Joe Thomas, one of the greatest Cleveland Browns of all time, didn’t mince words when advising former Colorado Buffaloes quarterback Shedeur Sanders on his rookie training camp. The Pro Football Hall of Fame offensive tackle is currently a coach in the European League of Football.
A gold jacket wearer doesn’t want Cleveland Browns rookie quarterback Shedeur Sanders to take his situation for granted.
Joe Thomas, a Pro Football Hall of Fame offensive tackle who played his entire career with the Browns, advised the former Colorado Buffaloes signal caller on how to handle his first training camp in the NFL. Thomas got straight to a lesson he learned in his rookie season.
Keep your mouth closed, and your eyes and ears open,” Thomas said during an ESPN Cleveland radio appearance on Friday. “Be humble, always diffuse praise, and always assume any criticism and accept it.”
Thomas made clear he admires Sanders’s ability and situation handling thus far, but that having strong traits exclusive under center can help him avoid the wrong path many prior Browns quarterbacks have taken.
“He’s got all the talent in the world to be a great quarterback in the league,” Thomas said. “But you don’t want to get caught up in any of the quarterback competition, or any of the noise coming from outside about how you’re doing or how you’re playing … Training camp’s all about just putting the work in, learning your craft, polishing that craft, and so far the returns have been great.”