Cleveland Browns Rumors: Joe Thomas Hopes to See a ‘New Johnny’ in April

Cleveland Browns offensive tackle, Joe Thomas did not sugarcoat his comments about quarterback Johnny Manziel. Thomas, who spoke with ESPNCleveland.com this morning, talked about how Manziel lost the trust of his teammates last season. Now, Thomas and the rest of the Browns organization hope to see a "new Johnny" in April.

"I think he's going to have to prove to the team that football is important and being the man, being the starting quarterback for the Cleveland Browns, is important, it is his goal, his single goal in his life," the eight-time Pro Bowl tackle said. "You know, I think he lost probably a lot of trust among the guys on the team last year by the way he handled himself once he became the starter. And I think he had a lot of time to reflect, I'm guessing, after the season was over by the comments he made in the media and by his actions, checking himself into rehab ... I think those were really positive steps.

Thomas added, "I'm hoping when we comes back in April we see a new Johnny and everybody's blown away with his commitment. And I think he's got the talent, so it's just a matter of if he commits himself to it, we can have a really good quarterback on our hands."

The 30-year-old athlete also stressed the importance of putting words into action, stating, "it's your actions that really are telling to your teammates about if you really mean what you say."

The rookie quarterback announced that he was headed to rehab on Jan. 28. He did not disclose what he was heading to rehab for. However, he apologized to the Browns and the fans for his behavior throughout the season.

Manziel was seen playing golf with his father in Shreveport, LA this past Saturday. Many are already speculating that the young quarterback might be nearing the end of his stay in rehab. This Tuesday will be Manziel's 10th week.

Manziel is expected to return for team workouts, which begins on April 20.