Thomas forgetting ugly past, looking toward fantasy football future
ORLANDO, Fla. — Sometimes the noise just follows you.
No matter what you do or where you go, there are always eyeballs that follow close behind. That’s what Louie Thomas has experienced for the bulk of his Tiger Township Fantasy Football League career.
Since entering the league in 2009, he has become one of the most polarizing figures in league history. But make no mistake, the notoriety doesn’t show up due to winning.
In fact, it's been the exact opposite.
Thomas has missed the playoffs six times in the last seven seasons, including a league record five straight from 2010-14. Last year may have been the most painful of any of those setbacks, though.
The Walsh University graduate, who finished his regular-season campaign at 7-6 before eventually claiming 11th place in the final league standings, narrowly missed out on a playoff bid after Joe Mitchin’s heroic efforts to defeat David Devine on the final night of the season. Mitchin topped Devine by 0.5 points, grabbing points in bunches during a Monday Night Football clash between the Colts and Jets.
The performance was good enough for Mitchin to claim his eighth win of the year and send Thomas packing for a trip to central Florida for the winter.
Some could say the rug was swept underneath a deserving Thomas that night. After all, he won four out of his last five games in 2016 to put himself in a spot to qualify for Week 14. He, however, isn’t one of those people who call foul.
“I didn’t deserve it, so I didn’t get it,” Thomas said earlier this week in an exclusive interview with Chibby's Corner.
Lost in all of Thomas’ well-documented and flamboyant fantasy football career is the fact that he’s gotten the short end of the stick on numerous occasions. He owns the league's worst all-time figure in Evan Julian’s “luck percentage," meaning had the cards been dealt a little differently over the years, then Thomas' entire legacy could look much different by now. What's more, Thomas has shown a legitimate interest and care in other league members' well-being over the years, serving as a humorous, supportive friend to many.
Still, nobody is feeling sorry for his on-field letdowns. Not for the man who once dubbed a string of upcoming opponents as “The Sh*tty Three” or his constant miscues in drafts, free agent auctions and trades.
“What has gotten me into trouble is that I’ve tried to outthink everybody and I end up outthinking myself,” Thomas said. “Then, I drink too much beer and tequila at the draft and my ego comes out.”
In the six seasons Thomas has missed the playoffs, he has wildly found a way to be the first-man-out four times. That includes finishing as the No. 9 seed during the eight-man playoffs era three different times.
That disappointment simply adds to his lone playoff appearance this decade (2015) when he scored just 94 points in a first-round loss to top-seeded Andrew Castle.
Thomas, though, proclaims this fall will be different. However, that’s something we’ve all heard before.
Unlike in the past, Thomas, who continues to split residencies between Canton, Ohio and Orlando, Florida, says he’s looking to dumb a few things down at the draft this time around.
The big change, he explained, is a new philosophy he plans to unveil at the big Fort Lauderdale event on Aug. 19.
“This year, we’re switching to the LouBig Baller Brand,” Thomas said. “If you can’t afford my players, then you aren’t a big baller. It’s a very simple strategy this year.”
If history proves anything, though, it’s that the fireworks out of the mommy-and-daddy-money millennial shouldn’t take long to burst following the initial selection of players.
He spent $35 to claim Carson Wentz out of free agency on Sept. 4, 2016 and dropped $30 on former Vikings tailback Matt Asiata a few weeks later. The big blow came on Oct. 4 when he traded Odell Beckham Jr. and Matt Stafford to eventual league champion Casey Irwin in exchange for Blake Bortles, Terrance West, John Brown, Jamaal Charles and Spencer Ware.
The move was Thomas’ most regrettable of the entire season.
It’s been decisions like that that’ve put a stranglehold on Thomas’ entire career. His roster management remains one of the worst in the league (i.e., the Baltimore running back trio) and his temperament on GroupMe and other platforms has gotten him into some bad situations over the course of the last several years.
Still, Thomas is comfortable in his own skin and it’s going to take an awful lot to change that about him. No matter what, the nine-year veteran is going to try to do whatever it takes to experience the postseason — and maybe even a championship — in 2017.
“I didn’t ask for the cameras,” Thomas said. “I didn’t ask for the lights shining on every aspect of my life. I just go through it every day like it’s a normal day for me.”