Jump to content

If Zach Thomas is a HOFer


Recommended Posts

I use to follow the draft with a Joel Bushbaum draft guide. I believe Zachary was taken in the 3rd round, I wanted the Jets to take him so bad. Our sorry azz drafting goes back a long ways. Is it possible that Joe Douglas can turn that around? 

It really is sad that there are guys on this site that post in the draft threads that would have put together a better team than the guys paid good money to do it. It was almost impossible to miss as badly as Idzik + Macc, 10 years of futility. Just scary. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

4 minutes ago, Villain The Foe said:

Zach Thomas was a beast whenever I seen him play. He played in an era before the internet, so I was only able to see him play sparingly. I have no idea if he's a HOF'er. I do know that he was good on the football field though. 

He was a very good player. The HOF isn't for very good players, though. It's for great, dominant players. At least it used to be.

  • Upvote 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

6 minutes ago, jgb said:

I wonder if being a convicted felon is what's keeping Klecko out at this point.

There are a number of things keeping him out, sadly:

1. Was never singularly dominant.  He was extremely good and rock solid, but he wasn't a larger-than-life Warren Sapp.  Linemen respected him as a trenches guy, he was never famous per se.

2. Played almost all before Sacks were counted/a stat.  Stats drive HOF resumes.

3. Played as part of a famous unit with big personalities.  Mark Gastineau and his personality will forever shadow Lunchbox Joe Klecko and diminish him in many (media) eyes.

4. Never played a single position, and the ones he did play, not glamorous.  Nose Tackle, D Tackle, D-End, he was good at all of them, but that's not a plus in many eyes.  Some see him as a role player fill-in guy, as opposed to a guy so good and dominant at ONE spot he had to be kept there.

5. Convicted Felon.  Not popular (I hear) with media during or after his career.

6. Time.  Few remember him nowadays outside Jets Fan land.  Far too much time has passed now, and today's media and voters may as well be talking the 1950's when the talk the 1980's.  Joe played over 30 years ago now.  

I think Joe Klecko IS a HOF'er. But I do not think he ever will be voted into the HOF.  The time where that was possible has passed.

  • Upvote 2
  • Sympathy 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Just this one comment from HOF lineman John Hannah should be enough, "Joe Klecko was one of the toughest players I ever had to block"

That is all! The idea that some schmuck like Peter King gets to make these types of decisions tells you all you need to know. 

  • Upvote 4
Link to comment
Share on other sites

15 minutes ago, Warfish said:

There are a number of things keeping him out, sadly:

1. Was never singularly dominant.  He was extremely good and rock solid, but he wasn't a larger-than-life Warren Sapp.  Linemen respected him as a trenches guy, he was never famous per se.

2. Played almost all before Sacks were counted/a stat.  Stats drive HOF resumes.

3. Played as part of a famous unit with big personalities.  Mark Gastineau and his personality will forever shadow Lunchbox Joe Klecko and diminish him in many (media) eyes.

4. Never played a single position, and the ones he did play, not glamorous.  Nose Tackle, D Tackle, D-End, he was good at all of them, but that's not a plus in many eyes.  Some see him as a role player fill-in guy, as opposed to a guy so good and dominant at ONE spot he had to be kept there.

5. Convicted Felon.  Not popular (I hear) with media during or after his career.

6. Time.  Few remember him nowadays outside Jets Fan land.  Far too much time has passed now, and today's media and voters may as well be talking the 1950's when the talk the 1980's.  Joe played over 30 years ago now.  

I think Joe Klecko IS a HOF'er. But I do not think he ever will be voted into the HOF.  The time where that was possible has passed.

This is all true. And unrelated to Zach Thomas. I live in South Florida, watched much of Thomas's career. He was a solid/very good LB who made a lot of tackles....5 yards off the LOS. He was a 5th rounder and was very popular in Florida and in the media, but has no business in the HOF. Mo Lewis at his best of head and shoulders above Zach Thomas.

 

  • Upvote 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

1 hour ago, rangerous said:

zach thomas in the hof?  the guy was a good player but didn't dominate his position like klecko or even winston hill.

Zach Thomas was a 5 time 1st team all pro and a member of the all decade team in the 2000s(2nd team), Klecko was a 2 time 1st team all pro.

 

 

  • Upvote 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

54 minutes ago, Villain The Foe said:

Zach Thomas was a beast whenever I seen him play. He played in an era before the internet, so I was only able to see him play sparingly. I have no idea if he's a HOF'er. I do know that he was good on the football field though. 

Zach Thomas played his entire career in the internet era.

  • Upvote 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

2 hours ago, Jet_Engine1 said:

The Hall of Fame is meaningless. 

 

That is all. 

He received a very, very strong endorsement from Kevin Mawae during Kevin's HOF induction speech.  I don't think Thomas is quite a HOFer either but it was impressive and refreshing to hear someone like Mawae go out of his way to credit an opponent like Zach Thomas in that manner.

To me, it says more about Kevin than Zach, but it may have raised Thomas' prospects or at least put him in the pool of consideration.

  • Upvote 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

I hate the Dolphins with a passion but I respected the hell out of Thomas.  The guy was a beast of a player.  But the HOF has become so political that I don't really care for it anymore.  Players need so many power brokers in their corner and the criteria seems to change over time.  A grudge may keep a player out and that line is drawn in sand.  The panel kept Stabler out till after he died because he set up a sportswriter with a coke bust and then narced on him.  Mehta probably dreams somebody in the Jets would pull that one him.

  • Upvote 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

 

1 hour ago, nyjunc said:

Zach Thomas was a 5 time 1st team all pro and a member of the all decade team in the 2000s(2nd team), Klecko was a 2 time 1st team all pro.

 

 

Even Gastineau made 3 1st team All Pro and 5 Pro Bowls.. How they figure out who makes Pro Bowls is confusing. In 2003 LT ran for 1645 yds on 313 carries(5.3 ypc) and 13 tds. He had 100 catches for 725 yds and 4 tds and even had a passing TD but no Pro Bowl. Yet in 1998 the compiler makes it with 1287 yds 8 tds and 3.5 ypc..:mellow:

Link to comment
Share on other sites

2 hours ago, Warfish said:

There are a number of things keeping him out, sadly:

1. Was never singularly dominant.  He was extremely good and rock solid, but he wasn't a larger-than-life Warren Sapp.  Linemen respected him as a trenches guy, he was never famous per se.

2. Played almost all before Sacks were counted/a stat.  Stats drive HOF resumes.

3. Played as part of a famous unit with big personalities.  Mark Gastineau and his personality will forever shadow Lunchbox Joe Klecko and diminish him in many (media) eyes.

4. Never played a single position, and the ones he did play, not glamorous.  Nose Tackle, D Tackle, D-End, he was good at all of them, but that's not a plus in many eyes.  Some see him as a role player fill-in guy, as opposed to a guy so good and dominant at ONE spot he had to be kept there.

5. Convicted Felon.  Not popular (I hear) with media during or after his career.

6. Time.  Few remember him nowadays outside Jets Fan land.  Far too much time has passed now, and today's media and voters may as well be talking the 1950's when the talk the 1980's.  Joe played over 30 years ago now.  

I think Joe Klecko IS a HOF'er. But I do not think he ever will be voted into the HOF.  The time where that was possible has passed.

If I had to make the case for Joe Klecko going to the HOF I'd submit one data point....

  • He lifted a van in the movie Cannonball Run, arguably one of the greatest and most underrated comedy movies of all time.

#GoldJacket

 

  • Post of the Week 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

2 hours ago, NYJ37/12 said:

No, Zach was NOT an impact player. Made many, many, many tackles....five yards down the field. Good player, not great

I don't disagree with that, he was a tackle machine but many were downfield.  The thing is he has so many all pro selections and was second team all decade.  He's going to get in.

  • Upvote 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

6 hours ago, rangerous said:

zach thomas in the hof?  the guy was a good player but didn't dominate his position like klecko or even winston hill.

Must mean Shaun Ellis and John Abraham are first ballot hof ers. They were both twice as good as Zach.

  • Haha 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

1 hour ago, nyjunc said:

I don't disagree with that, he was a tackle machine but many were downfield.  The thing is he has so many all pro selections and was second team all decade.  He's going to get in.

He'll get in, he just shouldn't. Like many modern day players. Look at that list, Butler, Seymour, James, Young? Joke.                                                                                                                

  • Upvote 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

26 minutes ago, Jet Nut said:

Or you didn't watch Zack Thomas play football

I lived in SoFla for most of his career. He was idolized by the FloGrown crowd down here and belongs in the "Hall of Undersized White Guys who overachieved in sport and have a cult Following".

People act like a guy who made his living tackling RBs 4+ yards beyond the LOS is Derrick Brooks or Derrick Thomas.  Please. Hes DeMario Davis but with tenure. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

4 hours ago, nyjunc said:

I don't disagree with that, he was a tackle machine but many were downfield.  The thing is he has so many all pro selections and was second team all decade.  He's going to get in.

Kyle Clifton had over 200 tackles one season, 5-7 yards downfield ... neither is a HOFer

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

×
×
  • Create New...