Over the next few weeks, as the season winds down, ClevelandBrowns.com will take a deeper look at each member of the 2014 team, how they contributed and what others are saying about their impact.
Resume
-- Hasn't missed a snap in yet another dominant season at left tackle
-- Named Browns Player of the Year by local chapter of Pro Football Writers of America in a unanimous vote
-- Seven-time Pro Bowl selection who received most votes of anyone in fan vote for 2014 Pro Bowl.
-- Currently No. 1 in ProFootballFocus.com's ranking of tackles
-- Adjusted seamlessly to another transition on offense that required a major change in his blocking schemes.
Best play of the season
It's all the plays that aren't made by opposing defenses that sum up Thomas' value to the Browns' offense. Every play the quarterback is able to buy time in the pocket and not sweat about his blind side? That's Thomas' doing even though the cameras aren't always watching.
Best play of the season part II
What Thomas is saying
"It's fun learning at this point in your career. There's a lot of guys that go and play 10 years and are in the same offense every year. I think it gets kind of boring and redundant at the end of their careers. It kind of gave me a little mental refresh and it was fun and exciting learning the brain sides of things with Kyle's offense and I think it's made me a better player because of it."
What others are saying about Thomas
Left guard Joel Bitonio: "He's a Hall of Famer in my book. I've never seen someone, just watching on TV, play as well as he does on a consistent basis. He doesn't get beat. It's rare he gets beat and this guy is unbelievable."
Quarterback Brian Hoyer: "Joe is Mr. Brown. He's the only thing that's really been consistent since he's been here. For a guy to be a constant and to play at the level he has regardless of the level the team has, I've earned a lot of respect for Joe Thomas because you see his work ethic day in and day out. He comes and he wants to be the best left tackle he can be."
Coach Mike Pettine: "From an NFL player standpoint and beyond that, he's just the total package, very professional, high character. Sometimes you have superstar players that are top of their game that there's a sense of entitlement or they don't practice as hard. He's the exact opposite of that."
Offensive coordinator Kyle Shanahan: "I've always studied Joe throughout my whole career, and he's always been one of the better pass-blocking tackles in the league. Joe hasn't, I don't think, been in a system that's really asked him to do a ton in the run game. So, I never actually knew about him as a run blocker because it wasn't on tape very much. That was one of the questions I had about him coming into this year. We asked him to do a lot of stuff. He's done better than I expected. He's been a very good run blocker. Everyone knows what he is as a pass blocker. There's a reason that he's one if the best to play the position and he's been to the Pro Bowl every year of his career."
