LB A.J. Edds Switches Jersey from 54 to 49
Will The Real 54 please stand up?
When I heard the Miami Dolphins were going to give fourth-round pick and Iowa Hawkeye A.J. Edds number 54, I considered driving down to Miami in the middle of the night and giving the Tuna a piece of my mind, or at least urinating on his front lawn.
Thankfully for my sanity, and Bill Parcells’ rose bushes, they changed their minds and rightfully switched Edds’ jersey number to 49. Phew!
This was a prudent move by the Miami Dolphins front office, because after Jason Taylor signed with the New York Jets, I don’t think us Dolphin faithful would have appreciated giving Zach Thomas’ number to a rookie linebacker…from Iowa. I think there might have been a mutiny in the making.
As a middle linebacker myself, Zach Thomas was always my personal favorite Dolphin when I was growing up–part of the reason number 54 holds so much sentimental value. I wore that jersey so much that the numbers and name are worn beyond recognition, but I don’t care. Forget Brian Urlacher, number 54 will always belong to the Zach Attack.
Even though Bill Parcells and company have been here only two years, they need to respect legacies like Zach Thomas, because we fell in love with them long before Tuna arrived. If it were up to me, I’d sign Zach to a fifty-four-minute, $54-contract just so he can retire a Miami Dolphin like he rightfully deserves.
That’s not just bromance; that’s simply respecting a legend. A real Texas hero. A true Miami Dolphin.
Thomas played 12 Hall-of-Fame seasons for Miami, which included seven Pro Bowls and seven Associated Press All-Pro awards. In his career Zach racked up over 1,000 tackles (a franchise record) ranking fourth all-time behind Randy Gradishar, Jessie Tuggle, and former teammate Junior Seau. In my mind, he never even played for Dallas or Kansas City.
As for Edds, I’m sure he’ll look great in 49. It’s a clean slate, and besides, that’s the number he wore in Iowa. Hopefully he’ll write his own legacy too, and 49 will have the same sentimental value. But for now, leave 54 to the real 54: Zach Thomas.
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5 Rants to “LB A.J. Edds Switches Jersey from 54 to 49”
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Why the jab at Iowa? Well coached, fundamentally sound Top 10 team that produces more than its share of NFL talent.
Wasn’t an intentional jab at Iowa…I have quite a few friends who go to Iowa, so it’s sort of an inside joke. I guess it would be a jab if it was Iowa basketball, haha, but yeah Iowa football was pretty exciting to watch this season. I think my point really is that if you are going to use Zach’s number atleast make it a hometown name, ya know. Didn’t mean to offend if I did. Thanks for the response.
DOES NT MAKE A BIT OF DIFFERNCE WHAT NUMBER YOU PUT ON A.J. EDDS, HE S A QUALITY PERSON AND PLAYER. JUST GIVE HIM A CHANCE, AND YOU LL FIND OUT HE LL GIVE ONE HUNDRED TWENTY PERCENT GO HAWKS,GO FINS ,GOD BLESS THE U.S A. !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
It has been an honor watching Zach play while I have been deployed to many different countries. It broke my heart when he threw on a Cowboys jersey and Skin’s Jersey. To seee him retire as a DOLPHIN brings the motivation and fan base needed to rally behind a strong team with many great talents. I am glad they brought him back to our family. He will be a HOF nominee..remember these words on this date.
I agree with you. Zach Thomas is first class all the way; it was a joy watching him play football. Thank you for the comment, and I’d also like to say thank you for your service overseas. I don’t think you guys hear that enough.