I'm sure many of you are familiar with the book written by Nick Hornby titled "High Fidelity." Many more of you are familiar with the movie based on the book which stars John Cusack along with the breakout performance by Jack Black. (Bear with me, I think I'm about to go on a roll here.)
In the story the main character, played by Cusack, breaks up with his girlfriend and goes through a "what does it all mean?" type of personal crisis and gets reacquainted with some ex-girlfriends in hopes that he figures out what the hell is wrong with him. What ensue are some funny moments and even a glimpse of half of Catherine Zeta-Jones's boob. The latter moment, along with her stretch pants scenes in Entrapment, is a must see for any aficionado of one of Hollywood's better MILF's.
Anyway, I couldn't help but think of the movies similarities to some real life grumbling that is going on with some Browns fans. Naturally, it has to do with former Browns coach and now current Patriots head coach Bill Belichick's quest for a fourth Super Bowl and an undefeated season. Some people are going through a "what does it all mean?" phase of their own right now about the perception that Belichick used the Browns as a training ground for bigger and better things in wicked sweet Baaaaston.
I am here to tell you I've never subscribed to that theory and here's why: He is still the same coach now as he was then.
That's right; he is still exactly the same coach in New England now that he was in Cleveland. He built excellent defenses for both teams; both teams ended up with future stars on their coaching staffs (check the table at the end of this article), and did his best to base the team around good characters guys who think "team first." If not, you were sent out of town no matter how big of a local hero you are to the fans. Hell, even his demeanor, press conferences, and GQ inspired sideline gear are exactly the same.
Let's face it; there are only two real differences between the two situations.
The first is ownership. Belichick went against advisement of some of his closest friends in football to take the Cleveland job. They warned him primarily against working for Art Modell. He was the guy who, thanks to his constant meddling, ran Paul Brown out of town decades earlier. Nothing had changed with Modell, but Belichick was seduced by the idea of coaching near where he went to college (Wesleyan) as well as the idea of playing so close to the birthplace of pro football…Canton.
What eventually took place was Modell's eventual meddling in the team's affairs led to the unraveling of Belichick's overall plan. Art's constant interference and abuse of his ownership powers led to ridiculous personnel moves without Belichick's approval. Most notable is the Andre Rison signing which caused Modell to take out multiple loans for the signing bonus of a player that Belichick didn't want in the first place. The final blow, of course, was the announced move to Baltimore which caused the unraveling of a team that was 11-5 the previous season that featured one of the best defenses in league history at the time.
Despite all if this chaos, what was lost was the fact that Belichick did manage to turn over an aging roster in a rather short time and build them into a playoff caliber team.
In New England, Belichick has an ideal owner in Robert Kraft. A man who has more than enough money to spend who also shares the same philosophy with Belichick for running a modern football club in the free agency/salary cap era that has existed now for about a decade and a half. The philosophy is one that has since been copied: shrewd drafting, don't overspend on free agency, and good character guys are a must are just a few examples. Throw in bonus points for the fact that Kraft lets Bill and his men upstairs run the show without much interference.
The other major difference is the quarterback. Let's face it; even the higher ups in New England admit they were extremely lucky to have hit the lottery with Tom Brady in the 6th round of the draft in 2000. It happens. It's just unfortunate that the Kosar/Testaverde combo couldn't come close to that kind of production. They simply didn't either have the arm strength anymore (Kosar) or the quick release (Testaverde). Brady has both tools and is going to go down as one of the best ever. It just proves sometimes you need a little luck in your favor.
Granted, I did gloss over that second difference a little there. I did it for a reason. What is seemingly lost in all the "what if's" etc is the fact that right here in Cleveland the Browns have finally turned the corner and may be on the verge of bigger things. Think about it.
They have the ingredients you need starting from the top. Owner Randy Lerner has the financial resources and is willing to spend to win. GM Phil Savage is proving to be a good talent evaluator (a compliment not tossed lightly in this town about our football czars for over a decade), and head coach Romeo Crennel is a capable coach who has the support of his players while being on the same page with management. Throw those ingredients in together and we have a good solid group that is finally staying the course and seeing results.
There is even a little bit of luck on the Browns side. Like Brady, Derek Anderson is a former 6th round pick himself. He has the arm strength and quick release necessary to get the job done and took the Browns offense to heights rarely seen in the team's history. After all, this is a guy who combined for 32 touchdowns in his first year as a starter and he's not the only talented young quarterback on this talented roster.
The story of High Fidelity concludes with the main character realizing after all his attempts to figure out what went wrong with his ex's, he realizes he has a good thing with the woman in his life and decides to grow up make the best of it. Maybe it's time for some fans here to do the same. Here in Cleveland we have a good thing developing and let's just focus on that. We can worry about Belichick next year when we see him in the playoffs.