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.