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Home > Blogs > Dawging the Browns > Archives > 2009 > January > 29 > Entry
Butch’s words still haunting
With the Steelers in the Super Bowl again, it’s hard not to think of former Browns coach Butch Davis. For a couple of reasons.
First, I remember the day when Butch brought all the writers who cover the Browns up to his office for a little film study.
I don’t recall exactly why we were dragged up there. Think he was trying to show us how quarterback Tim Couch wasn’t as bad as what people were saying. But it turned into a fascinating tutorial on the Steelers.
Davis showed us what makes the Pittsburgh defense so tough to play against, aside from the fact they hit you in the mouth on every play.
It’s the unpredictability of the blitzing, Butch pointed out from behind his desk, starting and stopping the tape with his clicker again and again. They may only rush four or five, but the trick is to figure out who’s coming and from where, who’s blitzing and who’s dropping into coverage.
Of course, the other reason to think about Butch lately is because of Pittsburgh quarterback Ben Roethlisberger, who the Browns easily could have drafted in 2004 with the No. 7 overall pick. He went No. 11 to the Steelers.
It’s always tough when a local kid (is Findlay local?) gets away. Can’t corral them all, but it hurts when guys like Antonio Gates and James Harrison (both from Kent State) and Roethlisberger end up starring in other places after your team, in its infinite wisdom, judged them not worthy of the investment.
Anyway, Roethlisberger will be wearing No. 7 on Sunday, in case you’re just getting acquainted with him. He’s already got one Super Bowl ring and most likely will have another before your local news hits the air that night.
And two is halfway to four, and that’s where Davis’ words really start to become haunting.
In the days leading up to the 2004 draft, the thought of snagging Roethlisberger occurred to Davis, who was basically acting as his own personnel department back then. He even flew to Miami University to work him out.
Also on that trip were a couple of Browns receivers, including Andre “Spy” King, so Roethlisberger would have NFL receivers to throw to in his workout.
At a press conference, Davis explained his thinking this way, in words that will live in infamy, I’m afraid, along with other choice phrases such as “mad dog in a meat market” and “those plastic bottles don’t pack much of a wallop.”
Said Butch: “You don’t want to pass on a quarterback who’s going to go on and win four Super Bowls.”
Maybe Big Ben had given a lackluster workout that day. Maybe he had been out on the Oxford town the night before and wasn’t himself. Whatever, Davis passed.
Chosen instead that year was tight end Kellen Winslow with the No. 6 pick after Davis gave up a second-round draft choice in a trade to move up one spot.
That season, with Jeff Garcia at quarterback, turned out to be Butch’s last as an NFL head coach. He’s now the head coach at the University of North Carolina, back in college where he belongs, where there’s a little less pressure.
Garcia, a notable disaster in his own right, left at season’s end, too, and instead of having Roethlisberger to groom, new coach Romeo Crennel was stuck with Trent Dilfer and Charlie Frye.
And, don’t forget, the Browns could have had the other Super Bowl quarterback, but they passed on Kurt Warner in the expansion draft.
Painful.
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Comments
By Charlottean
January 29, 2009 12:12 PM | Link to this
Any thought of Butch Davis is haunting. He was awful and the power given to him not only unwarranted but abused, much to the detriment of the team paying his exhorbitant salary. Coach Hubris was a runaway disaster, about the worst thing this organization could’ve affiliated with at the time. Just review his draft/personnel decisions, if only at the center position. What an overmatched, overblown clown he was. Thanks a lot for bringing his name up for rememberance. We’re still paying for his horrendous decisions, which, of course, was the point of your piece. What you did not include was mention of his also spending that spring’s number-two pick to bypass Ben for Kellen. Genius.By TiredBrownsFan.
January 29, 2009 12:46 PM | Link to this
So you think Ben is the reason for the stillers success? I suggest the stillers won the sb by overcoming Ben’s poor play…may want to check the stats if you have time. While you’re at it, check Ben’s stats for this year. I bet they’re as poor as any playoff qb. Bottom line is Ben’s success is a product of the stiller org…as hard as it is for me to say. If Cleveland would have drafted been they would have wrecked him like they did Couch. Player development is what the Browns org has lacked since their return.By TiredBrownsFan.
January 29, 2009 12:47 PM | Link to this
So you think Ben is the reason for the stillers success? I suggest the stillers won the sb by overcoming Ben’s poor play…may want to check the stats if you have time. While you’re at it, check Ben’s stats for this year. I bet they’re as poor as any playoff qb. Bottom line is Ben’s success is a product of the stiller org…as hard as it is for me to say. If Cleveland would have drafted been they would have wrecked him like they did Couch. Player development is what the Browns org has lacked since their return.By TiredBrownsFan.
January 29, 2009 12:47 PM | Link to this
So you think Ben is the reason for the stillers success? I suggest the stillers won the sb by overcoming Ben’s poor play…may want to check the stats if you have time. While you’re at it, check Ben’s stats for this year. I bet they’re as poor as any playoff qb. Bottom line is Ben’s success is a product of the stiller org…as hard as it is for me to say. If Cleveland would have drafted been they would have wrecked him like they did Couch. Player development is what the Browns org has lacked since their return.By Kdawg
January 29, 2009 3:59 PM | Link to this
Big Ben would have been a different qb for the Brown’s. Simply because of the way the two teams were put together. I liked Couch. He just didn’t have a line in front of him.By AP-FLORIDA
January 30, 2009 6:34 AM | Link to this
I think the Steelers were the only situation that Ben could have suceeded in. Great defense and a running game to overcome mistakes and lack of talent at QB. Yes, he has progressed but his team makes him BETTER than he really is. Watch him Sunday!!!!!By professor
January 30, 2009 11:28 AM | Link to this
Wish the Browns had the problem deciding why we had won so many games - Hard to imagine the Ben was in the same league as CouchBy professor
January 30, 2009 11:29 AM | Link to this
Wish the Browns had the problem deciding why we had won so many games - Hard to imagine the Ben was in the same league as CouchBy Brownsfan
January 30, 2009 12:27 PM | Link to this
What a bunch of idiots.. to think Big Ben would take Cleveland to the Super Bowl is ludacris. when had Cleveland ever had that kind of D and a solid O-line and a consistent running game? You guys know nothing, including you Sean.By browns01
January 30, 2009 12:43 PM | Link to this
Big Ben is a very good, big, physical quarterback that can play. I am a die hard Browns fan, but the pathetic organization that the Browns have had (way before they left Cleveland) and since their return would have destroyed Big Ben. Let’s get back to tradition; we need Chris “Beanie” Wells. Go Browns!By wonka
January 30, 2009 3:03 PM | Link to this
Not sure Beanie “OW my foot!” Wells would be a great idea for this team.By CJ
January 30, 2009 9:17 PM | Link to this
I think TiredBrownsFan is trying to rationalize why the Browns passed on him. Bubby Brister,Neil O’Donnel,Kordell Stewart,Tommy Maddox…yeah they carried their teams and Roethlisberger’s wins in spite of him.By huh
January 30, 2009 10:59 PM | Link to this
CJ look at the stillers records during the time those qbs were starters. Neil Freekin’ O’Donnel took them to the AFC Championship.By Chris K
January 31, 2009 12:22 AM | Link to this
Sean, you think Tim Couch was sacked a lot? Imagine Big ben holding, holding, holding, onto the ball and you’d have David Carr numbers if he were a Brown. TBF’s got it right—the organization as a whole develops players, and Couch suffered greatly from a confused bunch of execs. As Bernie said, the first two years are vital to a rebuilding process. the Browns didn’t lay a foundation—they laid an egg. We’re still smelling its stench.By Sean McClelland
January 31, 2009 12:45 PM | Link to this
Of course the Browns have been a horrible organization. Horrible organizations pass on quarterbacks who go on to win four Super Bowls. Put it this way: Other than Brady and Manning, what QB would you take over Roethlisberger? I’d take none. It’s really that simple. There’s no tougher guy in the league at his position and few can match his record for performing in the clutch. Does he go to two Super Bowls this early in his career with the Browns? You would think not, but at least having your franchise QB in place would have eliminated the need to go chasing after Brady Quinn years later. That’s why it’s so painful. Decisions like that are what set organizations back years. Yes, playmakers were needed when Butch drafted Winslow, but that was the shortsighted approach. Of course, he was just trying to prolong his employment. I get that. So, it really does come down to organizational instability and the fact that this truly is a dysfunctional franchise and has been since the beginning.By TiredBrownsFan
January 31, 2009 2:32 PM | Link to this
Tim Couch would have been good enuf to win a SB if drafted by the same stillers team that drafted Ben. Trent Dilfer is a SB champ for cryin’ out loud. Strong Defense, strong running game = competitive team. All you need is a qb that doesn’t turn the ball over and convert a 3rd and 7 once in a while. As for other qbs: Brady, Brees, Cassel,Cutler, Eli and Peyton,Carson Palmer, and Rivers.By james
February 1, 2009 5:14 PM | Link to this
as a life long Steelers fan, I have to agree. Ben is extremely over rated. He’s not the type of QB who can do it alone. He relies heavily on the run game and the defense to bail him out. But that being said…Defense Wins Championships, I think that is where Cleveland has went awry. Build the defense, then just don’t let the offense lose it for you. Clay Mathews and Hanford Dixon were a long time ago.By Sean McClelland
February 1, 2009 11:51 PM | Link to this
Extremely overrated? You’ve got to be kidding, James. He’s Elway. No running game in the Super Bowl to speak of. Defense inconistent, certainly not dominant. And Big Ben wins the game. Not by himself, but who ever does that? Should have been MVP. Definitely now in the Brady/Manning class, if he wasn’t already. Leader. Tough as nails. Able to escape and throw on the run. Nah, the Browns shouldn’t have drafted him. Who wants a guy like that? I think he’s so good that not even the Browns could have ruined him. To say he would have ended up like Couch is utterly insane.By professor
February 2, 2009 12:34 PM | Link to this
Make that two of the four Super Bowl games predicted.By Ironmike
February 2, 2009 11:25 PM | Link to this
I could envision Roethlisberger with the Browns would have ended up in a situation more like Carson Palmer finds himself in.By photoman
February 3, 2009 4:53 PM | Link to this
Roethlisberger is surrounded with good people. In many other organizations he would be an also-ran like CP in Cincinnati.By photoman
February 3, 2009 5:01 PM | Link to this
SM wrote…”I think he’s so good that not even the Browns could have ruined him”… No, if BR would have been a Brown, he never would have seen a SB and we wouldn’t even have this conversation.By Jack
February 4, 2009 4:44 PM | Link to this
Dont think Sean is saying that Big Ben would have led us to the Super Bowl, but would you have rather had him or Winslow? Butch made a mistake with Winslow and Big Penny. Savage made decent picks, cant argue, at the time, Edwards. Looking back, Ngata would have been better then Wimbley. Joe Thomas was the correct pick. I still think he messes up with Quinn…and again not to say Quinn will not be good, but it started the process of giving away draft picks. Anytime we liked someone, Wright, we needed to give up more and more draft picks. Not having picks last year killed us. Would do the Rogers trade in a heartbeat again, but should we have done Williams. Just not bringing in fresh, cheaper talent.By KP
February 10, 2009 12:37 PM | Link to this
I guess many of you just don’t get it. No QB is better than the team he’s on - and that include Brady and Manning. The players around you only take you so far. I’m a Steeler fan and I know this first hand. Brister, Stewart, O’Donnell were only going to take us so far. Roethlisberger has “it”, that Michael Jordan quality that wants the ball at the end, and you know he’s going to get it done. You can say whatever you want about his stats (his QB rating is 5th or 6th all-time), but ask Marino if he’d like to have 10 or 20,000 less yards for Ben’s 2 rings. Do you honestly think that if Couch had shown enough, some team who was only a QB away would have taken a chance on him? No, because to be blunt, he never was that good. Number 7 overrated? Keep believing that. I guarantee you that with the exception of NE and Indy, the other 29 teams would trade their QB for ours straight up without hesitation. TiredBrownsFan and James, what games have you been watching that led you to your clueless analysis?