Seeing Brown

Sporting News, The, August 9, 1999 by Todd Fitzpatrick

In celebration of the Browns' return, THE SPORTING NEWS has published Cleveland Browns, The Official Illustrated History. The book takes a nostalgic season-by-season trip through the Browns' archives, beginning in 1946 with Paul Brown, and allows Browns fans to revisit the careers of Otto Graham, Lou Groza, Jim Brown and many others.

Written by Ron Smith, with Joe Hoppel, Mark Craig and Dave Sloan, the book includes a foreword by team president Carmen Policy.

The book sells for $39.95 plus postage and handling and is available by calling 800-825-8508, Dept. CBE. Here's a sample:

Paul Brown innovations

* Intelligence testing. He gave players detailed tests involving reasoning and math skills.

* Scouting. He made it a full-time, year-round profession.

* Film study. He turned it into a primary source for player evaluation.

* Player studies. He mandated that all players carry notebooks, take notes, diagram plays and commit the contents to memory.* The facemask.

* Taxi squads. He kept extra players close at hand by securing jobs for them with team owner Mickey McBride's taxi company.

* The two-minute drill.

* Messenger guards system. He shuttled hand-picked plays to the quarterback using guards as alternate transports.

* Organizational skills and unprecedented attention to detail.

* Practice without scrimmages.

* Sideline and screen passes.

* The draw play.

* The kicking game, Made it a critical part of every game plan.