No Hall of Fame Yet for Zach
Zach Thomas' time to get into the Pro Football Hall of Fame again will have to wait.
A finalist for the third time, Thomas was not among the eight members of the 2022 Hall of Fame class announced Thursday during the NFL Honors show.
The Class of 2022 consists of Tony Boselli, LeRoy Butler, Sam Mills, Richard Seymour and Bryant Young, along with Cliff Branch, former coach Dick Vermeil and former official Art McNally.
Classy as always, Thomas released a statement congratulating the new Hall of Famers and expressing his gratitude at being a finalist through the Dolphins that appeared on Twitter.
Along with Thomas, the modern-era finalists not elected to the Class of 2022 were Jared Allen, Willie Anderson, Ronde Barber, Devin Hester, Torry Holt, Andre Johnson, DeMarcus Ware, Reggie Wayne and Patrick Willis.
Hester, Johnson and Wayne all are former University of Miami players.
Thomas was hoping to become the 11th Dolphins Hall of Famer and join Don Shula, Nick Buoniconti, Larry Csonka, Bob Griese, Jim Langer, Larry Little, Dan Marino, Dwight Stephenson, Jason Taylor and Paul Warfield.
THOMAS' DOLPHINS CAREER
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. Taylor was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2018 in his first year of eligibility, while Thomas was a finalist for the first time this year.
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 WAS A STAR FOR THE DOLPHINS FROM THE BEGINNING
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.”
