Cleveland Browns left tackle Joe Thomas opted to retire on Wednesday due to a growing list of injuries after 11 seasons as one of the NFL’s premier offensive linemen.
He reached 10 straight Pro Bowls and reached the All-Pro team six times. Perhaps, his most impressive accomplishment? Thomas, the third overall pick in the 2007 NFL Draft, played 10,363 consecutive snaps before suffering a season-ending injury last October.
However, one accomplishment that deserves the ultimate recognition is what he had to endure at the quarterback spot.
Thomas blocked for 21 different quarterbacks in Cleveland over his 11 seasons. Here is the gruesome rundown:
Jason Campbell
Austin Davis
Jake Delhomme
Ken Dorsey
Charlie Frye
Bruce Gradkowski
Robert Griffin III
Kevin Hogan
Brian Hoyer
Cody Kessler
Thad Lewis
Johnny Manziel
Josh McCown
Colt McCoy
Brady Quinn
Connor Shaw
Seneca Wallace
Brandon Weeden
Charlie Whitehurst
Look no further than that list as to why Thomas never played in a postseason game during his Canton-bound career.
While those quarterbacks aren’t the sole reason for Cleveland’s dysfunctional ways, it certainly helped out a ton.
Thomas deserved better than having to block for an assembly line quarterback crew. Yet, as the NFL constantly teaches us, the game is a lot of things. Fair is not one of them.
Categories: Cleveland Browns, Joe Thomas