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CLEVELAND -- Theres nothing Joe Thomas hasnt experienced during a stormy decade with the Cleveland Browns.Amid the firings, the hirings, the draft busts, the regime changes, the mistakes, the quarterback conundrum, the losses and, oh yes, Johnny Football, Thomas, a once-in-a-generation left tackle, has personified class and cornerstone consistency while the franchise that selected him with the third overall pick in 2007 has wandered aimlessly as an NFL laughingstock.The man has seen it all. Everything, except a 0-16 season.And thats staring Thomas in the facemask.But as the Browns (0-12), first-year coach Hue Jackson and his staff mercifully reached their bye week just four losses from infamy and shame, Thomas believes things arent as bad in Cleveland as they may look.I do see some progress even though, obviously, no wins this year is disappointing, said Thomas, the eighth player to be selected to the Pro Bowl in his first nine seasons. But definitely the ship is headed in the right direction.The Titanics captain muttered the same thing before clipping the iceberg, but Thomas is convinced Cleveland will emerge from these dark days -- the dimmest in the teams 66-year-history, worse even than the 1999 expansion season -- into a bright future.Its been another one of those years for the Browns, who have lost at least 10 games in eight of the past nine seasons.It hasnt helped that Clevelands roster, overhauled by a new front office that decided not to re-sign several free agent veterans in favor of stockpiling draft picks, has been shriveled further by key injuries.Jackson was dealt a dreadful hand, but Thomas, who has never missed a snap as a pro and played on a damaged right knee this season, has been impressed by the way his sixth coach in 10 years has persevered.Hue has been exceptional, Thomas said, noting Jacksons ability to motivate, his football I.Q. and steadiness.There are no signs Jacksons job is in jeopardy. In fact, Jackson, who became emotional when describing the difficulty of this season following Sundays loss to the New York Giants, said he has assurances from owners Dee and Jimmy Haslam that hes not in trouble.The Haslams have already fired three coaches -- Pat Shurmur, Rob Chudzinski and Mike Pettine -- since taking over the team in 2012.I have trust in the people who hired me, said Jackson, adding he asked for guarantees before taking the job in January.Im not distracted by what my fate will be because I never would have taken this job if I thought it was going to be anything other than me being here and seeing this through.Being 0-12 is hard on anybody. Thats hard, period. I dont like to lose, and I dont like being in this situation, but I know we are going to fix it.How were going to fix it is together. We have to do it brick by brick and step by step. I know we are in the midst of doing that.While his players get away, Jackson planned to work through the break, determined to get a victory over the final four weeks. Hell have starting quarterback Robert Griffin back after the bye -- hes been out since Week 1 -- and RG3s return could infuse some life into an offense that has produced just 39 points in the past four games.Only five teams have started 0-13 since the 1970 merger, and the Browns are desperately trying to avoid moving into the 0-16 basement as roommates with the 2008 Detroit Lions.To Jacksons credit, the Browns are still playing hard despite being outmanned.Thomas said that fight-to-the-finish mentality is due to a belief among the players that the extensive building project, though unfinished, will not include any more demolition.Some of the years past when youre sitting in this situation with a poor record, the coach is imminently going to get fired, all the players on the team are going to get cut and traded and released and theres a bomb thats going to get dropped on the organization, said Thomas, who has had just one winning season in Cleveland.The optimism and positivity and the effort you still see out there on a daily basis is because everybody here knows were working for something down the line in the future and its not going to get destroyed at the end of the season.Thomas has been fooled before. The 2016 season reminds him of 2013, when coach Rob Chudzinski was let go after just one year following the finale at Pittsburgh.I thought `No way are they going to fire him. That would be idiotic, he said. I couldnt believe it. But we did, and thats the way it was, I guess. That was the most shocked Ive even been.Three years later, the Browns, who will face Cincinnati, Buffalo and San Diego the next three weeks, will finish up on the road against the Steelers again. Only this time Thomas feels the end of another demoralizing season represents a beginning.Theres a lot still for this team to play for in that regard because we do know these coaches are going to be here, he said. A lot of these players are going to be here. So this is our opportunity to start building for next year.---For more NFL coverage: http://www.pro32.ap.org and http://www.twitter.com/AP-NFL Julio Jones Youth Jersey . -- Derrick Rose shook off poor shooting early to hit clutch shots late and Carlos Boozer had 20 points and 13 rebounds to lead the Chicago Bulls to a 104-95 preseason victory over the Oklahoma City Thunder on Wednesday night. Deion Sanders Youth Jersey . -- Vincent Lecavalier got everything but the desired result in his return to Tampa Bay. http://www.thefaclonsshoponline.com/John-cominsky-falcons-jersey/ .Y. -- Bills receiver Stevie Johnson has a bone to pick with the NFL schedule maker. Calvin Ridley Youth Jersey . After slipping from the summit during the week, the Gunners overcame struggling Crystal Palace 2-0 on Sunday thanks to Alex Oxlade-Chamberlains second-half brace. Brett Favre Youth Jersey . - Levi Browns tenure at left tackle for the Pittsburgh Steelers is over before it even began. After high school football star Kyler Williams died last month in a car crash, Razorbacks coach Bret Bielema retweeted a photo Williams had posted on Twitter three weeks earlier following a tour of Arkansas campus.The photo showed Williams, a receiver from nearby Springdale High, and Bielema at Razorback Stadium. To his retweet, the coach added this message: Prayers and thoughts to Kyler Williams & his family. Couldnt help but stop & get my picture made with this big smile!Then he started worrying about what hed done.I was just going to tweet out to him and his family, and I thought, `Did I just violate an NCAA rule? Bielema said, choking up. It just made me sick. As a human being, you want to say, `Hey.Though Bielema didnt violate any rule, the incident demonstrates how college football coaches appreciate that Twitter allows them to show their personality to fans and recruits alike, while also remaining wary of its potential drawbacks. The issue has crept up recently as coaches struggle to understand a new NCAA rule change that has some of them using their Twitter accounts more than ever.Under the rule change that took effect in August , athletic department staff members are allowed to retweet or show their approval of social media posts made by recruits. The policy change has been nicknamed Click, Dont Type because coaches still arent allowed to add any sort of comment to a recruits post.NCAA spokeswoman Meghan Durham said that generally speaking, a coach cannot tweet or post a photo of himself with a recruit unless the recruit has signed a formal offer of admission or financial aid, or the post would be considered publicity before signing. But, she added, it isnt a violation to do so as a way of paying tribute to a deceased recruit.The purpose of the rules limiting publicity before signing is to prevent a coach from engaging a fan base or boosters to place additional pressure on the prospect to sign at a given school, Durham said.Plenty of coaches use Twitter, whether theyre capitalizing on the new rule or communicating indirectly with fellow coaches.Michigans Jim Harbaugh called out Ohio State athletic director Gene Smith, Georgia coach Kirby Smart and Tennessee coach Butch Jones on Twitter during the offseason for their comments about his decisions to hold spring practice sessions in Florida and to conduct satellite camps.But tweeting also comes with risks that arent limited to concern about NCAA violations.On the day after Notre Dame lost to Michigan State last month, Fighting Irish coach Brian Kellys Twitter account liked a fans post that recommended the firing of defeensive coordinator Brian VanGorder.dddddddddddd Kelly said later that it was a mistake made by one of the people who help manage his account, though VanGorder actually was fired the following week.I have a number of people that manage my Twitter account, Kelly said at the time. Obviously going through it, somebody unfortunately made a mistake as they were scrolling through, inadvertently hit it.Duke coach David Cutcliffe says he doesnt give anyone else access to his Twitter account for that very reason.North Carolinas Larry Fedora says other people have access to his Twitter account, but all the tweets posted there are his and his alone. He says he makes sure to close out of Twitter whenever he leaves behind his computer or phone.Anytime you open your account and you leave it open for other staff members, you run the risk of something happening, Fedora said. (It may be) something negative (or) something good, but something could happen.It isnt uncommon for multiple people to help out with a coachs Twitter account.Nebraskas Mike Riley says Cornhuskers director of player personnel Ryan Gunderson tweets on his behalf. Gunderson played quarterback for Riley at Oregon State from 2003-07.We talk about the messages and then `Gundy actually does the work, Riley said. Thats our process here. I need a little bit younger guy to help me out with that.Bielema says Arkansas sports information director Patrick Pierson has access to his Twitter account. Jones says a staff member assists in monitoring his account, though all tweets must be approved by the Tennessee coach.Riley said he and Gunderson try to be really careful as to how we represent ourselves all the time, personally and program-wise and university-wise. Jones said he makes sure to proofread before putting anything on his account.We always think in terms of double-checking, triple-checking before you push a button, Jones said.As far as the rule change allowing coaches to like or retweet prospects posts, some coaches are capitalizing on the new policy more than others.If a guy bases his decision on if you like or retweet his posts, that aint the dude that is going to fit in our program, Arizonas Rich Rodriguez said. If thats his most important decision-making process ... I mean, you want to give him attention, but, I mean, what are we, schoolgirls chasing Justin Bieber? Give me a break.---AP Sports Writers Aaron Beard, Joedy McCreary, John Marshall, Eric Olson and Kurt Voigt contributed to this report. Cheap Jerseys China NFL Jerseys Cheap NBA Jerseys Wholesale Baseball Jerseys ' ' '