NFL Immortals #11: Zach Thomas

In the 11th installment of NFL Immortals, we go down to south beach to focus on a Texas boy who ended up in Canton, Ohio.

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:20):
What's going on everybody, Guys and girls, Welcome back to
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(00:41):
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(01:04):
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(01:26):
all the Patron subscribers. Hopefully you guys will enjoy what
we have coming this football season, and hopefully if you're
not a patron subscriber, you will feel inclined to do so.
But thank you guys so much for tuning into this episode. Boy,
it feels good to be back. I will say football
is here, guys, doesn't it just feel great? Like I know,

(01:47):
it's preseason, not going to get into the whole Hall
of Fame game, what's its value? Starters hardly even play
this and that I love being able to turn my
television on and see if there's a game coming on
you could bet Onseason two if that's something that you're into.
I mean, there's a lot of different things that or
a lot of different reasons I should say that make
preseason football exciting. And you know, you get a chance

(02:10):
to see not really this year, but usually you get
a chance to see team's debut new uniforms. Like it
used to be in my childhood. Almost every single year
it seemed like a team was debuting a new uniform look.
And I'm not talking about these alternates that we get
that teams wear one maybe two times a year. If
it doesn't hit, they throw it away, never break it

(02:31):
out again. I'm talking about, you know, a full on
new get up, like a rebrand. Didn't get any of
that this year, so I thought it was a little
bit odd. And even the announcements for all the alternate
helmets and all that stuff was announced a little bit late.
So just a strange year of uniforms. But that was
one thing I always look forward to in the preseason.

(02:52):
Always look forward to seeing maybe a new player uppear
or make their debut for their new team, whether it's
a free agent, a trade, or even a rookie that
was just drafted. I've enjoyed the preseason over the years.
Now come Week three, Week four, it's like we've seeing
this song and dance bring on the regular season and
that is where we will all be very very soon.

(03:15):
But before we get there, I'm looking forward to talking
about this episode. I teased it, been teasing it for
a little while. Now another NFL of Mortals episode is back,
and this one we are talking about none other than
Zach Thomas, a local legend from where I'm from. This
is someone that is just an absolute phenom at the

(03:39):
linebacker position. I believe he's the number eleventh let me check, yes,
the number eleventh NFL of mortals that we're doing here,
the eleventh installment, and this one does hit a little
bit close to home, no pun intended. I mean he
literally played football high school wise less than an hour
and a half away from where I am right now.
He played college ball less three hours from where I

(04:01):
am right now. He finished up his career with the
Dallas Cowboys, and we're talking about the Texas Panhandle legend
Zach Thomas, and definitely excited to get into this. So
without any further ado, let's go ahead and do just that.
Zachary Michael Thomas born September first, nineteen seventy three, nicknamed

(04:21):
Baby Elephant, is an American former professional football player who
was a linebacker in the NFL for thirteen seasons. He
played college football for the Texas Tech Red Raiders and
was recognized as a unanimous All American. He was selected
in the fifth round, twenty second pick one hundred and
fifty fourth overall in the nineteen ninety six NFL Draft
by the Miami Dolphins and played for the Dolphins in

(04:42):
his first twelve seasons before playing his thirteenth and final
season with the Dallas Cowboys. Some of the zccolades. Remember
we'll talk about this, we kind of go over a
general rundown to kind of set the stage for what
we're getting into here. And you know, some of these players,
they have a long list of accomplishments, and it's no
different with Zach Thomas. He was a five time first

(05:05):
team All Pro in nineteen ninety eight, ninety nine, two
thousand and two, two thousand and three, and two thousand
and six. He was a two time second team All
Pro in one to five. He made the Pro Bowl
seven times in his career, from nineteen ninety nine to
two thousand and three, and then again in two thousand
and five and two thousand and six. He was a

(05:25):
two time NFL Alumni Linebacker of the Year in nineteen
ninety eight, two thousand and six, two time NFL Combined
Tackles Leader NFL two thousands, All Decade Team, Pro Football
Writers Association All Rookie Team, Miami Dolphins Honor Roll, Unanimous
All American in nineteen ninety five, second team All American
in nineteen ninety four, two time SWC Defensive Player of
the Year ninety four ninety five, Two times First Team

(05:47):
All w C in ninety four ninety five Texas Tech
Red Raiders Ring of Honor, and then the Texas Tech
Hall of Fame as well. So obviously a big time,
big time player for the Texas Tech Red Raiders and
obviously one of their best defensive players to ever put
on the Red and black. In his rookie year nineteen
ninety six, Thomas was voted the Dolphins Team Newcomer of
the Year and also won his first of two Dolphins

(06:08):
Team MVP awards, the second one coming in two thousand
and one. He was also named the AFC Defensive Rookie
of the Year in nineteen ninety six. Thomas was also
the first Dolphins player to win the Dolphins Team Leadership Award,
voted by his teammates a record three times in ninety eight,
ninety nine, and two thousand and five, until Jason Taylor
surpassed him with four later on. From nineteen ninety eight

(06:29):
to two thousand and six, Thomas led a defensive unit
that finished top ten in total defense in seven consecutive
seasons from nineteen ninety eight all the way up to
two thousand and four. They ended up making it eight
out of nine years. In two thousand and six In
five of those nine seasons ninety eight, two thousand, two
thousand and two, two thousand and three, and two thousand
and six, Thomas's defenses finished top five in total scoring defense,

(06:51):
including first overall in nineteen ninety eight. Thomas is also
known for his longevity, currently a second all time in
Dolphins history for most games played by a defensive player
in the team's history with one hundred and sixty eight
behind Jason Taylors two hundred and four. A seven time
Pro Bowl selection, the most ever by a Dolphins defensive player,
and seven time First team All Pro or seven time

(07:13):
All Pro, five times as first team and then two
as a second team. Thomas recorded more than seventeen hundred
combined tackles in his career, Eleven hundred of them came solo,
which included leading the league in tackles twice in two
and six, topping at least one hundred combined tackles in
ten out of his twelve seasons with the Dolphins, and
currently ranked sixth on the NFL's all time career tackles list.

(07:38):
He was named a two time NFL Alumni Linebacker of
the Year ninety eight, two thousand, and six, and was
also selected to the NFL's two thousands All decadeen In
two thousand and six, Thomas was inducted into the Texas
Tech Athletics Hall of Fame and would later be enshrined
into the Texas Tech Red Raider Ring of Honor in
twenty sixteen. In twenty fifteen, Thomas was inducted into the
College Football Hall of Fame in Atlanta. Twelve the Thomas

(08:01):
was enshrined into the Miami Dolphins Honor Roll. And on
February ninth, twenty twenty three, and his tenth year of
eligibility and his four straight year being a finalist, Zach
Thomas was elected as a member to the Pro Football
Hall of Fame Class of twenty twenty three. And I
should have done this before the show. I hate to
interrupt an NFL I Mortals installment to talk about it,

(08:21):
but shout out to the class of twenty twenty five,
the Hall of Fame class. I thought it was a
good one, obviously, you know Eric Allen, Antonio Gates, Jared Allen,
and Sterling Sharp. Why the hell was that slipping my mind?
The Sharp brothers obviously had a damn good connection. Just

(08:41):
the first two brothers to be inducted into the Hall
of Fame. You saw their relationship on center stage with
them talking about their their bond that they had over
the years. And then obviously Jared Allen whenever he brought
up his wife and daughters, there wasn't a dry eye
in the house. I mean, all of these guys were
able to deliver great speeches. Antonio Gates the first player
make the Hall of Fame without playing it down of
college football. Impressive class. Definitely an impressive class, and I

(09:06):
wanted to give them a shout out here. But back
to Zach Thomas here, let's go ahead and get this
train back on the tracks. Thomas was born in Pampa, Texas.
He attended White Year Schools in White Dear, Texas until
he was a sophomore, then transferred to Pampa High School
in his junior year. He was a standout high school
football player and was named a first team All state

(09:26):
selection as a senior. Thomas and his older brother Bart
were high school teammates at White Gear in nineteen eighty eight.
Thomas's freshman year, the White Year team was sixteen to
oh and won the Class one A state championship. Now
really quickly. Let's talk about that. There's two sides of
the coin here that I wanted to touch on. Number one, imagine,

(09:47):
let's talk about it from the white year perspective, Like
imagine having two brothers you know clearly have freak genetics,
and they lead your team to an undefeated season and
you win the championship, and then he leaves after his
sophomore year, Like that just seems brutal to have that
ripped away. I can imagine what his teammates and coaches felt.

(10:07):
I'm sure that that pain probably still stings a little
bit today. And then the Pampa side, like getting this
type of caliber player for the last two years of
his career, Like imagine being a linebacker there who's been
a starter probably since seventh eighth grade, had a great career.
You know, you're excited for your junior year, finally get
a get a chance to step on the varsity team
and make a name for yourself. And incomes Zach Thomas.

(10:30):
Oh yeah, we just moved here. We're transferring over here
to Panpa, Texas, and you never see the field a
game now, I'm sure you enjoyed the success, and you know,
getting a chance to play with the future NFL legend.
But it's just funny to me, Like, man, imagine Zach
Thomas moving to your school and him stealing your position.
But Thomas attended Texas Tech University, where he was a

(10:52):
three year starter a linebacker for the Texas Tech Red
Raider football team. As a junior in nineteen ninety four,
he was a second team All American. As a senior
in nineteen ninety five, he was a unanimous first team
All American, the Big Twelve Conference Defensive Player of the Year,
and a finalist for the Buckets Award. Thomas has one
of five Red Raiders to be named unanimous All American,

(11:12):
along with Mark Bounds, Byron Handspard, Michael Crabtree, and Jace Amarrow.
He recorded three hundred ninety tackles, including a career high
one hundred and thirty one tackles in a school record
twenty against Georgia in his senior season. Thomas and his
brother Bart were the only pair of brothers to be
named first team All Southwest Conference selections in the same year.

(11:34):
Thomas's most memorable college game for Texas Tech occurred on
October seventh, nineteen ninety five, against rival Texas A and
M University. A and M entered the game runing a
five game winning streak against Texas Tech dating back to
nineteen ninety. In a defensive seven to seven tie ball game,
heading late into the fourth quarter, Thomas intercepted a pass
and returned at twenty five yards for a touchdown with
thirty four seconds remaining, helping Texas Tech snap their five

(11:57):
game losing streak to Texas A and M, winning by
final score of fourteen to seven. Thomas finished the game
with twelve combined tackle is, one fumble recovery, and the
game clinching interception returned for a touchdown. Thomas would later
be inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in
twenty fifteen, which coincidentally, I was just a little side
no here. I've been to the College Fooball Hall of
Fame three times, be exact. I'm going or I'm going

(12:19):
for a fourth time in September. Whenever I go to Atlanta,
it's a great place if you're a college football fan,
like you have to go. What the hell you doing?
Atlanta is the college football capital of the world. Like
I get it. It's really SEC heavy, right, the SEC
Championship has played there. It seems like college football playoff
games are played there routinely. It's I mean, it just

(12:40):
is what it is. The home of the College Football
Hall of Fame is there, like Atlanta is the mecca
of college football, and not only the United States but
obviously in the world as well. But just if you're
a big time college football fan, it just makes sense
go check that out. But I'm the sidebar. The first
time I went there. He was inducted in twenty fifteen. Right,

(13:01):
the first year I went was New Year's twenty sixteen,
So December thirty first, twenty fifteen. January first, twenty sixteen.
The ball dropped whenever me and Caleb Grant were on
our way to Atlanta driving. I don't remember what sad
might have been like Memphis, Tennessee around that area, but
you get it. That year, the first year he was there,

(13:23):
was the first year I went to the Hall of Fame.
So that's kind of a little bit of a nice
coincidence there. So let's talk about his college awards. Second
Team Houston Connor Earth Houston Chronicle All SWC in ninety three,
Second Team Houston Post All SWC nineteen ninety three, first
team UPI All American in nineteen ninety four, second team
Football News All American in nineteen ninety four, Second team

(13:45):
Sporting News All American nineteen ninety four, Two times SWC
Defensive Player of the Year ninety four ninety five, went
back to back unanimous first Team All American in ninety five,
First Team All SWC nineteen ninety five, Collegetball Hall of Fame,
Texas Tech Hall of Fame. He pretty much checked all
the boxes except for winning the Buckets Award and winning
a national championship there for the Texas Tech Red Raiders.

(14:09):
But before we move on to his professional career, because
that's where we're headed next, I wanted to give a
shout out to see him, just because he's the one
that requested this episode, and you know, his Texas Tech career,
especially that A and M game solidified him as a
tech legend this area, this part of his career is
the reason why we're doing this episode right now. Anyways,
I was a Zach Thomas fan, so it probably would

(14:31):
have come up eventually. But you know, if you request
an NFL I Mortals, there's a good chance I'm moving
it to the top of my list. So just so
you guys know, if there's somebody out there you want
me to break down, do what CM did and say, hey,
I wouldn't mind hearing you talk about my guy Zach Thomas,
because you know he's one of the best. Obviously mentioned
Luke Keigley as well for the Panthers, who's another immortal.

(14:52):
So I'm excited to get into all of these. And
I know this is only the third installment that we've
done this summer, but bear with me here, right. We
did one in June, one in July, and now we're
doing one in August. I truly think that we can
keep this train going. If I'm doing one of these
NFL and Mortals episodes a month, it can no longer
be a summer series. I truly think that I can

(15:14):
squeeze one of these in every single month. So even
during football season, in the heydays, you know, in the
in the dark days, when whenever we're knee deep in
football content to cover, I still think we can knock
out an NFL and Mortals episode. So just something to
look forward to in the coming months is these episodes

(15:35):
aren't going anywhere. So moving on to his professional career.
Thomas attended the NFL Scouting Combine in Indianapolis, but had
a performance that was described as lousy and included a
twenty eight and a half inch vertical jump. Now, I'm
gonna be honest, guys, that is very mediocre. Twenty eight
and a half vertical jump. No exaggeration if you're a

(15:58):
somewhat athletic person, but just you know, a smidge of
explosion in your legs. You, yes, you, whoever is listening
to this podcast right now, should be able to hop
out of bed and get a twenty eight in vertical Now.
It's just you know, obviously it's easier said than done.
But I remember visiting like vividly in I think my

(16:21):
sophomore year, I had like a thirty two to thirty
three inch vertical and I remember like that was considered
not good, Like that was like, damnly, you're not even
near the top of the group, you know. So that
say it to say twenty eight and a half at
the NFL or Scouting Combine, It's no surprise that he
fell all the way to one hundred and fifty fourth overall.

(16:42):
But the Miami Dolphins Special teams coordinator Mike Westoff was
sent to Texas by the Dolphins to meet with Thomas
and scout him for their special teams unit. Thomas was
considered to be too small and not faster athletic enough
to play at the professional level, according to scouts and
draft quote unquote experts. The Miami Dolphins selected Zach Thomas

(17:05):
in the fifth round, one hundred and fifty fourth overall
of the nineteen ninety six NFL Draft. Thomas was the
eighteenth linebacker drafted in a linebacker class that included Ray Lewis,
Teddy Bruski, Donnie Edwards, and Kevin Hardy. Holy she's talking
about a loaded class. If you needed a linebacker that year,
that was a damn good year to get one. Thomas

(17:25):
was actually the second linebacker the draft or the Dolphins
drafted nineteen ninety six, joining their fourth round pick Baylor
linebacker La Curtis Jones one hundred and twenty sixth overall.
Thomas was initially drafted to join special teams after the
Miami Dolphins special teams coordinator Mike Westoff recommended him to
head coach Jimmy Johnson. This is a quote from Jimmy Johnson.
The bottom line is that Zach Thomas was making plays.

(17:47):
He has quickness, he's an instinctive player, and he makes plays.
Jack del Rio would still be here and still be
our starter where it not for the play of Zach Thomas.
So a domino effect, butterfly effect. A very historically good
linebacker and even arguably better coach, Jack del Rio lost
his starting job to Zach Thomas. I came in and said,

(18:09):
see a later coach, this is mine. I'm snatching this up.
And credit to him because he held on to that
bad boy for over a decade, twelve years to be exact.
There with the Miami Dolphins. On July third, nineteen ninety six,
the Miami Dolphins signed Thomas to a three year, five
hundred and seventy seven thousand dollars contract at the league minimum.
He impressed the Dolphins coaching staff during training camp and

(18:31):
quickly rose up the depth chart to compete for the
job as the starting middle linebacker against Jack del Rio.
Head coach Jimmy Johnson officially named Thomas the starting middle
linebacker to begin the regular season on August third, which
was yesterday in nineteen ninety six. The Miami Dolphins subsequently
released del Rio to the sudden emergence of Thomas Dan
Not only did he take his job, he made He

(18:53):
didn't literally take his starting job, he took his actual job.
He made him unemployed. There's gotta be some beef there.
Even if del Rio takes the high road and says, hey,
no is what it is. It worked out for me everything. No, like,
I promise that that hurts, especially for a rookie. Like
a rookie came in and snatched your job a fifth rounder.
Yee yeah, del Rio, that's the sting a little bit. Anyway.

(19:16):
He made his professional regular season debut and his first
career start in the Miami Dolphins season opener at home
against the New England Patriots, and made nine combined tackles
in his first career sack in their twenty four to
ten victory. Thomas made his first career tackle on Patriots
running back Curtis Martin It made his first career sack
on Patriots quarterback Drew Bletsoe for a six yard loss
in the first quarter. The following week, he collected a

(19:39):
season high fifteen combined tackles as the Dolphins defeated the
Arizona Cardinals thirty eight to ten. In Week six, he
collected twelve combined tackles in the dolphins twenty two to
fifteen loss against the Seattle Seahawks. On October thirteenth, nineteen
ninety six, Thomas recorded eleven combined tackles, a sack, and
made his first career interception during a twenty one to
seven win at the Buffalo bill In Week seven, Thomas

(20:02):
made his first career interception off of a pass by
Bill's quarterback Jim Kelly that was originally intended for tight
end Lonnie Johnson and returned it for an eight yard
gain in the first quarter. On November seventeenth, nineteen ninety six,
Thomas made eight combined tackles and returned an interception for
his very first touchdown in the dolphins twenty three to

(20:24):
twenty win against the Houston Oilers. In Week twelve, Thomas
intercepted a pass by Oilers quarterback Chris Chandler that was
intended for tight end Frank Wycheck and returned it for
a twenty six star touchdown in the fourth quarter. Thomas
finished his rookie season in ninety six with a one
hundred and fifty three combined tackles, three picks in two
sacks while starting sixteen games. Thomas was in a nineteen

(20:45):
ninety seven Pro Bowl alternate in an All rookie selection
in nineteen ninety six. On August fourth, which is today
nineteen ninety seven, Thomas sustained a fractured fibula during the
dolphins thirty eight to nineteen win against the Denver Broncos
in their preseason opener. His injury sidelined him for the
remainder of the preseason. He was also inactive for the

(21:05):
dolphins sixteen to ten season opening victory against the Indianapolis Colts.
Head coach Jimmy Johnson named Thomas the starting mid a
linebacker upon his return from injury. He started alongside outside
linebackers Anthony Harris and Derek Rodgers. In Week four, he
collected a season high at twelve combined tackles and made
an interception during a thirty one to twenty one loss

(21:25):
at the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. On October twenty seventh, nineteen
ninety seven, Thomas tied the season high of twelve combined
tackles and the dolphins thirty six to thirty three loss
at the Chicago Bears. In Week nine, He finished the
nineteen ninety seven season with a total of one hundred
and twenty seven tackles, an interception, and was credited with
half a sack in fifteen games in fifteen starts. The

(21:46):
Miami Dolphins finished second in the AC East with a
nine to seven record and earned a wild card berth
On December twenty eighth, nineteen ninety seven, Thomas started in
his first career playoff game and recorded ten combined tackles
during the New England Patriots win over the Dolphins seventeen
to three. Let's see really quickly here they mentioned his
teammates that he lined up with Anthony Harris and Derek Rodgers.

(22:08):
I'm pretty sure that was the linebacker core for the
Miami Dolphins for several years. Like that sounds like a
unit that I remember constantly having some stability and some continuity.
I could be wrong. We'll definitely find out as we
get in here. But moving on to nineteen ninety eight,
Thomas was retained as a starting middle linebacker for the
third consecutive season and started alongside outside linebackers Robert Jones

(22:30):
and Dereck Rodgers. So Rogers is the is the is
the continuity piece there. Robert Jones actually replaced Anthony Harris
with their linebacker, so I could be wrong here. We'll
see if Derek Rodgers sticks around and it ended up
being Thomas and Rogers there as the two backers. But
on September twentieth, ninety eight, Zach Thomas recorded eight combined

(22:52):
tackles and returned an interception for a touchdown during a
twenty one to zero win against the Pittsburgh Steelers. In
Week three, Thomas intercepted a pass by Steelers quarterback cord
All Stewart and returned it for a seventeen yard touchdown
in the third quarter. On November first, nineteen ninety eight,
he collected a season high fourteen combined tackles during a
thirty to twenty four loss at the Buffalo Bills. In

(23:13):
Week nine and Week fourteen, Thomas recorded six combined tackles
and made a season high two interceptions. In the dolphins
twenty seven to seventeen win at the Oakland Raiders, Thomas
intercepted two passes or two pass attempts by quarterback Donald Hollis.
He started in all sixteen games in ninety eight and
recorded one hundred and thirty three combined tackles, three picks,

(23:33):
and two sacks. Thomas was first team All Pro for
the first time in his career, and the Dolphins defense
allowed the fewest points in the NFL. The Miami Dolphins
finished second in the AFC East with a ten and
six record and earned a playoff berth On January second,
ninety nine, Thomas recorded eight combined tackles during a twenty
four to seventeen win against the Buffalo Bills in the

(23:54):
AFC Wild Card Game. The following week, he made ten
combined tackles as the Dolphins lost to the New Broncos
in a blowout thirty eight to three AFC Divisional round matchup. Yikes,
that'll leave a terrible taste in your mouth, but anyways,
On February thirteen, nineteen ninety nine, the Miami Dolphins signed
Thomas to a five year, twenty two point five million
dollar contract that included a signing bonus of four point

(24:17):
five million. Thomas's six point five million in salary and
bonus made in the Dolphins highest paid player, surpassing Dan Marino.
Head coach Jimmy Johnson retained Thomas, Robert Jones, and Derek
Rodgers as the starting linebackers in nineteen ninety nine, so
we did have some stability there ended up being the
following three, but Rogers and Zach Thomas has been together
for about four years now as the linebacker's there in Miami.

(24:39):
I'm definitely trying to track this because it sounded familiar.
Thomas collected a season high thirteen combined tackles during the
dolphins twelve to nine win against the San Diego Chargers
in Week thirteen or Week fifteen. He started in all
sixteen games in nineteen ninety nine and recorded one hundred
and thirty two combined tackles, a sack, and an interception.

(25:00):
Thomas was selected to the two thousand Pro Bowl, marking
him the first Pro Bowl selection, or marking this the
first Pro Bowl selection of his career. The Miami Dolphins
finished third in the AFC East with the ninety seven
record and earned a playoff berth On January ninth, two thousand,
Thomas recorded nine combined tackles and a sack during a
twenty to seventeen victory at the Seattle Seahawks in the

(25:20):
AFC Wild Card Game. The following week, he made ten
combined tackles as the Dolphins lost Oh my lord, sixty
two to seven at the Jacksonville Jaguars in the AFC
Divisional Round. I remember the Jaguars that same season, they
beat the shit out of the Dolphins. They went on
to the next They went onto the AFC Championship that

(25:41):
next week and lost to the Titans, who had already
beaten the Jags twice in the regular season. The Jacksonville
Jaguars finished nineteen ninety nine fourteen to two, beat everybody
on their schedule in the regular season except for their
two matchups against the Tennessee Type and in the playoffs dismantled,

(26:03):
destroyed the Miami Dolphins, and then the very week or
the very next week, lost to the Tennessee Titans for
a third time that season. And I will always tell you, guys,
when it comes to rivalries, the Jags and Titans does
not get the respect that it deserves because that rivalry
right there, there's some bad blood going on. On January seventeen,

(26:24):
two thousand, head coach Jimmy Johnson announced his decision to
step down as head coach of the Miami Dolphins. Assistant
head coach Dave Wanstett was promoted to head coach Wantstet
opted to retain Thomas as a starting middle linebacker alongside
Robert Jones and Derrick Rodgers. On September seventeen, two thousand,
Thomas collected a season high thirteen combined tackles during a

(26:45):
nineteen to six win against the Baltimore Ravens in Week three.
Thomas was sidelined during the Dolphins Week five victory of
the Cincinnati Bengals due to a spring ankle. Thomas was
an active for four games thanks to that weeks nine
through twelve, after aggravating his spraining angle during a Week
eight loss against the New York Jets the previous week.
He finished the two thousand season with ninety nine combined tackles,

(27:07):
one and a half sacks, an interception, and in eleven
games played and eleven games started. Two thousand and one,
defensive coordinator Jim Bates retained Thomas as a starting middle linebacker.
He started alongside Twan Russell and Derrick Rodgers to begin
the two thousand and one regular season. He started in
the Miami Dolphins season opener at the Tennessee Titans and
recorded nine combined tackles, deflected two passes, and returned an

(27:29):
interception for a touchdown. In their thirty one to twenty
three victory. Thomas intercepted a pass by Titans backup quarterback
Neil O'Donnell that was intended for tight end Aaron Kinney
and returned it for a thirty four yard touchdown in
the fourth quarter. The following week, he collected a career
high eighteen combined tackles, nine solo during an eighteen to
fifteen victory against the Oakland Raiders in Week two. In

(27:52):
Week five, he recorded nine combined tackles and made a
season high one and a half sacks as the Dolphins
lost twenty one to seventeen at the New York Jets.
Thomas finished the two thousand and one season with one
hundred and fifty four combined tackles, ninety four solo, three sacks,
two pass deflections, two interceptions, a touchdown in fifteen games
and fifteen starts. Head coach Dave Wanstett chose arrest Thomas

(28:14):
during the dolphins a Week seventeen win against the Buffalo Bills,
they had already clinched the playoff birth Thomas was also
selected to play in the two thousand and two Pro Bowl.
The Miami Dolphins finished second in the AFC East in
two thousand and one with an eleven to five record.
On January thirteen, two thousand and two, Thomas recorded twenty
two combined tackles with fourteen solo during the Dolphins twenty

(28:34):
to three loss against the Ravens in the AFC Wild
Card Game. Ravens obviously went on to win the Super
Bowl that year. In two thousand and two, Thomas returned
as the starting middle linebacker under coach Dave Wanstett and
started alongside outside linebackers Derek Rodgers and Marlon Greenwood. On
December twenty nine, two thousand and two, Thomas collected a

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season high sixteen combined tackles eleven solo in the dolphins
twenty seven to twenty four laws at the New England
Patriots in Week seventeen. He started in all sixteen games
in two thousand and two and recorded one hundred and
fifty six combined tackles, one hundred and one solo, two
pass deflections, an interception, and he was credited with half
a sack. On March twenty seventh, two thousand and three,

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the Miami Dolphins signed Thomas to a five year thirty
three point seventy five million dollar contract extension that included
a signing bonus of ten point five million. The agreement
kept him under contract with Miami through two thousand and eight.
On November second, two thousand and three, Thomas collected a
season high nineteen combined tackles, twelve solo and the dolphins
twenty three to seventeen loss to the Indianapolis Colts in

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Week nine. He was inactive for the dolphins Week ten
loss of the Tennessee Titans due to a groin injury.
On November twenty seven, two thousand and three, Thomas made
six combined tackles, a pass deflection, a sack, and an
interception during a forty to forty to twenty one victory
at the Dallas Cowboys. In Week thirteen, Thomas intercepted a
pass by Cowboys quarterback Quincy Carter that was intended for

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wide receiver Terry Glenn in the fourth quarter. He finished
the two and two season with one hundred and fifty
two combined tackles, eighty four of them coming solo, six
pass deflections, three interceptions, and a sack, and fifteen games played,
and of course, fifteen games started. Thomas was selected to
play in the Pro Bowl two thousand and four and
earned his fifth All Pro selection in six years. In

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two thousand and four. Thomas started alongside Marlon Greenwood and
Junior Sea on two thousand and four after the Dolphins
signed Seau during free agency. On November nine, two thousand
and four, head coach Dave wants To unexpectedly announced his
resignation of the Dolphins head coach after they declined or
after they declined and fell to a one to eight record.

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Defensive coordinator Jim Bates was promoted to interim head coach
for the first or for the last seven games of
the regular season. I apologize. Thomas injured his hamstring and
was sidelined for three games Week thirteen through fifteen. On
December twenty six, two thousand and four, Thomas collected a
season high eighteen combined tackles nine sold Dolphins ten to
seven victory against the Cleveland Browns in Week sixteen. He

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finished the four season with one hundred and forty five
combined tackles, eighty five solo, four pass deflections, two sacks,
thirteen games played and of course, thirteen games started. At
the mind of Dolphins finished with a disappointing record of
four and twelve, and the remaining coaching staff was fired
after the season was over. Fast forward to two thousand
and five. Head coach Nick Saban retained Thomas as the

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starting middle linebacker in two thousand and five. Thomas started
the five season alongside outside linebackers Chaining Crowder and Junior
sau He also played under defensive coordinator Richard Smith and
linebackers coach George Edwards. In Week three, he collected a
season high sixteen combined tackles with nine solo, broke up
a pass, and made a sack during a twenty seven
to twenty four win against the Carolina Panthers. On October

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twenty first, two thousand and five, Thomas made fourteen combined tackles,
eight solo as the Dolphins lost thirty to twenty to
the Kansas City Chiefs. In Week seven, his fourteen combined
tackles against the Chiefs continued to streak of six consecutive
games with double digit tackles. In Week eleven, Thomas injured
his shoulder and was inactive for the next two games
Week twelve and thirteen. On December eleventh, two thousand and five,

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Thomas recorded eleven combined tackles, nine solo, broke up the
pass and intercepted a pass attended by Chargers quarterback Drew
Brees as the Dolphins defeated the San Diego Chargers twenty
three to twenty one in Week fifteen. On December nineteen,
two thousand and five, it was announced that Thomas was
selected to play in the two thousand and six Pro Bowl,
marking his seventh Pro Bowl selection in his career. He

(32:30):
tied the third most Pro Bowl appearances in club history.
This is also the record for the most Pro Bowl
selections among all defensive players in the Dolphins franchise history.
Thomas finished his tenth season in two thousand and five
with one hundred and fifty eight combined tackles, one hundred
and four solo, three pass deflections, two sacks, two interceptions
in fourteen games played and started. On January twenty three,

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or twenty third, two thousand and six, the Miami Dolphins
hired former Houston Texans head coach Dom Capers as their
new defensive coordinator. Capers opted to retain Thomas as the
starting middle linebacker and named Channing Crowder and Donnie Spragan
the starting outside linebackers. In Week eleven, he collected seventeen
combined tackles for solo in a twenty four to twenty
victory against the Minnesota Vikings. The following week, he recorded

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six solo tackles, broke up a pass, and made two
sacks on Lions quarterback John Kittna during a twenty seven
to ten victory at the Detroit Lions in week twelve.
On December seventeenth, two thousand and six, Thomas recorded a
career high twenty one combined tackles during a twenty one
to zero loss at the Buffalo Bills. In week fifteen,

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on December twenty, two thousand and six, Thomas was selected
once again to play in the two thousand and seven
Pro Bowl as part of the AFC roster. Thomas started
all sixteen games in two thousand and six and recorded
a career high one hundred and sixty five tackles, one
hundred and three solo, nine pass defense, three sacks in
an interception. So impressive season, there are no six in

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what would you know be one of his final seasons there. Obviously,
he came back for the seven season, which we'll get into,
but it's nice to know that he was. He didn't
just slide all of his you know, the entire way down.
He did pick up some steam and showed us that
he's still that legendary linebacker. We just had to pull
it out of him in two thousand and seven. January thirty,

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two thousand and seven, Miami Dolphins head coach Nick Saban
resigned from his position to accept the head coaching job
with the Alabama Crimson Tide. Saban resigned after repeatedly denying
he would accept the position. The Dolphins hired the San
Diego Chargers offensive coordinator, Cam Cameron. Cameron retained Dom Capers
at the defensive coordinator and George Edwards as the linebackers coach.

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Thomas remained the starting middle linebacker alongside outside linebackers Channing
Crowder and Joey Porter. He started in the Miami Dolphins
season opener at the Washington Redskins and collected the season
high thirteen in mind tackles and made one sack in
a sixteen to thirteen loss. On Septemberson sixteen, two thousand
and seven, Thomas recorded ten combined tackles and broke up

(35:03):
two passes before exiting the game. Due to a concussion
he suffered while tackling Cowboys pulled back Oliver Hoyt in
the third quarter of their thirty seven to ten loss
to the Dallas Cowboys. His concussion rendered him inactive for
the next two games. On October twenty first, two thousand
and seven, Thomas was involved in a car collision and
sustained another concussion during the accident. His repeated concussion concussions

(35:27):
caused Thomas to have migraine headaches that lingered until being
placed on the injured reserve list on December fourth, two
thousand and seven. Thomas was officially placed by the Miami
Dolphins on the injured reserve after he missed the fine
or after he missed five games Week eight to thirteen
due to his repeated migraine headaches. On December twenty, two
thousand and seven, the Miami Dolphins hired Bill Parcells as

(35:47):
their head coach or as their head of football operations.
I apologize hearing Bill Parcells. I just think a head
coach automatically. Thomas finished the two thousand and seven season
with only fifty two tackles, two pass deflections, and a
sack in five game games played. On January first, two
thousand and eight, the Miami Dolphins fired head coach Cam Cameron,
and you know, off after one and fifteen record, you

(36:08):
can't really blame him there. On February fourth, or fourteen,
two thousand and eight, the Miami Dolphins released Thomas after
announcing that he no longer fit into their long term
plans and his contract was terminated. Thomas received offers from
the Dallas Cowboys, New England Patriots, and New Orleans Saints.
Let's just say thank you God that he chose the

(36:29):
Dallas Cowboys. It's not like the you know, obviously, it's
not like they were getting prime Zach Thomas at this point.
But you just don't want to hate a legend. Man.
I don't want to see Zach Thomas go play for
the New Orleans Saints? Are you kidding me? So? Yeah,
I'm glad he was able to go home, go to
Texas and finish his career somewhat close to where it started.

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On February twenty third, two thousand eighth, the Dallas Cowboys
signed Thomas to a one year, three million dollar contract
that included a signing bonus of another one million. The
signing of Thomas surprise media and observers, considering that he
didn't have the previous experience or the size to play
in the Cowboys three to four defense. After he joined
the roster, the Cowboys traded linebacker aken Aodell I believe

(37:14):
I'm sorry, I cannot pronounce that name to the Miami Dolphins,
the clear space for Thomas to become the starter at
inside linebacker. Thomas started alongside Brady James and outside linebackers
DeMarcus Ware and Greg Allis, who some familiar names there
right Cowboys fans. In Week four, he collected a season
high twelve combined tackle, six to solo during the cowboys
twenty six to twenty four loss to the Washington Redskins.

(37:36):
He finished the season with ninety four tackles, three pass
deflections in a sack in sixteen games, and he started
fourteen of them. As an unrestricted free agent in the
two thousand and nine offseason, Thomas agreed to terms with
the Kansas City Chiefs on April eleventh. The one year
contract was worth two million. He suffered a concussion early
in training camp and was eventually released on September fifth,

(37:57):
after not playing in any exhibition games In October, he
filed a grievance against the Chiefs for releasing them without
an injury settlement while recovering. On May eighteenth, twenty ten,
the Dolphins signed Thomas to a one day ceremonial contract
officially worth one dollar in order to for him to
retire as a member of the team. So that was

(38:19):
a fitting way to go out. It does suck, you know,
we're just talking about it. It sucks that he had
to go out being injured, especially concussions, for someone that
you know, gays so much to the game of football,
put his life and his body on the line weekend
week out to try to get wins, to try to
help his team win, and obviously entertain us as football fans,
whether you're a Pampa Harvester fan, a White Deer fan,
a Texas Tech fan, Miami Dolphins, or even Dallas Cowboys.

(38:42):
In that one year stint, it's very easy to be
a fan of Zach Thomas. He's a very likable player.
He plays the game the right way or he played
the game the right way, and you know, linebackers, I've
seen so many players like Zach Thomas over the years.
Just fiery, hot head, sowt off. Just what's the term

(39:03):
or what's the what do they use like for like
like aj hawk right, people like that, that type of linebacker.
There's a term and slip in my mind, and towards
the end of the show, good luck trying to get
me to re or recall something that's just slipping away, meathead,
that might be what I'm talking about, but you get it.

(39:24):
Zach Thomas man cut from a different cloth. Some would
even argue that the cloth that he was cut from
is discontinued, meaning they don't they don't make him like
that anymore, which is fitting and a good way to
end this episode. Shout out to you guys for staying tuned.
A little bit of a longer one like to try
to get these in in thirty minutes or less. But
you know, when you're talking about Zach Thomas talking about
the Hall of Fame class had just gotten dusted, talking

(39:45):
about the preseason or at least the Hall of Fame game,
it's very easy to let this kind of you know,
linger on and add on a little bit. But thank
you guys so much for tuning in. Hopefully you'll be
back to continue. We don't know what's coming up next.
I'm sure CM will have like I think, one more
is what he said, one more schedule prediction show, so

(40:05):
you know, stay in the lookout for that. I'll be
coming within the next week or so. I'll be back.
I got a couple things in mind. I probably won't
do another Immortal episode until September, but don't worry, because
I am excited for something else that I plan on
doing here with one of these bonus episodes. So with
all that being said, guys, have a damn good week.
Walk passionately in the direction of your dreams. Enjoy the
preseason football action. We got MLB baseball, WNBA basketball, summer's

(40:30):
almost over. Go get in a pool. We'll do something
before the clock runs out. So thank you guys so much.
I have a damn good week. Walk passionately in the direction
of your dreams, and I'll talk to you soon.