Off Topic » The Cleveland Browns won the NFL Championship

Game in 1964 by defeating the Baltimore Colts 27-0. After winning eight combined titles between the All-America Football Conference and the NFL Authentic Terrance Mitchell Jersey , this 1964 squad has since become the last championship for the franchise. Amongst the defensive players on that squad was a tough and reliable veteran at the DT position by the name of Dick Modzelewski. On Friday, Richard Blair Modzelewski passed away at his home in Eastlake, Ohio at the age of 87. They called him “Little Mo” because of his older brother Ed who also played with the Browns. He grew up in Pennsylvania the son of Polish immigrants where his father was a coal miner.Modzelewski was drafted in the second-round of the 1953 NFL draft by the Washington Redskins. Little Mo had instant conflicts with head coach Joe Kuharich and after two seasons, Modzelewski signed with Calgary of the Canadian Football League. The Redskins filed an injunction to stop him from leaving his contract and Calgary rescinded their offer. Instead of playing him, the Redskins traded his rights to the Pittsburgh Steelers. In those days, the Steelers were always the worst and most dysfunctional club in the NFL, so when a player was traded there it was like going to Siberia. The following year, the Steelers traded Little Mo to the Lions who then traded him to the Giants three days later. Little Mo was an instant starter and a key component to the Giants. Despite other defensive players that received quite a bit of attention such as LB Sam Huff and DE Andy Robustelli, he was the rock of the center of the defensive front. In 1956, the Giants captured the NFL title. During the eight years he played in New York, the Giants would play in six NFL Championship Games, with 1956 the only title won. He even opened up a local restaurant. Beginning in 1962, Giants head coach Allie Sherman began to trade off the key defensive players for more offensive firepower as he believed anyone could be plugged in and play defense. LB Cliff Livingston was the first one traded to the Minnesota Vikings Womens David Njoku Jersey , followed by DT Rosey Grier to the Rams, and then Little Mo was traded to the Browns for WR Bobby Crespino. Other defensive players were also traded. The end result for New York eventually dismantled the club from going to the NFL title game three years in a row, to the beginning of horrid teams from 1964-1978. These seasons are what Giants’ fan call the “Wilderness Years.”For Little Mo, the trade came at the right time with the right team. The Browns had parted ways with head coach Paul Brown after the 1962 season. Longtime assistant Blanton Collier was then named the new head coach. The Browns were successful under Collier with mainly Brown’s players and his systems still in place. In 1963 Cleveland went 10-4-0 but did not qualify for the playoffs, one game behind the Giants. The following year, the Browns captured the Eastern Conference with a 10-3-1 record and a trip to the 1964 NFL Championship Game against the 12-2-0 Baltimore Colts. After a scoreless first half dominated by defense, the Colts tried to gain yardage into a very hard wind in the third quarter at Cleveland Stadium. The offense for the Colts could not mount any kind of drive against the elements. The Browns kicked a Lou Groza FG and then QB Frank Ryan found WR Gary Collins for two TD passes. In the fourth stanza, another Groza FG and one more Collins TD catch from Ryan ended the game with a 27-0 domination by Cleveland in front of 79,544 hometown fans. Defensive standouts for the game were LBs Bill Glass and Vince Costello, CB Bernie Parrish, and Modzelewski. After the season, Little Mo was named to the Pro Bowl. The Browns would return to the Championship Game in 1965 against the Green Bay Packers with the winner headed to the first Super Bowl, but lost 23-12.Modzelewski retired after the 1966 season. He became the Browns’ defensive line coach and then defensive coordinator in 1976. In 1977 Womens Nick Chubb Jersey , Cleveland fired head coach Forrest Gregg and named Little Mo as the interim head coach for the final game of the season. The following year new head coach Sam Rutigliano offered him the DL coaching position. Instead, he accepted the DC position with the Giants. After that, he had coaching positions with the Cincinnati Bengals, Packers and Detroit Lions before retiring in 1989.Dick Modzelewski was inducted into the National Polish American Sports Hall of Fame in 1986 and then the College Football Hall of Fame in 1993 (University of Maryland). Little Mo was named to the 1952 College All-America Team and was the starter in eight NFL championship games, a record he now shares with New England Patriots QB Tom Brady.Modzelewski’s funeral is October 26, 2018 in Mentor, Ohio. He is survived by his wife of 64 years, Dorothy Jane, and four children.Barry Shuck is a pro football historical writer and a member of the Professional Football Researcher’s Association. Jarvis Landry said Baker Mayfield’s attitude and charisma are “contagious,” and that he knew the rookie was ready to play from the day the Cleveland Browns drafted him.Landry has said a lot. He has also backed it up by becoming the focal point of the Cleveland Browns offense. But even as a proven performer, the receiver said he needs to tweak some things with Mayfield taking over the quarterback position.“I got to turn up the JUGS machine to like eight or nine now, since Baker throws that ball so hard. He threw one to me in the game and I dropped it because I didn’t even know how to put my hands, and before I could make the decision Authentic Duke Johnson Jersey , the ball was on me,” Landry said on NFL Network Ian Rapoport’s RapSheet and Friends podcast. “So, I just realized it’s a little bit of a different ball, a lot more velocity, so I definitely got to get on the JUGS for that, and catch as many balls from Baker as possible.”“I just kind of kept running and before you know it the ball was up and he throws the ball with so much zing,” Landry told Rapoport. “It got to me so quickly.”Mayfield’s velocity and quick decision-making were two standout traits he showcased last Thursday. While he might not fit the prototypical physical mold many think of when they imagine the ideal NFL quarterback, he spins a pretty football like you’d expect.You know there’s some English on those passes if a veteran like Landry is having to make adjustments to keep up.But throwing a pretty ball and making quick decisions aren’t all that goes into engineering a successful offense. It takes a connection between a quarterback and his receivers.“It is just trust. He is a football player and so am I. The trust level. To say that we have not gotten any reps [the trust level] seemed pretty high on Thursday,” Landry said during Wednesday’s player availability.There’s still a ways to go before Landry and Mayfield completely trust and are familiar enough with one another, but early returns have been positive. They’re going to be put in new situations each week and will benefit from figuring each other out when challenged in different ways.Since trust is so important, it’s remarkable how quickly the pair were able to build up a playing rapport despite not practicing together much at all. That speaks to how much both players prepare, not just in the week leading up to game day, but every day since they showed up in Berea.Because of his talent Womens Myles Garrett Jersey , attitude and work ethic, Landry said he has known for awhile that the rookie has what it takes to play in the NFL.“Since the day that that they drafted him,” Landry responded to the question. “Obviously, understanding the potential and the things that he can do and what makes him special and having the guys around him with the trust level at a premium to make the plays, as well.”“One thing that I know about him, he walks it like he talks it,” Landry added. “That is something that I appreciate and I respect about him and that he has continued to do.”After another solid day of interviews, Landry wouldn’t escape without leaving us another sound bite to chew on as we prepare for Mayfield’s first NFL start.“It’s that walk it talk it. He definitely has that attitude and charisma, and you know that’s contagious,” Landry finished with a chuckle. “It’s contagious.“Contagious.” Wholesale NFL Jerseys