In the years leading up to Belichek’s hiring with Cleveland, the Browns were in the playoffs in 1980, 82, 85,86,87,88 and 89. It’s true that in 1990 they were 3-13 but in Belichek’s five years, they made the playoffs once and they were 5-11 in his last year which was 1995 - leading to his firing and the Browns moving to Baltimore. The Browns franchise has been a disaster ever since they came back into the league.
Since Brady has been on the Patriots team, when he hasn’t been able to play for some reason, Belichek has a losing record - I believe. These guys coaching in the NFL by and large are not geniuses. They all run the same offenses and defenses - with little nuances here and there. Their quarterbacks make them or break them - which is why so many of them have on again, off again relationships with their QB’s and also the reason that you see the same QB’s in the playoffs every year. It is the toughest position to predict success which is why Brady as a 6th round pick surprised some people and why so many 1st round QB picks flop. God knows we’ve seen a bundle of 1st round QB flops in Cleveland starting with trade of Warren, Ohio home grown hall of fame wide receiver, Paul Warfield, for the rights to draft Mike Phipps with the third pick in the 1970 draft. And he was one of our smaller flops - at least he played and remained in the league for 12 seasons. It looks like Johnny Manziel - who seems to be able to drink like Kenny Stabler - might not be able to play like him.
Belichek unceremoniously cut Bernie Kosar, a Youngstown, Ohio kid, a local legend who won a college national championship as a freshman with the University of Miami, graduated from there in 3 1/2 years, manipulated his draft status so he could come to Cleveland in the supplemental draft of 1995 and then led the Browns to 5 consecutive playoff appearances and a couple of AFC championship games. Belichek treated him like a dog at the end of his career. He was a young coach at the time so I chalked it up to youthful ignorance. But now I think that’s just who he seems to be. I also can’t stand what Pete Carroll did to the USC program but I do like Russell Wilson so I hope that Seattle pummels the Patriots. But really I couldn’t care less. I’d rather watch two good high school teams play - where players play their a**es off and coaches coach their a**es off - for the love of the game - and where every play made isn’t celebrated like someone just cured cancer.
I meant the supplemental draft of 1985.
I’m familiar with what Belichick did in Cleveland. I liked Kosar too. And as I noted, the last year the team collapsed with the news of the team move...and the city suing the team, and a huge circus. The current Browns have nothing whatsoever to do with the Browns of that time, except that they are in the same city.
“Since Brady has been on the Patriots team, when he hasn’t been able to play for some reason, Belichek has a losing record - I believe.”
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In his first year in New England, Belichick did indeed have a losing season at 5-11. In 2008, with Brady playing less than one quarter in the first game, the Patriots were 10-6 - so while true it isn’t particularly meaningful.