Photo: Jason Miller Getty Images Sport
A Browns legend is being inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Joe Thomas was selected as one of five modern-era players to enter Canton. It was Thomas' first year on the ballot. The offensive lineman spent his 10-year career with the Browns and retired back in 2017. He was the first offensive lineman in NFL history to be selected to the Pro Bowl in each of his first 10 seasons
“We are so proud Joe Thomas will be recognized, appropriately, as a first-ballot Hall of Famer,” Dee and Jimmy Haslam said. “Joe epitomized the standard of excellence in everything he did for the Cleveland Browns organization and for our community. He was the essence of all you want in a player, as a teammate and representing the Browns organization. His extraordinary accomplishments and endurance playing 10-plus years without missing a single snap is unparalleled. How he went about his work each day was equally inspiring, the model of consistency, resiliency and class.
“The one theme that has been, probably, the thing I hold most closely to my heart when people ask about ‘What are you most proud of during your career,’ it’s that snap streak because of what it represents to me,” Thomas said. “‘Count on me.’ That was always the motto I had in my head. It was ‘Count on me.’ When times get tough, and you want to know who to look at, count on me. You know you can slide to my side. ‘Count on me’ was something that was ingrained in my brain, ingrained in my character from when I was a little boy. It’s always just been part of my identity, and I think that’s why that snap streak is the most special thing I think about when I think about my career.”
JOE THOMAS
HOF Finalist: 1 | Year of Eligibility: 1
Position: Offensive Tackle
Ht: 6-6, Wt: 312
NFL Career: 2007-2017 Cleveland Browns
Seasons: 11, Games: 167
College: Wisconsin
Drafted: 1st Round (3rd Overall), 2007
Born: Dec. 4, 1984, in Brookfield, Wisc.
Outland Trophy winner as the nation’s top interior lineman and a consensus All-American following his senior season at Wisconsin … Selected third overall in the 2007 NFL Draft by the Cleveland Browns … Started at left tackle all 16 games for the Browns his rookie season, finishing second in AP Offensive Rookie of the Year voting to Minnesota’s Adrian Peterson … Known for his agility, strength and durability, he played an NFL record 10,363 consecutive snaps – a streak that ended Oct. 22, 2017, after suffering a triceps tear against the Tennessee Titans … Allowed only 30 sacks in his remarkable career, despite facing several Hall of Fame sack specialists and many team’s top pass rushers … Was the first offensive lineman in NFL history named to the Pro Bowl in each of his first 10 seasons … First-team All-Pro honors six seasons (2009-2011, 2013-15) and second-team All-Pro twice (2008, 2012) … Named to the NFL’s All-Decade Team of the 2010s … Well-known for his involvement in the community, he was selected as the Cleveland Browns’ Walter Payton Man of the Year three times (2010, 2012, 2016).
Click Here To Listen Live https://www.iheart.com/live/news-radio-wtam-1100-174