Has there ever been such an anomaly in Browns history as left tackle Joe Thomas?
In Cleveland sports history?
Even in pro sports history overall?
Perhaps not.
Thomas, who was named to his 10th straight Pro Bowl the other day and will someday be inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame, is one of the best players the Browns have ever had – at any position and in any era. That he plays on the worst team the Browns have ever had is mind-blowing.
You hardly ever see the best with the worst. Usually they’re not bedfellows. Bad teams are filled with bad players. That’s why they’re bad. Great teams are filled with great players. That’s why they’re great.
In the misery that has been the expansion era for the Browns, and in the utter nightmare that has been this winless season, it has been way too easy to pick out all the negatives and beat fans – and readers — over the head with them day after day after day. In doing that, we have forgotten about the excellence of Thomas. As bad as all of this has been, it would have been much worse without Thomas, the best left tackle in the NFL in this era.
He is not just a tremendous player but also a tremendous ironman, never missing an offensive snap let alone a game. It won’t be until after he retires and we look at is total body work that we’ll begin to understand just how good Thomas was.
In the meantime, my fervent hope is that Joe Thomas gets to play in a postseason game – for the Browns – before he’s through. The football gods owe him that.
