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THE AUDIBLE COMMENTARY
'Super' truth: Belichick symbolizes painful past
Thursday, January 24, 2008
With evil genius Bill Belichick coaching the New England Patriots to the Super Bowl for the fourth time in seven years, it's hard not to wonder what might have happened had Art Modell not transplanted the Browns to Baltimore.
It's a complete distortion of the record to suggest Belichick failed as a head coach in Cleveland. There were no quick fixes back in the early 1990s, but in '94 he had the Browns in the playoffs with an 11-5 record, and they actually won a postseason game.
Extras
Then came a return to on-field mediocrity in '95, largely attributable to the craziness caused by the impending relocation of the franchise.
Under Belichick, the Browns were building toward something — maybe not a New England-style dynasty, but definitely something — when Modell whisked the team away.
I'll always believe Modell moved because he saw the opportunity for a quick cash windfall and that every other alleged factor — dumb politicians, the Indians, the Cavaliers, inattentive media — pales in comparison.
Modell hired some fine coaches in Cleveland — Sam Rutigliano, Marty Schottenheimer and, ultimately, Belichick. The main problem was that the owner surrounded himself with meddlesome front-office sycophants — "the lieutenants," as Rutigliano derisively has called them — rather than constructing a sound organization.
With a better foundation, a scouting-first mentality and some continuity, the Browns now seem to be on the verge of going places again — this time without leaving town.
Contact this reporter at (937) 225-2408
or smcclelland@DaytonDailyNews.com.
