Brian Urlacher is advocating for Zach Thomas HOF

[CF DolFan]

Since he still hasn't gotten in I guess it is never too early to campaign for him. Kevin Mawae, Tom Brady, and now Brian Urlacher seems like he is on a mission to get Zach Thomas into the HOF.

Hall of Fame Chicago Bears linebacker Brian Urlacher thinks it’s time that Thomas gets recognized in Canton. On “The Pat McAfee Show” this week, Urlacher brought up Thomas’ absence and was clearly annoyed with it.

“I’m gonna give you one guy – Zach Thomas,” Urlacher said. “How the [expletive] is Zach Thomas not in the Hall of Fame. Put his stats up with mine, Ray [Lewis], any other linebacker who’s even close to the Hall of Fame or been in the Hall of Fame. He’s right there with us, if not better in every category… It pisses me off. Every year I advocate for him to get in, and he was a finalist a couple years, but they don’t put him in. I don’t understand.” ...

"Guys who never played the game get to vote.. How the fuck is Zach Thomas not in the Hall of Fame"

Urlacher then followed up with a tweet early Thursday morning, once again supporting Thomas’ case.

Brian Urlacher
@BUrlacher54
·
11h
Induct Zach Thomas!
Quote Tweet

Dr. DJ Gililland, LAT, ATC
@DrGililland
 · Jun 14
Zach Thomas finished his career w/more tackles than Junior Seau & Brian Urlacher. More sacks than Mike Singletary, Derrick Brooks & Dick Butkus. More 1st Team All Pro selections than Kevin Greene & Andre Tippett. INDUCT ZACH THOMAS INTO @NFL HALL OF FAME! @TexasTechFB


After last year I felt this would be the year and I still believe that. Having other HOFers support surely doesn't hurt.

[EDGECRUSHER]

Very nice of him to offer his support. It truly is mind boggling at this point. You can understand certain years if a HoF Class is stacked with guarantees, but this long? Makes no sense and everyone looks stupid for not voting him in by now.

[ArtieChokePhin]

I'm guessing it was his team's underachievement during his entire career that is holding him back.

[MyGodWearsAHoodie]

I'm guessing it was his team's underachievement during his entire career that is holding him back.

Exactly.  Being the SECOND best defensive player on a team that won a total of three playoff games doesn't exactly scream hall of fame. 

You can get in by being the best player on a crappy team or being the second or third best player on a dominant team, but being second best player on a crappy team won't do it. 

While Urlacher was playing if someone at a party said, "Name a player on the Bears defense."  Almost everyone would respond, "Urlacher"  Same party while Zach Thomas was playing, "Name a player on the Dolphins defense"  almost everyone would have responded, "Jason Taylor".  It is not the hall of stats, if it was Joe Namath would never have been inducted.  It is the hall of FAME, while he was playing Zach was never the face of the Dolphins and the Dolphins was never a marquee team of the NFL.   

[Spider-Dan]

Exactly.  Being the SECOND best defensive player on a team that won a total of three playoff games doesn't exactly scream hall of fame.

While I agree that such logic is probably at play, lack of team success didn't seem to be a problem for Dick Butkus, Deacon Jones, Merlin Olsen, Lee Roy Selmon, or John Randle.  And if it's specifically the second best part, Deacon Jones and Merlin Olsen played on the same unsuccessful team, yet they both made it in.

[CF DolFan]

While I agree that such logic is probably at play, lack of team success didn't seem to be a problem for Dick Butkus, Deacon Jones, Merlin Olsen, Lee Roy Selmon, or John Randle.  And if it's specifically the second best part, Deacon Jones and Merlin Olsen played on the same unsuccessful team, yet they both made it in.

Exactly. The HOF is an individual award and NOT based on team accomplishments. Teams schemed around Zach for a reason and it wasn't because his team won a lot of playoff games.

[MyGodWearsAHoodie]

  And if it's specifically the second best part, Deacon Jones and Merlin Olsen played on the same unsuccessful team, yet they both made it in.

Neither Jones nor Olsen lived in the shadow of the other the way Thomas lived in the shadow of Taylor.

Jones twice was considered the best defensive player in the entire NFL, so obviously for both those years he was the second best defensive player on this team.

Olsen won the league MVP so at least for that year, he wasn't playing second fiddle to anyone on his team or for that matter anyone in the entire league. 

Thomas was never a player that fans of 31 teams cared about.  If the topic of the Dolphin's defense came up the discussion was about Jason Taylor.

Teams schemed around Zach for a reason and it wasn't because his team won a lot of playoff games.

No doubt teams needed to account for Zach.  But I doubt he was frequently the first item on the offensive coordinator agenda.  Zach was discussed after they discussed Jason.   

[Spider-Dan]

Neither Jones nor Olsen lived in the shadow of the other the way Thomas lived in the shadow of Taylor.

Jones twice was considered the best defensive player in the entire NFL, so obviously for both those years he was the second best defensive player on this team.

Olsen won the league MVP so at least for that year, he wasn't playing second fiddle to anyone on his team or for that matter anyone in the entire league.  

Thomas was never a player that fans of 31 teams cared about.  If the topic of the Dolphin's defense came up the discussion was about Jason Taylor.

No doubt teams needed to account for Zach.  But I doubt he was frequently the first item on the offensive coordinator agenda.  Zach was discussed after they discussed Jason.  

Nah, this still ain't it.  After they were both starting, Zach was a two-time first-team All-Pro before JT made his first Pro Bowl, and Zach made more All-Pro teams than JT did.

JT certainly had a higher peak than Zach, and had a brief claim to being the single best defensive player in the entire league... a claim that Zach could never really make.   But there were definitely stretches when Zach was the better defender between the two of them.

[David Fulcher]

Nah, this still ain't it.  After they were both starting, Zach was a two-time first-team All-Pro before JT made his first Pro Bowl, and Zach made more All-Pro teams than JT did.

JT certainly had a higher peak than Zach, and had a brief claim to being the single best defensive player in the entire league... a claim that Zach could never really make.   But there were definitely stretches when Zach was the better defender between the two of them.

Ding, ding, ding-ding-ding!! Spider has it, Hoodie, I'm sorry. I know you have and always have had a hard-on for our boy Zach not being "Hall eligible" in your mind or whateve's, and obviously almost all of us 'Phins fans disagree (shocker there too, I know--before you even say it), but just for point of reference (for the "Pun guy", know you'll love that shiznit!  ), just go straight to Pro Football Reference and compare their 2 careers (in particular years 1997-2007 when both were still on the 'Phins), and an objective stance for it is right there for you to behold.

And thankfully it also clearly illustrates there were years (like 2003 and 2005, in particular), where Jason was already a certified and known b.a., and yet Zach "outperformed" or was Right there with him, per PFR. And even in Jason's '06 season (i.e., DPOY), where his AV was a 2nd career best 19 (he actually had a 20 in the 2000 season, when we had a damn Dominant defense not talked about much b/c of the 2000 B'more Ravens, and our offense was "3 yards and a cloud o' dust" model with Jay and not much of a receiving crew, and Lamar Smith totin' the rock), Zach still had a Fantastic season w/ an AV of 16.

So nah, fully with Spidey on this one, you can't realistically say that Zach was never the better defender between the two, I'm sorry. It just ain't correct, brother, it ain't.

I could go on about how most of my friends locally (None of which are Dolphins fans, and a couple of which are Dolphins haters, prob. mostly "just because" with me, ha hah) but are still pretty avid football fans spoke and thought more of Zach for the longest time when we were in high school and college (years '98-'06) than they did about Jason.


And before you go thinking I'm totally a "Zach over all" and don't care for Jason just b/c of the bad taste with leaving in '08 and esp. again in '10 for the Jets--nah, that ain't it, either. I was PUMPED for J.T. to be a first ballot HOF'er back in '17, and honestly feel that I love him equally as much as Zach, despite those couple of seasons, and was very happy he retired a 'Phin and got carried off the field by the defense after we beat the Jets on NYD, 2012, his last professional game.

So this is just coming strictly from the space that I don't think your statements about Zach being *only * the 2nd best defender on an often-times fantastic defense (at least in stretches) when he was patrolling the middle, holds up very well. Indeed he was the 2nd best defender at times during their 11 season stretch together, but there were at least 3-5 seasons (at least) where that simply was not the case--and by that, I mean those seasons he was the best on the team, bar none.

A'ight, I'm done. Go Zach (for the HoF), and Go 'Phins!!!!! 

[Spider-Dan]

Also:

Olsen won the league MVP so at least for that year, he wasn't playing second fiddle to anyone on his team or for that matter anyone in the entire league.

...what?  No, Merlin Olsen did not win league MVP, or even DPOY for that matter.

[Phishfan]

Also:...what?  No, Merlin Olsen did not win league MVP, or even DPOY for that matter.

I had given up on the thread and just  came back. Got to say nice fact check.

[Spider-Dan]

I probably wouldn't have even bothered checking if Hoodie had just claimed a DPOY.  But a defensive player winning MVP is... highly unusual.  The second-best defender on a team winning MVP is unthinkable.