With the 2021 Pro Football Hall of Fame Ceremony upon us, former Miami Dolphins LB Zach Thomas is once again absent from the list of names being enshrined in Canton. In a recent interview with Pro Football Network’s Chief NFL Analyst Trey Wingo, former NFL quarterback, and father to 2021 Hall of Fame inductee Peyton Manning, Archie Manning discussed Thomas’ candidacy. Let’s look at what Manning had to say and where Thomas sits in terms of players potentially deserving their place in the Hall of Fame.
Zach Thomas received glowing praise from Archie Manning
It is no secret that Peyton Manning is a fan of Thomas’ play, so it is not overly surprising that Archie Manning shared a similar viewpoint on Thomas.
“Yeah, I thought he was a Hall of Fame player. He played the position the way it was supposed to be played. Total leader out there, totally in control. I thought he was a kind of a throwback. Kind of reminds me of them middle linebackers in my day too. Yeah, I think he belongs.”
Thomas was a tackling machine. He racked up 1,734 combined tackles across 13 seasons and 184 games. That averages out to 133.4 tackles per season and 9.4 tackles per game.
Thomas ranks fifth all-time in tackles entering the 2021 season, and he is one of only two players in the top 10 of the list to have played under 200 games. If we just look at the 13-year stretch of Thomas’ career, he led the league in tackles.
The Hall of Fame candidacy of Thomas and Urlacher is much debated
The comparison to Brian Urlacher will often be made, as the former Chicago linebacker is already in the Hall of Fame.
The comparison between the two is tough to make. Thomas has a significant advantage in terms of tackles, close to 400. However, Urlacher has a significant advantage in sacks (21 more) and combined forced fumbles and fumble recoveries (36 vs. 25). Urlacher also had 5 more interceptions, but Thomas has more first-team All-Pro selections (5 vs. 4). Comparing sacks, tackles, and turnovers in terms of relative merit is impossible to do.
However, the 2000s All-Decade Team was probably telling in terms of who got the nod first. Alongside Ray Lewis and Derrick Brooks, Urlacher was selected to the first team, while Thomas made the second team.
To put that into context, 19 out of 21 eligible players selected to the first-team offense or defense are already in the Hall of Fame. In contrast, just nine out of 20 eligible second-team selections are in the Hall of Fame, including Thomas’ teammate, Jason Taylor.
Which other NFL All-Decade selections have not been selected to the Hall of Fame?
If we take the timeframe between the 1970s and 2000s All-Decade Teams, only three first-team selections eligible for the Hall of Fame are not enshrined: S LeRoy Butler (1990s), DT Richard Seymour (2000s), and FB Lorenzo Neal (2000s). The candidacy of Neal as a fullback is questionable, but both Butler and Seymour should join their first-team All-Decade peers before too long.
It is more hit and miss with the second-team All-Decade selections
While being selected for first-team All-Decade on either offense or defense virtually guarantees your place within the Hall of Fame, a second-team selection, like the one Thomas got, is less of a certainty. From the 1970s All-Decade Team, 19 of the 23 second-team selections are in the Hall of Fame. All four players not enshrined in Canton are defensive players.
From the 1980s All-Decade Team, there are just 12 second-team selections in the Hall of Fame. Of those 12, only four are defensive players. The story is similar with the 1990s All-Decade Team, although the offense-to-defense balance is better. There are 11 second-team players in the Hall of Fame, five from the defense.
That brings us to Thomas and the 2000s All-Decade Team. So far, there are nine second-team players inducted into the Hall of Fame. Six of those are on the offense, with Taylor, Ty Law, and Troy Polamalu the only defensive players.
Thomas should have more opportunities at making the Hall of Fame
While the numbers are somewhat against Thomas, it is not out of the realm of possibility his time may yet come. He has been a finalist twice in consecutive seasons. The other linebackers among the 2021 finalists were Clay Matthews and Sam Mills.
Mills is a better comparison to Thomas, and his numbers do not compare favorably to Thomas’. Matthews was more of a pass rusher, making it tough to compare. His tackle numbers are lower than Thomas’, but his sack number is nearly four times greater. Additionally, neither Matthews nor Mills received All-Decade honors in their careers.
One other name to watch out for is DeMarcus Ware. He becomes eligible for the Hall of Fame in 2022. Ware received 2000s second-team All-Decade praise with Thomas. They were different styles of players, with Ware being more of a pass rusher. However, Ware’s 138.5 sacks and 35 forced fumbles could be eye-catching enough to mean Thomas has to wait yet another year.
Thomas has a more-than-deserving résumé to make it into the Hall of Fame. However, so do several other well-deserved candidates.
Ben Rolfe is a Senior Managing Editor at Pro Football Network and is also a member of the Fantasy Sports Writers Association (FSWA). You can find him on Twitter @BenRolfePFN.
