Finsmob Unleashed

I’m so happy for Zach Thomas, one of my favorite Miami Dolphins players, for his well deserved induction into the NFL Hall of Fame. It’s been a long time coming, and they made us sweat it out last night, as there are only 9 inductees each year, and Zach Thomas was the last. As soon as I saw Jimmy Johnson as the presenter, I knew it had to be Zach, and my heart raced in excitement and happiness for him. No doubt Jimmy Johnson was largely responsible for Zach Thomas’ success. JJ drafted Zach Thomas in RD 5 of the 1996 NFL Draft, and later signed veteran MLB Jack Del Rio in June of that same year, perhaps as a mentor to the young LB. Once Jimmy saw Zach Thomas up close and on the playing field, he knew Zach had to be on the field at all times. August 5th of 1996, JJ was aware that Zach was a special player man and released the veteran LB Jack Del Rio. Zach Thomas and JJ never looked back.

Zach Thomas played 12 seasons with the Miami Dolphins, is a 5 time All Pro LB, and a 7 time Pro Bowl LB, and now, finally, a Hall of Fame LB. He played the game with so much enthusiasm throughout his entire career, and although concussions threatened to end his career earlier than he would have liked, Zach did anything he could to continue playing the game he loved, and at a high level. I think most of us here remember when he purchased a hyperbaric chamber for his home in order to combat the effects of those concussions. He continued to play the game at a high level until he couldn’t and played one season for the Dallas Cowboys before finally hanging up his cleats. 1734 tackles, 20.5 sacks, 17 INT’s, 16 FF’s, 8 FR’s, 4 defensive TD’s and 74 TFL’s. Just an amazing career, and although many doubted him due to the fact he was undersized at 5’11 230, he was a tremendous impact player and defensive playmaker. He could do it all, and along with his brother in law Jason Taylor, who played DE and OLB were an extremely talented defensive tandem and teammates that made watching Dolphins football from the late 90’s into the late 2000’s so much more enjoyable.

I got to meet Zach Thomas while on vacation at the Atlantis in the Bahamas. I was walking with my son to a vendor to get lunch and while walking, I see Zach sitting at a table with his wife and kids. Like a little kid, I got so excited, and embarrassedly said “Mr. Thomas?” He said ” Yeah man, how are you doing?” I replied that I was a huge Dolphins fan and would love to get a picture with him, but I see that you’re with your family and I don’t want to bother you. He immediately got up and said “No problem, I don’t mind at all”. Got the picture and I explained to him briefly how he was one of my favorites, and it was truly a thrill to meet him. The next day I’m at one of the pools at the Atlantis and Zach Thomas walks over and says hello. We have a conversation about him, the Miami Dolphins, Jimmy Johnson, Jack Del Rio, the aforementioned hyperbaric chamber for pretty close to an hour. I remember specifically during our discussion after telling him that JJ loved him right away and how he cut Jack Del Rio, Zach’s face as he knew he wasn’t talking to just a casual fan. When I brought up the hyperbaric chamber, Zach looked at me and said “Damn man, you’re really hardcore!”. I think all of us here are hardcore fans without question, and I’m sure I can say without any hesitation that Zach Thomas was one of the reasons we enjoyed watching this team. Dan Marino may be one of the first guys you think of when you think Miami Dolphins, but Zach Thomas is right there with him for me.

Zach Thomas #54 – Hall of Fame