DawgTalkers.net Forums DawgTalk Pure Football Forum Joe Thomas: Browns' new regime won't trade me

Class act that JT.

Joe Thomas hopes Cleveland Browns do not trade him

By Brian Dulik, The Associated Press
POSTED: 10/26/16, 8:03 PM EDT | UPDATED: 6 HRS AGO

BEREA, Ohio >> Joe Thomas has taken his share of lumps with the Cleveland Browns. He is willing to absorb many more.

The six-time All-Pro left tackle expressed his strong desire to remain with the team Wednesday rather than be traded to a contender.

“I do want to win a championship and I want to have it in Cleveland,” Thomas said. “I understand when you’re a good older player on a team that’s not winning, it’s natural to have your name out there.

“But when I first got here, my goal was to be part of turning the Browns into a consistent winner. We haven’t done that yet, so that means my mission is not complete.”

Thomas’ name has been floated around the NFL in advance of the Nov. 1 trade deadline. Browns coach Hue Jackson emphatically stated Thomas would not be dealt earlier in the week.

That decision, however, is in the hands of football operations director Sashi Brown and team owner Jimmy Haslam III. They have not spoken on the subject, but the team did negotiate with Denver to trade Thomas last October.

“It feels good to be loved, so I’m hoping they stick to (Hue’s) word on that,” said Thomas, who will turn 32 on Dec. 4. “I’ve had the experience of going through this before — my sense is that a trade was close last year — but I try not to worry about something I have no control over.

“Obviously, I really want to be here. It’s important for me to be part of the turnaround.”

The 6-foot-6, 312-pounder is one of eight players in NFL history to be selected for the Pro Bowl in his first nine seasons. The other seven are in the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

Cleveland drafted Thomas with the third overall pick in 2007, which also was the last time it finished with a winning record. The Wisconsin product has played in all 151 games and for 9,388 offensive snaps, but has never qualified for the playoffs.

The Browns are 0-7 heading into their Sunday home game against the New York Jets, making them 47-104 since Thomas came aboard.

“I still want to be part of it and I really respect the coaching staff,” he said. “I think Jimmy got it right by hiring Hue and his staff, and I think Sashi and the guys upstairs are doing a great job. I think all the pieces are here, it’s just going to take a little bit of time.”

Thomas has personal and professional reasons for wanting to stay in Cleveland, where he and cornerback Joe Haden are the faces of the franchise. He is an investor in a suburban barbeque restaurant that will open soon, and is beloved by local fans.

Case in point: Thomas was shown on the scoreboard at Game 1 of the World Series between the Indians and Chicago Cubs on Tuesday. He also filmed a congratulatory message for the Cavaliers’ concurrent NBA championship ceremony, receiving loud cheers at both Progressive Field and Quicken Loans Arena.

“My wife (Annie) and I certainly feel like we’re Clevelanders,” Thomas said. “Just because you weren’t born somewhere doesn’t mean you don’t feel like part of the city. We feel like we’ve got some pretty deep roots here. There’s no reason we want to leave.”

NOTES

QB Josh McCown (fractured left collarbone) has been medically cleared to play against the Jets, while QB Cody Kessler (concussion) is in the NFL’s head-injury protocol after being hurt Sunday in Tennessee. Jackson declined to say who will start, citing the latter’s uncertain status. “Today is Wednesday, so tomorrow Cody could be out of the concussion protocol,” the coach said. “I’m not ruling him out. We’ll see as we go through the week.” . The Browns have used six quarterbacks through seven games. Robert Griffin III started Week 1 and fractured his left shoulder, McCown started Week 2 and was hurt, and Kessler has been under center for the last five games. Charlie Whitehurst, Kevin Hogan and wide receiver Terrelle Pryor also have played QB.
link

I really don't think he'll be traded, but there's always a chance. Minnesota doesn't have a 1st round pick, so unless it's a 2018 1st plus more, no way

j/c:

I thought Hue made it very clear that the Browns are not trading Joe Thomas???????????????

Here is a link w/an actual video of what Hue said about the "reports" on trading Joe Thomas. Please note the deliberate and definitive manner in how he addressed the question.


http://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap3000000727365/article/hue-jackson-browns-are-not-trading-joe-thomas

Come on Vers ... WTF ..

Cause Hue said it, doesn't mean it won't happen ...

Come on man .. this crap happens all the time .. your smarter than this .. I don't get it ..

I highly doubt he will get traded either ... just a contract/pick nightmare and nothing to do with what Hue said or says ...

And i don't think Hues a liar either ... unfortunately alot of times teams think its smart cause they think it helps them in negotiations ..

Sorry Vers .. i just don't understand your 100% IRON CLAD STANCE HERE ... it makes no sense bro ...

j/c

I absolutely can see this happening. If the FO receives an offer for what it perceives as good value, he is gone. Bank on it. That doesn't mean they will, but if they do, he's gone.

I think it's very unlikely but nothing is impossible. I also think the fans would be EXTREMELY angry.

So that would be the tipping point to EXTREME anger? Not the abysmal product year after year, or the drought of playoff appearances, or the dozens of blown draft picks, or the carousel of coaches and FOs, or the fact that the team is the perennial laughing stock of the entire sports world?

I agree. Although I do think it's a small chance that Thomas gets traded, whatever is said to the media needs to be taken with a grain of salt. It can always be a posturing maneuver for the next best deal and public comments are a great way to create that.

See the draft and free agency as perfect examples of that.

I wish Joe could score TD's... Because our QB's are getting killed... Hand the ball off to Joe and let him go..

Can we trade Joe for 5 more Joes's ? "L"

An agent's take on deals that need to happen

http://www.cbssports.com/nfl/news/agents...trade-deadline/

Basically:

Thomas to Settle for a 2nd and 4th (FREAKING LAUGHABLE)
Haden to Carolina for a 2nd (I'd do it now ... no chance tho)


Also, he has Staley to the Vikings for a 2nd and a 5th (no way he's that closeo to JT)

I'm agreeing with you when I say this...

Links are meant, by the Rules of the Pound, to prove beyond a shadow of a doubt that the poster did not make up the information he/she posted. They are not definitive proof of the iron clad truth on any matter.

Links are proof of fact, not proof of truth. Anyone can be mistaken or intentionally lying in a link.

j/c:


https://twitter.com/treed1919/status/791716934945345536

Did anyone see Bill say this today? Was there anything else mentioned to provide a bit more context to this comment?

I would trade Thomas, but only if I was absolutely blown away by an offer.

What would constitute "blown away"?

A 1st, a 2nd, and a player at a minimum. If the other team is at the end of the round, then I want even more.

I see no reason to give Joe Thomas away to another team. He is a Hall of Fame level player, still playing at that level, and who is under contract at a very reasonable rate through 2018. That doesn't come cheap, IMHO. However, if another team feels the need to make a completely ridiculous and overwhelming offer, then sure, I listen.

Perhaps during the post season prior to the 2017 draft, but not now! How would you replace him and still maintain a degree of respectability on the Oline? I'm not on board with a trade of JT...

"stepping in"? Why the face?

Joe is not up for trade. Damn I hate these days when a 13 year old kid can report something from his parents basement and everybody believes it

Would the Browns trade Joe if somebody called them and offered 2 1st round picks.... your damn right they would, would they trade him if somebody called and offered a 1st rounder and 2 second round picks.... sure. Would the Browns trade him for a second round pick..... sure right after I grow a foot overnight and my BMI goes from 35 to 8

Joe Thomas said he was waiting for a turnaround 3 years ago.
nothing has changed. except new faces running the franchise of dysfunction and embarassment.
this front office isn't getting the Browns out of the cellar.
11 years in the NFL and never experienced a playoff game or even a meaningful game past week 13.
with or without Thomas the culture isn't changing
this team needs all the picks it can get 1 through 64.

9 Pro Bowls?

Ok 9 Pro Bowls...yeah so what
I would like to think team achievements are more important
than individual ones
Joe Thomas would trade any Pro Bowl appearance for a playoff appearance

The other day I heard Polian say "the Browns FO should be sued by their QBs for malpractice for what they have done to the offensive line."

Lol, hadn't heard that one before.

You made the false statement not me.

Never never never trade Joe. But, Haden? I've read a lot of guru's saying that at least four teams ought to try getting him. All of them say he's only worth a 2nd rounder. I've never been a Haden fan. He gets burned on the long ball too much and now his health is a major issue. Always seems to be on the sideline. I think with the right deal offer they should jump. Does Haden have a 'no trade clause'?

The Browns are never going to be good.

So I might as well get to enjoy the hype that is the draft to maximum potential..

ALL THE DRAFT PICKS!

nfl.com has a picture on the front page of players who it would be smart to trade..

Joe Haden's picture is up.

Smart for who? The only winner in that scenario would be us. Unless the trade miraculously cured him of his PIS (Perpetual Injury Syndrome).

I love both Joes but Hayden is starting to be a bit too injury prone the last few years... but like we have NOTHING to replace him with AT ALL ...

Why Browns' Joe Thomas is happy he wasn't traded to a contender


GREG A. BEDARD
2 hours ago



It seems to make little sense that an elite player like Browns LT Joe Thomas would stay in Cleveland after all of these years when a trade to a contender would make sense for all involved. Thomas explains why he wanted to stay.

To the lay person and even veteran media, it doesn’t make a lot of sense why a player the caliber of Browns left tackle Joe Thomas would rather remain in Cleveland than be traded to a contender, as he maintained through Tuesday’s trade deadline.


Thomas is a generational left tackle, a franchise cornerstone. Six times he has been a first-team All-Pro, and he has been selected for the Pro Bowl after each of his first nine seasons. He is a master technician, durable and a pillar of the community. NFL players don’t come any better than Joe Thomas.


And yet the team he plays for is a punch line. The Browns finished 10–6 when he was a rookie in 2007 but didn’t make the playoffs. That was the high-water mark. Since then, the Browns haven’t sniffed the postseason, going 37–99. There are no signs that the Browns will improve. They’re 0–8 so far this season under a new coach, and could go 0–16. The team doesn’t have a quarterback, is now being run by a former baseball executive, and barely made an effort to retain some if its best free agents (including Thomas’s buddies and linemates C Alex Mack and RT Mitchell Schwartz), and looks to be at least a few years from even contending.

It doesn’t take a football expert to know there’s a lot of bad offensive line play around the league, and many teams would be better with Thomas as their left tackle. Teams like the Seahawks, Panthers, Giants, Texans, Broncos, Patriots and Colts would all be vastly improved if they acquired Thomas. Conversely, the Browns could gain valuable assets for their future. Thomas, who at 31 doesn’t have forever to wait, would get a chance to play in the postseason and perhaps win a Super Bowl. A deal for Thomas would seem to be a win for everyone, yet the trade deadline came and went, and Thomas is still a Brown—sentenced to be a Brown, in the opinion of many.


There has to be a reason why so many players, like Thomas, choose to remain in their current downtrodden situations, and it has to be more than comfort and family considerations. Players like Thomas didn’t play football for money and glory, they played to compete and win games. If you’re stuck on the Browns, how can that be a good situation?


I recently got a chance to ask Thomas about his desire to remain with the Browns while working on a story about Mack, his former teammate and one of his best friends. I think Thomas’s answer sheds a lot of light on his thinking, and I now understand why winning is not always everything to some players.


“For me, I would say that the overarching reason that it's important for me to stay in Cleveland... when I was drafted here I really kind of embraced being a Clevelander,” says Thomas. “It feels like home to me. It almost... I wasn't born here (he was born in Wisconsin), but I can identify with the people that live here and that chip on that shoulder, and how they feel about their football team. They have so much passion and pride for the Cleveland Browns and we've been bad for so long.


“Imagine if you grew up in a place and the team was bad for a long time and there's almost like a pride in being able to stay here and stick it out, knowing that you're going to get to where you promised yourself and you've been promised at some point. You don't know when it's going to be, but you know the payoff is going to be so great and so amazing that you want to finish your career there. I feel in many ways that's the most important thing to me. When I was drafted in Cleveland, I wanted to turn this team back into a perennial playoff contender and to win the Super Bowl. And I feel like that obviously hasn't happened yet. For me I'm very goal oriented and I want to make that happen. I feel like that's unfinished business and that really irks in my craw, that I need to do this before I can be done. I think that's kind of how it is.


“The analogy I tried to make was your home team was bad forever, you wouldn’t just switch allegiances to the team that was good at that time. You're still cheering for your team. When I was a kid, the Packers were terrible until was like 12 or 13. Suddenly they get Brett Favre and Reggie White and they got to the Super Bowl with Mike Holmgren and they're awesome and it's like the greatest thing on Earth. And that's kind of how in my head I am. I'm a Cleveland Brown, that’s who I am and I'm not going to change allegiances just to get a Super Bowl title. I want to do it as a Cleveland Brown because that's who I am.”

http://www.si.com/nfl/2016/11/03/nfl...eveland-browns

j/c

So what I'm getting out of all this is that keeping your own IS important to Sashi like he said it was...

Joe Thomas has so much class. I think they should build a statue of him now.

nice article ... love JT

Class guy

+1

I love Joe Thomas.

He is simply the best LT in the game

The only Jersey I wear and the only number on my t shirts is Joe Thomas. He better retire as a brown and they better retire his number with him too.