My mini-tribute to Zach Thomas
When Zach Thomas was drafted by the Miami Dolphins, I (like everyone else) really had no idea who he was. Yeah, I'd heard of him. But that was the extent of it. I was somewhat excited during that off season when we'd picked up Del Rio because he had been a solid MLB and we were in desperate need of one. Then, as training camps progressed, I kept hearing more and more about this small LB Thomas who was turning heads with his nose for the ball and his constant fire and competitiveness. It wasn't long before this young, small LB had pretty much taken the defense over and made Del Rio, a great, yet aging LB, expendable. I mean, how many of us weren't surprised by seeing Del Rio cut in favor of the undersized rookie out of Texas Tech.
From then on, it was the Zach Thomas show on defense - as far as tackles go. This guy laid it on the line every day, every game, every play. Because of his stature, you know that this guy was playing with all heart and he was playing with a chip on his shoulder - as if he had something to prove. And he did: That BIG things do, in fact, come in SMALL packages. This guy was an inspiration to the guys around him - no question about it. He was the prime example of what being the heart of a defense is supposed to be. How could other guys NOT step up when they see this diminutive MLB running around like a crazed man hitting guys with no regard to his personal health. As good as JT is, he too was inspired by this guy, and I believe that it was this inspiration, and their budding friendship, that helped JT work to become the player that he has become.
He was also an inspiration to us fans. If their was one constant on a team which seemed to disappoint (a lot of the time) we knew Zach Thomas was going to show up and play hard - and he played hard regardless of any situation - even in spite of the fact that, in a lot of cases, it didn't really matter. He was a CONSTANT competitor - what any fan should be able to expect from all athletes in the NFL. He never let us down. Sure, there were times when Thomas didn't make that play we needed him to make, and there were times when he missed an important tackle. But it wasn't from a lack of effort. In fact, effort should be a word forever attached to Zach Thomas. This man played all out for 4 quarters of every game he participated in. His consistency was so that we all began to slide into the mode of taking it for granted because it was there. We expected it of him and Zach delivered.
In the end, it wasn't really age that caught up with Zach, it was the head injuries he sustained by pouring his body behind that huge heart of his. And he did it for pride and he did it for the fans. I can only imagine how difficult it was for Zach to stand on the sidelines last year and watch his team struggle. Part of him might have been thinking it wouldn't have mattered, but the part we loved about Zach would have been out there throwing his body around with everything he had just to make a difference for his team, for the fans - despite how fruitless his efforts might have been at the end result.
Though we all hate to see Zach go, we all knew it was coming. It was inevitable. His head injuries were piling up, his salary is pretty high for an uncertainty, and his age doesn't equal up to this team's need to get younger in this time of total rebuilding.
The new regime prefers large LBs. And we'll find one who is much larger than Zach in stature, but they'll have a helluva time replacing his heart.
We'll miss you Zach. Thanks for the great memories and the effort you gave to the Miami Dolphins and its fans.
