Hornveilchen » s. The Jayhawks had no trouble running past Iona

BEREA, Ohio - Year after year its the same thing: the Browns collapse in December or even earlier, miss the playoffs and left tackle Joe Thomas makes the Pro Bowl.Book it again. Well, not just yet.Clevelands chances of making the AFC playoffs are hanging by the thinnest thread as the Browns (7-7) head into Sundays game at Carolina. With three straight losses, the Browns have slipped from the thick of the race to having one foot in the bleachers watching it.I dont know what it is mathematically, Thomas said of the Browns slender playoff hopes. But the chances are pretty dang slim.For all his personal accomplishments, Thomas has yet to participate in the playoffs. Its the lone blemish on his stellar career, which includes seven straight Pro Bowl trips and could one day see him enshrined in Canton. On Wednesday, Thomas was named the teams player of the year by the local chapter of the Pro Football Writers of America and after being informed of his win, he had to address his personal playoff drought.I certainly want to go to the playoffs, said Thomas. I wish we could go every year. We were pretty close this year, but we werent able to finish. I certainly would like to make it at least once — before I retire.Thomas has seen it all during his time with the Browns, and most of it has been bad. Cleveland went 10-6 his rookie season, barely missing the playoffs under coach Romeo Crennel. But the Browns lost at least 11 games in each of the next six seasons before finally ending that futility this year. Thomas has endured late-season slides, coaching changes, front office purges, an ownership switch and an almost constant shuffling of quarterbacks, including Johnny Manziel recently taking over for Brian Hoyer.Incredibly, Thomas, who has never missed a snap (7,810 and counting in the NFL) has blocked for 13 different starting quarterbacks and played for five coaches under six general managers.Its been tough enough to watch. For Thomas, its been his football life.And despite the Browns struggles, Thomas believes good days are ahead. The mention of another off-season overhaul triggered a hearty laugh from Thomas.It would be shocking to me if they didnt want to keep this good nucleus that we have right now going, he said. And I think they will. Theres no reason we shouldnt. ... Its a matter of retaining our good players and drafting more good ones as they come.They dont come much better than Thomas, who has earned the admiration of his teammates with a consistent work ethic and attention to detail. He epitomizes the selfless, team player.Joe is Mr. Brown, Hoyer said. He wants to be the best left tackle he can be. Obviously in years past he hasnt been on the best teams. This year we changed that a little bit, but he comes with the same preparation and intensity to be the best he can every day.Last week, Thomas inched a little closer to the playoffs.When former longtime Browns teammates DQwell Jackson and Josh Cribbs, both now with Indianapolis, qualified, Thomas sent Jackson a congratulatory text message.It said, Thomas recalled. Im really happy for you. Im so glad for you and Josh that you guys finally got the chance to play in the playoffs. Im hoping Im next.NOTES: Browns WR Andrew Hawkins missed practice with an unspecified illness. ... Offensive co-ordinator Kyle Shanahan believes Manziel will be able to shake off last weeks debacle against Cincinnati. Johnny is a real impressive guy, Shanahan said. I dont think everybody knows really what Johnny is about. ... Browns C Alex Mack (broken leg) is in a walking boot and said his recovering timetable is on track.___AP NFL websites: www.pro32.ap.org and www.twitter.com/AP_NFL Wholesale Adidas Superstar Cheap . The Leafs were back on the ice Wednesday following an 10-day break. It apparently wasnt long enough, as Team Canadas 2-1 win over Latvia didnt conclude before the Leafs began practice. "I was thinking we might get a little delay, but it was nice to get out there," said Tyler Bozak of watching Wednesdays game. Cheap Adidas Superstar Wholesale .com) - Many people at Eastern Washington are waiting to see if star quarterback Vernon Adams Jr. http://www.cheapadidassuperstar.us/ . Kevin Durant certainly played like there was on Sunday night, scoring 36 points and grabbing 10 rebounds as the Thunder made quick work of the visiting Pacers with a 118-94 win. Cheap Adidas Superstar . Not Peyton Manning. Hes holding on to the heartache to stoke his competitive fire. Cheap Adidas Superstar Free Shipping . Pillar is batting .305 with 17 extra-base hits, 19 RBI and five stolen bases in 34 games for Buffalo this season. The right-handed hitter had an International League high, 18-game hitting streak this season and currently owns an IL high 26-game on base streak.Lawrence, KS (SportsNetwork.com) - Andrew Wiggins and the second-ranked Kansas Jayhawks will begin the Battle 4 Atlantis on Friday night, as they entertain the Towson Tigers at Allen Fieldhouse. You can watch the game on TSN2 at 9:30pm et/6:30pm pt. This is a preliminary event before the Jayhawks travel to Paradise Island, Bahamas next week to continue in the event. Towson was one of the better teams in the Colonial Athletic Association a season ago, and it has set a similar tone in the early going this season with a 3-1 start. After three straight wins at home, however, Towson ventured on the road for the first time last Sunday and was trounced by Villanova, 78-44. Kansas has been on top of its game under head coach Bill Self, as it has won nine consecutive regular-season Big 12 Conference championships and has advanced to the Sweet Sixteen in the NCAA Tournament in six of the last seven years. The Jayhawks have another elite unit this season, as they have shown with wins over ULM (80-63), Duke (94-83) and Iona (86-66). Kansas won both previous matchups versus Towson, most recently claiming a 100-54 win at home on Nov. 11, 2011. In the Tigers latest outing, Villanova streaked out to an 18-4 lead less than eight minutes in and they could never recover and they shot a dreadful 30.9 percent from the field (including 2-of-17 from 3-point range) in the 34-point blowout loss. It was a lost afternoon for much of the roster, although Jerrelle Benimon managed to make the most of it with 11 points and six rebounds. Despite thhat awful performance, Towson still has respectable offensive numbers, as it shoots 42 percent from the field for 71.dddddddddddd5 points per game, nearly five points more than it allows. Benimon is one of the CAAs best players and he has proven in the early going with 17.5 points, 11.8 rebounds and 3.5 assists per game. Rafriel Guthrie (11.3 ppg) and Marcus Damas (10.7 ppg) are solid complimentary scoring options. The Jayhawks had no trouble running past Iona earlier in the week, as they outshot the Gaels from the floor, 56.9 percent to 38.6 percent, and dominated the rebounding battle (40-26) en route to the 20-point victory. Freshman sensation Andrew Wiggins has made headlines in the early going, and he had another strong game with 13 points and seven rebounds, but it was fellow first-year player Joel Embiid who dominated in the win, tallying 16 points (on 7-of-7 from the field) and 13 rebounds off the bench. Perry Ellis led the way with 21 points, while Naadir Tharpe got his teammates involved with 10 assists. KUs deep, well-rounded squad has paid dividends thus far, as it has scored 86.7 points per game on an outstanding .557 field goal percentage. Ellis (19.0 ppg) has been red-hot from the floor at 21-of-29 and also rips down 8.0 boards per contest. Wiggins (17.0 ppg, 6.0 rpg) highly-anticipated season has started as expected. Wayne Selden, Jr. (10.0 ppg) is the only other player in double figures, but Embiid (9.0 ppg, 8.0 rpg) and Tharpe (6.0 ppg, 7.5 apg) are integral pieces to the puzzle as well. ' ' '