Dolphins Q&A: Is this the year Zach Thomas gets into the Hall of Fame?

2 years ago 417

Here’s the latest installment of our Miami Dolphins Q&A, wherever South Florida Sun Sentinel writers David Furones and Omar Kelly reply questions from readers.

Q: Is this the twelvemonth Zach Thomas yet gets successful the hall?!? — Luis Estrada connected Twitter

A: Could Dolphins large Zach Thomas’ 3rd clip (as a finalist) beryllium the charm?

Breaking things down, helium could person a decent changeable aft a fewer years of giving mode to either generational talents getting successful connected their archetypal twelvemonth connected the ballot oregon different likewise deserving players who had to hold longer for their enshrinement.

First, to recap the different modern-era finalists: DE Jared Allen, OT Willie Anderson, CB Ronde Barber, OT Tony Boselli, S LeRoy Butler, WR/KR/PR Devin Hester, WR Torry Holt, WR Andre Johnson, LB Sam Mills, DL Richard Seymour, OLB DeMarcus Ware, WR Reggie Wayne, LB Patrick Willis and DL Bryant Young.

The enactment committee whitethorn elite up to 5 modern-era players for the 2022 class. Each indispensable person a minimum affirmative ballot of 80 percent for election. So, Thomas fundamentally has to beryllium deemed successful the apical 3rd of this group.

The different mediate linebacker finalist that’s astir successful Thomas’ people is Willis.

Willis, the anchor for the San Francisco 49ers’ stellar defenses of the aboriginal 2010s, matches Thomas with 7 Pro Bowls and 5 first-team All-Pro selections. He got his successful less years played arsenic helium retired aft 8 seasons, but Thomas has the borderline successful longevity, tackles per play and interceptions. Willis besides has the 2007 AP Defensive Rookie of the Year to his name.

Both Thomas and Willis led the NFL successful tackles successful 2 antithetic seasons. Thomas did it with a ample overlap successful his vocation with that of iconic mediate linebackers Ray Lewis and Brian Urlacher. Interestingly, Thomas matches up well, if not favorably, implicit his vocation compared to Urlacher, and the Bears’ large was enshrined successful 2018.

Thomas and Willis some led apical defenses of their eras, but the greater occurrence the 49ers had during Willis’ clip could play a relation successful voters’ minds. San Francisco went to 3 consecutive NFC Championship Games successful the aboriginal 2010s, reaching 1 Super Bowl, portion Thomas’ Dolphins ne'er got that acold successful the AFC.

Mills, who is successful his last twelvemonth of eligibility, had a standout vocation successful the 1980s and 90s with the New Orleans Saints and Carolina Panthers wherever helium made 5 Pro Bowls and 1 All-Pro, but Thomas and Willis were different echelon above.

Establishing that the 2 apical mediate linebacker candidates are astatine the precise slightest comparable with definite factors that favour Thomas and vice-versa, I fig a bully tiebreaker could beryllium clip served waiting. If Thomas has had to hold his crook with adjacent vocation accolades, Willis tin too.

But it’s not conscionable astir being the champion mediate linebacker candidate. The 2022 finalist group, connected apical of being a loaded wide receiver class, has a brace of elite walk rushers and 2 of the top-12 all-time vocation sack leaders.

Ware had 138 1/2 sacks and Allen notched 136. All eligible walk rushers that person had much than them person made the Hall of Fame, including Thomas’ large teammate, Jason Taylor, who got successful his archetypal year.

That does not mean 1 oregon some won’t beryllium asked to wait, but astatine slightest Ware, arsenic a nine-time Pro Bowl enactment who won a Super Bowl, has to beryllium considered a favourite to get successful with the mode helium consistently dominated and impacted games during his vocation with the Dallas Cowboys and Denver Broncos.

Last year, wide receiver Calvin Johnson got successful arsenic a first-ballot selection. Two Miami Hurricanes alumni, Andre Johnson and Reggie Wayne, whitethorn not person had a precocious of a ceiling to their careers arsenic Calvin Johnson, contempt playing overmuch longer, but some hover astir the apical 10 each clip successful vocation receptions and receiving yards.

Wideouts person been made to hold historically, and Wayne has for a mates of go-arounds portion Andre Johnson is successful his archetypal twelvemonth of eligibility. Although Holt was connected the Rams’ “Greatest Show connected Turf,” I’m considering Johnson and Wayne a notch above.

A immense chaotic paper is however the committee views the different first-year-eligible Hurricane, instrumentality specializer Devin Hester. He arguably is the top each clip astatine what helium did and had an immense interaction connected opponents’ crippled plans fixed their propensity to footwear retired of bounds erstwhile Hester was backmost determination for the Bears, but volition the committee springiness idiosyncratic who mostly made his sanction connected peculiar teams the motion truthful aboriginal successful his eligibility?

There’s a bully accidental 1 of the tackles get successful betwixt Boselli and Anderson. Boselli, the Jacksonville Jaguars great, has had a overmuch longer hold than Thomas aft a vocation that was chopped short.

As acold arsenic different defenders among finalists, I’d person to presumption Thomas’ vocation favorably to astir if not each of Barber, Butler, Seymour and Young. Seymour whitethorn person a boost for the Patriots teams helium was on, winning aggregate Super Bowls portion playing successful the aforesaid part arsenic Thomas’ Dolphins. Barber’s Buccaneers won it each successful 2002, sandwiched betwixt a tally of 3 of 4 for New England, but Thomas was asked to bash truthful overmuch much for his Miami defenses than either of them.

All successful all, I’d accidental there’s a bully changeable Thomas becomes the 14th erstwhile Dolphins subordinate to marque it to Canton, Ohio. Thomas finished his vocation with 1,734 full tackles, and his 1,107 solo tackles are much than immoderate different Hall of Fame linebacker too Ray Lewis and Derrick Brooks. He added 17 interceptions, 4 for touchdowns, 16 forced fumbles, 8 fumbles recovered and 20 1/2 sacks.

The people volition beryllium announced unrecorded connected the “NFL Honors” telecast scheduled to aerial astatine 9 p.m. connected Feb. 10, 3 days earlier the Super Bowl.

Have a question?

Email David Furones, oregon tag @OmarKelly oregon @DavidFurones_ connected Twitter.