Update:  Zach Thomas Update:  Zach Thomas

Will He? Won't He? Should He? Thomas Still Questionable

facebooktwitterreddit

Update:  Zach Thomas officially was ruled out of the Buffalo game this morning by Cam Cameron due to recurring Migraines. 

This is a simple question with a not so simple answer.  Will Zach Thomas play against Buffalo?  Will he not be cleared to play?  Should he play….again?  Those are the questions surrounding the Miami Dolphins ageing middle linebacker and undisputed defensive leader.  The answers are not so clear, and at least the last one is answered by Thomas himself.  Yes.

Zach, earlier this week was sidelined after complaining of migrane headaches.  Suffering from the remnants of an early season concussion that although was not declared a grade 3 like that of Trent Green, he is still feeling the trauma that will likely plague him the rest of his career.  Yet when asked about his future, Zach made no hesitation, his answer was emphatically…YES.

Backtracking a bit from statements made earlier this season when he said that he would fight to retire a Miami Dolphin, Zach responded to this latest question about his future by saying that he “wants to give it another go, whether in Miami, or somewhere else”.

To the present, Zach is a man who missed 4 games from a concussion suffered early in the Dallas game, a game in which he would play through.  Then, if losing to New England was not enough, Zach suffered whiplash in an auto accident on the way home from the game.   He has not played since.  Now, word is that Zach participated in his first full contact practice in over a month despite the fact that 1:  He is still a game time decision, and 2:  The day before his migraine headache was so bad that he had to sit out.

Zach is the little engine that could.  His 5’11” frame has been talked about since Jimmy Johnson drafted him.  Paired with his brother-in-law defensive end, Jason Taylor and he has been the captain of a defensive unit that has gone from the top to the bottom in one year.

Something will have to give with Zach.  His career is no longer in the twilight, it has moved beyond.  His production is still head and shoulders above most and he still leads the team in tackles when healthy, a product of a system.  His energy level is still more robust than most rookies.  Zach goes full speed with little or no thought on how his body is being destroyed.

Trent Green has suffered 2 serious concussions in 2 years and fans and teammates talk about how he should retired.  In contrast, Thomas has suffered concussions and a miriad of other injuries that over the last 5 years has led to missed games.  Yet he still talks about one more year, and most fans have no problem with that.

Will he play this Sunday against Buffalo or won’t he?  That question will be answered in less than 2 days.  Should he play against Buffalo and beyond? That all depends on who you ask, just don’t ask Thomas.