NFL 2011 Week 8 - Joe Thomas Doesn't Think Browns Offensive Line is Tipping Its Hand

Joe Thomas Doesn't Think Browns Offensive Line is Tipping Its Hand
John Nestor

Cleveland, OH

Oakland Raiders linebacker Aaron Curry may have saw something, but Joe Thomas doesn't know what it was and he is sure it wasn't any kind of clue to the plays the Cleveland Browns run.

Cleveland's starting left tackle, Thomas says he has watched "every snap of every practice and every game" this season and has no idea what Oakland Raiders linebacker Aaron Curry says he spotted in film before Cleveland played at Oakland on Oct. 16 and fell 24-17.

Curry told Bay Area reporters that he has been studying film extensively since an Oct. 14 trade sent him to the Raiders from Seattle. Curry said he noticed that a Browns offensive lineman tipping whether the team was going to pass or run on most plays.

"One of the O-linemen from Cleveland, they gave it up every play, most of the time, I'd say about 70 percent of the time, whether it was run or pass," Curry told reporters. "They had no clue they were doing it, but I figured it out from just watching the film."

Thomas told the Cleveland Plain Dealer that he doubts it.

"He must be a wizard because after being there one day, he figured it out?" Thomas said. "He must be really smart. . . . I'm sure if a guy was leaning really far back or really far forward, maybe [he could see it]. But for one day? That is very impressive."

The Browns have used rookie Jason Pinkston at left guard for injured Eric Steinbach, and right tackle Tony Pashos missed the first three games of the season with an injury but Thomas saw nothing out of the ordinary on film.

"If I would have noticed something, we would have taken care of it," Thomas said.