Thank you, Joe Thomas! |

Thank you, Joe Thomas!

I hope that by the time Joe Thomas gives his speech at Canton, the Browns will have playoff wins and maybe even a championship as a backdrop to his induction. I have no doubts that the Browns will have a different aura about them in five years, and the Thomas Decade will unfortunately be remembered as the Dark Ages. But Thomas was the lone, consistent shining light in that decade....

 
The last vestige of positivity for the team. Hopefully this is only the start of a new era where the team can find success.

Having listened to the ThomaHawk podcast and hearing about how badly his body had been breaking down, I am even more impressed by not only his snap streak but his performance over the last few years. A true great.
 
Imagine this.... It's a hot early August evening in 2023 in Canton, Ohio. Sixty miles north, the Browns are in training camp and are preparing for what they hope will be their fifth playoff season in a row. If they do it, it will match their last string of similar success from 1985-1989. The excitement level for the Browns' future is off the charts.

In the 2019 season, they returned to the playoffs for the first time in 17 years, winning the wildcard before losing to 42-year-old Tom Brady in the divisional round. The next year, the Browns win the Central Division for the first time since 1989 but lose in the AFC championship.

The unthinkable happened in 2021 -- Browns QB Josh Rosen, RB Derrius Guice, DE Myles Garrett and FS Minkah Fitzpatrick led the Browns to their first Super Bowl appearance where they won their first NFL championship in 57 years after a stunning 13-3 regular season. The following year, a spate of injuries and contract squabbles dented the Browns' fortunes, but they still managed a 9-7 record and a wildcard win before losing to the Patriots and their 45-year-old QB.

In preparing for the 2023 season, the Browns are getting ready for another championship run. The Browns are back on top of the league, back where they dominated for their first 25 years and maintained a level of respect as a stalwart franchise for another 25 years until 1995.

And then came the dark years. Or, more accurately, the dark decades with just two winning seasons. There were a few bright spots in that tortuous 24 years of Browns history -- none being brighter than OT Joe Thomas.

On this night in Canton, Ohio, where tens of thousands of Browns fans have descended wearing Super Bowl LVI shirts and even some sweaters, despite the sweltering heat. The team's success in recent years has made the Dark Years a distant memory. And one thing has made it a fond memory -- Thomas.

Many emotional Browns fans have assembled in Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium. Thomas was the good constant of those Dark Years, who endured more losing than any Browns fan and came back for more until his body could take no more. Thomas deserved better and got none from multiple bad owners, coaches and teammates. Yet he never complained, at least publicly.

Life is not fair, and it wasn't fair for Thomas. But today he is going where he deserves to be, ensconced forever in the hallowed hall of professional football immortals. And it doesn't take long for Browns' fans' tears turn to laughter as Thomas tells entertaining stories of his playing days as only Joe can. At the end of his speech, the emotion returns. Thomas' voice breaks a couple of times, recalling players and coaches and friends who kept him going through the Dark Years. And finally, it is over. Thomas returns with his bust to his seat in preparation for the next player to be inducted.

But it means Thomas' career is over. He is forced to stand and wave a couple of times in response to the huge crowd and their endless, roaring applause. They don't want it to be over, even though Thomas represents an era many Browns fans would rather forget.

With the passing of another year and another postseason appearance in the cards for their beloved Browns, Thomas will inevitably fade farther into the background. Perhaps the Browns success will continue into the future. Perhaps it won't. But it is highly unlikely that the future will bring the same utter futility experienced by the Browns and its fans during Thomas' decade of continuous plays not missed.

Thomas was perhaps the best Left Tackle of all time. He played on a team with perhaps the worst era of professional football of all time. And yet there's only person in the Browns' family who has never complained about that.

END
 
KJP said:
Imagine this.... It's a hot early August evening in 2023 in Canton, Ohio. Sixty miles north, the Browns are in training camp and are preparing for what they hope will be their fifth playoff season in a row. If they do it, it will match their last string of similar success from 1985-1989. The excitement level for the Browns' future is off the charts.

In the 2019 season, they returned to the playoffs for the first time in 17 years, winning the wildcard before losing to 42-year-old Tom Brady in the divisional round. The next year, the Browns win the Central Division for the first time since 1989 but lose in the AFC championship.

The unthinkable happened in 2021 -- Browns QB Josh Rosen, RB Derrius Guice, DE Myles Garrett and FS Minkah Fitzpatrick led the Browns to their first Super Bowl appearance where they won their first NFL championship in 57 years after a stunning 13-3 regular season. The following year, a spate of injuries and contract squabbles dented the Browns' fortunes, but they still managed a 9-7 record and a wildcard win before losing to the Patriots and their 45-year-old QB.

In preparing for the 2023 season, the Browns are getting ready for another championship run. The Browns are back on top of the league, back where they dominated for their first 25 years and maintained a level of respect as a stalwart franchise for another 25 years until 1995.

And then came the dark years. Or, more accurately, the dark decades with just two winning seasons. There were a few bright spots in that tortuous 24 years of Browns history -- none being brighter than OT Joe Thomas.

On this night in Canton, Ohio, where tens of thousands of Browns fans have descended wearing Super Bowl LVI shirts and even some sweaters, despite the sweltering heat. The team's success in recent years has made the Dark Years a distant memory. And one thing has made it a fond memory -- Thomas.

Many emotional Browns fans have assembled in Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium. Thomas was the good constant of those Dark Years, who endured more losing than any Browns fan and came back for more until his body could take no more. Thomas deserved better and got none from multiple bad owners, coaches and teammates. Yet he never complained, at least publicly.

Life is not fair, and it wasn't fair for Thomas. But today he is going where he deserves to be, ensconced forever in the hallowed hall of professional football immortals. And it doesn't take long for Browns' fans' tears turn to laughter as Thomas tells entertaining stories of his playing days as only Joe can. At the end of his speech, the emotion returns. Thomas' voice breaks a couple of times, recalling players and coaches and friends who kept him going through the Dark Years. And finally, it is over. Thomas returns with his bust to his seat in preparation for the next player to be inducted.

But it means Thomas' career is over. He is forced to stand and wave a couple of times in response to the huge crowd and their endless, roaring applause. They don't want it to be over, even though Thomas represents an era many Browns fans would rather forget.

With the passing of another year and another postseason appearance in the cards for their beloved Browns, Thomas will inevitably fade farther into the background. Perhaps the Browns success will continue into the future. Perhaps it won't. But it is highly unlikely that the future will bring the same utter futility experienced by the Browns and its fans during Thomas' decade of continuous plays not missed.

Thomas was perhaps the best Left Tackle of all time. He played on a team with perhaps the worst era of professional football of all time. And yet there's only person in the Browns' family who has never complained about that.

END
Click to expand...

Nice dream!... Now WAKE UP!!
 
Joe Thomas should be the mold for all Cleveland players and future players. Dominant, ironman, competitive, and professional. This should be what the Browns demand from every player. Wish you the best, Joe. Enjoy your retirement.
 
Thank you very, VERY much Joe Thomas for allowing a Browns fan to see what it is and what it takes to be THE BEST EVER at his position.

The Browns have had some greats. Paul Brown, Otto Graham, Jim Brown, Joe Thomas. All 4 should have statues at the cardinal points of Cleveland Browns Stadium. I would buy their jerseys and ONLY their jerseys. I don't have a Joe Thomas jersey, but it's the only one I've been thinking of buying for the past 11 years. I WILL buy one now...

That #73 better get retired before midnight tonight!

-Al
 
Geech said:
That #73 better get retired before midnight tonight!
Click to expand...

2 hours 'til midnight. If Joe Thomas's Jersey isn't retired in the next 2 hours, then Browns owner Dee Haslam needs to sell the team by midnight tomorrow!

Do I have to sign up on Twitter to get my point across?

HashTag: ModellLernerHaslamFailsAgain

-Al
 
Can only hope he stays part of the org. We're gonna get that trophy sooner than later and he more than deserves to be a part of it.

Thanks doesn't begin to say enough.

#73 THE BEST
 
JT was an anchor in the shitstorm of regimes that have passed through Cleveland. He's pretty much a shoe in for HOF. Many say he never changed a game , BUT, He faced brutal onslaughts twice a year from guys like Suggs, Harrison, etc and more than likely minimized the crushing of our QB's.
It's sad to see him go but in reality ( and he was nice enough to acknowledge ) his skills were declining. Mainly because he's getting up there in the years.
I hope the Browns org can do him right.. maybe an offensive line coach gig with his beloved Browns?
 
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