DawgTalkers.net Forums DawgTalk Pure Football Forum Joe Thomas added to Pro Bowl

Aye, Defensive Line and interior LBers is the way to go, but still, the part of me that enjoys taking OverKill to the limit enjoys the thought of dropping a top quality and YOUNG RT into our line that will be there for the next decade, creating the nice problem of whether Tucker or Shaffer is our RG


That said, I understand the reality of the D side needing fixed... but a guy can dream

Don't dream too hard, PPE... you don't wanna wake up "moist."

Phil has stated many times that he's plucking hard from the D-Tree this year. I see no evidence to prove that he won't... which all but eliminates Long as a viable candidate for the Browns.

Bummer too- it would be fun to see if he could crack the starting lineup, and make the same kind of impact that JT did last year.


Guess it's better to dream about how much better the D7 will be, if Phil holds true to his word....


.02

my hope/wish is that Savage:
Signs:
Albert Haynesworth (DT)
Justin Smith (DE)

And we either trade for or sign:
Shaun Rodgers (DE)

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my hope/wish is that Savage:
Signs:
Albert Haynesworth (DT)
Justin Smith (DE)

And we either trade for or sign:
Shaun Rodgers (DE)

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Haynesworth & Smith would bring me to tears.....But I do have to agree & disagree with you on Shaun Rodgers, Living in North West Ohio 45 minutes from Detroit, I get all the news on the Lions....like it or not i hear it.....Shaun rodgers is known to give up & stop playing at anytime during a game, if he gets tired in the first he stops and it happens more and more and earlier & earlier as the season goes on, this is what the news reports say from his team mates, Now we all know how these reports can be made up, I'm not against bringing Rodgers inbut 1st he must be healthy, 2. cant cost us anything higher than a 5th round pick, and cant hurt our cap or possiblities of signing other players. If Rodgers wants to come in at a fair price, play hard earn a Super bowl Ring...than come on down, if it's all about him, go elsewhere

I dont think anyone else would be more hungrier to prove that they can make a difference in the NFL that a rookie.

Build the line through the draft.

Forget Shaun Rogers... We already have one Shaun, and we don't need another.

Maybe he hates playing for a losing team....Same things were said about Moss I mean Randy Moss didn't do anything in Oakland and he was washed up, old, and didn't want to play anymore but I am betting that the Patriots sure do regret trading for him......

When I said trade I didn't mean anything hirer than a 5th...but unto that point besides Vickers can you say there has been an absolute hit with our 4-7th picks? Maybe McDonald....

I will also bet you that Shaun Rodgers would be better than some scrub DT found in the 5th-7th round

It's a risk...but its risk reward....does the reward of getting a pro-bowl talent DT outweigh a 5th round pick?

To me it does

Just because we haven't hit on our 5th-7th round picks in the past few years doesn't mean that's a good reason to spend it on a trade. I'd think that means we should re-evaluate how we evaluate 5th-7th round talent.

I think you guys are crazy for wanting Justin Smith. He's 6'4'' 275, and I remember him getting blocked 1 on 1 by Winslow...WINSLOW... What makes you think that he could leave being a 4-3 end and become a successful, undersized 3-4 DE?

With Thomas, 'What you see is what you get'
Jeff Walcoff, Staff Writer
02.05.2008

There's no such thing as a 'sure thing' at the NFL draft. First-round picks sometimes don't pan out and seventh-round picks can turn into multi-time Pro Bowl selections.

There is, however, such a thing as what scouts call a 'safe pick'. That being a player they have reason to believe will be as advertised with little chance to become a bust. But even these picks aren't always so safe. Nothing, especially in the draft process, is for certain.

However, when the Browns picked left tackle Joe Thomas third overall at the 2007 NFL Draft, they had reason to believe he was about as safe a pick as they come that early in the selection process.

And while they no doubt hoped Thomas would one day be good enough to be placed on a Pro Bowl roster, they probably never envisioned that this 'safe pick' would be good enough to go in his very first season in the pros.

Though here the Browns are, nine months after they selected Thomas, celebrating the team's first offensive lineman to go to the Pro Bowl since Cody Risien in 1988.

Browns offensive line coach Steve Marshall was new to the team when it drafted Thomas, but he remembers the team seeing him as a safe pick early in the process.

"We did quite a bit of study on Joe coming into the draft, so there'sone thing we knew we were getting when we drafted him," Marshall said. "What you see is what you get with him and that's one of the appealing things, in my opinion, that sold me on the guy."

This sort of conclusion isn't drawn overnight. When exploring possible draft picks, especially ones slated to be taken so early in the draft, teams watch every piece of game film, analyze every medical report, and talk to everyone from the player to his college and even high school coaches.

"We did our research and talked to the people who were involved in his life when he was in college-- his line coach and head coach and all the people directly related to what he did -- and everything came up consistent," Marshall said. "There were no holes.

"The guy was an excellent football player in college and there was no reason he couldn't be an excellent player in pro ball. And that was not only our consensus but a lot of people's consensus."

But these interviews and the predraft process as a whole only lead to speculation. Nothing can assure a player's success on the NFL level, even in the short term. Hence, despite their confidence that Thomas would succeed, the club waited anxiously to see how he'd react on the practice field during minicamps, offseason workouts and, finally, training camp.

The club hoped to have Thomas fully installed at the left tackle spot sooner rather than later, but with left tackle being one of the most important positions on a football field, even this was a leap of faith.

During camp, what quickly became apparent to Marshall and the rest of the team was that Thomas was determined to make the best of every practice and never make the same mistake twice.

"He came out very early on in practice in the spring and through training camp and into the preseason games and everyday he had a plan to do something a little bit better," Marshall said. "The game wasn't too big for him. He's mature beyond his years. Nothing seems to faze the guy."

Linebacker Kamerion Wimbley frequently went against Thomas in practice and quickly noticed the young player was determined to improve.

"I had some rushes (against him) at the beginning of camp that were successful but one thing about him is he learns fast and you can't really repeat the same thing on him twice," Wimbley said.

Thomas quickly earned the starting left tackle spot and was planted in the role by the Sept. 9 opener against the Pittsburgh Steelers.

Thomas' NFL debut didn't go as planned.

The club allowed 6 sacks -- five in the first quarter and a half while Charlie Frye was at quarterback. The Browns lost, 34-7.

But the struggles ended there.

The team proceeded to allow only 13 sacks through its next 15 games, led by the rookie Thomas, who was near flawless at his all-important spot on the quarterback's blind side.

Week in and week out, he handled opposing team's linebackers and defensive ends, who were surely salivating at the opportunity to rush against a rookie lineman.

Along the way, he was aided by a group of experienced veterans along the line.

"To the rest of the guys' credit, he had some very good veterans around him," Marshall said. "(Kevin) Shaffer, (Eric) Steinbach, (Ryan) Tucker and (Hank) Fraley all helped him get to where he needed to be so he got in a comfort zone and he took it and ran with it."

Thomas was quick to give his fellow linemen credit.

"As an O-line we meshed and had great chemistry," he said. "It helps to be able to like the guys you play with. It was a tremendous help for me to have all the experience on the offensive line around me."

The team's least experienced lineman other than Thomas, left guard and former Cincinnati Bengal Steinbach, had 62 games of starting experience in the NFL when Thomas was slotted next to him at left tackle.

"It was abig help to have Eric next to me because he was a guy who came in and started as a rookie as well," Thomas said. "He had been around, played in the AFC North and knew how to get things done in the NFL.

At the end of the season, many were expecting it would be Steinbach, not Thomas, who would be bound for the Pro Bowl.

Both players were named first alternates and Thomas was named one of five finalists -- and the only lineman nominated -- for the Diet Pepsi NFL Rookie of the Year Award.

Some national pundits named Thomas their rookie of the year, ahead of players like Minnesota's Adrian Peterson, who rushed for 1,341 yards and set an NFL single-game record with 296 rushing yards against the Chargers on Nov. 4.

When the Bills' Jason Peters dropped out due to injury on January 8, Thomas was named to his first Pro Bowl, fulfilling a dream the young player never thought he would so early in his career.

"It's very exciting," Thomas said. "One of my dreams has always been to play in the Pro Bowl and it's coming true in my first season. Things just happened right this year and I got lucky."

If you ask those around him, it's doubtful they'd say luck had anything to do with Thomas being selected.

After all, they've watched the young lineman as he's gone from being the subtle 'safe pick' at the 2007 draft to quickly becoming one of the best young talents along the offensive line in professional football.

But one year doesn't make a career, nor does it justify a top-three draft choice.

Sunday's Pro Bowl will no doubt be yet another chance for Thomas to have a learning experience on the football field.

"He's got a lot of work in front of him," Marshall said. "He's not by any stretch of the imagination -- and Joe will tell you this -- an elite guy yet.

"He has to have a body of work over a number of years to get to that point but he certainly has made a nice start." link

I can't believe this guy isn't getting more love on here.

God, he is like the perfect football player. He's smart, he's athletic, he's humble, and he is damn good.

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There is, however, such a thing as what scouts call a 'safe pick'.

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Hey Diam, I think I remember someone saying that.

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"We did our research and talked to the people who were involved in his life when he was in college-- his line coach and head coach and all the people directly related to what he did -- and everything came up consistent," Marshall said. "There were no holes.

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Yeah, I don't think he has a weakness in his game or his character.

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The club hoped to have Thomas fully installed at the left tackle spot sooner rather than later, but with left tackle being one of the most important positions on a football field, even this was a leap of faith.

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And LT is one of the hardest positions to play. The guy stood up to great pass rushers and elaborate schemes. Not only did he start........he excelled.

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"He came out very early on in practice in the spring and through training camp and into the preseason games and everyday he had a plan to do something a little bit better," Marshall said. "The game wasn't too big for him. He's mature beyond his years. Nothing seems to faze the guy."

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Joe is Joe. He has a burning drive to be the best, but he doesn't like a lot of attention. It's the fire inside that fuels him.

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Thomas was quick to give his fellow linemen credit.

"As an O-line we meshed and had great chemistry," he said. "It helps to be able to like the guys you play with. It was a tremendous help for me to have all the experience on the offensive line around me."

The team's least experienced lineman other than Thomas, left guard and former Cincinnati Bengal Steinbach, had 62 games of starting experience in the NFL when Thomas was slotted next to him at left tackle.

"It was abig help to have Eric next to me because he was a guy who came in and started as a rookie as well," Thomas said. "He had been around, played in the AFC North and knew how to get things done in the NFL.

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And the guy even says the right things. He is so grounded and he really is a team guy.


Come on, guys...................give my guy some love.

I absolutely love Joe. I loved him before the draft and wanted us to pick him, and I love him even more now. I got his jersey and I would have a sig with him but everyone else does. He played outstanding this year, but he could improve. The one thing I noticed with him is that sometimes he will get bull rushed. It doesn't happen often, but it does happen. This offseason the main area for him to improve on is his strength. He already is strong, but it is still his main weakness. There is no doubt in my mind that he is one of if not the best left tackle in the NFL.

Basically, he's my idol.

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I can't believe this guy isn't getting more love on here.

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No doubt Vers...So much good play by some of these guys...

Believe me Vers, Joe gets love from everyone.

He's just so dependable, it's like that unspoken love you just don't need to say.

That doesn't mean we don't love the guy. It's amazing how many "normal people" who normally don't pay attention to the OL LOVE Thomas.

I was so impressed with him during the preseason, the only thing I thought he needed to work on was dealing with the bullrush.

Here's what I said in an old thread... https://www.dawgtalkers.net/showflat.php?...true#Post290039

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If offensive linemen would ever win rookie of the year, Joe Thomas should get it. I've never been so impressed with a rookie LT in my life. Completely shutting down guys like Justin Smith, Jason Taylor, Adalius Thomas and Terell Suggs. He's only gonna get better! IMO he should be in the PRO BOWL this year, as a rookie. I stand by that statement too. Name me two better LT's in the AFC at this point in time. I can't think of any.

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I can't believe this guy isn't getting more love on here.

Really?
Remember way back before the draft..when a few of us said we wanted Thomas and he was the best pick..there were those who just dissed the guy..saying his knee was a risk..he wasn't strong enough..blah blah blah..
Truth is ..only a few people actually saw the guy play..

The ones who ONLY saw him play against Arkansas in the bowl game didn't really zero in because he often took the stunting man and the OG was getting beat..

The knee stuff was ludicrious..

Well, I can believe it. I just said it to try to draw some more attention to him. It kills me that people seem more in love w/BQ--who hasn't done anything yet--than Joe, who played like a Pro Bowler, regardless of the voting.

He signed early. He worked hard. He compliments his teammates rather than himself. He doesn't crave attention. He just kicks ass!


One thing about the bullrush. I really don't see him getting bull rushed like some of you do. I see him giving ground and forcing the defender to the outside and past the QB, so the QB can step up into the pocket---just as he should----but I don't see him getting pushed back into the QB's face very often. In fact, I really don't remember more than two or three times all year.

I just wish we could talk about other areas of the team rather than how bad DA is.

I do not see JT get bull rushed often, but I do, however, feel that it is his biggest weakness. Theonly time this year I remember him getting beat bad was by Justin Smith on a 4th down play in our second game against them. Smith was able to get to Anderson and knock the ball loose and stopped us on a crucial 4th down.

Don't get me wrong, I love Joe. He played simply outstanding this year for anyone, let alone a rookie. I just see an area where he could improve. Does anyone else remember a play where a defensive back on the Dolphins ran away from Thomas. One of my favorite moments of the season.

That's fine, little brother. You don't have to agree w/me.

I do know that some scouting reports said he could be bull rushed when he was coming out of college. I just don't agree w/it all that much.

And all offensive linemen get beat occasionally. I saw Dwight Freeny destroy Ogden when Ogden was at the top of his game. And I saw that dude from ATL, Kearney, I think......destroy Pace when Pace was flying high. It happens. Those guys are paid good too.

I don't think Joe is a god, but man, he is one heck of a football player. And I think he has a real chance to go down as one of the greatest LTs of ALL TIME.

And people on here who know me can tell you........I am not always the first guy to dish out praise. Joe is just something else.

One more thing..........we really aren't disagreeing much. I just want to talk about something else, rather than the same old, same old.

Interesting take. And a good take.

Not sure about no one being higher on him than you part, though. I was pretty intense about it. *L*

One other thing that he does well that you don't mention. He gap blocks very well. Some call it an angle block. This is a type of zone blocking where the play side blockers "angle" down the line and block the man one down from them. The idea is to get the head across their body and raise the trailing arm up high and push this man out of his gap. Joe absolutely destroyed many defenders on this type of blocking this year. His first step is quick and his technique is very good. He also has a bit of a nasty streak that people don't know about. He did some pile driving.

I am glad you mentioned his ability to pull. Rather rare in a LT. Him and Steiny give us a formidable pair when they both get to the outside.

I actually think both are best when the play starts right. I say that because both are so good at getting to the second level. If we get our right side to neutralize the defense's left side, than Steiny and Joe have a real chance of destroying the opponents second level. I see us really working on that next year.

I saw him get bullrushed during the preseason but once the season began I didn't notice.

I think that means he's a fast learner.

His worst game unfortunately was the second Bengals game. Justin Smith gave him some problems coming around the edge in the beginning of the game and I do remember him getting pushed all the way back to Anderson once...maybe twice. It's been a while but I definitely remember being surprised by his mediocre play that game in particular.

Agreed.

One point that you bring up but don't go into is designed cut back plays where Lewis starts right and cuts back left. Thomas and Steiny are lethal on those plays because they're so quick. Those plays were the most productive of all the running plays last year.

Another point is how often we had to keep a back in to help Thomas or put a TE on his side to block. Oh ya......ummmmmm.....NEVER.

Two more good points.

That cut back thing your talking about is a bi-product of zone blocking. I had a thread on zone blocking before the year. Were you around then?

But yeah........Joe and Steiny are great zone blocking guys. They both have great technique; are very quick; have good agility; and are very intelligent.


The point about not having to give Joe help is huge. It's one of those things that goes unnoticed by most. We've had LTs in the past that may have not given up a ton of sacks, but they needed a ton of help. That limited what we could do on offense. Less motion, fewer formations, shorter drops, etc. Joe's ability to handle the left side by himself was huge. It really opened up what we could do offensively. Chud gets a lot of credit for being more creative, but w/out Joe's presence on the left side, Chud can't afford to be so creative.

they've got a video on NFL.com of JT in Hawaii and asking him what he thinks the Browns need to do to get to a Super Bowl.

PS- Joe's wife is HOT

Could you please provide a link to the video. I was unable to locate it at the site.

Thanks.

Who's not giving him love? Or, did you just need to take another swipe at people who believe Quinn should by the QB of the future.

I said it earlier in this thread he's better than I ever dreamed he would be in his rookie year, I'm crazy about the guy. He may go down as the best draft pick Savage ever makes (hope not!! ), hopefully there are many more picks like that to come. Great trench guys, that's what we need.

Miller has fond Pro Bowl memories
Steve King, Staff Writer
02.06.2008

Before there was ever returner Joshua Cribbs -- or wide receiver Braylon Edwards, left tackle Joe Thomas, long snapper Ryan Pontbriand, tight end Kellen Winslow or quarterback Derek Anderson -- giving the Browns six players in Sunday's Pro Bowl, the most of any AFC team, there was Jamir Miller.

Only Jamir Miller.

Until this year, Miller had stood alone as the only Brown from the expansion era to have played in thePro Bowlgame, having gone following the 2001 season.

There was nobody from the 1999, 2000, '02, '03, '04, '05 or '06 Browns teams in Honolulu -- unless they were just visiting, or had a ticket to the game.

"I feel there should have been a lot of guys from the Browns to make it to Hawaii after I did, and now that some of them have, I'm so happy," Miller said by phonethis weekin the first interview he has done -- at least locally -- since leaving Cleveland five years ago.

To listen to a full interview with Miller, click here.

Miller might have gone back to the Pro Bowl several more times, keeping the five-year drought from ever occurring. After all, he was extremely healthy and an iron man, having missed just seven games in his eight NFL seasons. And he had made the Pro Bowl for the first time after having tied for the AFC lead with 13 sacks, just 23 less than he had had in his entire career to that point.

So, albeit a little late, maybe his star was just beginning to shine.

But as luck -- bad -- would have it in this expansion era -- he never had that opportunity. That game in Honolulu turned out to be the last one he would finish.

His career lasted only 11:02 more, as he suffered a ruptured Achilles tendon late in the first quarter of the opening preseason game in 2002, just six months later. It occurred as the Minnesota Vikings' Moe Williams scored on a four-yard run around right end to tie the score at 7-7.

The official game sheet doesn't even list the fact that Miller got hurt on the play. But Miller laid on his back in the end zone for several minutes, his head in his hands, as trainers and doctors attended to him.

He retired at the end of that season. No formal announcement. No fanfare. No nothing.

Miller had no choice.

"I had been hurt before on the field and had always been able to walk off, no matter what it was," he said. "I had never suffered a truly major injury like that, and when I couldn't get up, I realized that something was seriously wrong and I wouldn't be back in four to six weeks."

So the one player the fledgling Browns might have been able to market -- their only true all-star and one of the players left from that 1999 expansion squad -- never played a down again. As such, he never got to experience the joy that came in that 2002 season, as the Browns finished 9-7 and eked their way into a wild-card spot to make the playoffs for the first -- and still only -- time in this expansion era.

But Miller is doing fine now. He is still in the Phoenix area, where he settled after being taken in the first round -- as the10th overall pick -- in the NFL Draft by the Cardinals in 1994, the year they changed their moniker from Phoenix to Arizona. And just like he did on the football field, he's excelling -- with plans to do even more.

"I have a food marketing company that I've been working on for the last couple of years, and I'm also in the process of forming a partnership to go back into sports marketing and representation," he said. "I'm going to bring the knowledge and experience I have gained in food marketing and bring it into the sports marketing business. It should be a great marriage."

Just like the one with him and the 2001 Browns, who, in Butch Davis' first year as head coach, were in desperate need of a lot of things, especially a pass rush, to help turn around a club that had gone just 5-22 in its first two years.

"That 2001 season was a special one -- the best season that I had -- and a painful season as well because I played through a couple of nagging injuries," he said. "To be able to just let my hair down and go, and on third down, after we had stopped the run, to be able to really get after it, was great. It really invigorated me. I left everything I had on all 16 of the fields I played on that year. It was an all-out year for me.

"Then after the season to be able to go to Hawaii with my peers and be recognized as one of the best players in the game, was beautiful."

In fact, Miller still remembers the week leading up to the game.

"The best part was sitting at the pool, getting to know the rest of the other players and establishing camaraderie with them, and listening to them tell their war stories. Those guys were telling stories that were taller than Paul Bunyan."

But it's not far-fetched for Miller to say that he thought the 2001 season was just the beginning for him.

"At that point, I thought I had five or six more years left in me," he said. "I was only 28 years old. So it wasn't as if I was an old guy.

"But unfortunately, the good Lord didn't see it that way. He had other plans for me, and I'm putting those plans together now.

"It was very tough to give up the game at that time. I went through some depression. But it made me really concentrate on my family and also figuring out what else I could do as far as a profession. It got my creative juices flowing."

Really flowing, in fact, to the point that he even contemplated pursing a career as a football player -- again.

"I thought about that as recently as three months ago," he laughed. "I said to myself, 'I'm felling pretty good these days.' I got back into the gym to train for about three weeks and got pretty strong again, and then I sat down and watched a game on TV and it dawned on me, 'Oh, I don't know if I could do that anymore.' That's when I realized the game had passed me by. It wasn't enticing for me to think about sticking my head on Brandon Jacobs (the New York Giants' king-sized running back) or somebody like that."

But, truth be told, there were times when the Browns could have used a healthy Miller. From 2003 to '06, they struggled to win games and to put anybody into the Pro Bowl. As such, he became the answer to a great trivia question as the only expansion era Brown to play in the game.

"I have been reminded of that fact several times, but I wasn't aware of it and hadn't really thought about it," he said. "I just wanted Romeo (Crennel, Browns head coach) to put together a winner. That's all I was pulling for.

"I was pretty depressed when they came out here this year and lost to Arizona. That game was pivotal for the Browns in terms of them getting to the playoffs."

Maybe in 2008 for the Browns. Miller believes it will happen.

"I'm going to make a wild prediction," he said. "I'm going to predict that the Browns will win the division and then also win the AFC championship next year. I believe the pieces of the puzzle will all fall together. There's no reason why they shouldn't be able to do that."

Especially now that, in the minds of voters, they have six times as many all-stars as they had in 2001. link



Did`nt want to start a new thread...But found this a nice read......

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"I'm going to make a wild prediction," he said. "I'm going to predict that the Browns will win the division and then also win the AFC championship next year. I believe the pieces of the puzzle will all fall together. There's no reason why they shouldn't be able to do that."

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Sure like the optimism he has toward the team....Hope he`s right..

WOW,, this is a very nice article, but I seem to remember that we released him and then he went down to Baltimore to try out and didn't make it.. I also seem to remember that Jamir had some issues with the Browns for cutting him.. We had him signed to a HUGE contract that would have hampered us big time had we not cut him (when I say cut, I believe it was an injury settlement of some kind).

Still, it's nice that he refers to us as his team..

LOL!

I just watched that video. Joe's reaction to Jamie Duke's interview was kinda like "Well, I'll never get those 30 seconds back..."

It was really awkward. They probably went inside after it was over.

LOL,, I just watched it also... are you telling me that jamie Dukes can't come up with a better question than,,,, Mrs Thomas, Is the Big fella wearing the right sunscreen? Geez

If you look at Joe as Dukes is walking away, it's kinda like,,, was that it? LOL

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Who's not giving him love? Or, did you just need to take another swipe at people who believe Quinn should by the QB of the future.

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Well Jules.......is that a swipe?

My point is that Joe was drafted higher, performed better, yet all people wanna talk about is the QB situation. Is that not true?

I don't think I have ever read anything negative about Joe since he has been a Brown. Quinn is a pretty boy QB that most think (among Browns fans) was the steal of the draft. It's what happens all the time. The glamour boys get the ink while the grunts do all the work.

Joe was the right pick and I can't think of one person (including Diam) that disagrees. I think if Joe stays healthy he will be here long after Brady is gone.

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I can't believe this guy isn't getting more love on here.

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Wanted JT as soon as as I read the scouting reports and the Outland thing & watched him pulverize people in the highlight reels.... he's a shutdown LT, and all ours.


You may have been gone in September or October, when I started a thread called IIRC "Joe Thomas" and said I loved the guy cuz he's a stud beast left tackle.