Joe Thomas life and biography

Joe Thomas is an American football offensive tackle for the Cleveland Browns of the National Football League. Thomas was drafted in the 1st round (3rd overall) of the 2007 NFL Draft by the Browns. He played college football at Wisconsin.

Originally drafted by Cleveland in the first round, third overall, of the 2007 NFL Draft.

Career Highlights
A starter at the all-important left tackle position since his first NFL game, Thomas has been elected to the Pro Bowl in each of his first three professional seasons.

2009
A co-captain on offense, started all 16 games at left tackle and did not miss an offensive snap… Key part of a line that led a running game which averaged 4.2 yards per attempt, including a 4.4-yard clip by Jerome Harrison… Unit allowed only 30 sacks on the year, tied for the 10-th-lowest total in the NFL… They yielded just seven sacks over the final seven games… Has started all 48 games in his NFL career… Was selected to the AFC Pro Bowl squad for the third time in as many NFL seasons, the first Browns offensive lineman to be chosen to three straight Pro Bowls since Hall of Famer Gene Hickerson was voted four times in a row, from 1966-69… Was a first-team All-Pro selection by the Associated Press… Was chosen to SI.com’s All-Pro team… Also was named to the Pro Football Weekly/Professional Football Writers of America all-NFL team. Game 1 vs. Minnesota 9/13: Started at left tackle and held DE Jared Allen to one tackle and no sacks… Game 2 at Denver 9/20: Started at left tackle… Game 3 at Baltimore 9/27: Started at left tackle… Game 4 vs. Cincinnati 10/4: Opened at left tackle… Game 5 at Buffalo 10/11: Started at left tackle… Part of a line that led a running game which racked up 171 yards rushing (4.2 avg.) and allowed only one sack… Game 6 at Pittsburgh 10/18: Started at left tackle… Game 7 vs. Green Bay 10/25: Opened at left tackle… Game 8 at Chicago 11/1: Started at left tackle… Game 9 vs. Baltimore 11/16: Opened at left tackle… Game 10 at Detroit 11/22: Started at left tackle… Game 11 at Cincinnati 11/29: Opened at left tackle… Game 12 vs. San Diego 12/6: Started at left tackle and helped lead a running game that averaged a season-best 5.2 yards per rush attempt … Game 13 vs. Pittsburgh 12/10: Started and left tackle and helped to lead a running game that racked up 171 yards, tied for a season high, while the unit allowed only one sack… Game 14 at Kansas City 12/20: Started at left tackle as the unit had a banner day in which it led a running game that racked up 351 yards, the second-highest total in franchise annals, as it averaged 7.2 yards per attempt… This included a club-record 286 yards rushing by Jerome Harrison… The unit also did not allow a sack for the first time in 2009… Game 15 vs. Oakland 12/27: Started at left tackle as he helped to pave the way for a running game that amassed 164 yards, including 148 by Jerome Harrison… The unit also yielded just two sacks for three yards in losses… Game 16 vs. Jacksonville 1/3: Opened at left tackle and played the entire contest… Unit led a running game which compiled 214 rushing yards and a 4.4-yard average per attempt… Total consisted of a 127-yard effort by Jerome Harrison, as he became the first Brown to turn in three straight 100-yard rushing performances since Lee Suggs in 2004… It also marked the fourth game in a row with more than 160 yards rushing as a team, the first Browns team to do that since 1968… Line did not allow a sack for the second time in three weeks.

2008
Game 1 vs. Dallas 9/7: Started at LT…Game 2 vs. Pittsburgh 9/14: Started at LT…Game 3 at Baltimore 9/21: Started at LT…Game 4 at Cincinnati 9/28: Started at LT and was part of an offensive unit that helped the club rush for 134 net yards, including RB Jamal Lewis to rush for 79 yards and 1 TD, in a 20-12 road victory…Game 5 vs. N.Y. Giants 10/13: Started at LT and was part of an offensive effort that produced a season-high 35 points, 454 net yards of offense, including 144 net yards rushing, and did not allow a sack of QB Derek Anderson and gave him time to throw for 310 yards and 2 TDs…Game 6 at Washington 10/19: Started at LT…Game 7 at Jacksonville 10/26: Started at LT and helped pave the way for RB Jamal Lewis to run for 80 yards and 1 TD and time for QB Derek Anderson to throw for 246 yards and 1 TD…Game 8 vs. Baltimore 11/2: Started at LT…Game 9 vs. Denver 11/6: Started at LT and was part of an offensive line that paved the way for 160 net yards rushing and second-highest 399 net yards of total offense…Game 10 at Buffalo 11/17: Started at LT and was part of an offensive line that paved the way for a season-high 161 net yards rushing and 2 rushing TDs in a 29-27 road victory…Game 11 vs. Houston 11/23: Started at LT…Game 12 vs. Indianapolis 11/30: Started at LT…Game 13 at Tennessee 12/7: Started at LT…Game 14 at Philadelphia 12/15: Started at LT…Game 15 vs. Cincinnati 12/21: Started at LT… Game 16 at Pittsburgh 12/28: Started at LT.

2007
Game 1 vs. Pittsburgh 9/9: Made his Browns debut by starting at LT…Game 2 vs. Cincinnati 9/16: Started at LT and was part of an offensive line that did not allow a sack of QB Derek Anderson and provided time for him to throw for 326 yards and 5 TDs, and RB Jamal Lewis to rush for 216 yards and 1 TD…Part of an offense that established 554 net yards (3rd highest in club history) of offense and scored 51 points (T-4th in franchise history) and 226 net yards rushing…Game 3 at Oakland 9/23: Started at LT…Game 4 vs. Baltimore 9/30: Started at LT and was part of an offensive line that did not allow a sack and allowed QB Derek Anderson to throw for 204 yards and 2 TDs…Game 5 at New England 10/7: Started at LT…Game 6 vs. Miami 10/14: Started at LT and was part of an offensive line that helped the offense to 41 points, 384 net yards of offense and allowed QB Derek Anderson time to throw for 245 yards and 3 TDs…Game 7 at St. Louis 10/28: Started at LT and was part of an offensive line that helped the offense to 368 net yards and provided QB Derek Anderson time to throw for 248 yards and 3 TDs…Game 8 vs. Seattle 11/4: Started at LT and was part of an offensive line that helped the offense to 428 net yards of offense and allowed QB Derek Anderson to throw for a career-high 364 yards passing and RB Jamal Lewis to rush for a career-high 4 rushing TDs in a 33-30 overtime win…Game 9 at Pittsburgh 11/11: Started at LT and was part of an offensive line that held the Steelers defense without a sack and provided QB Derek Anderson time to throw for 3 TDs…Game 10 at Baltimore 11/18: Started at LT and was part of an offensive line that helped the offense to 380 net yards of offense in a 33-30 (OT) road win…Game 11 vs. Houston 11/25: Started at LT and was part of an offensive line that helped RB Jamal Lewis rush for 134 yards and 1 TD and gave QB Derek Anderson time to throw for 253 yards and 2 TDs as the offense rolled to 397 net yards of offense…Named NFL Offensive Rookie of the Month…Game 12 at Arizona 12/2: Started at LT and was part of an offensive line the allowed QB Derek Anderson to throw for 304 yards and 2 TDs…Game 13 at N.Y. Jets 12/9: Started at LT and was part of an offensive line that did not allow a sack of QB Derek Anderson and allowed him time to throw for 185 yards and 2 TDs, and also paved the way for RB Jamal Lewis to rush for 118 yards and 1 TD in a 24-18 road win…Game 14 vs. Buffalo 12/16: Started at LT and was part of an offensive line that paved the way for RB Jamal Lewis to rush for 163 yards and the offense generated 304 net yards of offense in blizzard-like conditions…Game 15 at Cincinnati 12/23: Started at LT and was part of an offense that totaled 380 net yards of offense, including 136 net yards rushing…Game 16 vs. San Francisco 12/30: Started at LT and was part of an offensive line that paved the way for RB Jamal Lewis to rush for 128 yards and the offense overall to generate 358 total net yards of offense.

College Highlights
In 47 games at Wisconsin, started 37 contests at left offensive tackle and one at left defensive end…Registered 311 knockdown blocks, with 193 coming in run support…Credited with 69 TD-resulting blocks and made 56 blocks down field…Was only penalized three times on 2,571 offensive plays and has amassed an 87.39% grade for blocking consistency…Also recorded 12 tackles and a stop for a 2-yard loss and 2 QB pressures on defense…Only the fifth player in school history to be a semifinalist for the Lombardi Award (2005-06) and only the second to receive that recognition twice in a career, given to the nation’s outstanding college lineman…In 2006, became the first Wisconsin player to win the Outland Trophy, nation’s top lineman, and the first offensive lineman since Chris McIntosh in 1999 to earn Associated Press All-American first-team honors…In track, holds the school indoor record in the shot put with a 62’01¼” toss in 2005…His career-best outdoor shot put throw of 62’05¼” ranks fourth in the school’s record books…Also excelled in the classroom, twice earning ESPN Academic All-District V and Academic All-Big Ten Conference honors.

Personal
Born in Brookfield, Wis., and attended Brookfield (Wis.) Central High School…Also lettered four times in both track and basketball…Captained the football and basketball teams his senior year and was a four-time Honor Roll student, in addition to garnering U.S. Army Academic All- American honors…In track, finished fifth in the national finals in the shot put as a junior and was second in the shot put and tenth in the discus at the 2003 Adidas Outdoor Championships…Earned all-conference, all-area and all-state recognition in both the shot put and discus…Won the 2003 Wisconsin state title in the shot put and discus and was the conference, regional and sectional champion in the shot put and discus during his final season…Hosts an outdoor sportsman show on Sports Time Ohio, Outdoors Ohio with D’Arcy Egan and Joe Thomas…Married (Annie)…Wife is a former Wisconsin basketball player.

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