The Browns today nearly traded their future Pro Football Hall of Fame left tackle, Joe Thomas, to the Denver Broncos, who need even just a competent player at that position like Hillary Clinton needs to quit sending emails.
 
Without one protecting his blind side, in fact, another future Hall of Famer, Denver quarterback Peyton Manning, may not make it through the season in one piece. But there’s no one in Cleveland feeling sorry for the Broncos and their general manager, John Elway, that’s for sure.
 
In any event, thank goodness the deal didn’t happen as the NFL trading came and went late this afternoon with the Browns standing pat.
 
First of all, Thomas is a great guy along with being a great player. In both regards, they don’t come any better than No. 73.
 
Second of all, and more importantly, the high draft picks the Browns would have received in exchange, almost certainly wouldn’t have helped the team’s cause as long as Ray Farmer is on the job as general manager.
 
It’s great to get a bunch of top-level picks, but to make them count, you have to hit on them. You have to select star-caliber players.
 
Farmer is not capable of doing that. As such, the Browns would have been giving Thomas away for, in essence, nothing. You can’t come up empty when you hand over a Hall of Famer.
 
It’s like when you pull up to an intersection and there’s a supposedly homeless or destitute person holding a sign asking for money. If it can be ascertained that the person really is in trouble and needs some cash for food or rent or whatever, all of us would be willing to fork some over. You just don’t want your hard-earned money to go for booze or drugs or some other harmful thing.
 
There’s that same trepidation with Farmer. History tells us he takes benevolences – first-round draft picks – and squanders them. Badly. Giving him draft picks to once again waste would only set the Browns further behind.
 
Sometimes the best thing you do is absolutely nothing. And that’s the way it was today with the Browns.
 
So there was something good that happened today after all.