Well, nobody should accuse the NFL Network of steering clear of controversial subjects. Its latest A Football Life is about as hotwire as it gets in Cleveland.
Tonight’s episode is Cleveland ’95 (8 p.m. ET). It focuses on the incredible staff that Bill Belichick built during his first head coaching job and how it all fell apart when Art Modell decided to move the franchise to Baltimore. The decision ripped the heart out of the city and probably kept Modell out of the NFL Hall of Fame.
Here is a link with a preview. Looks very promising.
And here’s the release from NFL Network. Again, check out that staff:
On December 17, 1995, the Cleveland Browns played their final game at Cleveland Municipal Stadium before relocating to Baltimore. The latest installment of NFL Network’s Emmy-nominated seriesA Football Life chronicles the Browns’ final season in Cleveland under head coach Bill Belichick, looks at the immediate impact the relocation had on both the city and the organization, and discovers the roots of a football lineage seeded during that time which has reverberated throughout the football world in the 21st century.
Airing Wednesday, October 3 at 8:00 PM ET on NFL Network,Cleveland ’95: A Football Life details the coaching staff and front office executives who took what they learned during their five years under Belichick and applied it throughout their football careers. From current NFL general managers Ozzie Newsome, Scott Pioli, Thomas Dimitroff and Mike Tannenbaum, to three-time national championship head coach Nick Saban, to former NFL head coach Eric Mangini and current Detroit Lions head coach Jim Schwartz, the Cleveland Browns under Belichick consisted of football’s next generation of leaders who continue to impact the game today.
In all, Belichick’s staff in Cleveland included nine future NFL head coaches and general managers, and three head coaches at major college programs.
The one-hour episode includes never-before-seen footage including Belichick meeting with his former staff in team meeting rooms and of Belichick at home. Additionally, pre and postgame footage from the Browns’ final home game is showcased.
Emmy-nominated actor from CBS’The Good Wife, Josh Charles, narrates.
The story of the 1995 Cleveland Browns is told through interviews with the following people:
Bill Belichick– New England Patriots head coach
Ozzie Newsome– Baltimore Ravens general manager
Nick Saban– University of Alabama head coach
Michael Lombardi– NFL Network analyst and former Cleveland Browns front office executive
Scott Pioli– Kansas City Chiefs general manager
Jim Schwartz– Detroit Lions head coach
Eric Mangini– ESPN analyst and former New York Jets/Cleveland Browns head coach
Thomas Dimitroff– Atlanta Falcons general manager
Phil Savage– Former Cleveland Browns general manager
Mike Tannenbaum– New York Jets general manager
Kirk Ferentz– University of Iowa head coach
Matt Stover– Cleveland Browns kicker, 1991-95
Steve Everitt– Cleveland Browns offensive lineman, 1993-95
Earnest Byner– Cleveland Browns running back, 1984-88; 1994-95
Following are select quotes fromCleveland ’95: A Football Life:
– “We wanted a tough, hard-nosed, blue-collar football team. That’s what Cleveland is and that’s what we wanted our football team to be.”– Bill Belichick
– “We had a great group of people there and we were all committed to trying to bring that franchise back [to prominence].”– Nick Saban
– “There was that sense of we had turned the corner. All of that time, all of that work, all of that effort – we were poised to make that next jump.”– Eric Mangini
– “I felt bad for that team, the players and the coaches that were working so hard with less than no support. The owner was nowhere to be found; he was in Baltimore. It kind of felt like you were on a deserted island fending for yourself.” – Belichick
– “When I won in 2000 [with the Baltimore Ravens], I owe a lot of that to Bill Belichick.”– Ozzie Newsome
– “Those years in Cleveland, those teams, those people impacted the NFL. It impacted a lot of football.”– Scott Pioli
– “We got better every year, our program improved every year. I wish that it would have turned out a bit differently, but we tried to do what we could and the best that we could for ourselves, for the team and for the city of Cleveland. I have no regrets about that.” – Belichick