Category: Joe Thomas

Joe Thomas likes the idea of J.J. Watt in a Browns uniform

Watt and Thomas are both Wisconsin grads

There are a lot of folks who want former Houston Texans defensive end J.J. Watt in a Cleveland Browns uniform. One of them is the best Browns player of the 21st century and someone who once faced off against Watt in his prime: Joe Thomas.

The legendary Browns left tackle likes the idea of Cleveland signing Watt, who was released on Friday at his request. Both Thomas and Watt are Wisconsin graduates.

A cleverly photoshopped picture of Watt in a Browns uniform grabbed Thomas’ attention. He liked it enough to make it into a statement.

“That’s a good look…just saying,” Thomas tweeted, followed by emojis of fire, trophies and beer.

 

Watt would certainly look good in a Browns uniform.

[lawrence-related id=58654]

Joe Thomas on Jedrick Wills: ‘He looks like a veteran starter out there’

Sunday’s matchup with Chase Young should be a great test

There has been no better left tackle this century than Joe Thomas. The Browns fixture has stayed close to Cleveland after his retirement while still offering insight in his various media roles.

So when Thomas offers praise for Browns rookie left tackle Jedrick Wills, it carries significant weight. And Thomas definitely likes what he’s seen in the first two weeks of the Wills era from the rookie from Alabama.

“For the most part, fans probably are going, ‘Jed who?’ ” Thomas said this week in an interview with the Akron Beacon Journal. “Because he really has done a great job of keeping his name out of everybody’s mouth, right? There’s not really been noticeable mistakes. He’s not getting beat consistently. He’s not having a bunch of penalties.”

Thomas is impressed with how natural Wills makes it look on the left side despite being a right tackle exclusively through high school and college.

“He looks like a veteran starter out there, and that’s a compliment to him, but also a compliment to the coaching staff to be able to bring him along as quickly as he has been. And I think the conversation, the questions and the skepticism about can he change from right tackle to left tackle, especially with a reduced or limited offseason, I think those have all been pretty much put to bed because he looks like a natural out there at left tackle.”

Thomas sees Sunday’s matchup against Washington as a great test for Wills. The Football Team pounded Eagles QB Carson Wentz for eight sacks in Week 1 and generated a lot of pressure on Cardinals QB Kyler Murray in Week 2. Led by No. 2 overall pick Chase Young, the Washington defensive front is loaded with talent.

“This will be a great measuring stick because we know that they’re probably better pass rushers than [the ones the Browns have] seen thus far in this season,” Thomas said. “To kind of measure top rookie pass rusher, top rookie offensive tackle, for an O-line nerd like myself, this is going to be a fun game to watch.”

Wills and the Browns face off against Washington on Sunday at 1 p.m. ET at FirstEnergy Stadium

Joe Thomas talks about his unhealthy playing diet, retirement weight loss

Joe Thomas talks about his unhealthy playing diet, retirement weight loss

Seeing Joe Thomas in person isn’t as easy as it used to be. Back when Thomas was a perennial All-Pro left tackle for the Cleveland Browns, he was quite conspicuous at 6-foot-6 and 325 pounds.

Now he’s down into the 250-pound range. Thomas has shaved off well over 60 pounds from his playing weight, as well as his hair. His rapid weight loss following his retirement in 2018 is one of several featured in an enlightening piece on ESPN about offensive linemen who reshape their bodies in retirement.

Thomas divulged his typical daily diet to keep his weight up. Here’s a dinner menu nobody should try at home,

For dinner, Thomas could devour an entire Detroit-style pizza himself, and then follow it with a sleeve of Thin Mint Girl Scout cookies and a bowl of ice cream. And finally, he would slurp down another protein shake before getting into bed.

Thomas noted he dealt with constant heartburn and ingested copious amounts of anti-inflammatory drugs and pain medications to deal with the stress on his body frame.

The entire piece from Emily Kaplan at ESPN is a worthwhile read on the unhealthy measures Thomas and many other linemen have taken to artificially add weight to their frames. It’s a very enlightening look at an underreported phenomenon in football.

Joe Thomas named PFF’s top tackle of the decade

Joe Thomas named PFF’s top tackle of the decade and was the top-rated Browns player from the 2010s

Pro Football Focus released its top 101 players from the last ten years, the PFF All-Decade team. And as he should be, former Browns left tackle Joe Thomas figures prominently in the rankings.

Thomas was the top-rated offensive tackle of the last 10 seasons. His overall ranking was 11th, just outside the top 10. That’s a little disappointing, though to be fair Thomas didn’t play in the final two full seasons and half of another.

His greatness extended back to his rookie season of 2007, though Thomas’ early years don’t count here. He made the 7.5 seasons in the 2010s stand up, however,

Joe Thomas is unquestionably one of the best players in NFL history; he was the gold standard for pass protection from the moment he entered the NFL. For the decade, only Andrew Whitworth surrendered pressure at a lower rate than Thomas (3.9%), and Whitworth was often far more protected within his offense in Cincinnati than Thomas was in Cleveland, where he blocked for a succession of quarterbacks who made his life tougher by holding onto the ball longer than they should. Thomas had three straight seasons in the decade with a PFF grade above 90.0 and will be Canton-bound before long.

That is lofty praise for Thomas, one of four players who spent time in Cleveland to make the list. Former Browns center Alex Mack was No. 44, current wide receiver Odell Beckham checked in at No. 91 and former right tackle Mitchell Schwartz was No. 100.

Joe Thomas loves the Jedrick Wills pick by the Browns

Joe Thomas loves the Jedrick Wills pick by the Browns

Even before the 2020 NFL Draft, Joe Thomas had cast his favor upon Jedrick Wills as the best option to fill the hole at left tackle in Cleveland. The Browns legend loved the choice at No. 10 overall to make Wills his newest successor.

In a meaty appearance on the Cleveland Browns radio network, Thomas raved about Wills. The future Hall-of-Famer gushed about how much he enjoyed watching Wills’ game film at Alabama and how well his skills translate to Thomas’ old left tackle spot in Cleveland.

“There is nothing that when you watch him on tape makes you go, ‘Well, I don’t know. He’s going to have to get better at this,'” Thomas said. “Does this man move like an All-Pro in the NFL? Will the footwork skills, technique, quickness, balance, change of direction and recovery skills that he possesses in his body be able to hold up to the Von Millers and JJ Watts?

I went back, and there was only one guy that stood out. He just popped off your screen. The technique he was using. The dominance. The finish. The change in direction. The explosion that he had. The way he could bend his ankles, knees and hips and create force and power. When guys tried to bull rush him, he was firm and stout.

There was only one guy that looked like that, and that was Jedrick Wills.”

Thomas also volunteered that he is more than willing to help Wills make the transition from right tackle to left. He loves the immediate impact potential.

Concluded Thomas, “This man will come in — and I don’t want to make any guarantees — but he is ready to go to the Pro Bowl this year.”

[lawrence-related id=44929]

Joe Thomas breaks down the offensive tackle options for the Browns

Thomas ranked the OT options and broke down what he saw on film

Joe Thomas is the best left tackle in Cleveland Browns history. Who better to break down the candidates to (hopefully) be his long-term successor at the critical position in Cleveland than the man himself, No. 73?

Thomas posted a lengthy stream of analysis on each of the top four tackle prospects on Twitter. Here is the condensed version of his thoughts on Mekhi Becton, Andrew Thomas, Jedrick Wills and Tristan Wirfs. But first, Thomas’ ranking for the Browns:

Becton

Thomas cited his size, run blocking wide in the zone scheme and his suddenness as positives. As negatives, Thomas noted a lack of pass blocking snaps and poor technique. He concluded,

“I don’t see anything that a great OL coach can’t correct.”

Thomas

Calling the Georgia left tackle tough and physical, Thomas really likes his athletic ability on the outside. Interestingly, Joe Thomas takes issue with Andrew Thomas’ (no relation) ability to generate power on the edge and handle bull rushers. Considering Thomas is about the same size as Wills and Wirfs, it’s a notable critique.

Wills

Citing him as “the most sure-fire offensive lineman in this draft”, Thomas is clearly a big fan of Wills. He notes the Alabama product’s ability to change directions and how well he creates power from his technique. The biggest negative? Getting “lulled to sleep” while playing against lesser opponents, as well as penalties.

Wirfs

The litany of positive qualities Thomas lists for Wirfs makes it hard to fathom he’s fourth on the list. Strength, smarts, technique are all praised.

Thomas’ concerns with Wirfs are about his tendency to try and maul foes and a reliance on his lower-body strength. Or in his words,

“a great player who likely will be a tackle long term, but might be best suited to start at guard because of less than perfect mobility and suddenness. A mauler (good) but those types sometimes struggle to keep up with the athletes you see on the edge.”

[lawrence-related id=44364]

Joe Thomas, Alex Mack earn All-Decade Team of the 2010s honors

Joe Thomas, Alex Mack earn All-Decade Team of the 2010s honors

The Cleveland Browns didn’t win very often in the 2010s, but they did have two of the best offensive linemen during the decade. Left tackle Joe Thomas and center Alex Mack represent the Browns on the Pro Football Hall of Fame All-Decade Team of the 2010s.

The full list of first-team honorees was revealed on Monday. Thomas is one of four tackles, while Mack made the cut as one of the two centers.

Thomas played every offensive snap from 2010 through the seventh game of the 2017 season, an iron man string that began in 2007. He earned Pro Bowl nods every year from 2010-2016 and was a 1st-team All-Pro in five of those seasons. He retired due to injury after the 2017 campaign.

Mack played the first six seasons of the decade in Cleveland, earning three of his five career Pro Bowl berths during his Browns tenure. He remains the starting center for the Atlanta Falcons.

The full list of the All-Decade team is at the Pro Football Hall of Fame website.