For 10 years, Joe Thomas has started at left tackle for the Cleveland Browns. Despite the physically demanding nature of the position, Thomas has never missed a game in his career.

For much of that time, Thomas has been Cleveland's best player. That's a testament to Thomas' elite ability, and the complete inability of the Browns to produce a winner.

Thomas has played in 156 for the Browns. He has lost 109 of them, and this season, the continually rebuilding franchise is heading toward an 0-16 record.

Despite the constant losing, Thomas has remained optimistic, never complaining while pledging his allegiance to the organization that drafted him.

He hasn't lost his sense of humor, either. Earlier this season, he disclosed an injury that was threatening his status for Cleveland's Week 10 game: a receding hairline:

Why Thomas wants to be a Brown for life

In an excellent feature by ESPN's Elizabeth Merrill, Thomas claims that he's thrilled that he wasn't moved at the trade deadline, maintaining that glory isn't far off for the tortured franchise and its loyal fanbase:

“I'm a Clevelander,” he says. “I've spent the majority of my adult life here. Every day when I come to work, it's ‘Let's turn this team into a consistent winner.' Because it would be such a special story. It would be like when the Cubs won the World Series. Everybody in the country has probably been cheering for them for so long because they've been suffering for so long. And you want to cheer for teams like the Browns.

“It's a blue-collar city, and for a blue-collar guy like myself, it's easy to fall in love with the people and kind of the chip on the shoulder that a lot of people have because they feel like they've been slighted for so long. It's so important for me to be here for the turnaround. I don't want to just get a Super Bowl ring [by] being traded to a dream team. It would feel unsatisfying. Unfulfilling.”

At 32, Thomas' career probably won't last much longer. It's unlikely that the Browns will turn things around quickly enough for him to be a part of it, but that won't stop Thomas from believing.