Cleveland Browns: Joe Thomas Finishes Outside The Top 10 For Pro Football Focus's Top 101 Players Of Last Decade
Pro Football Focus has been rolling out their top 101 players of the past decade. Cleveland Browns wide receiver Odell Beckham ranked 91st and former center Alex Mack ranked 44th. It was never a question if Joe Thomas would make the list, but simply a matter of how high he would rank. Pro Football Focus ranked the future Hall of Fame tackle 11th.
Thomas is simply one of the best to ever do it and he deserves all the recognition he can get. It's unfortunate he wasn't able to really finish his career on his own terms, blowing out his tricep and then his knee being problematic enough he couldn't play anymore.
It's also a shame that he never got to play in so much as a playoff game. In a much sadder version of Dan Marino's plight, Thomas came into the league and the Browns went 10-6, but missed the playoffs. That would be the closest he'd ever come to reaching the playoffs in his career, much like Dan Marino made the Super Bowl in 1984 only to never get back there.
Thomas started in 167 straight games, played 10,363 straight snaps, earned 1st Team All-Pro six times and was in the Pro Bowl every year, save for his final season when he only played seven games. He's going to be inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame and is now enjoying a promising career in media. And judging by his reaction to the selection of Jedrick Wills, he wants the Browns to be successful now just as badly as he did when he was playing.
