Thomas didn’t make an all decade team, he hasn’t broken any records, he wasn’t a part of any championships. He hasn’t been named to any all decade, or all time lists.
Except for, you know, the
2000 NFL All-Decade Team.
But I'm sure you will quickly spin that into a meaningless accomplishment (immediately after touting it for Randle and Tippett).
So what has Zach Thomas done to earn a place in history? The list of non indcuted playes who have made as many pro-powls as him is pretty dam long.
That's because Pro Bowls are pretty damned insignificant (at the potential-HOF level), particularly when you have large groups of players sitting out (with "injuries") and the 4th and 5th backup choices at a position (in that conference!) playing. David freaking Garrard was a Pro Bowler this year.
All-Pro is a different story. There are no substitute All-Pro selections, and it doesn't matter if your conference is stacked or weak at that position; it's simply the best of the best in the league. Zach has more All-Pro selections (particularly first-team) than the majority of HOF candidates; hell, he has more first-team selections than a lot of the players already
in the Hall.
That, to me, is the key; not stats like tackles or sacks (which vary from era to era) but simply: how was this player compared to his peers? And empirically speaking, Zach was selected as the best in the league (first-team All-Pro) more than all but a tiny handful of players ever to put on the pads.
That's what the Hall of
Fame is about: not the Willie McGinests of the world, who have Belichick and Brady fall into their lap and ride the coattails for a few rings, but the players who prove that they stand out among their peers even when
not on a high-profile championship team.
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