‘Cleveland ’95: A Football Life’ - featuring Bill Belichick

[WhiZa]

I'm still amazed at how absolutely stacked that coaching staff was...

So were the 2004 Patriots

 

[SeymourTrophies]

Modell fired BB - how foolish, and what an asshat move to take an nfl icon team and move it to Baltimore. How did he get into debt?

Really puts the whole Cleveland era of BB into a different perspective.

He took a financial dept, some personnel, and the roster from Cleveland to Baltimore. He left all that the Browns were meant to represent in Cleveland, unlike the Irsays with the Colts.

 

[robbomango]

"I'll pay anyone here $10,000 if they can tell me what Ernie Adams does."

http://gifsoup.com/

 

[NinjaZX6R]

Reading through Browns forums for some schadenfreude.

A lot of depression, what if's and respect gained for our BB.


That's why i'm constantly wondering how smart of an idea is it for coaches to get constantly canned with not much time given to mold the team according to their vision. Rebuilding is a process.

Link? I want to read them.

 

[DarrylS]

Can never get enough of this stuff, as much as I think I know, it is humbling to find out how much I do not know...

BB's attention to detail is unparalleled.

 

[BritPat]

It's on Youtube already.....

 

[Patsrock]

He took a financial dept, some personnel, and the roster from Cleveland to Baltimore. He left all that the Browns were meant to represent in Cleveland, unlike the Irsays with the Colts.

Not by choice.

 

[DaBronxPats14]

And then there was Mike "Manboobs" Tannenbaum, who is probably more to blame than Mangini for the whole spygate thing. I forgot that that weasel got his start under BB also. What a nauseating individual.

Excellent point, So now that we know who they were then with Bill and we know where they are now, easy to see who had Bill's back and who stabbed him in his back.

 

[everlong]

Just finished watching it. Now you can really see why Bill has everybody towing the company line and saying "We're just focusing on the Broncos". Everybody lost focus on that Cleveland team and they couldn't reel them back in. You start to pay attention to all the external noise and stop worrying about football and it's all over.

Second, man do I feel for Browns fans. You lose your team and the staff leaves and ends up with 4 SB titles and 6 appearances while your new version has had one winning season.

 

[PATS16N0]

I was only 15 years old at the time and while my friends and I watched the NFL religiously back then, a lot of this was news to me.

I had no idea that the Baltimore Ravens was essentially Bill Belichick's bastard child. It seems like Baltimore essentially owes its Superbowl ring to Belichick.

This is an amazing story to see from behind the scenes. It's incredible to think that our Dynasty, our lasting legacy of success that was built here that will carry us into the future and give us a seat at the table with all the classic NFL teams with long traditions of winning...

...that that could have all been Clevelands.

Nice break for New England but my heart bleeds for Cleveland all over again.

 

[Brady_to_Moss]

still haven't seen it..it's on my DVR though

 

[AzPatsFan]

Watching Cleveland 95 reveals what the difference is between hiring a Coach and instsalling and creating a Football Program. Belichick at Cleveland overhauled, the coaching. He overhauled the College scouting. BB interviewed and fit scouts into the scouting program. BB hired a business administation to run the businessand administrative aspects of the Team.

There was no place where the football program and organization was not looked at and changed it to fit. It also reminds me of an old business bestseller about a Rt 128 success Data General and "The Soul of a New Machine".

It also explains why BB sent that "I resign as HC of the NYJ" napkin to the NYJ owner. He wouldn't be allowed to install a football program/organization, so coaching an ill begotten mess, would be ultimately futile.

If BB ever hangs it up, I hope Kraft hires one of BB proteges who actually built a Football Program. Guys like Kirk Ferentz, Pat Hill, and/or Nick Saban. All three have changed an entire organization to create a new Football Program, and not just a coaching change.

BTW, the OC wunderkind, failed at installing a Football Program at Denver and St Louis, as did Mangini/Tannenbaum at NYJ; and Mangini at CB, and as Scott Pioli is not doing at KC.

I nominate any one of the three for the Pats but my favorite is Nick Saban, as he has transformed Alabama the most; and has been the most successful. Plus like BB he failed at his first NFL Football Program, he learned and re bounded, and it the one mountain Nick has not yet climbed.

 

[randomk1]

Link? I want to read them.

just google browns forum - almost all of them have a topic on it.

 

[nabwong]

Just watched the show. Very nicely done. It was a sad situation for the fans but a sadder one for humanity. I understand it must be devastating but death threats, destroying the stadium and demonstrations of public hanging/execution. If your life is worth a football team, it is truly truly sad.

Edit: Man, also what Ozzie said at the end was the dagger in the heart to that city.

Edit 2: I also wonder what BB would do with Ray Lewis. wow.

 

[BigMike]

hey everyone, NFL Network just announced the following new episodes. Dont look for them starting this November:

"Detroit'02:" Covers Marty Mornhinweig at HC, Matt Millen as the GM and the Detroit Lions as they build a team from the top down (into the basement) Peer into the meetings,preparation, strategies and tactics that made this team one of the most talked about (laughed at) NFL franchises

"Minnesota'10:" a compelling inside look at Brad Childress & Co - from amazingly stupendous clock management, to interesting in game ref challenges and the pusuit of Bret Favre that bordered on desperation... bonus footage: see Chilly dressed as a stewardess on the teams charter....you wont want to miss this instant classic!

"Buffalo'99" - delight in the excellence that is Wade Phillips - docudrama ends with Wade consuming Doritos by the caseload as he inserts Rob Johnson in for Doug FLutie and the team gets music city miracled in Tennessee.