Bell: Cleveland's Joe Thomas keeps iron man streak alive with work ethic

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Talk about a tough job. Another frustrating season has spun off the rails for the Cleveland Browns, but Joe Thomas can’t allow himself to think of giving up hope.

No doubt, he’s had plenty of practice with this. It’s December, and the Browns are going nowhere. Just like last year, and the year before that, and the year before…

It’s like Thomas, a ninth-year pro who happens to be arguably the best left tackle in football, is starring in an NFL version of the classic movie, Groundhog Day. Over and over again.

“Right now, we’re just trying to find a way to get one win,” Thomas told Paste BN Sports.

The Browns will carry the NFL’s worst record (2-10), longest losing streak (seven games) and yet another opportunity for Johnny Manziel, into Sunday’s game against the San Francisco 49ers.

Believe him when he says he’s trying. Thomas is the NFL’s quintessential iron man. He’s played 8,689 consecutive offensive snaps — the longest active streak in the league.

It would be one thing if he played for a consistent Super Bowl contender, like in New England. He doesn’t. He’s in Cleveland, which makes his durability streak even more impressive.

What could Thomas have possibly done to deserve such a fate?

Nothing except show up to work every day, wired to be a professional.

More changes are surely on the horizon, with coach Mike Pettine and general manager Ray Farmer likely in the line of fire. That’s become the Browns way. Lose. Blow up. Start over.

Thomas, drafted third overall by Cleveland in 2007, knows this too well.

“I’ve played for five head coaches, seven offensive coordinators, five general managers and two owners,” he said of his Browns tenure during an interview Friday. “The constant in my NFL career has been change.”

You’d think he’d be tired of this. Yet listen to him, and there is not a hint of despair in his voice. He does not want your pity.

“For me, it’s just a matter of professionalism,” he said. “If you’re up 40 or down 40, your job never changes.”

That sounds all positive and neat enough. But then consider who it’s coming from. Thomas is not only the first offensive lineman in NFL history to earn Pro Bowl honors after each of his first eight NFL seasons, he’s the man who has never missed a game or a start — that’s 140 in a row — or even a single snap as a Brown. Yep, his iron man streak began in his rookie year, Week 1.

There have been some close calls. He said that five years ago he played with a grade two MCL sprain because of the limited space on the line. The techniques got him through.

Four years ago, he tore a lateral collateral ligament in his knee. It happened during the final game of the season, and he finished the contest. Had the Browns been scheduled to play the following week, the streak would have ended. After an MRI, the team’s doctor told him he would need four weeks of rehab – and to forget about playing in the Pro Bowl a month later.

Thomas remembers pleading with the doctor. “I had to do some horse trading,” he said.

He asked the doctor to take a look at the knee in three weeks rather than four, and if it passed muster, to clear him to play in the Pro Bowl.

“OK, but don’t count on it,” Thomas recalls of the reply.

Of course, after some intense rehab, he was cleared to play in the Pro Bowl.

Many players undoubtedly would have skipped it. Then again, maybe not if they resisted temptations to shut it down amid the losses in Cleveland. Thomas has a special mental toughness that he traces back to a work ethic he saw while growing up in Milwaukee, demonstrated by his parents, Eric and Sally, a commercial banker and nurse, respectively.

“No matter what the job, they just got up and did it,” Thomas reflected. “That’s the one thing that kind of sticks out, that was instilled in me. And there was no complaining, no looking for praise. You do what’s expected.”

Growing up, Thomas became accustomed to winning. He knows the numbers. His middle school team lost one game in two years, he said. He lost just four games in high school. At Wisconsin, 11 losses in four years. He expected that to continue in the NFL, when the Browns won 10 games during his rookie year.

They haven’t had a winning season since. But forget the woe-is-me stuff.

“He’s truly a half-full guy,” says Thomas’ agent, Peter Schaffer. “If they’re 3-8, in his mind they are going to finish 8-8.”

The mental approach, Thomas says, is basically built for the moment rather than the bigger picture.

“It’s micro-focus,” he said. “I just always worry about the next play.”

It sure beats looking at the standings.

Other items of interest, as Week 14 rolls on…

• Who’s hot: Cam Newton. A year after a rollover accident in his SUV left him with two cracked bones in his back, the Panthers icon is living large. He’s a frontrunner for NFL Most Valuable Player honors and leads the NFL’s only undefeated team. In the nitpicking department, Newton has completed just 58.4% of his throws. But two of his receivers (Ted Ginn, Jr. and Devin Funchess) have two of the worst drop rates in the league. Regardless, Newton has been money in crunch time. That’s why his MVP case is so legit. He is at his best when the game is on the line. And evidenced by his celebration dances after touchdowns, he’s having big fun.  
• Pressure’s on: Tom Coughlin. The Giants (5-7) are deadlocked with Philadelphia and Washington in a three-way tie for first place in the NFC East, but imagine how strong their position would be heading into Monday night at Miami if they had not blown five-fourth quarter leads – including the third case last weekend when they led by double digits. Once again, there’s buzz about whether Coughlin, 69, is on his last legs, while it’s open season in questioning his late-game decision-making. Bypassing a chip-shot field goal attempt that would have made it a 13-point game? Coughlin should know better. Or at least he used to.
• Key matchup: LeSean McCoy vs. Kiko Alonso. As McCoy heads back to Philadelphia for a chance to extract some revenge on Chip Kelly, there’s no debate about who wound up with the best end of the March trade that sent the Eagles’ all-time leading rusher to Buffalo. Advantage, Bills. Alonso, sidelined all of last season due to a torn ACL, has missed five games this season with a knee injury. Perhaps he will ultimately display the consistent big-play form that he demonstrated as a rookie. Playing a key role stuffing McCoy and Buffalo’s fourth-ranked rushing game would represent a huge statement. Yet as it stands now, Alonso has 21 tackles in seven games, with just one start. McCoy, who missed two games with a hamstring injury, has found a groove with six consecutive games of at least 100 yards from scrimmage. Meanwhile, DeMarco Murray, signed to replace McCoy, was effectively the third running back in last Sunday’s big upset at New England. Murray’s rough sledding is one more reason to wonder why Kelly traded away a back who rushed for 2,926 yards in two years in his offense.
• Next man up: Jimmy Clausen. With fill-in starter Matt Schaub nursing a chest injury, the Ravens are bracing themselves — like break glass, in case of emergency — to face the hungry Seahawks with a quarterback signed less than three weeks ago after Joe Flacco blew out a knee. It is a reflection of how this dreadful campaign has gone for Baltimore (4-8), with 16 players on IR and without seven of its 11 offensive starters. Schaub has said he expects to play, but Clausen took the practice reps. And here’s a twist: Clausen could be in line for his second emergency start this season against Seattle, and its No. 2 defense. In Week 3, while filling in for Jay Cutler, it didn’t work out so well. He passed for just 63 yards and the Bears were trounced, 26-0.
• Rookie watch: Jameis Winston. That the Bucs (6-6) are in the playoff hunt says so much about the development of the No. 1 pick overall, whose determined fourth-down run last Sunday is the stuff that makes legends. Another marker is found with his efficiency in the red zone, where Winston has a 12-0 TD-to-INT ratio, including the game-winning TD to Mike Evans in Week 13. Now comes a chance to pad such stats further, with the Saints coming to town. New Orleans has allowed 35 passing TDs, just five from tying the NFL single-season record.
• If the playoffs were today…The Bengals would be the No. 1 seed in the AFC. Two weeks ago, the Patriots were in the pole position. Yet after back-to-back New England losses, it’s now Cincinnati’s place to lose…or maintain. It could come down to a Monday night showdown in Week 16 at Denver, which is currently holding the No. 2 slot. But first things first: The Steelers (7-5) are coming to Paul Brown Stadium on Sunday, with red-hot Ben Roethlisberger throwing for 820 yards and 5 TDs the past two weeks. The Bengals (10-2) are not only positioned for a series sweep for the first time since 2009, but can also inflict a major blow to Pittsburgh’s playoff chances. How major? If the playoffs were today, the Steelers would be out.  
• Did you notice? Blaine Gabbert. In sparking the 49ers to two victories in his four starts since supplanting Colin Kaepernick, Gabbert has been a good fit for the Geep Chryst scheme that is built on a short, quick-hitting passing game. He’s even earned an endorsement already from 49ers legend Joe Montana, who told The Sporting News that he’s been impressed with Gabbert using his athleticism to run away from trouble. Gabbert, playing at Cleveland on Sunday, has also been cool when throwing out of trouble. According to ESPN Stats and Information, Gabbert has completed 72% of his passes while under duress, more than doubling the 35% clip by Kaepernick in such situations.
• Stat’s the fact: Alex Smith has thrown just three interceptions in 376 pass attempts, a big reason why the Chiefs (7-5) have won six consecutive games. Smith heads into Sunday’s game against San Diego with a streak of 305 consecutive passes without a pick, a span covering nine games. He’s in range to surpass Bernie Kosar’s streak (308) from 1990-91, which is second to Tom Brady’s NFL-record 358 passes without an interception.
• Fantasy vs. Reality: Is this the week that Frank Gore cracks 100? In the fantasy world, Gore could play a major role as Marion Motley Crew opens the playoffs in the 20-team Super League. In the real world, the Colts head to Jacksonville carrying the baggage of an NFL-longest streak of 46 games (52, including playoffs) without a 100-yard rusher. Gore, who joined the Colts last spring after posting 41 100-yard games (including postseason) in 10 seasons with the 49ers, has never gone this deep into a season without getting triple digits. But there’s always tomorrow.

Follow NFL columnist Jarrett Bell on Twitter @JarrettBell