Coach Brian Sipe

Here is a great article about Brown's legend Brian Sipe. Sipe is now the Quarterbacks coach at San Diego State University. Today he will be on the field as his alumni play Navy in the San Diego County Credit Union Poinsettia Bowl.

Learning to live with fumbles

Knowing how much Coach Mangini hates turnovers on offense, it must be damn hard for him to digest that it is not possible to coach emerging star fullback Peyton Hillis out of his fumbling. I've read that each week Hillis does special drills designed to get him to hang onto the ball and no matter the effort, every week Hillis coughs up a ball. I've often compared Colt McCoy to Brian Sipe, in the case of Hillis there is another reference point in Browns history that is very similar. Mike Pruitt ran like a linebacker but he also had smallish hands and often fumbled. Forrest Gregg hated Pruitt's fumbling so much that he sat him for the better part of two years. When Sam Rutigliano arrived, he decided to put this force of nature into motion and Mike Pruitt was a key part of the Browns resurgence.

It's the same story with Hillis. 250 pound players with speed and agility are rare. Keep giving him the ball, his one fumble per game is more than offset by the damage to opponents that he does on the ground on all the other plays in which he doesn't fumble.

Vintage Browns: 1980 Browns Walkoff winning drive vs Packers

one of the greatest comebacks in Brown's history, this 9 minute video is a "can't miss" for anybody who loved the Kardiac Kids. On the last play, the famous 46 yard touchdown pass from Sipe to Logan, watch Sipe carefully. As he comes to the line of scrimmage, he notes that the Packers are coming with a maximum blitz. Sipe then simply uses his head to look at Logan and motion for Logan to "go long". This unbelieveable sequence is a play that probably couldn't occur in the modern era because Sipe and Logan had so many years playing together they could communicate at this level but with today's free agency schemes, it's very rare that a QB and his receivers are able to work together for the years needed to develop this kind of feeling.

Vintage Browns: OT win vs Dolphins, Sipe to Rucker

This particular vintage memory is precious to me because I was in the stands with my dad, watching the events unfold. I can remember Sipe's pass to Reggie Rucker as if it were moments ago.

Brown's history: Bill Nelson

To be honest, I don't remember much about Bill Nelson but I hold onto one very fond memory. In 1971, when I was in second grade at Meister Road Elementary School in Lorain, Ohio, Bill Nelson visited our school and I got his autograph. It was certainly my first interaction with a Browns player and I was hooked for life.

Other than being nice to kids, Nelson led the Browns as a starter at QB for 4 seasons, from 1968 until 1971 and he is generally viewed as the fifth best quarterback in Browns history behind Otto Graham, Bernie Kosar, Brian Sipe and Dr. Frank Ryan

Sipe offers advice to Colt McCoy

Terry Pluto interviews Brian Sipe who offers up some advice to Colt McCoy. Sipe is now 60 years old believe it or not, and is the quarterbacks coach at his alma mater San Diego State.

Football is a game, not a track meet

Here is a great article written by Mary Kay Cabot of the Cleveland Plain Dealer on Colt McCoy. Cabot's article does a fine job of talking about the intangibles that a Colt McCoy possesses and how and why this makes him a great football player.

It really does burn me up, everytime I read about a good football player who has been undervalued because of a tape measure, a scale and a stopwatch.

Football is a game, not a track meet. A relatively slow but fundamentally sound player who has a sophisticated understanding of his opponents tendencies is far more valuable than a fast player who does not. How much time is it worth if a player is able or not able to anticipate the action? Far more than a fraction of a second, that's for damn sure. Colt may not have the exact right size and speed that scouts desire, but he is a smart football player and in any case he's 6'1" so he's not exactly a damned midget. This guy dropped to round 3 essentially because he is only as tall as Joe Montana and only as fast as Brian Sipe....

The best example I can find of football skills is this film of former Kent State great and Ohioan Jack Lambert. Lambert of course was too small and too slow for the NFL but in the video you can see how he was far ahead of other players in game skills and intangibles like having an emotional edge, yet another huge factor on the gridiron that simply cannot be measured by a scout's tape measure.

Browns post draft free agent signings

With only 7 rounds in the modern era NFL draft the import of post draft college free agent signings is magnified.

For example, here are just a few of the players drafted after round 7 back when the NFL draft lasted much longer than 7 rounds

Dwight Clark Round 10 in 1979
Brian Sipe round 13 in 1972
Ernest Byner round 10 in 1984
LC Greenwood round 10 in 1969
Bart Starr round 17 in 1956

Since the end of the draft, the Browns have been very active in free agent signings, and that is yet another great sign that our team finally is being run by professionals. There is much gold to mine from the lists of undrafted players this year.

For a full list of the free agents signed thus far by our Browns, click on this link.

One player I find particularly intriguing, if only for his size, is Canadian college offensive tackle Joel Reinders. Of course, universities in Canada play using Canadian rules, and the game is quite different so a Canadian player starts already at a disadvantage relative to a player from an American university. Worse yet, Reinders has only been playing organized football for 2 years. Still, as an athlete this young man leaps off the page at anyone. For starters, he's 6' 8" tall and weighs 320 pounds and his combine numbers on strength and speed were quite respectable. He's got a VERY LONG way to go to learn how to play football but if he can learn and grow as a player, his potential seems unlimited.



Here is some scouting combine clips of Reinders. It's very clear watching the film that Reinders is not yet a very good football player but at the same time his upside is also easy to envision given his size and strength:

Proof that NFL scouts are often fools: Brian Sipe

We've just finished yet another NFL draft. Some players went higher than expected and some lower. As the years pass we'll be able to judge the scouts on their skill in the 2010 draft but there are also decades of proof in our rear view mirror.

A good example is Brown's great Brian Sipe, who in spite of the fact that he led the nation in passing his senior year at San Diego State, was not drafted by the Browns in the 1972 NFL Draft until the 13th round. Why? Well of course, his arm wasn't good enough and he was too short and not athletic enough. Sipe of course went on to a stellar career with the Browns, registering 6 winning seasons in the 7 years he was the Browns starter. When you consider that Art Modell was the owner all of those years, it makes Sipe's winning record all the more impressive.

In the below youtube video of a Sipe led drive against Minnesota, you can witness some of the intangibles that allowed Sipe to rise about the rest of the pack. Most interesting to note is how cool and collected Sipe is in the face of Minnesota pass rushers, who in two cases annihilate Sipe after he gets the throw off.

In the book Kardiac Kids by Jonathan Knight, Browns great Doug Dieken, when asked why Paul McDonald was a failure and Sipe was a success in the NFL, gave the following answer:

"In a seven on seven drill when you're just going against defensive backs and linebackers and nobody is rushing you, isn't the same as being out there and having guys zinging by your head. That was the difference between Sipe and McDonald"

The 2010 was, on balance, a good draft for the Browns. Ironically however, it will probably be players like Joe Haden, Colt McCoy and Carlton Mitchell, all of whom had a hard time impressing the scouts, who will really contribute to the future succes of the Cleveland Browns.

Vintage Browns: 1979 OT win vs Jets

This 3 play sequence in 1979 vs the New York Jets is fun to watch. With only 34 seconds left on the clock in OT and the Jets with the ball on 3rd down in their own territory, the game is almost over and it seems that the best the Browns can hope for is a tie but in a matter of a few seconds, everything changes:

1. A terrible pass by the Jet's Matt Robinson is intercepted by Oliver Davis who makes a nice return.
2. A calm and cool Brian Sipe steps up and hits Dave Logan at the Jets 10
3. Don Cockroft punches the ball through the uprights for the game winning field goal

Vintage Browns: The Kardiac Kids Chess game

Here is yet another example of how the Kardiac Kids dominated the airways in 1980. This two play sequence against the Bengals shows a classic one two punch of the 1980 Browns. On the first play, Sipe passes to Greg Pruitt out of the backfield. Pruitt burns a linebacker on the play and gains 25 yards. On the second play, Sipe finds Ricky Feacher for 55 yards and a touchdown. In this sequence you can clearly see how Sipe used his depth of receivers to set the defense up.

What is interesting to note on the first play are the two Bengals DB's number 44, former Ohio State great Ray Griffin and number 27 Bryan Hicks, have to come over to support the play because Bengals linebacker number 50 Glenn Cameron was 5 years behind Pruitt.

When a defense gets burned deep on a pass play, it almost always affects them on the next play as they try to adjust themselves to the quarterback's chess game and knowing this, the clever Brian Sipe orchestrates his next move beautifully. Sipe goes deep to Feacher and the same number 27, Free Safety Bryan Hicks, who had to come over to help with Greg Pruitt on the previous play, is late and well out of position. A Free Safety's first duty is to support the cornerback on a long pass. Was Bryan Hicks late getting over to help Bengals CB Ken Riley because he was still thinking about Greg Pruitt?? You can bet he was!!

Net result: Touchdown Kardiac Kids!

Mike Holmgren's Report Card: March 2010

I personally am quite impressed to date with the Browns off season moves. It's apparent that Mike Holmgren has been working very hard. Most Browns fans would agree that Derek Anderson is not a Super Bowl quarterback and now he is gone. It also appears that Brady Quinn is not viewed favorably by Holmgren, and while I have a lot of sympathy for Quinn, I don't get the same sensation watching Quinn that I had years ago watching Sipe or Kosar at the beginning of their careers. Granted Sipe had two years on the taxi squad in which he could learn and mature but from the first instant Brian Sipe stepped on the field in 1974 at 25 years old, you could tell he was a winner. Quinn often looks lost.

QB Seneca Wallace is unproven, but in his 5 NFL years as a backup he has made an impact. More big plays than mistakes and his career numbers would indicate this guy just needs a chance to play full time. Clearly Holmgren himself believes in Wallace but Holmgren also thinks Wallace needs some time under his guidance. This as witnessed by the visit of 35 year old Jake Delhomme to Browns town this week. But if Holmgren signs an older quarterback, it appears his role will be to buy time.

The signings of TE Ben Watson, LB Scott Fujita, and offensive lineman Tony Pashos all bring skilled veteran players to the Browns, two of whom, Watson and Fujita, wear Super Bowl Championship rings.

If you have to give a report card for the month of March so far to Mike Holmgren, the result is A+

Vintage Browns: 1979 Monday Night Football vs. the Dallas Cowboys

Those of us who watched this game will never forget it. Monday evening September 24 1979 at Cleveland Municipal Stadium vs "America's Team", the Dallas Cowboys. Staubach and company came to town and conventional wisdom was that the Cowboys would manhandle the unproven Browns, who despite the fact that they were 3-0, had not convinced the experts that they were for real.

The series in the Youtube video is culminated by a long touchdown pass from Sipe to Ozzie Newsome. It's classic Kardiac Kids. On third and one, the Browns decide to break tendency and pass. Sipe manages to avoid a sack and spots Ozzie who gets open deep behind the Dallas zone. The result is a long touchdown and a 13-0 Browns lead in the first quarter. The blow out was on and the Browns won the game 26-7, giving Browns fans an absolutely unforgettable evening.

This game was our first sign that the Browns of that era were legit. Specifically it shows how important Ozzie Newsome was to the success of the Browns in that era. Ozzie was frequently able to capitalise on his speed and get deep behind a zone. It's surprising, but it really did take NFL teams over 3 years to adjust to the fact that Browns tight end Ozzie Newsone had blazing speed.

The 1979 Browns gave us many thrills. Of course as the season wore on, the lack of depth caused primarily by Art Modell's not so deep pockets, proved costly, but on Monday September 24, 1979, Brian Sipe, Ozzie Newsone and company let Browns fans dream just a little.

Vintage Browns: The 1980 Kardiac Kids

This short video shows a key drive in game 7 of the Kardiac Kids 1980 season vs the Green Bay Packers. The two play sequence reveals an essential element of the Kardiac Kids 1980 success, creating mismatches in the passing game. This game was in fact a turning point in the Kardiac Kids 1980 season. First, the Browns were 3-3 at that point and a loss would have put them at 3-4 nearly halfway through the season. More importantly is that the team after this game started to get a sense of the fact that they had the talent and playbook that would allow them to beat anyone at any time.

The video contains two long pass plays both of which tell much of the story of the 1980 Browns success. Take note on the first play, where number 35 Calvin Hill lines up in the backfield. He is actually split outside the offensive tackle Cody Riesen by almost a yard. Not the normal spot for a running back to line up but as we know, Calvin Hill might have lined up in the backfield, but he carried the ball only once all season, he was on the field of play for one reason, to catch the ball. On the snap, Hill shoots straight out into the pattern and it is number 56, Green Bay linebacker Ed O'Neil, who has the unfortunate responsibility to try to keep up with him. Hill already has 5 yards on O'Neil when Sipe's pass lands in his hands and he gains over 50 yards on the play.

The next play is a touchdown pass to Ozzie Newsome, the Browns tight end. For today's football fans it might seem amazing that a tight end could get that wide open but let's remember back in 1980, the only tight ends who could get deep were Ozzie and Kellen Winslow. On this particular play, Green Bay was in a zone but surely their focus were on the outside wide receivers as they still hadn't digested the fact that Mr. Newsome could move his body 30 yards in a few seconds. 7 points in about 30 seconds, not bad!!! The next offensive series was even more delicious, classic Kardiac Kids and I will bring you that one in the next few days..!!!

Vintage Browns: The 1980 Kardiac Kids

With the Super Bowl almost upon us, The Brown Log peers into the off season knowing that we'll need to dig deeper for material . Thanks to the incredible website youtube, I believe we have found a few ways to do that. So Brown Log fans, we introduce another regular feature of the Brown Log, "Vintage Browns"

There is a gentleman from Ohio who has placed countless years of videos of Brown's games he videotaped onto youtube. I discovered this youtube page a few months ago and endlessly have enjoyed viewing games that I haven't seen in 30 plus years. Using the videos from this gentleman's youtube page, we will dissect some of the greatest seasons in Browns history.

Anybody who has followed the Browns for longer than 30 years, will very fondly recall our 1980 Kardiac Kids. For those who enjoy reading, Jonathan Knight did a great job breaking the 1980 Browns down, week by week, in his book "Kardiac Kids". If you haven't read it, I highly recommend that book as a great bit of easy reading and escapism. We will try to give your eyes and ears a taste of that classic season and point out what made that team so special.

The first video presented is a Monday might game at Municipal Stadium against the Chicago Bears, in which Mike Pruitt breaks the game open late with a long touchdown run. The 80 Browns were one of the first teams to recognise that new rules that favored the passing game would forever change the face of the league. Credit has to go to Sam Rutigliano who clearly recognized that the NFL was evolving towards the pass, and he recognized that he already had some of the talent needed to take advantage of this. First of all, Rutigliano saw that Brian Sipe had what it took to lead a pass driven attack. Rutigliano also did something that was fairly unconventional in that era. He put Ozzie Newsome, a wide receiver in college, at Tight End, and he put running backs into pass patterns instead of keeping them in to block. This was an era before defenses adapted to five highly skilled receivers attacking the defensive secondary. As a result Sipe often found Greg Pruitt, Calvin Hill or Mike Pruitt matched against a slow, hapless and helpless linebacker. This in turn opened opportunities for Newsome, Rucker and Logan up top. And as you will see in this video, the fact that the 1980 Browns passed to set up the run, often created huge opportunities for Mike Pruitt.

This team can be studied in so many ways, I'm looking forward to that over the next few months.

Brown's history: Brian Sipe

Ask a Brown's fan who grew up in the 1970's their favorite Brown's player and you are quite likely to hear the name Brian Sipe. Compared to that era's best QB's like Dan Fouts, Terry Bradshaw and Roger Staubach, Sipe was relatively small in stature and while Sipe had great velocity on his throws and was accurate, he certainly couldn't wing it 70 yards like Bradshaw. Instead what made Sipe a consistent producer were his leadership skills, a lion's heart and his ability to read defenses as well as any quarterback of his generation. In few words, Sipe was a playmaker and a winner.