Yesterday morning, I happened to come across a wonderful piece done by Bob Gretz on Derrion Thomas, who as most of you know is the late Derrick Thomas’ son. Derrion is now a senior at Blue Springs South (my old stomping grounds!) and just like his Dad, Derrion is an opposing QB’s nightmare, lining up as a speed rush defensive end. He was absolutely dominant this past week in South’s upset victory in the Missouri Class 6 quarterfinals, over a vaunted Rockhurst High School squad that many felt was the best in the state, logging four sacks despite injuring his right arm in the 1st half.
For Derrion, the victory was extra-special, as he played the entire game while wearing his late father’s old shoulder pads, worn last in the Chiefs final game of the 1999-2000 season against their arch-rivals from Oakland. He literally was able to feel his Dad’s blood, sweat, and tears coursing through his body as he raced around would-be blockers on his way to raining destruction on the opposing offense, and I can only imagine the emotion that he must have felt on that glorious night.
Obviously Derrion still has to prove himself capable in the college game, but his story got me reminescing a bit about the awesome games in the late 1990s when the Chiefs had the most feared pass rush in the entire league. KC featured Neil Smith on one side and DT on the other, and they made opposing quarterbacks pay dearly for daring to drop back into a deep passing set. But as in all things in life, everything good comes to an end eventually, and the Chiefs dominant pass rush back then was no exception.
Smith took his homerun swing celebration and killer pass rush skills to the Chiefs division rival in Denver after KC decided to move on without him. That move was not without question by many fans of the Chiefs, but with DT still lighting QBs up like the giant Christmas tree in Rockefellar Center every week, most of us were content to trust in Carl Peterson’s wisdom.
But then that fateful winter day in January of 2000 north of the city on I-435 came to pass, and our beloved #58 suffered what would prove to be fatal injuries in a major accident on I-435 north of the city. I remember that day very clearly – I had slept in late that day after spending the previous night skiing with friends at Snow Creek in Weston and I woke up to my Mom calling to tell me that there had been a terrible accident and Derrick Thomas was involved. No one knew if he was going to make it or not, although we were optimistic that he would pull through and we would see the old DT out on the field in no time.
You see Derrick was one of those larger than life characters that only come along once in a blue moon for a team like the Chiefs. He was the epitome of everything the people of Kansas City stand for – hard work, dedication, and passionate about making a difference in as many lives as possible. In short, he was my hero, and although I had entered adulthood by that point, DT was still the player I adored the most.
I don’t know if it was his incredible talent on the football field or his mild-mannered persona off it, but as a child growing up a few short miles from Arrowhead Stadium, I couldn’t help but place Thomas on the highest pedestal of my idols. He was the physical representation of the Chiefs as far as I was concerned, and he could do no wrong in my book. I ravenously followed his exploits on Sunday and I credit much of my current fever-pitched passion for the Chiefs to his terrorizing of opposing QBs each week.
Derrick was and still is the single greatest pass rusher the world has ever seen in my mind. Obviously I’m a bit biased, for all of the reasons I outlined above but to be honest, I really don’t mind. DT dominated the game in a way I’ve never seen in any other player, and when you look at the current state of the Chiefs pass rush, my point becomes that much more clear.
Since his passing the Chiefs have struggled mightily to rebuild what was once their greatest strength. Don’t get me wrong, they’ve had decent players pass through in the past eight years, but not one of them could even begin to carry DT’s cleats onto the field, let alone take his place as the premier pass rusher in Chiefs history. Jared Allen was the closest player to that end, but even he could not do what Thomas did – take over a football game and single-handedly deliver victory to his team.
All of this has led me to a overriding conviction that there will never be another Derrick Thomas as long as the NFL is in existence. Never. Sure there will be incredible sack artists out there over the years and I have no doubt they’ll eclipse Thomas in the record books as the days go on, but his place in the annals of football legend is absolutely secure. The only accomplishment missing from his incredible life is the honor of being called to Canton, but make no mistake, it will come very soon, regardless of the idiots that have somehow wormed their way into holding a vote.
In a span of seasons that have been among the most trying and difficult to bear in the history of our beloved franchise, we can be grateful for moments like these when we are reminded that Derrick’s unbridled spirit, his incredible talent, and his amazing ability to bring joy to the hearts of thousands that followed him, lives on through his death in the form of his only son Derrion. It is our greatest motivator and without it, Kansas City and the Chiefs would not be the same.
Chris Kolb is the owner and lead writer of KCChiefsFanatic.com
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