Miami Dolphins Zach Thomas will have to wait until 2022 for HOF
By Brian Miller
The Miami Dolphins Saturday night wasn’t very good at the NFL Awards but Zach Thomas may have gotten the raw end of the stick. His bid for induction into the Pro Football Hall of Fame will have to wait another year.
In 2020, Thomas made the cut to the final voting but he came up a little short. This year, rinse and repeat. In all, five modern-era football players will be enshrined in Canton, Oh. but Zach Thomas will not be one of them.
The HOF voting took place almost three weeks ago but the league offices and the HOF managed to keep the secret of who was going in under a tight wrap. Lucky for Thomas, he already knew awhile ago.
This year’s class will include Peyton Manning and Charles Woodson as clear-cut HOF members but it was the other three that have many on social media asking why they over Thomas?
Calvin Johnson, one of the league’s more dynamic receivers cut his career short after disagreeing with the way things were going in Detroit with the Lions. Johnson’s career lasted nine seasons and this year was his first as an eligible HOF member. Perhaps more than anyone, this is who many fans believe Thomas should have received the nod over.
Alan Faneca played for the Steelers and the Jets and now the guard is in the Hall of Fame. This was his sixth year as a finalist for the honor. He and the others will also be joined by John Lynch. Fitting that his career was at its best with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, this year’s Super Bowl host, and NFC representative in the Super Bowl.
Lynch has been a finalist for the last seven years so his time was also due. In comparison to Faneca and Lynch, Thomas has been a semi-finalist for two straight years. He has been eligible since 2014, so yes, he is long overdue.
2022 may be his year, or maybe he will have to wait for another one or another one after that. Many believe that it is simply a matter of time. Next year, only one first-time eligible player stands out and that is Anquan Boldin. This year, Manning and Woodson were the top two no matter what.
Thomas will eventually get in, most members of the media I speak with believe this. It just won’t be this year.