of the 2000s.
It says here that Thomas was every bit as important to the success of the dominant Dolphins defense of the late 1990s and early 2000s as Taylor. It also says here that Thomas is every bit as deserving as Hall of Famer Brian Urlacher, a fellow middle linebacker for the Chicago Bears, with both players having very similar stats during their career.
Taylor and Urlacher both were first-ballot Hall of Famers, while Thomas has been waiting his turn and maybe the only reason is that Thomas just didn't look the part of a Hall of Famer because he wasn't super athletic the way Taylor and Urlacher were.
But he was just as effective and just as productive, and he damn well belongs in the Hall of Fame alongside Taylor and Urlacher.
In his 168 games with the Dolphins — all of them starts — Thomas averaged a remarkable 9.7 tackles, according to pro-football-reference.com. That’s an average of 155 for every 16 games.
In all of the 10 seasons when he played at least 12 games, Thomas finished with at least 128 total tackles. He topped 150 tackles six times, leading the NFL in that category twice (in 2002 with 156 and in 2006 with 165).
But it wasn’t just the tackles.
Thomas also made big plays for the Dolphins defense.
He ended up with 17 interceptions in his career, including three in 1996, 1998 and 2003. He forced 16 fumbles and recovered eight, and also had 20.5 sacks.
His stat sheet filled up nicely, but that doesn’t factor in the intangibles he brought to the Dolphins defense. He was the centerpiece of the Dolphins defenses Head Coach Jimmy Johnson built after arriving in 1996.
Thomas’ impact was immediate, evidenced by him earning a starting job as a rookie and leading to the release of established veteran Jack Del Rio, who would go on to become an NFL head coach.
With Thomas leading the way — with major contributions from Taylor obviously — the Dolphins defense finished in the top 10 in fewest yards allowed an impressive seven consecutive seasons (1998-2004). Five times during Thomas’ career, the Dolphins were in the top five.
Thomas’ brilliance was recognized, as he earned eight Pro Bowl invitations and was named an All-Pro five times.
Longtime Jets center Kevin Mawae went up against Thomas many times during his career, which ended with his induction into the Hall of Fame last year. And during his induction speech, while mentioning all the teammates, coaches and other influential people he encountered, to talk about Thomas.
It was one Hall of Famer saying one of his rivals belonged in the Hall of Fame with him.
“Zach Thomas was my nemesis,” Mawae said about three-quarters into his 27-minute Hall of Fame speech. “My first year with the Jets before my first game we played against each other, (Coach) Bill Parcells told me in front of my entire team, ‘If you don’t block Thomas, we won’t win the game,’ and for the next 16 matchups I never forgot that.
"Zach was one of, if not the smartest player I ever faced. He loved the game, had fun when he played and brought the best out of me. When people ask me who’s not in the Hall of Fame and that I think should be here, it’s an easy one for me: number 54 from the Miami Dolphins.”
THE DOLPHINS IN THE HALL
The Dolphins now have 11 Hall of Famers, including longtime Cleveland Browns wide receiver Paul Warfield but not including short-time Dolphins contributors like Thurman Thomas or Cris Carter or even Coach Jimmy Johnson.
The other Dolphins Hall of Famers are Coach Don Shula, Marino, QB Bob Griese, RB Larry Csonka, G Larry Little, C Jim Langer, C Dwight Stephenson, DE Jason Taylor and LB Nick Buoniconti.
This is the chronological order of Dolphins Hall of Fame inductions:
1983 — WR Paul Warfield
1987 — FB Larry Csonka, C Jim Langer
1990 — QB Bob Griese
1993 — G Larry Little
1997 — Coach Don Shula
1998 — C Dwight Stephenson
2001 — LB Nick Buoniconti
2005 — QB Dan Marino
2017 — DE Jason Taylor
2023 — LB Zach Thomas
Tackle Richmond Webb, whose career ended with the Cincinnati Bengals in 2002, also might have a legitimate case. He made the Pro Bowl each of his first seven season and his Hall of Fame monitor score is higher than four HOF tackles — Dan Dierdorf, Jimbo Covert, Jackie Slater and Winston Hill.
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