When you have your head run over by a pickup truck when you’re a toddler, and you survive, I think someone is not-so-gently telling you, “You’re going to be a linebacker.” When you look like Barney Rubble and you’re five-foot-nothing and you’re white and you’re playing football, no one is ever going to give you much of a chance to be special. And when you go from being a fifth-round afterthought selection in the draft to one of the best players in the history of one of the NFL’s proudest franchises, saying goodbye to the only team that truly believed in you professionally isn’t going to be easy.
So when video emerged of Zach Thomas, now 35, taking down the parking sign that bore his name in the parking lot of Miami Dolphins headquarters, you knew the writing was on the wall. A new vice president of football operations, new general manager, new coach and a new ownership structure for a team coming off a one-win season meant more than a few changes were on the way. That doesn’t make it any easier to think of a Dolphins “D” without No. 54 in the middle.
The Dolphins, under the guidance of a confederacy of dunces that included Jimmy Johnson, Dave Wannstedt, Nick Saban and Cam Cameron, failed Zach Thomas for years and years, through seven Pro Bowls and 11 100-plus-tackle seasons. They let him literally and figuratively beat his head against the wall, leaving him battered, bruised and concussed, as the braintrust threw draft picks away like confetti, burned money on overrated, past-their-prime vets, let top talent walk out the door, and transformed what was the winningest franchise in NFL history into the league laughingstock.
Thomas did land on his feet, though, in a better situation, with a better opportunity to pursue a ring. After jeopardizing his spot in Dolphins lore by flirting with the hated Patsies, he earned contract offers from New Orleans and Dallas before choosing to return to his home state and join the Cowboys.
His was the last Miami jersey in my closet that I remained proud to wear. So even though he’ll be wearing a star on his helmet and answering questions about Jessica Simpson all of next year, I’ll still be rooting him on and keeping an eye on his progress.
Even as he left under bitter circumstances, Thomas assured the fans that he would “always be a Miami Dolphin,” no matter where he ended up. So thanks for the memories, Zach Attack ... and we’re going to hold you to that final promise.
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