DawgTalkers.net Forums DawgTalk Pure Football Forum If you could bring Old School Back...

He is who Belichick hopes to be.
Belichick idolized/idolizes Paul Brown.

I recall a conversation I had with an old timer about 25 years ago who claimed that when they traded Bobby Mitchell for Ernie Davis it was with the idea that they would trade Jim Brown to the Baltimore Colts for Johnny Unitas. It never made any particular sense to me that they would trade a future HOF talent (Mitchell) for a guy (Davis) who, although great in college, was redundant to JB. Teams didn't rotate RBs in those days, and Jim was still relatively young in '62.

I think what Jim Brown meant by that comment was that Paul Brown's coaching style was not right for the times. I don't think he was talking about his football knowledge, but instead, he was referring to the changing times and that you couldn't treat grown men like boys. Paul Brown was a great football coach, but he was a narrow minded man in social matters.

Jim Brown by a huge margin on offense.
On defense, Clay Matthews. I loved how he played the game.

I don't think the Paul Brown/Jim Brown issues was primarily racial. Marion Motley, Bill Willis, and others provide evidence of that. From what I understand Paul Brown was an authoritarian and did not tolerate deviation from his control of all aspects of the team. This would have been a problem for Jim Brown who definitely had his own ideas about training, practice and game day. Just two alpha males in different leadership roles in the same organization. Clashes were inevitable.

I never mentioned race. I have read about the subject and Jim Brown did not mean that PB didn't know Xs and Os. It was about how he treated grown men.

Yes Bone, a good summation. It was a different era.

Near the beginning of the thread somebody pointed out that the selection ought to include special teams. I didn't make a pick then so...

Either Metcalf or Cribbs hhhmmm?

Ok, Cribbs because he's not going to just return kicks. He's going to stop returns also.

I tried to think of one before I read any posts. Also not sure my choice are necessarily a weakness, at east not one of them.

My first choice was Jim Brown on offence but then thought that was too easy.

So my next favorite exciting player was Greg Pruitt. I loved to watch him run. Incredibly strong for 18olbs. Pretty sure he won the weightlifting in the 1970s superstars competition.

Defense I have to go with Minnifield of Dixon. Loved how they would shut down premiere NFL receivers.

Me not choosing JB had nothing to do with how I perceive him. It’s more to do with our current roster and today’s game. Chubb and Hunt can produce what we need of them... and then some. Thomas in his prime was as good as anyone. Certainly better than what we currently have. I chose Turner as I see him as a huge defensive threat in today’s passing league. As much as I like Clay I think Turner’s play in the secondary could give us our Ed Reed type enforcer our D needs.

Absolutely. Defenses were designed to stop the run & most QBs called their own plays and it was a lot of 2 runs and then a pass on third down. Passing offenses were stone age compared to today and defenses could clothesline a WR crossing the middle.

Jim Brown took a lot of extra hits that would assure penalty flags today. Not sure if I remember this correctly but I am pretty sure never missed a single play due to pain or injury, only for substitution.

Also think about this, he retired immediately after being named MVP, 1,500 yds rushing, 17 TDs in 14 games. He averaged 5.2 yards per carry for his career. 4 of his 9 seasons only lasted 12 games. When he retired he was more than 2,500 yds ahead of the next closest, Joe Perry and he played nearly twice as many seasons as Jim.

Something else I just thought of, blocking was so much more restricted then. You could not extend your arms or grab the player you were blocking. Holes did not stay open long.

Anyway, that is why I did not list him because it was too obvious.

I also agree Jim did not like how Paul Brown was so controlling. He felt he was a grown man who did not need to be treated like a HS player with strict rules. I heard Bobby Mitchell in an old interview talk about how PB yelled at him because he was Jim's roommate on the road and they would be late for the bus or meetings (because of Jim, not Bobby) etc and PB could not yell at Jim.

I was lucky enough to be alive when JB was a Brown. My mom bought me a Browns uni with S & H Greenstamps when I was 8 years old. The jersey was generic. My sister cut out the numbers 3 & 2 from some yellow cotton scraps we had around the house and sewed them on the back of that jersey. The year was 1963. Maybe if you could combine the running talents of OJ Simpson and Marshawn Lynch with the receiving talent of Sequan Barkley you might come close to embodying Jim Brown, maybe. The world extraordinary is inadequate to describe his play.

But the 2019 Browns have good to above average running backs. In my opinion, I'd add old school help elsewhere.

Read the whole thread and nothing makes more sense to me than this.... a lot of good answers and things to consider, but I'd still go with this.

R. L. (Stonewall) Jackson
Don Rogers
Dick (Bam Bam) Ambrose
Thom Darden

Yeah JB is the obvious. I’d still pick up Paul Warfield, Lou Groza, and Gary Collins.

wow.
Haven't thought about him in years.
what a dynamic player.

I'm just slightly surprised that none of the ladies have said Jim Bundren.

Fair Hooker and Michael Dean Perry.

ok, ! Joe Thomas, everyone likes him, ...

If I could bring Old School back, (taking nothing away from Joe Thomas,)

I Bring back Tony Jones LT, 1994-95,

For about the 5th time on this board, I'll reitireate, that Joe Thomas just wasn't as dominant as Tony Jones, and I propose that the Denver Broncos don't win either ,but especially the first of their two Super Bowls in, back to back around 1997,

He Neutralized Reggie White the entire flippin game! Without the fact Tony Jones went left the Browns/whomever, and went to the Broncos to replace their retiring LT, but then that retiring LT came out of retirement.

But Tony Jones isn't going to be in the Hall of Fame, and Joe Thomas will, I'm guessing.

Everyone can list Joe Thomas, but Tony Jones was the better player, even if it was the Bellichic and Saban coached Browns, If I'm bringing just one of them back, I'm picking the more dominant guy in my opininion.

And Someone from the teams I watched in the 80's but there's too many to narrow it down.