When Cleveland Browns Hall of Famer Joe Thomas spoke to DBN’s Barry Shuck a couple of years ago, he was open and honest about how difficult it was to play for a losing team. Thomas, like former Browns DE Myles Garrett, put on great performances on the field only to see their team lose over and over again. Thomas and Garrett are locked together as the best modern-day Cleveland players, who both rarely saw any chance of winning championships in the orange and brown.
While Garrett was moved in a trade,
Thomas continues to talk about the Browns, including comments on Baker Mayfield and, recently, Deshaun Watson. Most of the time, Thomas has presented a measured approach to talking about his career and football.
This video, talking about how Cleveland’s struggles broke him after one game, was less measured and spoke to what many Browns fans have also felt, while not actually playing at an all-time great level:
Later in the interview, Thomas talked about a phone call he received from QB Peyton Manning when the Denver Broncos were trying to trade for him. The Hall of Famer noted he was happy in Cleveland, even if he was broken by the team’s performance, so he would not demand a trade. Manning then had a much more extreme idea:
Putting the two videos together, you have to wonder if Thomas now regrets not asking for the trade when he could have joined a Super Bowl-caliber team.
From a heartfelt, sad statement about how he felt after playing a “perfect” game but losing by 30 to a discussion about defecating on GM Ray Farmer’s desk, the Joe Thomas experience.
What do you think and feel while watching the above videos? Do you think Thomas regrets not taking the Myles Garrett route?
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