In case you were wondering, money and fame are not always enough.
And in a profession as glamorous as the NFL, some days you have to get up and punch the clock.
That’s why Browns left tackle Joe Thomas is hoping the latest Browns incarnation is successful, so he might know what it’s like to not be watching the playoffs every year.
“It’d be hard,” Thomas said of never getting that chance, via Tony Grossi of ESPNCleveland.com. “I grew up playing football since I was 12 years old. At every level, I’ve been on winning teams. I never experienced a losing season [until] my second year in the NFL.
“Obviously, that would be a huge disappointment, just because it’s no fun playing in the NFL when you’re going 4-12 every year. It’s drudgery. It’s like covering a team that’s 4-12. It sucks.”
Thomas has been one of the bright spots from a franchise that has gone 33-63 during his time there. The team record is awful (especially considering they were 10-6 his rookie season), but he’s been to six Pro Bowls in six seasons, hasn’t missed a snap, is the highest-paid tackle in the league and was a finalist for the Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year Award last year.
You’d think that would satisfy a man, but Thomas dreams of running into his home stadium for a postseason game, his city energized the way it was when they had a pertinent basketball team.
“When the Cavs went to the finals, that was cool, but this is such a football town, it would mean so much to everybody. It would be unbelievable,” Thomas said. “That’s one of those things that I try to talk to the young guys about and let them understand how important this team is to this city.
“We could be legends if we bring this organization back to where it was a couple decades ago, or even win a Super Bowl. You’d never buy another drink, you’d never buy another dinner the rest of your life if you won a Super Bowl here.”
Having won 23 games the last five seasons, Thomas should hope for the playoffs first, take the legend-building a step at a time.