The long wait for Miami Dolphins linebacker Zach Thomas to obtain enshrinement in Canton, Ohio among the rest of the legends of the game of football has been a challenging one. Thomas, who has the accolades equal to his contemporaries already in the Hall, has only now started building momentum towards enshrinement after nearly a decade of eligibility. And now, Thomas is among the 25 Pro Football Hall of Fame semifinalists for the 2021 class.
While that development is encouraging, there’s still an uphill climb to be had for Thomas to get into the Hall this fall. He’s in a field of semifinalists that includes several shoo-in first-ballot inductees, which means he’ll be passed in the queue by several “slam dunk” candidates, including quarterback Peyton Manning and wide receiver Calvin Johnson. Also considered a heavy favorite for induction is defensive back Charles Woodson.
That leaves just two spots remaining for the class of 2021 and Thomas is still going to have to compete with pass rusher Jared Allen, guard Alan Faneca, fellow linebacker Patrick Willis and others for the two remaining spots. There should be optimism that Thomas is becoming a staple of the yearly semifinalists for the award, but Thomas’ wait is by no means guaranteed to come to a close this year due to the presence of three very strong first-ballot nominees.
If Willis is to be inducted ahead of Thomas, it will surely enrage Dolphins fans everywhere — given that Thomas has been enduring a long, difficult wait and played a significantly longer career than Willis. But Willis has the luxury of being a more prominent athlete, having a higher ratio off first-team All Pro seasons versus total seasons played and as far as pure abilities go Willis was certainly working with more. That doesn’t make either one unworthy of the Hall. But Willis has been waiting one year — Thomas has been back-burnered for seven and counting.
We’ll see. Maybe this is actually the year it all comes together for 54.
