Browns Hall of Famer Joe Thomas has High Praise for 49ers Head Coach

Cleveland welcomes the undefeated 49ers to town this weekend

When newly minted Cleveland Browns Hall of Famer, Joe Thomas speaks, people listen. 

With the Browns gearing up for a major showdown with the undefeated San Francisco 49ers this weekend, Thomas offered up some high praise for 49ers head man – and former Browns offensive coordinator – Kyle Shanahan.

Joining the Ken Carman Show with Anthony Lima on 92.3 The Fan, Thomas declared that Shanahan was 'the best coach he ever had.' 

I said from the moment I had Kyle that he was the best coach I ever had. Whether or not that was going to transition to being a head coach or not I wasn't sure. But I did know, what he said, made a lot of sense. He was the first offensive coordinator I had who was able to coach the offensive line. What we do is so detailed and so complex and most coordinators come from either quarterback coach or receivers coach and they don't have a background in what we do as offensive lineman.

Shanahan and Thomas overlapped for just a single season in 2014, but it's pretty evident the 43-year-old head man left quite the impression on the former Browns left tackle.

Thomas went on to explain how Shanhan's innovative concepts would window dress their play action passes with the same look as a zone run, leaving opposing defense guessing as to what play was coming.

Shanahan's time in Cleveland may best be remembered for the way he left. It's well documented that Shanahan was frustrated with organization brass over their decision to draft and start first-round bust, Johnny Manziel. That difference in philosophies prompted Shanahan to present then head coach Mike Pettine with a 32-page document outlining why he needed to step down.

He did eventually quit and went on to serve as offensive coordinator for the Atlanta Falcons. In his second season overseeing the offense the Falcons led the league in scoring and advance all the way to Super Bowl 51, before blowing that infamous 28-3 lead against Tom Brady and the New England Patriots.

Today, Shanahan is considered one of the best head coaches and offensive minds in the game. But nine years ago, Thomas seemed to recognize how special the now 49ers head coach could be.