CLEVELAND -- Cleveland Browns left tackle Joe Thomas may be out of the lineup for the remainder of the season because of surgery to repair a torn triceps tendon in his left arm, but that has not stopped him from making an impact.
Since undergoing the surgery, Thomas has served as a guest coach, which will be of utmost importance for left tackle Spencer Drango this week as he will go against Baltimore Ravens outside linebacker Terrell Suggs at FirstEnergy Stadium Sunday.
“I’m sure Joe will pass along some ideas of some things that have worked for him, but I think that Joe gets that this is Spencer’s probably biggest challenge,” Browns coach Hue Jackson said. “I know for a fact that Terrell and Joe really respect each other and respect each other’s game and professionalism and everything they brought to the game.”
Last December, Thomas was selected to his 10th straight Pro Bowl, making it 10 for 10 in all-star game nods since entering the league via the No. 3 overall pick in the 2007 NFL Draft out of the University of Wisconsin.
Thomas was the first Browns player ever selected to participate in 10 Pro Bowls, and was among only a handful of Pro Football Hall of Famers to appear in 10 straight all-star games at the start of his career.
Prior to the injury in a 12-9 loss to the Tennessee Titans at FirstEnergy Stadium on October 22, Thomas played 10,363 consecutive snaps, which is believed to be the longest such streak in NFL history.
During the course of that streak, Thomas competed against Suggs more than a dozen times, and if anyone can help Drango get ready for the challenge, it would be a 10-time Pro Bowler.
“I think Spencer has competed extremely well for us this year and has done some really good things,” Jackson said. “He has had some other challenges, week in and week out. The National Football League every week, our left tackle has somebody to block, but everybody is not Terrell Suggs, either.
“We get that. It is going to be a tremendous challenge. He will take any help that he can get from Joe Thomas, myself, his line-mates, anybody, in order to make sure that he is ready to go. One thing I do know about Spencer is he is going to compete. He is going to give it everything he has.”
Despite being in his 15th NFL season, Suggs has registered 11 quarterback sacks, which is the third-best total among AFC players heading into Week 15.
“I’m not surprised,” Jackson said. “Terrell Suggs is one of the best players that has played in this league in my opinion.
“Having been there with him and spent time watching how he prepares and how he works and how much football means to him and how passionate he is about football and the Ravens and their defense, I am not surprised by anything he is doing.”
