Joe Thomas Breaks Down His Rivalry with Tom Brady | Cleveland Browns News

0:00It's September 16th. Welcome in. This is Cleveland Brown's News Today, where your team meets AI. I'm Cory with the story. So, former NFL offensive lineman Joe Thomas, a guy who played his whole career with the Cleveland Browns, recently opened up about his intense rivalry with Tom Brady. He's straight up said he hated Brady and the Patriots, especially after a tough loss back in 2016. Brady, returning from a suspension, lit up the Browns for over 400 yards and three touchdowns in that game. Thomas described the feeling after that particular game as a breaking point. He was sitting in the car, icing his elbows and knees, and started crying. His wife asked if he was okay, and he explained that he felt like he played a perfect game, but they still lost by a significant margin. That's when they really hit him. He realized that no matter how hard he played, he couldn't control the outcome of the game. For years, he convinced himself that Browns could be a super bowl contender, believing that mindset was key to his own performance. But by his tenth season, the team's struggles and constant rebuilding made it impossible to ignore the reality.

1:05Thomas admitted he had been fooling himself for a long time. Understanding that his individual effort wasn't enough to overcome the team's situation. He eventually sought help from the team's psychologists to process nearly a decade of this realization. Coming to terms with the fact that the Browns just weren't that team and didn't have a real shot at winning. It's a heavy thing, realizing your own limitations within a team sport, especially when you've poured so much of yourself into it. That moment of clarity, though painful, sounds like it was a necessary step for him to move forward.