And Then There Were Four

Congratulations to the Indianapolis Colts and the New Orleans Saints. They are going to square off in Super Bowl XLIV. That’s 44 for those of you who cannot read Roman numerals. I am a Peyton Manning fan and am happy he is on his way to his second Super Bowl. If he wins, “the greatest of all time” discussion can start in earnest. And it is heartwarming to see something wonderful happen to the city of New Orleans. They certainly deserve it. But as a Browns fan, I cannot help but feel a little tweak. With the Saints victory, the Never-Been-To-The-Super-Bowl club has dwindled to a mere four teams. And of course, our beloved Browns are in that dubious fraternity. The Browns joined the NFL in 1950. They left the now defunct AAFC along with the 49ers and the Baltimore Colts to enter the National Football League. San Francisco had their dynasty in the 1980s. Baltimore lost SB III and won SB V defeating the Cowboys. After moving to Indy, Peyton and the gang won SB XLI. Twenty other franchises have joined the NFL since the Browns did. Of those teams only two, The Jaguars and the Texans, have never made it. Houston must feel gypped. The Oilers only made it after they moved to Tennessee and renamed themselves the Titans. You all are going to have to talk me off the ledge the day the Texans play in a Super Bowl. Think of the perennial losers that have played in a Super Bowl before the Browns: The Buccaneers, Seahawks, Bills, Chiefs, Falcons and Bengals! The freaking Ravens have been to a Super Bowl, and won! Why has God forsaken me?!?!?! Of the nine teams that were in the NFL before the Browns only the lowly Lions have never been. The Browns and the Lions are definitely the old maids of the group. If this is not bad enough consider this. The Never-Been-To-A-Super-Bowl-And-Never-Hosted-A-Super-Bowl club has a membership of one…The Cleve! C’mon Mike Holmgren. Bring us to the Promised Land!

Loyalty: Bernie Kosar

There is a lot of negative talk about Brown's great Bernie Kosar lately as he has demonstrated himself to be a human being, not a God in the last few months. For Brown's fans, the only conclusion we can make is to express our solidarity with this truly great man and warrior. I like to talk about what makes an Ohioan, and of all the qualities we believe in loyalty tops the list. Nobody has been more loyal to the Browns and Cleveland fans than Bernie Kosar. What has he gotten in return for his loyalty? Art Modell cut Bernie Kosar to save money. "Friends" or better stated, hangers on, took advantage of Kosar's generosity but one thing is for sure. Kosar is a winner and in the game of life, it's only halftime. Bernie will come out on top.

Here is a video of Bernie leading the Dallas Cowboys on a touchdown drive in the 1993 NFC Championship game. After winning this game, the Cowboys went on to win the Super Bowl, giving Bernie the Super Bowl ring he could have never gotten under the incompetent ownership of Art Modell.

Greed, disloyalty and incompetence: Art Modell

Years from today, the day Art Modell moved the Cleveland Browns to Baltimore will be viewed as a positive transitional moment in Cleveland sports history because Art Modell was a cancer that nearly destroyed everything we Ohioans stand for.

I will never forgive Art Modell for many things. His disloyalty and cold hearted GREED in cutting Ohioan Bernie Kosar was the most personal slap in the face. But beyond the fact that Art Modell is a person of low moral character, what was most disturbing about Modell was the 34 years of incompetence he wrought upon Cleveland and Northern Ohio.

Incompetence is the inability to perform. In Cleveland sports history, nobody personified this more than Art Modell who inherited the most dominant franchise in pro football history and proceeded to drive the team to the depths of ineptitude. For a concrete example of how Modell stained Ohio, today people around the world talk about Cleveland's lack of sporting success but they never seem to mention the primary cause of our misery, Art Modell. Had Modell simply left Paul Brown in charge and not interfered in team operations, it's a certainty the Browns would have played in several Super Bowls. If you feel this statement is not supported by facts, please consider that Paul Brown took the 1967 expansion team Cincinnati Bengals twice to the Super Bowl in 1980s. One can also make concrete examples of how Modell's incompetence in managing Cleveland Stadium had much to do with the Cleveland Indians losing so badly in the 70s and 80s. Modell singlehandedly made Cleveland sports into a modern day version of Pottersville, George Bailey's nightmare version of Bedford Falls.

Modell believes he was vindicated by the 2000 Super Bowl victory of the Baltimore Ravens but this victory was tainted by the fact that the players on that squad were paid for with a portion of the windfall profit realized on the backs of Maryland taxpayers. Modell was deeply stung by the critics who pointed out that in over 30 years in Cleveland, he never appeared in, nor won a Super Bowl, so instead of pocketing all of the Maryland taxpayer windfall profit, as his every instinct must have told him to do, he did in fact add depth of talent to the Baltimore team, something he never did in Cleveland. It's true that the top 20 players on the Browns were often excellent in the Modell era but look at the players that we had on the entire roster. Modell was notorious for cycling players off the team after two or three years and replacing them with less expensive rookies. It's only one example, but would Oscar Roan have helped the Browns make the playoffs in 1979 by serving as a very competent backup tight end to Ozzie Newsome? Yes of course, but in 1979 Roan was replaced by Curtis Weathers. Weathers was a decent player but was nowhere near the player Roan was, he did however cost less than Oscar Roan. This case, taken in isolation had very little impact, but if you study closely the Browns rosters in the Modell era, it's a story that is repeated over and over and over. Talent reduction to generate salary reduction in those players that make up the last 25 roster positions was Modell's standard operating practice. The Browns failure to appear in a Super Bowl was systematic because Modell's player personnel policy forced the head coach to NOT select the best 45 players to fill his roster. Modell knew he had to pay star players to sell those season tickets so we had some great players over the years but the downgrading of talent on the rest of the team was as systematic as the teams lack of Super Bowl success.

And when Modell got lucky and a once in a generation playmaker talent like Bernie Kosar wanted to work for him due to his Ohio loyalties, the Browns came painfully close to a Super Bowl. It's easy to blame John Elway or Ernest Byner for those AFC Championship game losses, but surely Kosar would have led the Browns past the Bronco's at least one time, had Modell overcome his greed and incompetence and put just a few more resources into those teams. For starters, how much money did Modell save hiring Marty Schottenheimer as coach?

Today there are those who believe that Modell should be in the NFL Hall of Fame. The only valid reason is that Modell's contribution to the negotiation of television rights in the 1970s and 1980s helped enrich the very select group of NFL owners beyond their wildest dreams. Sorry Art, but the NFL Hall of Fame in Canton honors success and innovation on the field of play, and true success is something Modell knows nothing about. Fortunately in 2010, Modell has not made the list of finalists for induction into the Hall of Fame and if the Canton Hall is to retain it's credibility, he must NEVER enter. For the full story of Modell's betrayal of Cleveland click on this link to another fantastic Browns blog, Dawgs by Nature

The REAL reason Mangini's staying

NFL owners will very likely lock out NFL players, risking some or all of the 2011 season. Why? Because years ago NFL owners negotiated a non free market system of salary caps but this socialist system of market control does not permit enough profit for owners.  Lerner must have considered this likelihood when the decision to retain Mangini for 2010 was taken. Why pay out to Mangini for firing him when 2011 might be a washout season in any event.

Brown's history: Milt Morin

Before Ozzie Newsome changed the tight end position, the typical NFL tight end was a big bruising blocker with good hands but rarely used like Newsome was as a long range threat. Tight ends like John Mackey and Mike Ditka typified the position. Milt Morin was Cleveland's tight end in the late sixties and early seventies. He was a consistent presence who could block and was always a threat to catch a short pass and gain 10 - 15 yards while bowling over some poor defensive back.

NFL History: How to win a Super Bowl

The choice to retain Eric Mangini as Head Coach has puzzled legions of Brown's fans. Our disappointment is driven by the fact that Mangini has yet to show the first signs that he is a coach capable to lead the Browns to a Super Bowl championship.

When searching for answers, The Brown Log likes to study history and NFL history is filled with lessons on how to win the ultimate contest so let's dig into Super Bowl history.

Analyzing how teams managed to win Super Bowls in the past, three distinctive approaches emerge:

1. Competence: The most common way to win a Super Bowl is competence. Simply stated, pick the best players and drive them to a Championship using standard strategies of that era. This approach requires judgement, leadership skills, planning and execution. The Green Bay Packers of the 1960's are a great example. Vince Lombardi filled his team with great athletes, and lead them to two Super Bowl wins.

2. Technical innovation: As the NFL has evolved the rule book over the last 40 years, a select few coaches deeply studied those changes and designed innovative new schemes that created additional advantages versus the rest of the league. Joe Gibb's Ace formation in Washington is one example of a new innovation. The Skins won 3 Super Bowls under Gibbs thanks in much part to this simple but innovative formation. Perhaps the best example of technical innovation is when Bill Walsh took Don Coryell's passing system and evolved it to what is today called the "West Coast Offense". Walsh's 49ers racked up three Super Bowl wins while the rest of the league caught up to them. Yet another example would be Bill Cowher, who recognized the potential in Dick Lebeau's innovative zone blitz scheme and unleashed it to counter the era's seemingly unstoppable passing games, bringing yet another Super Bowl win to our hated rivals in Pittsburgh.

3. Cheating: Bill Belichick proved dishonesty pays by implementing what many believe to be the most sophisticated cheating scheme in NFL history and leading the New England Patroits to 3 Super Bowl wins. Some NFL fans believe that "everyone cheats" thus the Pats cheating was justified, however rumor has it that New England went well beyond the normal gamesmanship of stealing signals. Some believe that the Patroits systematically filmed and studied opponents signals and used their knowledge of those signals in gameplans and playcalling, including the Super Bowl wins. The New York Times was alarmed and reported on the fact that the NFL destroyed all the film evidence of the Patroits cheating. The Times article clearly implies an NFL coverup, and in fact since their cheating was uncovered, the Patriots have not won another Super Bowl. No more talk of dynasty surrounds New England but they do get to retain their three Super Bowl rings.

Why does the Brown Log believe Mangini is the wrong man to coach our Browns? Simply stated, Mangini has not demonstrated competence in any area that NFL history shows will lead to a Super Bowl win.

Has Mangini chosen the right players? Hardly. His first move with the Browns was to trade key players because he did not like them personally. Maybe Braylon Edwards or Kellen Winslow are immmature kids, but they are playmakers. Mangini showed poor judgement in moving these talents out of Cleveland and those personel decisions stifled the Browns offense all season.

Has Mangini come up with innovative schemes? Running the ball 80% of the time was standard practice back when Red Grange and Jim Thorpe played in the NFL.

Has Mangini managed to successfully cheat, building on lessons learned working for Bill Belichick? Thankfully no although Mangini did rat out Belichick after he left the Patriots.

So what the hell was Mike Holmgren thinking when he retained Mangini?

We have to acknowledge that Mike Holmgren has won a Super Bowl and that accomplishment merits our respect.......... BUT WHY CHOOSE MANGINI????

The only conclusion The Brown Log can muster is that the young Mangini has not had the benefit of a senior mentor to guide him thus far in his career and Holmgren must have been impressed enough with Mangini to believe that under his guidance, Mangini can lead the Browns to a Super Bowl win. Based on Super Bowl history, Mangini however has yet to provide even the first clue that he is up to the challenge so unless Holmgren is planning to lead Mangini around by the nose, it's hard to imagine a Super Bowl win during the Mangini era.

We Don't Get Fooled Again

Mangini still the coach? Josh Cribbs demanding a trade? The Who sum it up the best with slightly revised lyrics.

We'll be dancing in the stands
With our beers in our hands
And the stiffs that we worship will be gone
And the men who brought us shame
Now play in UFL games
They really sucked and hated us fans

I'll tip my hat to the new czar of football
Take heed next year, we will surely win ‘em all
Smile and grin at the change all around
Raise my foam finger and cheer
Just like yesteryear
Then I'll get on my knees and pray
We don't get fooled again

The change, it had to come
We knew it all along
We were liberated from 4 wins, that's all
And the standings look the same
And history ain't changed
'Cause Coach Mangini’s still here

I'll tip my hat to the new czar of football
Take heed next year, we will surely win ‘em all
Smile and grin at the change all around
Pick up my beer and drink
Browns in the playoffs, I think
Then I'll get on my knees and pray
We don't get fooled again
No, no!

I hope Josh Cribbs will still be on our side
He gets his cash and smiles at the sky
If the Browns happened not to lie
I know you can pay the man, yes you can
Can’t ya?

There's nothing on the field
Looks any different to me
And the stiffs are replaced, by more stiffs
And the holding on the left
Is now holding on the right
And the future does not look near as bright

I'll tip my hat to the new czar of football
Take heed next year, we will win ‘em all
Smile and grin at the change all around
Raise my foam finger and cheer
Just like yesteryear
Then I'll get on my knees and pray
We don't get fooled again
Don't get fooled again
No, no!

Yeaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!

Meet the new boss
Same as the old boss

Oh no!

First chink in the armour of Mike Holmgren who decides in two days that Mangini is the best man for the Browns head coaching job. How many more people are going to be fooled by the siren song???

The Brown Log continues as a voice of the loyal opposition.

You're fired!

Mike Holmgren has arrived to the Brown's headquarters and according to various sources he plans to speak to the press tomorrow. I know one phrase that most fans hope Holmgren says to our coach tomorrow....

Madden Football Champs

I once was given the gift of EA Sports Madden Football. After no time at all I discovered that can you dominate this game by working the clock once you get a lead.

The Browns won 4 straight to close the 2009 season at 5-11 but does anyone really believe that running the ball 49 times while passing it 11 times as the Browns did vs Jacksonville, is the formula for winning a Superbowl?  Soon "coach" will retire to computer football games because there's no doubt that Mike Holmgren won't buy that gameplan either!

A sure bet?

The Browns are pick em vs Jacksonville tomorrow. With the Browns on a roll and at home, and Jacksonville playing badly, is taking the Browns a sure bet to win?

Who knows? Last year at this time, with the Jets fighting for their playoff lives, our leader, the Coach "forgot" to follow NFL rules and neglected to report that Brett Favre was seriously injured. Mangini was later fined $25,000 for this violation.

Character or competence? Does it really matter?

Coaching Trees

So far, Bill Belichick disciples have not exactly caught the world on fire. Their combined record as head coaches is 94-109. Message to Mike Holmgren: Please stay away from the Belichick tree!








Charlie Weiss: Notre Dame - 2005-2009: 35-27
Fired after the 2009 season

Romeo Crennel: Cleveland Browns – 2005-2008: 24-40
Fired after the 2008 season

Josh McDaniels: Denver Broncos – 2009: 8-6

Eric Mangini: New York Jets – 2006-2008: 23-25
Fired after the 2008 season
Cleveland Browns – 2009: 4-11
Fired after the 2009 season???

The Browns are heading in the right direction

Nice defense for the third straight week together with the continuing
emergence of Jerome Harrison garnered our Browns their third straight win vs Oakland. But if we are trying to drop forever the heavy burden of losing, we have only just started the journey.