Hawaii-bound!

For years the House of Gordon has rallied for the cause of acquiring good offensive linemen in football. (And also for quality starting pitching in baseball, but that's for another season.) Statements like "Joe Montana would SUCK as a Cleveland Brown with our offensive line." were commonplace around here. The Browns drafted left tackle Joe Thomas from Wisconsin with the #3 pick in last year's draft, and the House of Gordon celebrated. Maybe, after a quarter of a century, the Browns brass may again "get it". Finally, after the smallest number of quarterback sacks allowed in recent memory, plus a 1,300-yard rusher in the mix, a *gasp* Cleveland Brown offensive lineman has made the NFL's all-star game: the Pro Bowl in Hawaii.

And there was much rejoicing.

To truly understand the futility of Cleveland Brown offensive lines past, look at the sparse recent history of league-identified lineman all-stars from northeast Ohio:

Thomas becomes the first Browns' offensive lineman to make the Pro Bowl since Cody Risien 20 years ago, following the 1987 season. He's the first Browns' left tackle to be named to the game since Doug Dieken following the 1980 season, and the first Browns rookie to go since Chip Banks following the 1982 season.

Quite a drought: 20 years for any lineman, and 27 years for a left tackle. The times, they maybe are a-changin'. Good for you, Brownies!