Ya gotta feel for Joe Thomas. The big lug has spent the last 11 years of his life slaving away for the woeful Cleveland Browns. It probably feels more like 25 or 30. To his credit the behemoth starting left offensive tackle has always kept his nose clean, and incredibly played over 10,000 straight snaps in the NFL, thought to be the record.
And now he's apparently decided to retire. To which yours truly says -- not now, man. For the first time in eons the future of the Browns might actually be a bit rosy. They've brought in veteran running back Carlos Hyde, a workhorse himself, and are projected to take running back Saquon Barkley out of Penn State with the first overall draft pick. That would be quite the one-two punch regarding a running game, given the offensive line isn't too shabby, and they aren't.
On top of that, the Browns also hold the #4 overall pick. With a handful of "quality" quarterbacks coming out of the college ranks this year, the Browns will have their pick of at least three of them
To boot, they have over $100 million in cap space, far more than any other team, so they're likely to juice their roster even further.
It certainly appears as if they've finally -- FINALLY -- put a general manager in place that knows what he's doing. (Though why head coach Hue Jackson, given his super-pitiful record, still has a job is a mystery indeed).
But it might just be that Old Joe ain't done yet. Sure, he's said he wants to play, his head is still in it, and he hasn't complained one bit about the Browns and their losing ways. But alas, his 33 year old body just isn't up to it any more. Could be. Only he knows for sure how he feels.
Yet an intriguing possibility is out there. It just so happens that starting left tackle Nate Solder of the New England Patriots has left them to grab more dough for the NY Giants. He was the main guy protecting Tom Brady's blind side on passing downs. A very important position.
So let's just say Joe Thomas kinda-sorta retires and finds himself in the position of not being tied to any team, even the Browns.
And then Bill Bellichick of the Pats calls him up to inquire if he'd be interested in going to Foxborough to take Solder's place.
What do you think the chances are that Thomas's body would all of a sudden start feeling a few years younger and he'd jump at the chance?
Sure, at best the Browns are still a couple years away from being any sort of Super Bowl contender, and even that's a stretch. So assuming Thomas has enough dough in the bank to live comfortably forever after, maybe it wouldn't make much sense to go back there again.
But Tom Brady, now 40, and surely approaching the end of his career, might just have another year or three left in him. And you just know the Pats will be contenders, because they always are. It's astounding how many good players have came and went for the Patriots, but Bellichick and his crew keep finding ways to plug new guys in and remain excellent. There's no reason to think that's going to change, as long as said mad genius and the amazing #12 are there.
By all accounts, Joe Thomas is a good guy. Has been throughout his long career in the NFL, and even at Wisconsin before that. A model citizen and a pro's pro, that has been immune to injury. You can't ask any more of a guy.
So wouldn't it be nice if he could somehow find a way to saddle up with the Patriots and experience excellence, if only for a short time, before he rides off into the sunset?
Here's hoping.....
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