DawgTalkers.net Forums DawgTalk Pure Football Forum Joe Thomas: "We Could Be Legends"

Good article. I love the attitude by Thomas. I believe that a player, and team, need to believe they can be great before they can be great. I love the idea that Joe is pushing for the team to be great. He puts it in simple terms that should appeal to the egos of each and every player involved with the team. This truly is something that has been missing from the team ..... a great player inviting the rest of the team to be great too. Hopefully his speaking up and taking the lead will cause other players to work their butts off to be great.

I think that Joe has been a "quiet leader" ...... but hopefully he's ready to be a more vocal leader now. I think that he could be incredible in that role.

Cleveland Browns' Joe Thomas: 'We could be legends' if team returned to past glories | cleveland.com
http://www.cleveland.com/browns/index.ssf/2013/07/cleveland_browns_joe_thomas_we.html#incart_river


BEREA, Ohio – After the Browns team president gave a detailed account of planned improvements to the game-day experience Monday, Joe Thomas shared a simple vision for fan enhancement.

“I think about the day I run out of the tunnel of Cleveland Browns Stadium for a home playoff game,” Thomas said. “That’s my dream, that’s why I show up every day.”

For all of his individual accolades, Thomas heads into his seventh season bereft of a postseason appearance. Yes, the Pro Bowl tackle is optimistic for a new year, but experience has been a cruel teacher to him.

Thomas arrived here in 2007, the year the Cavaliers reached the NBA Finals and the Indians were a win from the World Series. The city crackled with possibility and the Browns contributed to the good vibes, logging a 10-6 record in Thomas’s rookie season.

“Sitting here today am I’m surprised we haven’t gone to the playoffs?” Thomas said. “Yeah, probably. Six years, that’s a long time especially when you start 10-6 with a fairly prolific offense.

“Obviously, at the end of that year I was thinking, ‘We are going to be better the next year and have a better offense because we had pretty much everyone coming back.’”

Instead, quarterback Derek Anderson lost his mojo, the team dropped 12 games and coach Romeo Crennel was fired. Thomas had never endured a losing season or a coaching dismissal in his football career.

There was more of each to come. He hasn't won more than five games since his rookie season. He termed the habitual losing, "drudgery."

The perennial All Pro has played under four coaches and protected 10 starting quarterbacks since 2007. It’s one reason why he tempers his enthusiasm when analyzing the rebuilt Browns

“There certainly have been a lot of changes,” he said. “It remains to be seen if they were the right changes because in this game you are measured by wins and losses. There’s been a lot of change, that’s for sure. It’s good to talk about it now, but it doesn’t matter what anyone thinks about those changes. It’s what happens on Sunday.”

Thomas, however, knows the excitement the club would generate with a return to the relevance. He’s good friends with Browns radio analyst Doug Dieken who tells him what it meant to play in Cleveland and later chronicle the club’s success during the 1980s and early 90s.

Thomas also loves the fact coach Rob Chudzinski grew up a Browns fan and understands the connection between the franchise and its fan base.

“When the Cavs went to the finals that was cool,” Thomas said. “But it’s such a football town. (Winning) would mean so much to everybody. It would be unbelievable.

“I try to talk to the young guys and let them know how important this team is to the city. We could be legends if we bring this organization back to where it was a couple decades ago or even win a Super Bowl. You’d never buy another drink, never buy another dinner the rest of your life if you won a Super Bowl here.”

pretty obvious in the article that Joe is sick of the losing. not, sick of it, I'm going to leave, but sick of it, I'm going to do something about it.

hard to believe his rookie year is the ONLY of his career that we were even in the playoff hunt. hopefully, that changes soon.

There is a huge, long feature in Peter King's MMQB site. Too long to post here but I figured it went nicely with the JoeT article YTown posted above:

http://mmqb.si.com/2013/07/30/cleveland-browns-reboot/

Joe is so grounded and honest. If there were one member of the team I want us to win a championship for, it's him. Focused, honest, hardworking, dependable and maybe the best LT in the game today.. Oh, and loyal given that he didn't have to sign that new contract, but he did.

Yeah, I want us to win one for him.. he deserves it.

He does, but dang it so do the fans.

It would be so frustrating to be a player of his caliber and experience nothing but failure for your entire career and stay quiet about it. If I was him, I don't know if I would have signed a new contract with the team and wouldn't have blamed him if he had left or decides to in the future if the team remains a failure over the next few years. If the Browns are still scrubs when his current contract expires, he deserves to go elsewhere and try to get a championship. He has certainly earned that right without scrutiny from Browns fans.

No doubt many of them could be legends. If they won, then stuck around after retirement, they would have the red carpet rolled out at every restaurant and bar in town, spen the rest of their life playing golf and pulling in endorsement money from some beer distributor or car dealer.

Don't expect too much discussion on Joe Thomas thread.

We all agree the man is a stud ProBowler n All Pro. But love the OLman's thought process.

Become a legend and get Free Dinners...got to love the OL lets feed them...lol

I was actually expecting Joe to move onto another team with a more proven record of success. I was convinced resigning him was short of a long shot. However the fact he didn't just makes me respect and love the man even more. He's my favorite Brown and I wish his attitude could be installed within all the players.

If any player deserves a winning team/environment, it's Joe. Jackson on the defensive side.

Also pretty safe to own his Jersey!

And what you're seeing is exactly what this team needs....

2 [formerly] 'quiet leaders'- one on each side of the ball- stepping to the fore to set the tone for the coming season.

Perfect choices- at just the right time, in my book.

Was this by design? Serendipity? Who knows?

All I know is this: 2 veterans with proven track records of excellence have steed up to set the bar for everyone else. It's exactly what you want to see, as a young team serches to find its on-field identity.

Good stuff.

.02

You would be legands.....We still remember players like Felix Wright, Pat Moriarity, Ice Cube Mcneil, Bo Scott, Think of how players would be remembered if they won a Super Bowl.....There'd be Streets, Towers, parking Garages....buildings....hamgurgers....child all named after players...

This Town would explode...This State would go crazy....This country would shut down on the monday following the Super Bowl...There are so many Browns fans spead accross this country we'd all call in sick and the country's economy would crash......Yes..YOU WOULD BE LEGANDS.....AND TREATED LIKE GODS.....

This is one of the BIG reasons I was pumped when we signed Kruger as' well. Guy coming off a fresh superbowl win on a team that's defense has been stellar for years and years now.

Exactly the type of people we need here with all these young bucks!

Legends, they would OWN this town, LOCK, STOCK, and BARREL ... JMHO

this article just makes me hate the Dolans and LBJ even more.

Makes me feel good, THAT guy is in the trenches fighting for this organization and city.

We have great captains. Love JT and DQ.

j/c

Quote:

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“There certainly have been a lot of changes,” he said. “It remains to be seen if they were the right changes because in this game you are measured by wins and losses. There’s been a lot of change, that’s for sure. It’s good to talk about it now, but it doesn’t matter what anyone thinks about those changes. It’s what happens on Sunday.”

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I think that about covers it. Joe has said right here, what many of us feel....

JMHO

Joe Thomas is right.

And I would fly back for the SuperBowl victory parade. That would be a party that could not be missed.

I bought Joe's jersey his rookie season, it's only one I've worn since. I would love to see him be part of a Superbowl team. He deserves it.

Go Joe! Go Browns!

Heldawg is right about Joe Thomas being right.. I say we stay and fight it out.

My daughter wanted a Browns jersey for Christmas...she asked me and my nephew who's she should get...she's a very pretty girly girl but quite tough and a big Browns fan...she wanted nothing to do with offensive skill player jerseys...she's too tough for that

She asked who we thought was the best O-lineman and defensive players on the team and who does the most and best job with the least amount of fanfare.

Her choices were Thomas & Mack...she chose Thomas. You don't see very many beautiful young women in an O-Lineman's jersey. For her, it was a no-brainer.

Brains and beauty.. cool

Joe Thomas jersey has been a solid buy for me. I'll wear it until it gets old and when that happens, i'll buy another JT jersey!

As a die hard fan the losing has been brutal. Hard to even imagine what it must be like for a player like Thomas.

You put so much into it. The pain of losing has to really grate on you.

Hopefully this regime will get it right. Not much else you can do but hope. You can see that there are some pieces in place.

The one thing that I keep coming back too though is "quarterback".

When you have a great player at that position you always feel like you have a chance.

I dream for the day the Browns have a quarterback that I believe in. Until then the attitude is just hope for some wins.

Let's don't talk about zero missed starts and such by a player.

It's like some announcer talking about a player who hasn't fumbled in 376 carries, or some golfer who hasn't been in a hazzard all week.

I can't fault the Oline or the Dline...we have had some bad management and bad coaches that killed our ability to win. We must start using our talent and take advantage of players like Thomas. The Oline made Hillis and Harrison look like stars and where are they now?