Cleveland Browns (2007 & prior)

[OSUBasketballJunkie]

Canton

7/18/06

Golic says Browns saw Montana style in Frye


Tuesday, July 18, 2006



Bob Golic has a great view of the bridge from Joe Montana to Charlie Frye.
Golic and Montana were teammates and Notre Dame captains in the 1970s. Golic started at nose tackle for four straight years of playoff football in the 1980s. Now, he is a WNIR-AM talk-show host who spent last August as a Browns’ preseason TV analyst, assigned to critique Frye.
Other than the fact Montana and Frye were third-round picks, does Golic see any similarities between the quarterbacks?
“Joe didn’t have a big strong arm, either,” Golic said. “The thing he had was a lot of poise. He was very confident back there. He had an incredible ability to bring a team back.
“I think that’s the sort of thing the Browns saw in Charlie in college.”
Golic said Frye seems the type to come back from a 41-0 Christmas Eve mauling by the Steelers, but must prove it.
“I’ve seen young quarterbacks take a beating, and they were never the same,” he said.
Part of Montana’s magic, Golic said, was “being a great team guy.
“He would hang out at parties with the rest of the team.” STEVE DOERSCHUK

[NJ-Buckeye]

I believe Golic is dead on... Frye will be a keeper.. this is not a kid that folds up shop in the face of adversity... he's more dangerous on the move than he is in the pocket... at Akron, that was the only thing he knew.. throw on the run... because there was no line... and generally his receiver core was poor..

his accuracy improves when he's moving... he will make things exciting... and give him Edwards, Jurevicius and Winslow... with Droughns back there.. they'll surprise folks...

[OSUBasketballJunkie]

ABJ

7/19/06

Memory of tackle by Fiss lives on

Ex-Browns linebacker dies Monday at age 75

By Marla Ridenour

Beacon Journal sportswriter



Linebacker Galen Fiss played for the Browns from 1956 to 1966 and twice was selected to play in the Pro Bowl. He died Monday at the age of 75.

• Fiss memorial service

<!-- begin body-content -->Lenny Moore has endured the ribbing for more than 41 years.
But when he learned of Monday night's passing of former Browns linebacker Galen Fiss, the Hall of Fame halfback from the Baltimore Colts debated when would be the proper time to contact Fiss' widow, Nancy. Her husband's ankle tackle on a screen pass to Moore that looked like a certain touchdown set the tone in the Browns' 27-0 drubbing of the favored Colts in the 1964 championship game.
Even now, Moore hates to watch the play, which came in the second quarter with the score 0-0. He can't escape the needling from former Browns owner Art Modell that he was brought down, as Modell recalled Tuesday, ``by the slowest player we had.'' But Moore still wanted to pay his respects to the family of Cleveland's former team captain and perhaps revisit one of the Browns' biggest days.
``I lined up at right halfback and faked like I was blocking; that held everyone over there,'' Moore remembered. ``Then our three linemen pulled out and I went across to the other side. I would have run about 70 yards; the whole sideline was wide open. I didn't see him; I was getting ready to move behind my guys, and here he comes. I couldn't get out of the way. All the Browns were out of position and somehow Galen smelled it.
``That one play turned the whole game around. We felt we were the better team, that we would line up and take it to them. People say, `You remember Galen Fiss?' How in the heck can I forget him?''
That was the signature moment for Fiss, who died Monday in Kansas City at age 75. A two-time Pro Bowl pick who played for the Browns from 1956-66, he had Alzheimer's disease and was recently hospitalized for a dislocated hip.
Fiss earned the nickname of ``The Earthshaker'' at the University of Kansas for what he could do with his 6-foot, then-208-pound frame. But two years ago at a Browns preseason game in Kansas City, Fiss still wasn't sure how he'd cut down Moore for a 5-yard loss.
``I didn't think I could do it,'' Fiss said that day. ``I was out of position, but I was able to get to him and knock him down.''
Browns Hall of Fame running back Jim Brown called Fiss' tackle on Moore ``one of the most inspirational plays in the history of football.'' Moore was named NFL MVP by one wire service that season after scoring 20 TDs.
``People don't know how famous that play was,'' Modell said. ``It was a spectacular play. Galen weaved in and out of the screen and nailed Lenny. Galen was very modest, a special man.''
Former Browns guard John Wooten said: ``It was a great moment for a great leader. No question we played over our heads. We just didn't have the players Baltimore had, which was what made Galen so inspirational. The enthusiasm and motivation when someone makes a great play like that, you see it happen all the time in sports.
``The game he played that day... Galen wasn't a superstar. That play had touchdown all over it. Lenny had to live with that for a long time. I don't blame Lenny as much as I blame the blockers. Galen made a heckuva dive, gave up everything he had.''
Ex-teammates said that was typical of Fiss.
``He was quiet, a dedicated person of character,'' Brown said. ``It isn't always the big mouth that people follow. He had the practice ethic and interest in the success of his teammates. When you have a person like that as a leader, that sets the tone for everyone else. He was very instrumental in the success of our organization.''
Former Browns offensive tackle Monte Clark said Fiss was one of the most mature and respected leaders he saw in his 50 years around the NFL.
``The thing I'll never forget is when we had to have it most, how great he played,'' Clark said. ``That's the real test of a leader.''
Left tackle Dick Schafrath said: ``He wasn't an emotional leader, he was a stabilizing leader. Everyone knew what they had to do, he'd remind you of the basics. He was not a guy who said, `OK, follow me and let's crush the enemy.' He was the leader of your family.''
Wooten said Fiss bonded the Browns at a time when there was ``chaos, black and white'' in the country.
``Because of Galen's leadership, he was able to bridge the two sides and brought them together,'' Wooten said. ``He came out of Kansas, not Mississippi or California. That stability transcended everything. He was such a straight shooter with everybody. He and Jim got along great. He knew in order to get the team where it wanted to be, it couldn't just be Jim Brown. We had to have a defense that played at a high level.''
Former defensive end Paul Wiggin said: ``If they ever wrote a book about leadership without confrontation, Galen would be Chapter 1. If you asked anybody on the football team to name their top five friends, Galen would be the only one on everybody's list of five.
``I wouldn't have a championship ring in my drawer without what Galen Fiss did that given day. Against the Baltimore Colts, he played as perfect a football game as has ever been played.''
<!-- end body-content --><!-- begin body-end -->

[OSUBasketballJunkie]

CPD

7/19/06

BROWN'S TOWN
WOIO pondering options following Browns' departure


Wednesday, July 19, 2006

Roger Brown
Plain Dealer Columnist

The Browns may view their local TV contract with WOIO Chan nel 19 as history -- after abruptly terminating it days ago -- but Channel 19 apparently won't let the team walk away without a fight.

WOIO General Manager Bill Applegate said Tuesday that WOIO has "turned the matter of the Browns contract over to our attorneys" to examine.

"There will be no further comment by our station," Applegate said. Channel 19 is represented by Weston Hurd, a Cleveland-based law firm. We exchanged messages with a Weston Hurd lawyer Tuesday, but were unable to reach him for comment.

The Browns swiftly cut their ties after WOIO aired tape of a 911 call by Nancy Fisher, sister of Browns owner Randy Lerner. Fisher had contacted authorities after discovering her 6-year-old daughter had drowned on the family's Mantua property. The Browns and WOIO were in the second season of a three-year deal to televise preseason games and other team programming. The Browns are now actively looking for a new TV partner -- or maybe two -- to take over the TV package. But that could all be moot if Channel 19 has the legal juice to block the Browns from signing a new deal elsewhere. Browns officials couldn't be reached for comment Tuesday.

According to an informed source, WOIO paid the Browns $1 million for local TV rights in 2005. The station was scheduled to increase that amount by 5 percent this season -- with another 5 percent hike in 2007.

[OSUBasketballJunkie]

ABJ

7/20/06

Two draft picks sign four-year contracts

<!-- begin body-content -->The Browns signed two more draft picks Wednesday, bringing the total ``in the fold'' to four.
Signing four-year contracts were fifth-round pick DeMario Minter and sixth-round choice Babatunde Oshinowo. The Browns earlier had signed fullback Lawrence Vickers and defensive back Justin Hamilton.
Work continues on signing first-day draftees by Wednesday, the official opening of training camp.
Minter started at cornerback for two years at Georgia, and last season was named All-SEC.
He missed most of the spring practices with a knee injury, and it's not known if he will be ready when training camp opens.
Oshinowo is a highly regarded nose tackle from Stanford who is expected to back up Ted Washington.

-- PATRICK McMANAMON

[OSUBasketballJunkie]

Canton

7/20/06

Browns’ QB picks have been good, bad

Thursday, July 20, 2006

<TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width="100%" border=0><TBODY><TR><TD>By Steve Doerschuk repository sports wRITER
</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>


Historically, ironically — and certainly not counting former No. 4 overall draft pick Otto Graham — the Browns have been better off with quarterbacks whose draft history parallels Charlie Frye’s.
The Browns are taking a chance that Frye can outplay his status as 2005’s No. 67 pick.
The franchise went backward with Milt Plum, who was No. 17 in 1957. The peach was Plum’s successor, Frank Ryan, originally a No. 55 pick of the Rams.
Ryan led the Browns to NFL championship games in 1964 and ’65.
Jim Brown, who took handoffs from both Plum and Ryan, touched on Ryan’s intangibles in his 1989 book, “Out of Bounds,” and talked to The Repository about the prospect of Frye becoming a latter-day Ryan.
Drafted in 1962 by Paul Brown, Ryan didn’t emerge until after Brown was fired and Blanton Collier opened up the offense, according to Brown.
“Blanton brought in Dub Jones to help revamp the offense,” Brown said in his book. “Dub and Blanton were big hits with the guys on offense. They would consult us ... let us participate in devising plays.
“Frank began to emerge as a passer. He had always been long on brains and courage, but he’d been dealt a rough hand. We were a running team. I dominated the press. Frank was always overlooked. Wounded pride can hurt.
“Under Paul, when Frank threw at all, it was often third-and-long, and Frank got roughed up.”
Brown, now a Browns consultant, said that Frye has “all the ability to be a star.”
“I like his attitude, his ability, his calmness, his feet. ... I just like him,” Brown said.
The quarterback who followed Ryan, Bill Nelsen, had been a former No. 136 overall pick of the Steelers. Known for bad knees and good leadership, Nelsen helped the Browns reach the 1968 and ’69 NFL title games.
Then there was Mike Phipps, who still makes some Browns fans cry. Art Modell traded Ohio icon Paul Warfield, a future Hall of Famer, for the right to spend a No. 3 overall pick on Phipps in 1970. In Phipps’ final two years as a starter, the Browns went 7-21.
Brian Sipe, who had been a No. 330 pick in 1972, replaced Phipps. Sipe was NFL MVP in 1980 for an 11-5 team Cleveland fans adored, and he was in Cleveland through 1983, when the team went 9-7.
Sipe still owns franchise records for career passing yards (23,713) and touchdowns (154). He still brings a smile to Sam Rutigliano, who was Sipe’s head coach then and watches Frye closely now.
Sipe was smallish and had an average arm. He compensated with grit, smarts and a system that accented his keen touch and timing.
“There are certain things people can’t know at draft time,” Rutigliano said during a recent stop at the team complex. “You have to see immeasurables to be sure about a guy, but there’s no X-ray machine for that.”
Rutigliano joined the Browns in 1977, after a period when Phipps was failing and Sipe was trying to prove he was a better option.
“The first time I met Brian,” Rutigliano said, “He told me, ‘Get me a system. Get me some smart guys. Get some condominiums (offensive linemen) up front.’ ”
Rutigliano senses shades of Sipe in Frye, who was 2-3 in his 2005 starts as a rookie third-round pick.
“I saw immeasurables in Charlie last year, based on the things he did without a full deck,” Rutigliano said.
His view is shaped by periodic conversation with Lee Owens, who coached Frye for four years in college.
“What Charlie accomplished at Akron was impressive,” Rutigliano said. “I’m not sure the guy from Marshall, Byron Leftwich, or the guy from Miami, Ben Roethlisberger, could have done at Akron what Charlie did.
“The biggest unknown about Charlie is, now .... now ... he’s the No. 1 quarterback, and everybody knows it. That’s a lot of pressure.”
Rutigliano recalls coaching a well-hyped youngster who couldn’t handle pressure.
“He swallowed a grapefruit,” Rutigliano said. “I don’t see Charlie doing that.
“There’s another key now, and that is, until they prove they have five condominiums, it ain’t gonna get done.
“For Charlie to succeed, they have to protect him. Reuben Droughns has to come through. Kellen Winslow and Braylon Edwards have to begin reaching their potential.
“They’ve made enough moves. Now, instead of Antonio Bryant at receiver, you have Joe Jurevicius. You’ve got Winslow and Edwards. These are impact players who help quarterbacks.
“They have enough things now where they’re not dreaming.”
Bernie Kosar was the only Browns quarterback since Sipe to enjoy more than spot success. Kosar left the University of Miami early and was taken by the 1985 Browns in a supplemental draft. He might have been a 1986 first-round pick, even though he had a third-round arm.
“Ideally, in Cleveland, you probably want a quarterback with a big arm,” said Marty Schottenheimer, Kosar’s head coach then and now with the Chargers. “Bernie didn’t have the big arm, but he had a great head for the game.
“His timing was impeccable. He could really make that comeback throw.”
Vinny Testaverde, a former No. 1 pick, helped the 1994 Browns to the playoffs but was reviled as the man who pushed out Kosar. Testaverde also is associated with the doomed 1995 season in which the team went 5-11 and skipped town.
The next primary quarterback, in 1999, was another No. 1 pick, Tim Couch. He wasn’t good enough to offset an expansion team’s supporting cast.
Now, the Browns enter a fifth straight season with a different projected No. 1 quarterback.
In 2002, it was Couch.
Then it was two former undrafted players, Kelly Holcomb in 2003 and Jeff Garcia in 2004. In 2005, it was former first-round choice Trent Dilfer.
Now, the Browns are hoping real hard that the third round is a charm. It’s Charlie Frye’s ball in 2006.
Reach Repository sports writer Steve Doerschuk at (330) 580-8347 or e-mail steve.doerschuk@cantonrep.com




Part five of a five-part series


Round three quarterbacks: THE SEARCH FOR JOE MONTANA
With the Charlie Frye era officially under way in Cleveland, The Repository’s Steve Doerschuk has examined quarterbacks selected in the third round of the NFL Draft — and Browns fans may shudder at what he spells out in a five-part series that concludes today: Not