Former Browns left tackle Joe Thomas will take his place among team’s legends Sunday: ‘Putting my name in there is really special’

CLEVELAND, Ohio — Former Browns left sort out Joe Thomas recalled in a Zoom name with native media on Thursday an interview he did earlier than his profession within the NFL even began.

“I feel perhaps MK (Cleveland.com beat reporter Mary Kay Cabot) requested me about what a few of my objectives have been, and I stated that I wish to change into the starter and make the Professional Bowl after which make the Corridor of Fame,” Thomas stated.

Pondering again, Thomas puzzled if perhaps he shouldn’t have said his objectives so publicly.

“I spotted perhaps I in all probability shouldn’t put my objectives on the market for the commonfolk to soak up and criticize as a result of these are some fairly lofty objectives for a man that has by no means performed a sport within the NFL to say that he needed to be within the Corridor of Fame,” he stated. “That’s the place my mindset was. That’s what I needed to do in my profession.”

Thomas identified he hasn’t reached his objective but, however he’ll take one other step in direction of cementing his place in historical past on Sunday when he’s inducted into the Browns Legends program together with the late Darrel “Pete” Brewster. Each will probably be honored at a halftime ceremony in the course of the crew’s house opener in opposition to the Jets.

Thomas will probably be in attendance along with his spouse and 4 youngsters — who he says he’s elevating “the proper approach” as Browns followers — his mother and father and his in-laws.

“It is a actually particular step for me to be acknowledged by the group and put my title amongst the greats of whoever wore a Cleveland Browns uniform,” Thomas stated, “which once you have a look at all of the Rings of Honor and the Legends golf equipment all through the NFL, the Browns are nearly incomparable.”

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The subsequent yr or so might be life-changing for Thomas and his legacy. He’s eligible for the Professional Soccer Corridor of Fame for the primary time on this upcoming class. Induction into the Corridor of Fame would result in a spot within the crew’s ring of honor — his consecutive snaps streak of 10,363 is already memorialized there.

“(The snap streak) type of typifies what I attempt to be as a teammate, which was I attempted to be dependable, I attempted to be constant and I attempted to be all the time there for the fellows round me and to assist them do their jobs in addition to they probably may,” Thomas stated. “That was what drove me to play via ache and play via accidents and present up each Sunday. Seeing that quantity, it type of makes me replicate again on all the faces and the names that I performed with.”

Left guard Joel Bitonio praised Thomas for his consistency on Thursday.

“I feel that’s the trait of an awesome O lineman is are you able to be the identical man just about week in and week out,” Bitonio stated. “All people has a few dangerous performs right here or there, however he was simply so constant in what he did. I do keep in mind my rookie yr, I feel we have been taking part in the Colts, and he had made a name however one thing on the bottom there was one other name. I had been like, ‘Oh no, we’ve got to vary it to this.’ Clearly, he was proper, however I attempted to appropriate him mid-play, and I keep in mind after the play he let me have it somewhat bit. I used to be like, ‘Alright, I gained’t query Joe Thomas anymore on what name to make.’”

Thomas was fashionable from the beginning in Cleveland, partly due to his option to go fishing as an alternative of attending the draft when the Browns made him the No. 3 general choose in 2007. His standing as a fan favourite solely grew because the crew struggled extra. The Browns went 10-6 his rookie yr and missed the playoffs and it was solely downhill from there. Thomas’ remaining sport with the crew was October 22, 2017, the seventh loss in an 0-16 season when he tore his triceps. He performed each snap at left sort out from the primary week of his rookie seaosn till then. He retired the next March.

“I really feel like I should be grateful at each second of each second of day by day to the fanbase for accepting me and remembering me, although we went via some actually, actually exhausting occasions collectively,” Thomas stated. “As I say quite a bit, perhaps that’s a part of the rationale that I join with the followers nonetheless a lot is as a result of we did undergo some robust occasions collectively, and I feel generally robust occasions breed a novel bond.”

Sunday, Thomas will take his rightful place amongst Browns legends, a bunch that features among the finest to ever play.

“Perhaps one or two of the opposite founding franchises have as many gamers which can be within the Corridor of Fame or are among the many best gamers the sport has ever seen,” Thomas stated, “however it’s exhausting to argue with the group of Legends that the Browns have. Placing my title in there may be actually particular.”

Podcast (from April 8, 2022): Joe Thomas on Baker Mayfield, Deshaun Watson and extra.

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