BEREA, Ohio -- Amid the rubble of another demoralizing, soul-crushing season in Cleveland, Joe Thomas endures.The towering tackle.Despite the Browns 0-12 record, despite a knee injury that keeps him from practicing, and despite not knowing which quarterback hell be playing in with on a week-to-week basis, Thomas has continued his remarkable streak of not missing a start (156 and counting) or snap (9,864 and counting) in his career.Beyond that, hes a civic treasure, which is why for the third time in the past 10 years, Thomas is the teams nominee for the Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year Award, given for playing excellence and community service.Its really special, Thomas said Wednesday.And really deserved.For Browns coach Hue Jackson, there has been one reward in a painful, winless season: getting to know Joe Thomas.If theres been a silver lining in all this, Jackson said, its the time and conversations that Ive been around him. Because hes taught me a lot, what being a pro truly is.Thomas has been the standard for excellence since his arrival as a first-round pick in 2007. But with the Browns in the midst of another rebuilding project, the 32-year-old will continue to be mentioned in trade rumors. He was nearly dealt to Denver before the 2015 deadline, and his name will likely pop up again both before and during next years draft.Not if Jackson has any say.That is not happening. Or I am going with him, Jackson said. I guarantee you that. I am going with him. No, Joe Thomas means too much to this organization and to this football team.Thomas, who has racked up nine straight Pro Bowl invitations -- the first offensive lineman in history to do so -- and has been voted to the APs All-Pro team eight times, including six first-team honors, laughed when told about Jacksons promise.Oh, thats nice of him, Thomas said. Where we going, the Bahamas? Im in.Thomas has adopted Cleveland as his home. Hes raising his family here, and its where he wants to spent the rest of his career, however long that may be.The 6-foot-6, 312-pounder has no intention of stopping, and wont consider leaving the game until he knows its time.It really doesnt change for me, said the father of three. I want to play as long as the Browns want me, as long as Im healthy enough to play and as long as I still love it. I know as of right now all those things are still there and I still love this game even more than I did when I was a rookie.I think thats going to be kind of the checklist whenever the time comes, but right now I dont see anything changing.As Jackson attempts to change the culture around the Browns, Thomas represents the ideal player: durable, selfless and consistent. He epitomizes class on and off the field, serving as a role model to younger players.Wide receiver Andrew Hawkins has spent three seasons with Thomas and has grown to appreciate him.Its an honor to play with him, one of the best left tackles ever to play the game, he said. Hes everything you want in a first-round pick. When you are making those selections, thats the kind of career, thats the kind of attitude, the kind of work ethic, the kind of perseverance that youre getting. If you get one of those guys youre lucky.Ive seen him fight through injuries. He doesnt complain. He doesnt gripe. He doesnt take plays off. Hue always says football players should display courage at all times and Joe is the definition of that.And yet the awards and admiration cant mask a sad truth for Thomas. Since going 10-6 his rookie season, the Browns are 37-103, a record almost too startling to believe.Jackson has made it his mission to change that.I want us to do right by him, he said. Right by that is, lets go get this man some wins. He deserves that. He deserves to be on a winning football team and have a chance to chase playoffs and championships. Joe Thomas means a lot to me personally and a lot to this organization and this team and this city.Game notes While it appears QB Robert Griffin III will start on Sunday against Cincinnati, Jackson said he has not made any decisions. RG3 hasnt played since breaking a bone in his left shoulder on Sept. 11. Trust me, he wants to be out there, Jackson said. I am just not ready to nail that down yet for our football team. ... Rookie D Derrick Kindred broke an ankle during the bye week. Jackson did not reveal how he was injured, but added he did not do anything out of sequence that is going to cause us to feel different about him.---For more NFL coverage: http://www.pro32.ap.org and http://www.twitter.com/AP-NFL Johnny Oduya Jersey . PETERSBURG, Fla. 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FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. -- Northern Arizona coach Jack Murphy had every reason to believe his team would take a big leap in the 2015-16 season.The Lumberjacks returned four players he considered starters from a team that made it to the championship game of the CollegeInsiders.com tournament and had talented newcomers who could contribute right away.Things fell apart quickly.Two of Northern Arizonas best players went down with season-ending injuries by the 10th game and the Lumberjacks never recovered, finishing 5-25 with a roster that included eight freshmen on scholarship and 11 overall.We literally had one practice last year with our full complement of guys, Murphy said. We were youth personified.There is an upshot to that trial-by-fire season: All those young players come back with far more experience than they would have had without the injuries.Theyll join senior forward Jordyn Martin, the 2014-15 Big Sky defensive player of the year, who played only three games last season because of a foot injury. Senior guard Jaleni Neely returns after being limited to nine games because of knee injury.Both are healthy and expected to be the leaders Murphy envisioned a year ago.Bruising senior forward Ako Kaluna also is back after having a breakout season with Martin out, giving the Lumberjacks some experience to go with all those young players.I feel like we have a chance to do something special this season, Neely said. Those guys got experience not too many freshman get and I think it will help them as far as maturity and seeing how the Division I level is. It also gave them a lot of confidence.A few more things to look for from the 2016-17 Lumberjacks:THE SCHEDULE: Northern Arizona had one of the hardesst opening schedules in the country last season, playing Washington State, Boise State and Gonzaga all in one five-day road trip.dddddddddddd. The Lumberjacks lost all three games and won one road game all season. This seasons schedule has some tough games but not a brutal road trip right out of the gate. Northern Arizona has road games against Washington and UNLV, and hosts Arkansas-Little Rock and CSU Bakersfield, NCAA Tournament teams last season, during its nonconference schedule. I should have had my head examined before last season with that schedule, Murphy said. The schedule is far more palatable this year.MARTIN RETURNS: Martin established himself as a defensive force in 2014-15, able to play ballhandlers out on the floor or swoop in for blocked shots. The 6-foot-7 forward began to assert himself on the offensive end during NAUs run through the 2015 CIT, scoring a career-high 27 points against Sacramento State and grabbing a career-high 17 rebounds against NJIT. Murphy expected Martin to take a bigger jump last season, but it was derailed by the foot injury. Look for him to pick up his scoring -- he averaged 7.7 points two seasons ago -- in his final season in Flagstaff.NEELYS BACK: Neely was expected to join Kris Yanku in forming one of the Big Skys better backcourts last season. Instead, his season was derailed by the knee injury. This season, Yanku is gone after leaving to play professionally overseas, so Neely will be the Lumberjacks floor leader and go-to player when they need a big shot.---More AP college basketball: http://collegebasketball.ap.org Cheap NFL Jerseys Wholesale Jerseys Wholesale NFL Jerseys Jerseys From China Wholesale NFL Jerseys Cheap NFL Jerseys Cheap Jerseys ' ' '