Dave Hyde: The camp he feared ...

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. — He was a fifth-round pick in 1996, meaning anyone under 27 wasn’t born then. He made his first Pro Bowl in 1999, meaning you’re at least 35 to remember.

Zach Thomas gets the gold jacket and bronze bust on Saturday at the Pro Football Hall of Fame. But a few football generations will applaud the name more than the Miami Dolphins player they never saw.

So, gather round, and listen to Dolphins coaches, teammates and club officials remember what they saw and why Thomas excelled. They can’t re-create 1996 again. But they can explain why his road ends Saturday in Canton

Jimmy Johnson, former Dolphins coach who is presenter of Thomas in the Hall: “Zach was such a totally committed player. His total focus was on being the best football player he could be. He spent so much time studying tape and getting the most from every practice. I don’t know he had any other life other than football. That’s what impressed me. It showed in his performance. It was almost like he was driven from Day One to be a great player. Maybe it was because he was trying to overcome not being the biggest, fastest, strongest player. Maybe that made him one of the best.”

Dave Wannstedt, former Dolphins coach: “My third year, I believe, we’re in two-a-days practices in camp. Between practices my assistant coaches come in and say Zach is here to me. He comes in and says, ‘Coach, can I get an honest answer from you?’ I say, “Yes, what’s up?’ He says, ‘So, what’s my chances?’ I say, ‘Chances for what?’ He says, ‘To make the team.’ I say, ‘You’re a Pro Bowler, a captain, et cetera. He says, ‘Coach, every day I feel if I’m not totally into every play I might lose my job. That’s how I do it.’ Zach, Hall of Famer.”

Twan Russell, former Dolphins linebacker: “My favorite story of Zach is my second year as a Dolphin. Zach got hurt for a game. I had a chance to start. In my mind I thought I prepared to play football. Zach said, ‘Hey, come meet me.’ I met him that morning. He revolutionized the way I saw football. He took a very academic approach to the game. I’d watch film, look at different movements in the offense, take the schemes I knew we’re going to run and think what might work. Zach would watch every play, write out everything about it, write out every combination of defense we might run against it. It was so thorough. I was looking at it like a high school or college player. Zach looked at it like someone with a doctorate and in business for 20 years. He’d know out of a certain formation they’d run the ball 73 percent of the time or what five plays they might run out of this formation. Unfortunately, I didn’t get to use it much because I got hurt and was at the end of my career. But I’ve taken it and applied it to what I do in business. I look at things differently. I’m more prepared. I go into meetings with answers. His brilliance of his approach to the game is why I thought he was so successful.”

Kevin O’Neill, former Dolphins trainer: “Zach was always looking for an edge. He came in heavier than he played most of his career. He came in at 250 (pounds). Then when (New England coach Bill) Belichick took Wes Welker, Zach was matched up against Welker. They put him in the middle of the field and had to cover Welker. He was torn between taking on a center like Kevin Mawae of the Jets and then running to cover Welker against the Patriots. He got his weight in the 220s to do both that. He was always looking for an edge in everything. (Denver linebacker Bill) Romanowski talked of eating this ‘Super Soup’ before games to give him an edge. Zach had to have that damn soup. We were figuring out how to warm up soup before games for him. That was him, always looking for something extra.”

Mike Westhoff, former Dolphins special teams coach: “Everyone knows he was smart and tough but he’s very athletic, too. Great body control. I went to Texas Tech to scout him and their coach, Spike Dykes, told me about taking the team to the pool on a hot day rather than practice. Zach goes up on the high dive, springs up in the air and does a double flip into the water. A double flip! It wasn’t perfect. But that’s the kind of athletic stuff we’d see from him. And you know about his work. The coaches would be in there late Monday and Tuesday and Zach often came up to get a plate of dinner to take down and study tape. I’d sometimes go with him and say, ‘Tell me what you’re seeing.’ He’d point out things. I love him. He was on the punt team sometimes and the kickoff team every time. He was serious about it. He’d blow people up.”

Leo Armbrust, former Dolphins chaplain: “He got injured in exhibition game at Estadio Azteca in Mexico City. He was scared. This was his big chance, as a starter, and now he’s hurt? I could see terror in his eyes. When his knee was being examined, he said, ‘Would you pray with me?’ I said I’m not going anywhere. Fortunately, it was something minor. That was the first time he and I bonded as friends and from that point on we’ve been close friends. He stressed out significantly about football. He internalized his stress. There were times he confided in me. Eventually, when he married Maritza, I was one of the priests who married him. Now I’m helping him with his induction speech. He wrote the whole thing. It had to come from his heart. I just made some thoughts on words or delivery. He trusts me and that trust is sacred to me. It all started in that locker room in Mexico City.”

Richmond Webb, former Dolphins tackle: “I remember that first camp when Jack Del Rio came in as the starter at linebacker and was cut because how Zach played. He played great from his first day. He came with a work ethic you need to not just step in as a rookie but to have the type of career he had. He was as great a teammate as I played with, too. He hasn’t changed, either. He’s still the same humble guy, never complaining about his wait to get in the Hall.”

Seth Levit, former Dolphins media relations assistant: “He had to prepare for everything. Everything. I once got a call from him, ‘Seth, are there any basketball hoops near where I live?’ He was going to a Heat game and had courtside tickets, but they asked him if he’d come out at a timeout and shoot free throws. He hadn’t shot a basketball in a while. We went out to a court and he shot free throws for an hour just to be ready. That’s how he approached everything.”

Trace Armstrong, former Dolphins defensive end: “I was a veteran sitting by myself in the cold plunge (pool) Zach’s rookie minicamp when he asked for permission to join me. That was Zach. That’s where our friendship started. You could see, right from the first minicamp, without pads, how he jumped off the screen. He had what I call Mike linebacker instincts. He understood angles to the ball so well. People try to portray Zach as just a preparation/try-hard guy but he was an amazing athlete. Then you throw in the stuff like the film work and the notebooks he kept on opponents. He liked to work. He cared about his teammates. He had fun. He’d make fun of himself. You saw the disciplined side of him, then you’d see the crazy side sometimes when he’d lose his cool during games because calls weren’t coming in fast enough. I’ve got all these snapshots. How did great happen? The answer is always the same. It’s a little bit every day. That’s how it was with Zach. Look at the interceptions. Some is preparation. Some is ‘see ball, find ball, react to ball.’ Not everybody can do that. You look at the touchdowns. You not only can catch it but run with it. I’ve never seen a group of teammates so excited about a player getting in (the Hall). That speaks to him.”