Zach Thomas has high hopes for 06

[DolFan619]

Mending Thomas has high hopes

By Jeff Darlington

Palm Beach Post Staff Writer

Wednesday, February 15, 2006

MIAMI — With the rehabilitation of his right shoulder progressing, Dolphins linebacker Zach Thomas no longer is worried about whether he'll be at full strength by training camp.

Now his attention will be on winning a championship. He is eager to see what the front office will do this off-season, especially regarding free agents.

  "I'm excited," said Thomas, who visited patients Tuesday at the Veterans Administration Hospital. "Coach (Nick) Saban is doing it. He's doing everything right. He's all business. He's not about friendships. He's looking to win.

"You're not going to stay because he likes you. That's why I feel like I have to stay healthy and be here as long as I can. They're going to bring a championship here."

Thomas, 32, will be owed a bigger salary next season — his pay is scheduled to increase from $3.5 million in 2005 to $4.95 million in 2006. But he said he will renegotiate if the team needs salary-cap room.

"I'm OK with that," said Thomas, who expects talks to begin soon between the Dolphins and his agent, Drew Rosenhaus. "Anything to help the team out."

Thomas said he would be happy to accept any new, hard-working teammate. That includes receiver Terrell Owens, who will be traded or released by Philadelphia.

"The guy has a lot of respect for working hard and he makes plays," Thomas said. "He had his mess-ups in the past, but it was all off the field.

"I'm sure all of that could be taken care of. You look at how everything got squashed in the whole Ricky (Williams) thing. They know how to handle it if they did take that shot at him."

Thomas played much of this season with a torn labrum and what an MRI later showed to be a torn rotator cuff.

He had surgery a month ago and said Tuesday that he has regained most of the range of motion in the shoulder. He didn't wear a sling or harness Tuesday.

"Now, it's a matter of rehabbing," he said. "That's how you have a big off-season.

"It just makes me emphasize more on strengthening all of the things in my shoulder so it doesn't happen again."

[YoFuggedaboutit]

  "I'm excited," said Thomas, who visited patients Tuesday at the Veterans Administration Hospital. "Coach (Nick) Saban is doing it. He's doing everything right. He's all business. He's not about friendships. He's looking to win.

"You're not going to stay because he likes you. That's why I feel like I have to stay healthy and be here as long as I can. They're going to bring a championship here."

I had to gravedig a little, but my point is, this is how Zach feels now compared to how he felt in 2002-2004:

A couple of things DAVE!

The only reason Ricky was your focal point is because that's all you had. When you and your offensive coaches were designing game plans to keep Jay Fiedler from throwing the football, who were you gonna go too? Ricky of course. You set an NFL record by running Williams 775 times for the two seasons you had the guy. Don't you think that's a bit excessive DAVE??? Oh, but now we find out that Ricky liked it that way. He liked it so much he fucking quit on you DAVE!!!!

Also DAVE....... I gotta feeling that the only person the players are resenting from your era is you.  Zach, Taylor, Madison, Chambers. They all wasted some pretty prime years under your regime, a regime that either melted down in the playoffs or missed them entirely. Have you read the comments from the players regarding the difference between you and Saban? Yeah Dave, they're smart guys and they've quickly figured out that albeit you're a terrific guy, you sucked as a coach!

[Sunstroke]

I had to gravedig a little, but my point is, this is how Zach feels now compared to how he felt in 2002-2004:

Not to nitpick, but after reading both quotes above several times, aren't you actually comparing how Zach feels now with how "you" felt in July? I don't see anything from Zach in the July post, except you assuming how Zach and the others must feel under Wannstedt's inept leadership. Maybe you just grabbed the wrong quote by mistake? Was there another post that had a quote from Zach in there about how "he" thinks he wasted prime years? If he really felt that way...cool. I just don't ever remember reading anything from Zach that expressed that sentiment. Miami fans sure do, but did Zach ever really say he felt that way?

If I'm wrong here, let me know...

[YoFuggedaboutit]

Not to nitpick, but after reading both quotes above several times, aren't you actually comparing how Zach feels now with how "you" felt in July? I don't see anything from Zach in the July post, except you assuming how Zach and the others must feel under Wannstedt's inept leadership. Maybe you just grabbed the wrong quote by mistake? Was there another post that had a quote from Zach in there about how "he" thinks he wasted prime years? If he really felt that way...cool. I just don't ever remember reading anything from Zach that expressed that sentiment. Miami fans sure do, but did Zach ever really say he felt that way?

If I'm wrong here, let me know...

Based on Zach's quotes from those times compared to now, it seems like he has a totally different outlook on how this team is going. 

[Sunstroke]

Based on Zach's quotes from those times compared to now, it seems like he has a totally different outlook on how this team is going.

No arguing that at all...anyone involved with the Dolphins with half a brain in their head would HAVE to have a completely different outlook on things under the vastly superior coaching staff that Saban's assembled.

The point I was making though<g>, was that the way you stated it could be construed as being directly from Zach, rather than what it was, a very logical assumption of what Zach was probably feeling. Zach's usually the epitome of professionalism when reporters ask him about coaches, but I have no doubt he was probably praying every night that God would send him a real coach. If you can find a direct quote from the Z-monster "from those times" where he dogged Wannschlep in the press, I'm up for reading it. 

[YoFuggedaboutit]

If you can find a direct quote from the Z-monster "from those times" where he dogged Wannschlep in the press, I'm up for reading it. 

And you know I'd give my firstborn sun and a loaf of bread to find a quote from the Zachster ripping Wanny, but I can't.  The closest I can come to is two days after the debacle in New England at the end of 2002, Zach was among a group of players that went to Tootsie's cabaret, and after a few drinks flowed, all the players were talking shit about Wanny.  The way the paper spun it, they never named names, what was said, or even the place the players went to.  This was directly from a friend who was an eyewitness to the scene.

[AZ Fins Fan 55]

Thomas, 32, will be owed a bigger salary next season — his pay is scheduled to increase from $3.5 million in 2005 to $4.95 million in 2006. But he said he will renegotiate if the team needs salary-cap room.

"I'm OK with that," said Thomas, who expects talks to begin soon between the Dolphins and his agent, Drew Rosenhaus. "Anything to help the team out."

I love to see stuff like this. I wish more players had this mentality. I mean seriously why must you make 14 million a year? Just to stroke your own worthless ego. If you would drop a few millions a year (which I guarantee you it will not kill you being as most of us survive under 40k a year) to help the team save money to bring in other hard working players with the same mentality, next thing you know you are playing for a championship!!!!! You really think if Manning wasn't making so damn much money that they would even think twice about re-signing Edge? He was saying at the Pro Bowl how he can't imaging not having Edge there, wanting him to come back, and to win a championship.....well then dickhead give up some of your ridiculous contract to get Edge re-signed and add some F/A fire power to your team. Kudos Zach finally a player that gets it!!!!

[Spider-Dan]

I love to see stuff like this. I wish more players had this mentality. I mean seriously why must you make 14 million a year? Just to stroke your own worthless ego. If you would drop a few millions a year (which I guarantee you it will not kill you being as most of us survive under 40k a year) to help the team save money to bring in other hard working players with the same mentality, next thing you know you are playing for a championship!!!!!

Perhaps you should go to your own boss and volunteer some of your wages back so that the business can do better.  I mean, considering that you already make more money than approximately 90% of the people on this planet.

[AZ Fins Fan 55]

Perhaps you should go to your own boss and volunteer some of your wages back so that the business can do better.  I mean, considering that you already make more money than approximately 90% of the people on this planet.

If I made 15 million dollars a year I would gladly do this. However, I don't. Granted I probabaly do make more than 90% of the people on this planet (as does anyone who makes minimum wage so I don't see how this was really a valid point) but I make just enough to get by as well. I do not make an astronomical amount by any means. Besides, all the guy talks about is winning a championship....well there are clearly other steps he could take to help achieve that goal. He could give up some cash and it may still not work out for him but you know at least he exhausted all of his options and he would know that he did all in his power to accomplish his said goals. If I had a goal like that I would set my own personal greed aside.

[Spider-Dan]

The point is, the amount you make is already "astronomical" to the majority of the planet.  No one living in the U.S. (well, no one with Internet access, anyway) should be talking about how someone else "makes too much money" and "should stop being so greedy".  You would happily take any raise you could get, so don't begrudge someone else their money.

You say that you "make just enough to get by" but that's probably including money spent on things like tickets to football games, DVDs, video games, a TV, etc.  I'm sure Peyton Manning "makes just enough to get by" when he has a multi-million dollar house to pay for, thousand-dollar bottles of champagne, 6-digit cars, etc (not to mention the fact that he'll be "retired" in 10 years).  It's all relative; you spend what you make.

[Thundergod]

The point is, the amount you make is already "astronomical" to the majority of the planet.  No one living in the U.S. (well, no one with Internet access, anyway) should be talking about how someone else "makes too much money" and "should stop being so greedy".  You would happily take any raise you could get, so don't begrudge someone else their money.

You say that you "make just enough to get by" but that's probably including money spent on things like tickets to football games, DVDs, video games, a TV, etc.  I'm sure Peyton Manning "makes just enough to get by" when he has a multi-million dollar house to pay for, thousand-dollar bottles of champagne, 6-digit cars, etc (not to mention the fact that he'll be "retired" in 10 years).  It's all relative; you spend what you make.