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!