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Defense: A Chronology of the Browns D.


nickers

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The Browns historically are not known for fielding Elite defenses throughout it's history. The Browns have not been associated with the likes of Deacon Jones, Reggie White , Dick Butkus or Ray Lewis elite type players.. Yes , there have been individuals like Bill Glass , Jim Houston, Clay Mathews and Minnifield and Dixon. They have however fielded solid teams.. the 64 Championship team may have been it's most accomplished in terms of talent. Some will argue Marty Schottenheimer's regime was pretty solid and arguably so.. I never liked the Prevent defense Schottenheimer employed. But for the most part.. His base schemes were sound.. Bend and dont break.. Much like Bill Arnspargers defenses of the 70's.

 

Fast forward to the bud Crson era.. And there's the 51-0 drubbing of the Steelers by Carsons defense. I think David Grayson was the player of the week after that game. Then Bill Belichick came and we got teased by Eric Turner.. Who like the late Don Rodgers before him. Were probably the only players on the Browns D in history to be considered to be embarking on elite status.. Both became epitaphs far too young and never reached the potential that was so promising...

 

Enter Circa 1999... Chris Palmer was named Head Coach and brought Bob Slowik as Def Coord. He employed the UFO Defense that I found most intriguing.. Too bad he was not here long enough to see it come to real fruition with real talent at his disposal. Then Butch Davis came with Foge Fazios attacking 4-3 defense that I really embraced. Foge Fazio was like every kids favorite Italian uncle.. (I have one). Fazios defense hustled and was pretty solid all around .. But only to have Davis let his ego get in the way and thwart Fazios effort in that lone playoff loss to the Steelers.....

 

Then we had Romeo Crennel come and brought the 3-4 back... And it sucked!... Mangini , Shurmur and Chudzinski followed and the results were not stellar. when Rob Chudzinski brought Ray Horton here the first time.. I was not impressed... I thought his defense was too soft.. left glaring pockets open in the field.. Jim O'Neil looked incredibly lost and incompetent. then we got a second helping of "Whorton" and I just facepalmed at the signing.. Him and Rob Ryan.. Manginis asst. to Me seemed to be attention whores with an agenda of thier own outside the Browns organization. assistants having theyre own press conferances just seems odd to Me.. I prefer one voice on the team.

 

Now enter Gregg Williams. For the first time I can remember(since Lindy Infante). The Browns hired an assistant with credibility and pedigree. Now even though this guy had Bountygate on his resume.. I still liked his overall philosophy on Defense. people deserve a second chance.. Hell Mike Vick got one... Bounties on opposing QB's wasn't anything new... I suspect he wasn't the only one putting a price on opposing QB's.. He just happened to get caught.. I harken back to buddy Ryan and some of his crazy antics over the years. But what really sold Me was when he said Mental toughness ,precedes Physical toughness I totally agree with that.. And never did I once feel that about "Whorton".. Now Let's get fucking MEDICATED!

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The Browns historically are not known for fielding Elite defenses throughout it's history. The Browns have not been associated with the likes of Deacon Jones, Reggie White , Dick Butkus or Ray Lewis elite type players.. Yes , there have been individuals like Bill Glass , Jim Houston, Clay Mathews and Minnifield and Dixon. They have however fielded solid teams.. the 64 Championship team may have been it's most accomplished in terms of talent. Some will argue Marty Schottenheimer's regime was pretty solid and arguably so.. I never liked the Prevent defense Schottenheimer employed. But for the most part.. His base schemes were sound.. Bend and dont break.. Much like Bill Arnspargers defenses of the 70's.

 

Fast forward to the bud Crson era.. And there's the 51-0 drubbing of the Steelers by Carsons defense. I think David Grayson was the player of the week after that game. Then Bill Belichick came and we got teased by Eric Turner.. Who like the late Don Rodgers before him. Were probably the only players on the Browns D in history to be considered to be embarking on elite status.. Both became epitaphs far too young and never reached the potential that was so promising...

 

Enter Circa 1999... Chris Palmer was named Head Coach and brought Bob Slowik as Def Coord. He employed the UFO Defense that I found most intriguing.. Too bad he was not here long enough to see it come to real fruition with real talent at his disposal. Then Butch Davis came with Foge Fazios attacking 4-3 defense that I really embraced. Foge Fazio was like every kids favorite Italian uncle.. (I have one). Fazios defense hustled and was pretty solid all around .. But only to have Davis let his ego get in the way and thwart Fazios effort in that lone playoff loss to the Steelers.....

 

Then we had Romeo Crennel come and brought the 3-4 back... And it sucked!... Mangini , Shurmur and Chudzinski followed and the results were not stellar. when Rob Chudzinski brought Ray Horton here the first time.. I was not impressed... I thought his defense was too soft.. left glaring pockets open in the field.. Jim O'Neil looked incredibly lost and incompetent. then we got a second helping of "Whorton" and I just facepalmed at the signing.. Him and Rob Ryan.. Manginis asst. to Me seemed to be attention whores with an agenda of thier own outside the Browns organization. assistants having theyre own press conferances just seems odd to Me.. I prefer one voice on the team.

 

Now enter Gregg Williams. For the first time I can remember(since Lindy Infante). The Browns hired an assistant with credibility and pedigree. Now even though this guy had Bountygate on his resume.. I still liked his overall philosophy on Defense. people deserve a second chance.. Hell Mike Vick got one... Bounties on opposing QB's wasn't anything new... I suspect he wasn't the only one putting a price on opposing QB's.. He just happened to get caught.. I harken back to buddy Ryan and some of his crazy antics over the years. But what really sold Me was when he said Mental toughness ,precedes Physical toughness I totally agree with that.. And never did I once feel that about "Whorton".. Now Let's get fucking MEDICATED!

 

 

Nickers - nice to see you pumped enough to post about your excitement over the addition of Gregg Williams. We also have an ideal opportunity to add defensive play makers early and often in the draft. If my alarm clock wakes me up from this potential make it happen - I'm gonna go go belly-up on some Dr Fasier Crane's couch...

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Nickers - nice to see you pumped enough to post about your excitement over the addition of Gregg Williams. We also have an ideal opportunity to add defensive play makers early and often in the draft. If my alarm clock wakes me up from this potential make it happen - I'm gonna go go belly-up on some Dr Fasier Crane's couch...

Thanks Tom... It's rare that I feel good about something with this team.. it is what it is.. I understand that..Butlike you, Larry and few others.. the years are getting thin....

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The Browns historically are not known for fielding Elite defenses throughout it's history. The Browns have not been associated with the likes of Deacon Jones, Reggie White , Dick Butkus or Ray Lewis elite type players.. Yes , there have been individuals like Bill Glass , Jim Houston, Clay Mathews and Minnifield and Dixon. They have however fielded solid teams.. the 64 Championship team may have been it's most accomplished in terms of talent. Some will argue Marty Schottenheimer's regime was pretty solid and arguably so.. I never liked the Prevent defense Schottenheimer employed. But for the most part.. His base schemes were sound.. Bend and dont break.. Much like Bill Arnspargers defenses of the 70's.

 

Fast forward to the bud Crson era.. And there's the 51-0 drubbing of the Steelers by Carsons defense. I think David Grayson was the player of the week after that game. Then Bill Belichick came and we got teased by Eric Turner.. Who like the late Don Rodgers before him. Were probably the only players on the Browns D in history to be considered to be embarking on elite status.. Both became epitaphs far too young and never reached the potential that was so promising...

 

Enter Circa 1999... Chris Palmer was named Head Coach and brought Bob Slowik as Def Coord. He employed the UFO Defense that I found most intriguing.. Too bad he was not here long enough to see it come to real fruition with real talent at his disposal. Then Butch Davis came with Foge Fazios attacking 4-3 defense that I really embraced. Foge Fazio was like every kids favorite Italian uncle.. (I have one). Fazios defense hustled and was pretty solid all around .. But only to have Davis let his ego get in the way and thwart Fazios effort in that lone playoff loss to the Steelers.....

 

Then we had Romeo Crennel come and brought the 3-4 back... And it sucked!... Mangini , Shurmur and Chudzinski followed and the results were not stellar. when Rob Chudzinski brought Ray Horton here the first time.. I was not impressed... I thought his defense was too soft.. left glaring pockets open in the field.. Jim O'Neil looked incredibly lost and incompetent. then we got a second helping of "Whorton" and I just facepalmed at the signing.. Him and Rob Ryan.. Manginis asst. to Me seemed to be attention whores with an agenda of thier own outside the Browns organization. assistants having theyre own press conferances just seems odd to Me.. I prefer one voice on the team.

 

Now enter Gregg Williams. For the first time I can remember(since Lindy Infante). The Browns hired an assistant with credibility and pedigree. Now even though this guy had Bountygate on his resume.. I still liked his overall philosophy on Defense. people deserve a second chance.. Hell Mike Vick got one... Bounties on opposing QB's wasn't anything new... I suspect he wasn't the only one putting a price on opposing QB's.. He just happened to get caught.. I harken back to buddy Ryan and some of his crazy antics over the years. But what really sold Me was when he said Mental toughness ,precedes Physical toughness I totally agree with that.. And never did I once feel that about "Whorton".. Now Let's get fucking MEDICATED!

 

WOW! Well said. I am now 70 & have waited for as long as I can remember for a D I can believe in. Marty's was fine UNTIL he got a lead, then here he was with the "prevent".

You are exactly right about Williams credibility. For the first time, our young players on D have a Coordinator with a proven, successful track record that they can believe in & buy into.

 

Mike

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Good post.

 

I also feel good about our D's new fearless leader.

 

We've had some 'pretty good' defenses but never a real good one. And it's been a looong time since we've had a decent one.

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The Browns historically are not known for fielding Elite defenses throughout it's history. The Browns have not been associated with the likes of Deacon Jones, Reggie White , Dick Butkus or Ray Lewis elite type players.. Yes , there have been individuals like Bill Glass , Jim Houston, Clay Mathews and Minnifield and Dixon. They have however fielded solid teams.. the 64 Championship team may have been it's most accomplished in terms of talent. Some will argue Marty Schottenheimer's regime was pretty solid and arguably so.. I never liked the Prevent defense Schottenheimer employed. But for the most part.. His base schemes were sound.. Bend and dont break.. Much like Bill Arnspargers defenses of the 70's.Fast forward to the bud Crson era.. And there's the 51-0 drubbing of the Steelers by Carsons defense. I think David Grayson was the player of the week after that game. Then Bill Belichick came and we got teased by Eric Turner.. Who like the late Don Rodgers before him. Were probably the only players on the Browns D in history to be considered to be embarking on elite status.. Both became epitaphs far too young and never reached the potential that was so promising...Enter Circa 1999... Chris Palmer was named Head Coach and brought Bob Slowik as Def Coord. He employed the UFO Defense that I found most intriguing.. Too bad he was not here long enough to see it come to real fruition with real talent at his disposal. Then Butch Davis came with Foge Fazios attacking 4-3 defense that I really embraced. Foge Fazio was like every kids favorite Italian uncle.. (I have one). Fazios defense hustled and was pretty solid all around .. But only to have Davis let his ego get in the way and thwart Fazios effort in that lone playoff loss to the Steelers.....Then we had Romeo Crennel come and brought the 3-4 back... And it sucked!... Mangini , Shurmur and Chudzinski followed and the results were not stellar. when Rob Chudzinski brought Ray Horton here the first time.. I was not impressed... I thought his defense was too soft.. left glaring pockets open in the field.. Jim O'Neil looked incredibly lost and incompetent. then we got a second helping of "Whorton" and I just facepalmed at the signing.. Him and Rob Ryan.. Manginis asst. to Me seemed to be attention whores with an agenda of thier own outside the Browns organization. assistants having theyre own press conferances just seems odd to Me.. I prefer one voice on the team.Now enter Gregg Williams. For the first time I can remember(since Lindy Infante). The Browns hired an assistant with credibility and pedigree. Now even though this guy had Bountygate on his resume.. I still liked his overall philosophy on Defense. people deserve a second chance.. Hell Mike Vick got one... Bounties on opposing QB's wasn't anything new... I suspect he wasn't the only one putting a price on opposing QB's.. He just happened to get caught.. I harken back to buddy Ryan and some of his crazy antics over the years. But what really sold Me was when he said Mental toughness ,precedes Physical toughness I totally agree with that.. And never did I once feel that about "Whorton".. Now Let's get fucking MEDICATED!

You left out my fave, Dick Jauron.

 

Great post.

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Good post.

 

I also feel good about our D's new fearless leader.

 

We've had some 'pretty good' defenses but never a real good one. And it's been a looong time since we've had a decent one.

 

Now just give him at least the first two draft choices and preferably one of the 2nd rounders as well. Then we have a shot at major, major turnaround and a team worth going to see. :D

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You left out my fave, Dick Jauron.

 

Great post.

Yeah , I meant to mention him.. I really liked what he was trying to do..

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While the original post is essentially correct, there have been a couple of elite defensive players that played for the Browns, that are in the HOF:

 

Bill Willis "Middle Guard" which I think was considered either like a nose tackle or Middle linebacker

Len Ford Defensive End

 

Other HOF defensive players had cups of coffee with the Browns, but played mostly for other teams: Doug Atkins (Bear) Willie Davis (Packers)

 

Yet, it is true that most of the elite Browns players have been on offense: Graham, Motley, Lavelli, JB, Warfield, Kelly, Ozzie, Bobby Mitchell, Hickerson, MacCormak, Groza, Dellamelleure, Gatski

 

Clay Matthews did miss out on being one of the 15 HOF finalists this year.

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When I think of defensive intimidators on the Browns in my fandom (1969 on) they were all in the 80's with the exception of Eric Turner in the 90's

 

Chip Banks and Don Rodgers. Maybe the most intimidating CB duo ever, Minnifield and Dixon. And even part-time players like Robert "Stonewall" Jackson and Eddie "The Assasin" Johnson were guys that you did not want to meet at the goal line.

 

Zombo

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Good post.

 

I also feel good about our D's new fearless leader.

 

We've had some 'pretty good' defenses but never a real good one. And it's been a looong time since we've had a decent one.

Uhh you forgetting in the early 2000's we had one of the best secondaries in the league no? Remember that defense with Jamir miller? Those were decent defensive years. Same with jaurons defense for the two years he was here.

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Once since the 50's we have had the #1 Defense in points allowed... 1994. Turner led it with 9 INTs... Michael-Dean anchored the line...Rob Burnett recorded 10 sacks.

 

Anyone need to ask who our HC was?

 

 

That late-80's D was near-idyllic... but it's strength was outside, not inside. Just don't tell Bob Golic I said that... please...

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Once since the 50's we have had the #1 Defense in points allowed... 1994. Turner led it with 9 INTs... Michael-Dean anchored the line...Rob Burnett recorded 10 sacks.

 

Anyone need to ask who our HC was?

 

 

That late-80's D was near-idyllic... but it's strength was outside, not inside. Just don't tell Bob Golic I said that... please...

Wasn't Saban the DC?

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Wasn't Saban the DC?

 

Yes he was.

 

Do you know who else served under Belichick in Cleveland? Both Falcons GM Thomas Dimitroff and Asst. GM Scott Pioli

 

Dimitroff was from Barberton, his dad was a scout for the Browns.

 

Also on that personnel staff was Ozzie Newsome, of course, and the other guys who went to Baltimore. There were a lot of future Super Bowls and National Champions on that staff.

 

Also on the Belichick Cleveland coaching staff: Kirk Ferentz, Eric Mangini, Jim Schwartz, and Al Groh.

 

Zombo

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Yes he was.

 

Do you know who else served under Belichick in Cleveland? Both Falcons GM Thomas Dimitroff and Asst. GM Scott Pioli

 

Dimitroff was from Barberton, his dad was a scout for the Browns.

 

Also on that personnel staff was Ozzie Newsome, of course, and the other guys who went to Baltimore. There were a lot of future Super Bowls and National Champions on that staff.

 

Also on the Belichick Cleveland coaching staff: Kirk Ferentz, Eric Mangini, Jim Schwartz, and Al Groh.

 

Zombo

Well, sure, it is highly possible that that group could have had the Browns bound for glory....but....there was a fly in the ointment: one Arthur B. Modell. The inept owner....and that can fuck everything up.

 

(and now BB has another Barberton boy by his side: Josh McDaniel. Both he and Dmitroff born about a mile from where I sit writing this)

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