A Football life- 95 Browns

[PATSNUTme]

I watched this last night on NFLN. What was amazing to me was all the coaches and personnel people that BB had on his staff that went on to make names for themselves.

Also was that Ozzie Newsome who is considered one of the best drafters for the Ravens uses the method that he learned from BB to draft players.

It was a very interesting video on how the coaches and players got the rug pulled out from under them by Art Modell, when they were considered a SB contender.

i looked for the video to post here but I couldn't find it. It was one of the most interesting of all the shows in that series.

 

[juxtapoz15]

One of my favorites in the series as well. I still find it amusing that Ravens fans can still claim to 'hate' BB but he pretty much helped to mold them into the franchise they are today.

 

[Wheelman]

i looked for the video to post here but I couldn't find it. It was one of the most interesting of all the shows in that series.

The videos should be on nfl.com. Although you shouldn't use the search engine on their site. I swear it was made by a 5 year old. It really doesn't work properly.

Just use google to search nfl.com

 

[jmt57]

A few previews:

Browns' HC Bill Belichick's first win in 1991, at New England
'Cleveland '95: A Football Life' sneak peek - NFL Videos
1995 Cleveland Browns a sign of greatness to come - NFL.com

Available for $2.99 on iTunes, or $29.99 for all 13 episodes:
iTunes - TV Shows - NFL A Football Life, Season 2

Chad Finn has an overview in this 2012 column:
'Cleveland '95: A Football Life' is superb - Boston.com

And for fun, a Brown blogger and fan forum converses about the show:
Cleveland '95: A Football Life - Thoughts and Player Reactions - Dawgs By Nature

 

[PATSYLICIOUS]

I remember that's who we played in Curtis Martin's debut. What a game that was, gave me high hopes for that season. Then it turned out the Browns were a sinking ship that year anyways and we weren't all that either :/ '96 made up for it though

 

[Ian]

I watched this last night on NFLN. What was amazing to me was all the coaches and personnel people that BB had on his staff that went on to make names for themselves.

Also was that Ozzie Newsome who is considered one of the best drafters for the Ravens uses the method that he learned from BB to draft players.

It was a very interesting video on how the coaches and players got the rug pulled out from under them by Art Modell, when they were considered a SB contender.

i looked for the video to post here but I couldn't find it. It was one of the most interesting of all the shows in that series.

That was fascinating to watch, and I know, it's crazy how many big name guys were with that group while he was there.

What an unbelievable story that was, and I thought it was interesting that Belichick basically said Modell was no where to be found throughout the whole process and just left them to fend for themselves. He had that team going in the right direction and then after the news it all fell apart. For a fan base that's supposed to be pretty knowledgeable and intelligent, it boggles my mind that people apparently couldn't connect the losing record that year with the ridiculous situation that Modell put them in. I get that he kicked Kosar to the curb, but looking back at how fans here reacted during the Bledsoe/Brady situation, there were at least a high percentage that still appreciated Bledsoe and backed Brady. I remember reading a lot about that back in 2000 when it was rumored the Patriots were going to get him, and it didn't seem like there were as many Browns fans who supported he and Testaverde despite a playoff run and a playoff win the year before, and they seemingly all turned on both he and Belichick in that final season. It's unreal.

 

[Koma]

That was fascinating to watch, and I know, it's crazy how many big name guys were with that group while he was there.

What an unbelievable story that was, and I thought it was interesting that Belichick basically said Modell was no where to be found throughout the whole process and just left them to fend for themselves. He had that team going in the right direction and then after the news it all fell apart. For a fan base that's supposed to be pretty knowledgeable and intelligent, it boggles my mind that people apparently couldn't connect the losing record that year with the ridiculous situation that Modell put them in. I get that he kicked Kosar to the curb, but looking back at how fans here reacted during the Bledsoe/Brady situation, there were at least a high percentage that still appreciated Bledsoe and backed Brady. I remember reading a lot about that back in 2000 when it was rumored the Patriots were going to get him, and it didn't seem like there were as many Browns fans who supported he and Testaverde despite a playoff run and a playoff win the year before, and they seemingly all turned on both he and Belichick in that final season. It's unreal.

I don't understand it either, but you'll see the "Belichick was a failure in Cleveland" sentiment in articles and on message boards, including here. His time with the Browns ended badly, but there was an unprecedented event (I couldn't find another recent team move where it was announced during the season) that contributed significantly to that.

Belichick took over a 3 win team and proceeded to have 6, 7, 7, and 11 win seasons. The team was 4-5 in '95 when the move was announced and only won 1 game after that. If the move never happened, I don't think that the Browns would have won 11 games that season, but a 9 win season would have put them in contention for a playoff spot. I don't think the 1-6 finish happens if the team was going to remain in Cleveland. Somehow, it gets portrayed that Belichick did a bad job with the Browns.

One other thing I want to point out about Belichick's time in Cleveland was that all the improvement was achieved without drafting a QB at the top of the '91 draft. They had the #2 pick in a draft where the first QB taken was Dan McGwire at #16. (If you look at the QBs in the 91 draft, there was Favre, who was a second round pick and was traded away the following year, and not much else. A few guys were decent back ups, but it was bad year if you needed a QB.)

 

[1960Pats]

A few previews:

Browns' HC Bill Belichick's first win in 1991, at New England
'Cleveland '95: A Football Life' sneak peek - NFL Videos
1995 Cleveland Browns a sign of greatness to come - NFL.com

Available for $2.99 on iTunes, or $29.99 for all 13 episodes:
iTunes - TV Shows - NFL A Football Life, Season 2

Chad Finn has an overview in this 2012 column:
'Cleveland '95: A Football Life' is superb - Boston.com

And for fun, a Brown blogger and fan forum converses about the show:
Cleveland '95: A Football Life - Thoughts and Player Reactions - Dawgs By Nature

Thanks.

The Browns were my team until the Pats came into the picture in 1960.

 

[everlong]

One of my biggest takeaways was that the 95 season molded BB when it comes to dealing with distractions. He was never going to let something derail a season again and would find ways to insulate the team. Maybe none were as big as the Browns moving but Bledsoe vs Brady, Terry Glenn, Brady going down week 1 to Pollard, Aaron Hernandez..........and of course Spy Gate which we can debate which was or wasn't bigger. All these cases are a little different from each other but he effectively shuts the media down and doesn't have the players answering any more questions than possible to keep them focused.

Imagine the circus if Aaron Hernandez was a Jet. Could anybody diffuse that the way BB and the Krafts did? One day of Q&A from BB and another from the captains and it's over. Amazing.

 

[RayClay]

One of my biggest takeaways was that the 95 season molded BB when it comes to dealing with distractions. He was never going to let something derail a season again and would find ways to insulate the team. Maybe none were as big as the Browns moving but Bledsoe vs Brady, Terry Glenn, Brady going down week 1 to Pollard, Aaron Hernandez..........and of course Spy Gate which we can debate which was or wasn't bigger. All these cases are a little different from each other but he effectively shuts the media down and doesn't have the players answering any more questions than possible to keep them focused.

Imagine the circus if Aaron Hernandez was a Jet. Could anybody diffuse that the way BB and the Krafts did? One day of Q&A from BB and another from the captains and it's over. Amazing.