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Cleveland Browns (2007 & prior)

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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
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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...
 
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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

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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.
<!-- 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.''
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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.
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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​
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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>[FONT=Verdana, Times New Roman, arial, helvetica, sans-serif]By Steve Doerschuk repository sports wRITER [/FONT]
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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 [email protected]




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 since the 49ers struck gold with eventual Pro Football Hall of Famer Joe Montana in 1979 has a great NFL QB come from the third round.
SUNDAY Charlie Frye will get the chance to prove if he’s a third-round boon or bust.
MONDAY A rather uninspiring cast fills the list of third-rounders since Montana.
TUESDAY Some had doubts about Montana in 1979 draft. Boy, were they wrong.
WEDNESDAY Tom Brady is one example of a recent QB find late in the NFL Draft. TODAY The Browns have hit — and missed, big-time — with QB picks.
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Link

Former Browns honored by Senate
By Jeff Walcoff, Staff Writer
July 20, 2006

<table align="right" cellpadding="3" height="300" width="200"> <tbody><tr> <td height="300" width="200">
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</td> </tr> <tr> <td align="left">Bill Willis played for the Browns from 1946-53.

</td> </tr> <tr> <td align="left">
</td> </tr> </tbody></table>Two former Browns and members of the Pro Football Hall of Fame were honored by the U.S. Senate due to their pioneering contributions to professional football.
Passed by Unanimous Consent, Senate Resolution 533 commemorates the 60th anniversary of the permanent racial integration of professional football in 1946 by four players, two of whom were members of the Cleveland Browns.
Bill Willis, an All-America tackle at Ohio State, was a three-time All-AAFC and four-time All-NFL middle guard for the Browns from 1946-53. He earned a spot on the roster after he baffled coaches with his speed, power and agility at his first tryout practice. The Columbus, Ohio native was enshrined in the Hall of Fame in 1977.
Marion Motley joined the team shortly after Willis, continuing the integration of the sport pioneered by the Browns. The three-time All-AAFC selection and one-time All-NFL selection racked up 4,720 yards on 828 carries (5.7 avg.) in nine professional seasons. He was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1968.
The other two players, Kenny Washington and Woody Strode, signed with the Los Angeles Rams the same year as Motley and Willis joined the Browns.
The integration of Willis, Motley, Washington and Strode took place a full year before Jackie Robinson joined the Brooklyn Dodgers as the first African-American in professional baseball.
Willis is the only surviving member of the four. The NFL will commemorate him and the anniversary during the 2006 Pro Football Hall of Fame Game on Sunday, August 6, 2006 at Fawcett Stadium in Canton. Ohio Senator George Voinovich, a co-sponsor of the resolution, will honor Willis during a halftime ceremony.
 
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DDN

7/21/06

BROWNS
Captain of last Browns team to win title dies

Linebacker Galen Fiss made several key plays in Cleveland's upset of the Baltimore Colts in 1964.

Associated Press

CLEVELAND — Galen Fiss, captain of the Cleveland Browns' last championship team and former teammate in other sports of Dean Smith and Roger Maris, has died. Fiss was 75.

Fiss, who had Alzheimer's disease, died Monday of cardiac arrest at Menorah Medical Center in Overland Park, Kan., a suburb near his home in Leawood, Kan.

Fiss was a linebacker on the Cleveland team that upset the Baltimore Colts, 27-0, to win the 1964 title.

He had several notable plays in the game, including a tackle of speedy Lenny Moore, who seemed headed for a touchdown on a screen pass. Fiss also tipped a pass by Johnny Unitas that was intercepted by teammate Vince Costello.

Fiss played with the Browns from 1956-66, was a captain for six years and made two Pro Bowl teams.

"He was a born leader," Costello said. "He got along with everybody, and everybody listened to him."

Fiss was drafted in the 13th round by the Browns in 1953 out of the University of Kansas. After a stint in the Air Force, he chose to play baseball instead.

The Indians drafted Fiss, a catcher, and sent him to Fargo, N.D., of the Northern League, where he was a teammate of Maris, who broke Babe Ruth's single-season home run record when he hit 61 home runs for the New York Yankees in 1961.

Browns coach Paul Brown offered Fiss more money than he was making in baseball to join the Browns.

Smith, who coached North Carolina to two NCAA basketball championships, was Fiss' roommate at Kansas, and they played basketball together.
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ABJ

7/24/06


TALKIN' BROWNS
New faces on roster should be upgrades
• Just looking at the Browns' roster, I see at least nine new starters from opening day 2005. Let's see if they're an upgrade.
• Joe Jurevicius for Antonio Bryant at wide receiver. Bryant led the team with 69 catches, four for touchdowns. The Browns had him with at least 10 drops, one of the highest rates in the league. Jurevicius caught 55 passes, 10 for touchdowns. Bryant has only 16 touchdown catches in his four-year career. The veteran's reliability has to be a plus.
• Kevin Shaffer for L.J. Shelton at left tackle. Shelton was OK. Shaffer is supposed to be quicker and is younger. It should be an upgrade.
• LeCharles Bentley for Jeff Faine at center. Bentley is a Pro Bowl player. This should be the most improved position on the team.
• Kellen Winslow for Steve Heiden. Good news is they still have Heiden available at tight end. If Winslow can stay healthy, it's another major upgrade.
• Charlie Frye for Trent Dilfer at quarterback. Who knows? Dilfer is a below average starting quarterback. Frye has five starts, lots of mobility, toughness and determination. A healthy Braylon Edwards and Winslow instantly would make him a better quarterback than a year ago. Edwards probably won't play until October, however.
• Ted Washington for Jason Fisk at nose tackle. The same as adding Bentley to the middle of the offensive line, the massive Washington has to make a big impact on defense. Fisk was beat up and below average when the Browns signed him a year ago. Teams ran through the middle of the Browns' defense as if it were Jell-O.
• Willie McGinest for Chaun Thompson at outside linebacker. Thompson is still around for linebacker depth. He had a team-high five sacks a year ago. McGinest had 4 ½ in two playoff games, six in the regular season. He might not be the star of his youth, but he's better than anything the Browns have -- even at age 34.
• Brodney Pool for Chris Crocker at safety. This is like Frye for Dilfer. Crocker is just OK. Pool is a second-year guy with limited experience. General Manager Phil Savage loves Pool. We'll see if he's right about the kid from Oklahoma.
• Someone for Ben Taylor at linebacker. Could be rookie Kamerion Wimbley, could be Thompson. Taylor didn't have a sack. He was second on the team in tackles but rarely made big plays.
• The linebackers are the biggest questions and have the best chance of any team unit to step forward. A year ago, the four were Andra Davis, Matt Stewart, Thompson and Taylor. They have added McGinest and rookies D'Qwell Jackson and Wimbley. Taylor is gone. The other veterans remain.
• The best news is none of the players who left the Browns should be missed. They were journeymen or below. Veteran Gary Baxter getting healthy immediately provides a boost to the cornerbacks, where Daylon McCutcheon and Leigh Bodden return.
• David Zastudil for Kyle Richardson at punter. The Browns have been looking for a punter since Butch Davis foolishly let Chris Gardocki go to the Pittsburgh Steelers, of all places. Zastudil should fix the problem. He averaged 43.5 yards per punt with the Baltimore Ravens. Gardocki was at 41.8 for the Steelers. Richardson was at 40.8 with the Browns.
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ABJ

7/24/06

First pick delivers promise, signs early

Browns' Wimbley will be at camp on time

By Patrick McManamon

Beacon Journal sportswriter

<!-- begin body-content -->The Browns will have their first-round draft pick in camp on time for the first time since the 2000 season.
Kamerion Wimbley ended a five-year streak of first-round holdouts by signing a six-year contract worth about $24 million.
Wimbley had said he did not anticipate a contract problem, and his agent, Joe Linta -- who also represents coach Romeo Crennel -- reached agreement with the Browns on Saturday afternoon.
Wimbley will report with the rookies today and take part in three days of rookie workouts before the official opening of camp Wednesday.
The deal does not include a signing bonus, but does have $9.2 million in guaranteed money, according to profootballtalk.com.
Wimbley was the 13th overall pick and will compete to start at linebacker on the side opposite veteran Willie McGinest.
The Browns talked about Wimbley's character when they drafted him, and Wimbley stood behind his word that he would be in camp on time.
The last Browns player to sign ahead of the opening of camp was Courtney Brown in 2000. Brown and Tim Couch (1999), both first overall picks, agreed to deals before they were drafted.
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Canton

7/24/06

Browns continue signing draft picks

Monday, July 24, 2006


<TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width="100%" border=0><TBODY><TR><TD>[FONT=Verdana, Times New Roman, arial, helvetica, sans-serif]THE ASSOCIATED PRESS[/FONT]


The Cleveland Browns signed second-round pick D’Qwell Jackson and three others Sunday.

Linebacker Leon Williams and offensive lineman Isaac Sowells, both fourth-rounders, and running back Jerome Harrison, a fifth-round pick, also signed.

Cleveland has signed nine of its 10 picks, with training camp beginning Wednesday. Receiver Travis Wilson, a third-round selection out of Oklahoma, is the only one unsigned.

Jackson, a linebacker out of Maryland, was the Atlantic Coast Conference’s defensive player of the year last season. Williams was a Butkus Award semifinalist last year despite starting six games in four years at Miami.

Sowells started 27 games at left tackle in college but is expected to play guard. Harrison finished his senior year at Washington State with a rushing average of 172 yards per game, third-best in the nation.

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