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Good Article on Joe Thomas


LeBrent

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CLEVELAND, Ohio -- If Joe Thomas keeps up this way, the Browns might someday have to name a street after him, too.

 

As it is, he pulls into work every morning at 76 Lou Groza Boulevard, named after the Browns' last great left tackle -- one who made the Pro Bowl nine times and was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1974.

 

But Thomas is traveling on Groza's path in more ways than one. On Sunday, he'll play in the Pro Bowl for the third time in his three seasons, and he's already about halfway down the road to Canton in the view of some experts.

 

"I staked my reputation on Joe Thomas when he was coming out of Wisconsin and I have another bold prediction," said UCLA assistant Bob Palcic, Thomas' college position coach and former Browns line coach. "If he stays healthy, he'll make the Hall of Fame. I said before the draft that he compared favorably to two others I had coached, Tony Boselli and Jonathan Ogden, and he still compares favorably to some of the all-time greats. I think Joe will go down as one of the best tackles of all time."

 

Former Browns Pro Bowl left tackle and current team radio analyst Doug Dieken says "there's no doubt" Thomas will be a Hall of Famer if he maintains his current clip.

 

"Obviously, that often depends on the success of the team, but when you start ringing up Pro Bowls past the six or seven mark, then all of a sudden, you're a legitimate Hall of Fame-type player. Part of it is longevity, and with the way Joe takes care of himself, he's going to be playing double-digit years."

 

Dieken is convinced the 6-6, 312-pound Thomas will either share the title of best Browns tackle ever with Groza -- or possibly surpass him.

 

"I didn't get a chance to see Lou play and that was a different era of football," said Dieken. "But Lou was always proud to say that he went into the Hall as a tackle not a kicker. The thing about Joe is that he's doing it without a Jim Brown or a Marion Motley. Back then, they ran the majority of the time and it took a different type of tackle. Joe is from the category of athletic tackles who can think on their feet, and in that category, he's as good as there is."

 

A more apt comparison from the modern era, Dieken said, is former Bengals left tackle Anthony Munoz, who was enshrined in the Hall of Fame in 1998.

 

"When you try to compare Joe to any of the tackles of the last 20 or 30 years, Munoz comes to mind," said Dieken. "For so many years, he was what you wanted in a left tackle. [Former Raven] Jonathan Ogden was a big, massive guy and Joe is not that. He's a well-proportioned guy with great feet and technique as good as you'll see."

 

Browns President Mike Holmgren wasn't ready to place Thomas in the category of his former Seahawks star and Thomas' idol, Walter Jones, just yet, but enjoys having Thomas anchoring the line. Jones, a 12-year vet, is a nine-time Pro Bowler and seven-time All-Pro.

 

"Finding a left tackle in this league is as important as finding the right quarterback or that great pass rusher," said Holmgren. "When you're developing an offensive team, particularly in the passing game, if you can take a player and know that he doesn't need help -- you don't have to chip on people -- now you don't have to worry about that and I can do other things. That's the way I always had it with Walter.

 

"I would hope Joe can be that type of player. Now Joe's just starting his career. People love him here. He's a good football player. Now if he can approach where Walter was -- Walter was one of the more outstanding football players I've ever seen in my life. He was to me on offense like [Hall of Fame defensive end] Reggie White was to me on defense [for the Packers]. If he can approach Walter, then Joe will be fabulous. It's a good building block for our offensive line and the offensive team in general."

 

Steelers outside linebacker James Harrison, the 2008 NFL Defensive Player of the Year, ranks Thomas as the best left tackle he's faced in his six-year career. Thomas has held Harrison to a half-sack over the past three seasons, including none this year during a 10-sack season for Harrison.

 

"He's the total package," said Harrison, who will also make his third appearance in the Pro Bowl Sunday. "He's got good hands, good feet, the ability to handle the speed rush and the power to withstand the bull rush. I played against Jonathan Ogden, but that was in his later years and I didn't get him at his best. I'm getting Joe Thomas in his prime and I'd have to say he's the best I've faced."

 

The other ends and outside linebackers in Sunday's Pro Bowl would most likely agree. Denver's Elvis Dumervil, who led the NFL with 17 sacks this season, was shut down by Thomas in the first half of their meeting this season, then moved over to the other side and got four sacks off right tackle John St. Clair. Minnesota's Jared Allen met up with Thomas in the opener and was shut out -- then went on to have 10.5 sacks over the next seven games en route to finishing second in the NFL with 14.5.

 

Thomas, the No. 3 overall pick in 2007, is only the second offensive lineman since 1970 to make the Pro Bowl in each of his first three seasons. The first was former Dolphin Richmond Webb, who made it seven straight years from 1990-1996. Thomas also was voted to the 2009 AP All-Pro first-team this season for the first time, and was named to the USA Football/NFLPA All-Fundamentals team.

 

"Joe makes it look easy," said Dieken. "He never looks like he's struggling. Some people spend a lot of time on the ground trying to get people down and grabbing and whatever. But he's got such outstanding feet that he just absorbs the guy to the point that he can walk him back to the quarterback. If you do that, he's not going to get there in time. What's more he only had about three holding calls, which is remarkable considering how much they had to pass the ball."

 

CBS analyst and former 49ers Pro Bowl lineman Randy Cross, who's worked Browns games, has been most impressed with Thomas' improvement. This season, he was rated the top left tackle by profootballfocus.com in part for giving up only three sacks and allowing only seven pressures in 1,016 snaps. Thomas earned a 35.2 rating, far surpassing Jake Long of Miami at 21.7.

 

"Joe is a self-starter type that's always working on his craft," said Cross. "He's a throwback, yet a next-generation kind of tackle. When Jonathan Ogden came into the league, everyone was looking for the next Ogden, the 6-8, 330-pound statuesque guy and for a while we saw a lot of really, really big guys. In the last couple of years we've seen guys like Joe, D'Brickashaw Ferguson, Ryan Clady -- good-sized tackles but also an answer to the Dwight Freeneys and the real speed types that you have to see either at linebacker or defensive end.

 

"Joe runs, he moves, you can do a quick toss with Joe, you can do a little sugar-screen. He's what a lot of teams are looking for outside of the initial eye test, because you've got to admit, you see offensive linemen that are much more physically imposing than Joe. But he's deceptively strong. If you ask coaches or players to give you the top four left tackles, Joe will be one of them."

 

Thomas wasn't even bothered at the start of the season when a former member of the Browns personnel staff said the team blew it by not selecting running back Adrian Peterson in the 2007 draft. Peterson, eventually taken seventh by Minnesota, is also playing in his third Pro Bowl on Sunday and helped lead his team to the NFC Championship Game this season. Last year, he led the NFL with 1,760 yards and holds the single-game record of 296.

 

"I could be the best tackle that ever played, but if Adrian Peterson goes on and is one of the best running backs that ever played, everyone's going to say they should've taken him because the guys that have the ball are the stars," said Thomas. "To me, it's apples and oranges because we play different positions. I wish Adrian Peterson the best and I hope he turns out to be the greatest running back of all time, and hopefully I'll continue playing well and achieve my goal of making the Hall of Fame."

 

And maybe one day, some wide-eyed rookie with big dreams will take a right onto 73 Joe Thomas Boulevard to get to work every day.

 

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I like what Holmgren says about how important it is to just let him work one on one all game long and not having to worry about anything. Cribbs is awesome but I think Thomas has to be our MVP. His selection was definitely Savage's best moment. I wouldn't trade him for Peterson, no way.

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CLEVELAND, Ohio -- If Joe Thomas keeps up this way, the Browns might someday have to name a street after him, too.

 

As it is, he pulls into work every morning at 76 Lou Groza Boulevard, named after the Browns' last great left tackle -- one who made the Pro Bowl nine times and was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1974.

 

But Thomas is traveling on Groza's path in more ways than one. On Sunday, he'll play in the Pro Bowl for the third time in his three seasons, and he's already about halfway down the road to Canton in the view of some experts.

 

"I staked my reputation on Joe Thomas when he was coming out of Wisconsin and I have another bold prediction," said UCLA assistant Bob Palcic, Thomas' college position coach and former Browns line coach. "If he stays healthy, he'll make the Hall of Fame. I said before the draft that he compared favorably to two others I had coached, Tony Boselli and Jonathan Ogden, and he still compares favorably to some of the all-time greats. I think Joe will go down as one of the best tackles of all time."

 

Former Browns Pro Bowl left tackle and current team radio analyst Doug Dieken says "there's no doubt" Thomas will be a Hall of Famer if he maintains his current clip.

 

"Obviously, that often depends on the success of the team, but when you start ringing up Pro Bowls past the six or seven mark, then all of a sudden, you're a legitimate Hall of Fame-type player. Part of it is longevity, and with the way Joe takes care of himself, he's going to be playing double-digit years."

 

Dieken is convinced the 6-6, 312-pound Thomas will either share the title of best Browns tackle ever with Groza -- or possibly surpass him.

 

"I didn't get a chance to see Lou play and that was a different era of football," said Dieken. "But Lou was always proud to say that he went into the Hall as a tackle not a kicker. The thing about Joe is that he's doing it without a Jim Brown or a Marion Motley. Back then, they ran the majority of the time and it took a different type of tackle. Joe is from the category of athletic tackles who can think on their feet, and in that category, he's as good as there is."

 

A more apt comparison from the modern era, Dieken said, is former Bengals left tackle Anthony Munoz, who was enshrined in the Hall of Fame in 1998.

 

"When you try to compare Joe to any of the tackles of the last 20 or 30 years, Munoz comes to mind," said Dieken. "For so many years, he was what you wanted in a left tackle. [Former Raven] Jonathan Ogden was a big, massive guy and Joe is not that. He's a well-proportioned guy with great feet and technique as good as you'll see."

 

Browns President Mike Holmgren wasn't ready to place Thomas in the category of his former Seahawks star and Thomas' idol, Walter Jones, just yet, but enjoys having Thomas anchoring the line. Jones, a 12-year vet, is a nine-time Pro Bowler and seven-time All-Pro.

 

"Finding a left tackle in this league is as important as finding the right quarterback or that great pass rusher," said Holmgren. "When you're developing an offensive team, particularly in the passing game, if you can take a player and know that he doesn't need help -- you don't have to chip on people -- now you don't have to worry about that and I can do other things. That's the way I always had it with Walter.

 

"I would hope Joe can be that type of player. Now Joe's just starting his career. People love him here. He's a good football player. Now if he can approach where Walter was -- Walter was one of the more outstanding football players I've ever seen in my life. He was to me on offense like [Hall of Fame defensive end] Reggie White was to me on defense [for the Packers]. If he can approach Walter, then Joe will be fabulous. It's a good building block for our offensive line and the offensive team in general."

 

Steelers outside linebacker James Harrison, the 2008 NFL Defensive Player of the Year, ranks Thomas as the best left tackle he's faced in his six-year career. Thomas has held Harrison to a half-sack over the past three seasons, including none this year during a 10-sack season for Harrison.

 

"He's the total package," said Harrison, who will also make his third appearance in the Pro Bowl Sunday. "He's got good hands, good feet, the ability to handle the speed rush and the power to withstand the bull rush. I played against Jonathan Ogden, but that was in his later years and I didn't get him at his best. I'm getting Joe Thomas in his prime and I'd have to say he's the best I've faced."

 

The other ends and outside linebackers in Sunday's Pro Bowl would most likely agree. Denver's Elvis Dumervil, who led the NFL with 17 sacks this season, was shut down by Thomas in the first half of their meeting this season, then moved over to the other side and got four sacks off right tackle John St. Clair. Minnesota's Jared Allen met up with Thomas in the opener and was shut out -- then went on to have 10.5 sacks over the next seven games en route to finishing second in the NFL with 14.5.

 

Thomas, the No. 3 overall pick in 2007, is only the second offensive lineman since 1970 to make the Pro Bowl in each of his first three seasons. The first was former Dolphin Richmond Webb, who made it seven straight years from 1990-1996. Thomas also was voted to the 2009 AP All-Pro first-team this season for the first time, and was named to the USA Football/NFLPA All-Fundamentals team.

 

"Joe makes it look easy," said Dieken. "He never looks like he's struggling. Some people spend a lot of time on the ground trying to get people down and grabbing and whatever. But he's got such outstanding feet that he just absorbs the guy to the point that he can walk him back to the quarterback. If you do that, he's not going to get there in time. What's more he only had about three holding calls, which is remarkable considering how much they had to pass the ball."

 

CBS analyst and former 49ers Pro Bowl lineman Randy Cross, who's worked Browns games, has been most impressed with Thomas' improvement. This season, he was rated the top left tackle by profootballfocus.com in part for giving up only three sacks and allowing only seven pressures in 1,016 snaps. Thomas earned a 35.2 rating, far surpassing Jake Long of Miami at 21.7.

 

"Joe is a self-starter type that's always working on his craft," said Cross. "He's a throwback, yet a next-generation kind of tackle. When Jonathan Ogden came into the league, everyone was looking for the next Ogden, the 6-8, 330-pound statuesque guy and for a while we saw a lot of really, really big guys. In the last couple of years we've seen guys like Joe, D'Brickashaw Ferguson, Ryan Clady -- good-sized tackles but also an answer to the Dwight Freeneys and the real speed types that you have to see either at linebacker or defensive end.

 

"Joe runs, he moves, you can do a quick toss with Joe, you can do a little sugar-screen. He's what a lot of teams are looking for outside of the initial eye test, because you've got to admit, you see offensive linemen that are much more physically imposing than Joe. But he's deceptively strong. If you ask coaches or players to give you the top four left tackles, Joe will be one of them."

 

Thomas wasn't even bothered at the start of the season when a former member of the Browns personnel staff said the team blew it by not selecting running back Adrian Peterson in the 2007 draft. Peterson, eventually taken seventh by Minnesota, is also playing in his third Pro Bowl on Sunday and helped lead his team to the NFC Championship Game this season. Last year, he led the NFL with 1,760 yards and holds the single-game record of 296.

 

"I could be the best tackle that ever played, but if Adrian Peterson goes on and is one of the best running backs that ever played, everyone's going to say they should've taken him because the guys that have the ball are the stars," said Thomas. "To me, it's apples and oranges because we play different positions. I wish Adrian Peterson the best and I hope he turns out to be the greatest running back of all time, and hopefully I'll continue playing well and achieve my goal of making the Hall of Fame."

 

And maybe one day, some wide-eyed rookie with big dreams will take a right onto 73 Joe Thomas Boulevard to get to work every day.

 

LINK

 

I like what Holmgren says about how important it is to just let him work one on one all game long and not having to worry about anything. Cribbs is awesome but I think Thomas has to be our MVP. His selection was definitely Savage's best moment. I wouldn't trade him for Peterson, no way.

Good Post Joe Thomas is the heartbeat of the team Alex Mack is looking pretty desent get that right tackle in the first round steibach is solid. All you would have to do is pick up TG in free agency. You would have a line ready to dominate the north for the next 10 years maybe the AFC

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Nice article find. The more I was reading on that the more I honestly would not mind taking a best RT there at # 7 or trading down to get one. Our Oline would be set for a long long time. I know we need some D help, and some skill position players, but they will be there in the 2nd and 3rd rounds and We most likely will have a top 15 pick next year. I'm not saying we are going to suck but we wont be there just yet. Our team is on the rise and with a younger nastier Oline, Harrison and CO. could run for 200 yards a game.

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