“Beyond Frustrating” - Joe Thomas on the State of the Cleveland Browns | The Rich Eisen Show

[@du_jammin21]

I'm a Browns fan, but Browns take their fans for granted and provide crappy products. Andrew Berry is stubborn.

[@boscocfh]

All NFL teams take their fans for granted.

[@michaelmorena7726]

I’m a Browns fan too, sorry bro lol I would fire Berry at end of season and keep Kev.

[@kninjaknerd]

The owner Jimmy Haslam is the problem. Hiring Mr. Moneyball DePodesta to run a football team with analytics gave us 1-31 and the worst trade in history

[@TheBrownsRealestFan]

Firing Berry or Stefanski is not the right move.... Jimmy pulled the trigger on this move. Punishing Berry who put together the best team we have had since coming back in 99 and Stefanski being hamstringed to play Watson who doesn't fit his system. It's unfair for them to bite the bullet.

[@TheBrownsRealestFan]

​@@kninjaknerdhe's an advisor and has helped put together our best teams since coming back in 99.Jimmy is sole reason for this and it screwed a lot of great players and fans.

[@dynomar11]

Joe Thomas has had to have blocked for the most amount of quarterbacks for the same team in the history of the NFL.

[@synchroPhaze]

What a guy. Wish he was able to have more team success when he was playing.

[@dynomar11]

@@synchroPhaze I wonder if he was like "alright I'll retire when I get injured, it's gotta be pretty soon" 5,000 more snaps go by.

[@piphastings6734]

@@dynomar11 Word. I can't think of many other players I know of who deserves to be part of a Super Bowl winning team.

[@MarashcinoLarry]

More? Did they have any?

[@DrPhill96]

@@piphastings6734- 😂

[@bobk381]

Watson’s contract is a franchise killer. So, rehab him and play him, play him, play him. If he won’t restructure his contract, play him until he breaks again. Rehab him and play him until he agrees to restructure his guaranteed contract.

[@Foley02]

That's a mighty fine Cleveland level of spite you have in that plan. And I don't hate it... but I hate being forced to watch it.

[@DrPhill96]

Why would he restructure his contract after an injury unless it benefits him?

[@traviscoates6878]

We basically did that exact same thing with Baker 3 years ago. Deshaun Watson will be the Browns starting QB next year, and I hate it

[@Foley02]

@@DrPhill96 Because it still would. He gets his money regardless, as it is guaranteed. He will likely care less about getting it a bit further down that road than he would care about the heat he would get from fans for not restructuring.

[@DrPhill96]

@ - What are the fans going to do to him, boo? He would be a fool to give any money back and since he knows this is his last stint in the NFL, he won’t.

[@markrimelspach7041]

Joe Thomas is great. Both as a player and analyst.

[@anthonypa8045]

Facts

[@DrPhill96]

Not too many got/get into the HOF with a trash record.

[@weskeaton1]

There’s no way you can bring Watson back as a starter. He just can’t play. He’s really really really really bad.

[@anthonypa8045]

Agree

[@banditY2K]

Not mention being locker room poison.

[@11cmgrah]

Sunken cost fallacy on display.

[@jasoncampbell5518]

Who wants to bet week 8 2025 Watson is the cleveland browns starting QB ?

[@alexcika9906]

Absolutely agree

[@mikejelinek1413]

First thing I would do is hire Joe Thomas as the Offensive Line Coach. He has spent the last couple of years living in Germany and coaching over there, he definitly has the credentials for that job.

[@Wrasseman10]

I’m so sick of watching them in shotgun every play it’s crazy

[@rubencontreras8985]

He can’t play under center Tom Brady was right about Clemson QBs

[@CStewWV]

I don’t like how the bulk of nfl runs shotgun most of the time

[@silvergold2140]

in Cleveland this is known as The Baker/OBJ Curse.. Ownership allowed obj and his pappy cause Baker to leave, and Ceveland has not had a qb sense,,, obj all mouth declining talent..

[@anthonypa8045]

Facts

[@bushrodbrown8326]

And Jim brown curse too

[@silvergold2140]

@@bushrodbrown8326 Yes Sir.

[@JohnK-e8g]

As a Steelers fan I hated Cleveland for ever but upmost respect for Joe Thomas for real. Best lineman of his generation,. Stayed loyal through all them years.. worked his butt off. Wish the guy could of had more team success for his sake

[@Clark7466]

Between Thomas and Myles Garrett, they are the 2 best picks since the Browns return in 1999.

[@Iceman-xe7jo]

The Browns made a deal with the devil. Now they are laying in the bed they made.

[@frankseprino8610]

Unfortunately, so are we fans! FIRE BERRY, DEPO AND STEFASNKI!

[@ron4245]

Grew up in Cleveland. Marshall high grad. Was absolutely in love with the browns. When they moved to Baltimore I didn't like it. I hate to say it but there right mistake on the lake. Moved in the early 80s and haven't looked back. Now 70 and glad I got out

[@kawibomber6098]

Watson is so terrible haha, and I’m here for it, the Browns deserve every bit of this situation after offering up that abomination of a contract.

[@anthonypa8045]

Joe Thomas is the greatest browns player in my lifetime. And now I love listening to him as a analyst. He is great. Sucks that browns fans have to deal with this whole deshaun disaster. He has been terrible since coming to cleveland and his contract puts us in a terrible position.

[@TP-hc4qi]

Joe Thomas just did a 180. First he said they should look at what DeShaun is good at (shotgun) and then he said they should just get under center. Rich Eisen has a high opinion of Stefanski. . . what has Stefanski done? He had 1 decent season with Baker and then traded him. Then he got DeShaun, who he wanted, and has hosed that. Then stumbled into Flacco and got lucky.

[@davidm5819]

Joe Thomas should be hired as a coach or advisor, he spoke more intelligent than anyone currently on the staff

[@butchgroves4908]

But that would mean people in our fraction office had a brain 🧠

[@thegreatrenaldo7718]

Wasted career in Cleveland like many others

[@dynomar11]

Hof O-lineman protecting ~25 quarterbacks in 10 years lol all on the same team.

[@oaktree1626]

Made millions of $ and the Hall of Fame. Not wasted at all.

[@Oldarmytanker]

My apologies gents! My God, I meant Watson was trash lmao!!!

[@thegreatrenaldo7718]

@@oaktree1626 I didn't see winning a championship in that sentence.

[@Foley02]

​@@thegreatrenaldo7718Neither did Marino. He have a wasted career?

[@Jalreal]

Ken Dorsey sucks, shouldve kept Van Pelt. Loss of OL coach Callahan was big too.

[@TheNotSoFakeNews]

Yeah Callahan was so brilliant, definitely missing him.

[@seanrichards4316]

Callahan is terrible and AVP stinks

[@joshuariston2924]

Berry with the word salad

[@dynomar11]

@@joshuariston2924 it's what he's best at. Better at that than being a GM

[@frankseprino8610]

@@dynomar11 Went to the Kamala Harris Word Salad Institute.

[@bradsnyder978]

Waston did to free agency quarterbacks, to what jamarcus Russell did to rookies. Gotta cap and limit that crap

[@jmeezle]

The fucking man right here

[@77-ty7gb]

Keep the Haslams, please! Also, the city should continue to be difficult to the ownership. I'm enjoying the show. Makes my heart warm.

[@christopherwaits7852]

Almost like dumping Baker for a rapist was a bad move

[@byronjeffery2576]

You have proof he is? Because your new president is a Convicted one!! By a jury!!

[@nflnmichael]

yea Deshaun sucks and baker is leading the nfl in td passes.

[@TheBrownsRealestFan]

Reminds me of the hype of the 08 browns after a 10-6 record but missing the playoffs due to the colts sitting Peyton against the Titans and Vince Young. Then 08 comes along and we shat the bed.

[@lamina566]

I am an avid Browns fan. From March through June I posted numberous times asking what the Browns are going to do about revamping their Offensive Line (OL). I recieved responses that said I didn't know what I was talking about as I watched the Browns Front Office implement what I called a "Wish and a Prayer" strategy to address concerns about the Browns OL. By "Wish" I meant that the Browns Front Office was wishing that their 3 Offensive Tacles (OT) who went out with season ending knee injuries in the 2023 season would return in time to play at the start of the season. By "Prayer" I meant that the Browns Front Office was praying that the level of play of the returning OT would be at a high level. Neither of these things occurred and the Browns went through the entire preseason without being able to have their OL practice as a squad because starters were missing the entire preseason. As such, Watson was hit and sacked more than any quarterback in the league through the first six games. So don't put the Browns performance this year on Watson because he is not a football Harry Houdini. The debacle this season for the Browns is all on the Browns Front Office, end-of-story. BTW, as far as Browns fans go, I was totally embarrased by the Browns fans in the stadium booing when Watson was injured in the Bengals game. The fans need to know that not too long ago NFL players refused to be transferred to the Browns via trade or as free agents because of our reputation as fans. I thought we had repaired our bad reputation as fans until I watched what happened in this game.

[@TvdL20]

Joe Thomas has to be best Browns player of this century. Only Myles Garrett comes close.

[@josephfreeman8516]

Nick Chubb and Joel Bitonio

[@artsandbarts360]

We 🧡 you Joe T! …… a relative in the nfl said, Watson needs to go, he is terrible and no one respects him deservedly. Winston gain more respect kn a loss than Watson ever will. What’s sad is Browns fans see it know it…and yet ownership won’t own the mistake, BIG mistake.

[@mcarroll598]

Make Joe the GM!

[@frankseprino8610]

Epic mis-management by Andrew Berry/Paul Depodesta! How they along with Stefanski still have jobs is a MYSTERY!

[@donsaderfield83]

This your new studio? I like the old one better.

[@pauljames4168]

He's on the road in Munich

[@pappasc79]

Thanks to the Cleveland media for running Baker out of town and gaslighting our idiot owner into thinking Watson would fix everything

[@nflnmichael]

yup

[@danielsanto5407]

LOL, no one thought the Browns had Superbowl aspirations, Joe.

[@_Splashgxd]

This season hurt me man fr

[@sipesthebest128]

There were SB expectations, but none were legitimate. Our previous hideously underperforming QB #1 was coming off an injury, along with all the other injuries (particularly to the OL), no legitimate RB #1 to start the year, and absolutely no proven receiving depth behind Cooper & Njoku. The defense was great last year, but rarely do they last doing what they did last season, and naturally, it hasn't held up. They don't force turnovers, miss tackles, and have been particularly susceptible to the big play in the passing game. I'm nearly 60, went to playoff games at Municipal Stadium, and I knew even getting to.the playoffs was a stretch with DW's situation and our tough schedule. All props to Joe, one of the greatest at his position I've seen play (since Dieken!), but the 2024 Browns coming out of Berea were light-years from a SB appearance.

[@Randall-f9h]

Joe how about I line coach for browns

[@VictorDiGiovanni]

When was the last time that Cleveland was on a positive trajectory for three years in a row? 1987?

[@doctornova3015]

did he just say " legitimate Superbowl expectations"? he is talking about the Cleveland browns, right?

[@dinkblack2637]

The Browns are getting what they deserve by giving Watson that ridiculous guaranteed contract 😖😖😖

[@truemeaningofmamasboy4366]

What was the browns record in the Joe Thomas era... 🤔

[@CCGamesceo]

If watson is on the team next year just make him a back up, you're stuck paying him.

[@GrandSkeme]

The fact that they're trying to change the offense that got Kevin two coach of the year awards is unfathomably dumb

[@KungFuWombat]

It's somehow kind of upsetting to see TJ and Brockman sitting on the same side of Rich.

[@Wesmancan]

I won’t switch teams. I’ll stop watching

[@mootpointjones8488]

So, are we to understand that the Browns traded their future on a QB who isn't able to play under the centre? If that is the case no wonder the Browns' football management are laughed at.

[@luizoliveira6763]

Steelers fan here. Much respect for Joe Thomas. Great player in a horrible franchise...

[@markkostka6897]

Tank this year, tank next year, and see if you need to tank in 2 years.

[@penileshenanigans2613]

I knew we were going to suck, I knew Watson wouldn't improve. He had exactly 1.5 good games the 2 combined years before this one, Chubb would be rusty at best, we lost the best OL coach in the league, and didn't improve our tackle positions (Jed Wills sucks, Conklin always hurt, Thanos still raw), or get guys in to stop the run. Even when I said all that and expected to suck, it's been way way way worse than I expected.

[@kenpumphrey8384]

The mistake on the lake. The only hope is to move. The real Browns became winners in Baltimore.

[@dougswamprat5275]

Just bench him next season and say 'hey if you ever want to play again while under a browns contract, rip it up and go play somewhere else because at this point we'll just keep paying you to stay at home so you're known as a terrible QB forever.'

[@rubencontreras8985]

Deshaun isn’t a leader of men or a football team. Doesn’t lead pregame speeches or post game. Every press conference after games just diamond up only nfl qb to do that. Team clearly doesn’t elevate around him or show on field love. He’s mentally checked out take ur money and leave all nfl franchises don’t want to entertain that

[@jdavis69420]

He should be our coach

[@bradsnyder978]

Quinn ewers would look good in brown and orange🤟🇺🇲🤘

[@banditY2K]

Watson AND Berry need to go.

[@j.j.guerrieri5257]

The organization is full of bad decisions. Giving up so much of your future to get a troubled QB that hadn’t played in a year when they had Baker Mayfield coming back healthy the next season, then picking up Flacco and not resigning him, just a really bad organization

[@Wesmancan]

As a life long fan. It’s hard to watch. Stupid decisions one right after the others. I knew Watson was a huge mistake. And he was. We will be in the shutter for another 20 years because of it.

[@_Splashgxd]

Should’ve keep Mayfield

[@yousircantknow8987]

Don't you have to win the division before the Superbowl? When was the last time Expansion Team Cleveland did that?

[@martyc2637]

The Texans exposed them in the playoffs. Flacco was the surprise factor late in the season until a team could really study the film . Really an inept franchise since their return in 99.

[@2500BC]

Defense overall is good, needs key upgrades. Offense. Wow. From staff to players, a disaster. They thought DW was coachable and he isnt.

[@russellstewart5414]

But for how much longer can they hold on to their best players, sooner or later they may want a trade or go free agency when the time comes. It will be hard to lock up players with the hope that they’ll get a quarterback who will make a difference asap . Players get discouraged, and coaches will be fired . Lots of variables, but the Watson situation is a huge problem

[@2500BC]

@ agreed. Me and others possibly yourself were of the mind that the window was now - the better draft picks now heading to late 20’s/getting more costly. I appreciate the big swing to win and spend. The guaranteed contract is the issue.

[@tonyfrost9326]

We need a new conditioning coach, too many injuries

[@iancarrey4123]

If it not the consequences of your own actions …….

[@agent1.618]

Andrew Berry is the problem, but nobody wants to talk about it. Deshaun Watson was merely a convenient scapegoat for the fans and the front office alike.

[@anthonypa8045]

Berry and watson are total failures

[@Randall-f9h]

The good thing is every decision they have made has been at best very mediocre so why don't you do the opposite of what you think is the awnser

[@ckpbeatz9466]

It’s not all the plays, it’s the order that they are called and guys are to often in the same spot. Running run plays on 2 and 20 . Being in shot gun when your in your own in zone. Guys dropping wide open touchdowns and first downs. Not getting separation. Half way running routes. Bad o line not blocking anyone with free rushers to the quarterback. Crappy fans that want you to force the ball down field but if he a turn over machine they gonna say we can’t win with this guy but will praise Winston basically handing the ball to the other team. And no number one receiver Shell I keep going 😂

[@paramjotsandhu86]

Love you big guy one of one hopefully the owner sells the team

[@Silent_Running]

In other words…the Browns are a dumpster fire.🔥 No offense to dumpsters.

[@jasoncampbell5518]

Joe Thomas is trying to be a good guy I get it . But he saw Kurt Warrners QB confidential . Week 1 vs the Cowboys. 20 + plays with wide open receivers and Watson standing their holding the ball. Watson can not run Stafanski's offense. That's why they changed it this year . But suprise . He can't run Ken Dorsey's offence either ! Week 5 vs the Comanders. Quincey Carter did the all 22 breakdown. Agin 20 + plays with wide open receivers. Watson standing their holding the ball. Bottom line . Watson is the worst trade in the history of the NFL. It has destroyed the Cleveland Browns and will continue to do so.

[@Wesmancan]

Grow the season and get ewers I guess.

[@travismiller4320]

Joe Thomas, Browns suck because of Watson contract, they should draft a QB from his alma mater…oh wait Wisconsin is a jobber to the big boys in college too and only time Badgers have a first round talent at QB is in that great sci-fi movie with Kevin Costner called Draft Day.

[@alexcika9906]

Joe Thomas cmon man woth all due respect keeping Watson is a Joke , screw you Andrew Berry and you're smooth talking Harvard degree you need to be fired along with Depodesta

[@ConleyO]

Stefanski sucks

[@marketville]

Joe Thomas was such a great LT that 35 QBs got hurt on his watch and the browns won 3 games per year during his career.

[@nflnmichael]

Joe Thomas is a top 5 LT in NFL history.

[@marketville]

@nflnmichael not even top 500. I watched every game he played, I'm a browns fan. He sucked

[@joelvonah8779]

As wierd as it sounds, I hope the Ravens win a championship because Joe Thomas deserves a championship. Though I don't expect anyone here to get that reference...

[@bushrodbrown8326]

The browns don’t care about their fans because they come and support them no matter what they always give us a bad product like you said

[@RickG-d5m]

Watson sucks! Worst trade ever!!