Advice to Colt from Sipe...
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Cleveland Browns legend Brian Sipe has some good advice for rookie quarterback Colt McCoy, Terry Pluto writes
By Terry Pluto, The Plain Dealer
May 06, 2010, 7:41PM
Brian Sipe hasn't seen enough of Colt McCoy to know if the Browns' third-round draft pick will become an impact player in the NFL.
But Sipe does know what it's like to be a quarterback for the Browns. He also knows what it takes for a quarterback such as Texas product McCoy to adjust from warm weather to the wind, snow and cold in Cleveland.
JOHN KUNTZ / THE PLAIN DEALERColt McCoy (12) has a chance to become part of Cleveland sports lore as quarterback of the Browns, Brian Sipe says."No matter if it's Colt or anyone else, playing quarterback for the Browns gives you a chance to be a part of football history," said Sipe. "I felt it, going all the way back to Otto Graham. You are part of something special."
Sipe, entering his second season as quarterbacks coach at his alma mater, San Diego State, said he didn't watch McCoy play for the Longhorns.
"I was involved with my own games on Saturdays," he said, adding that any game film he studied was of future opponents, his own team and possible recruits.
He said that from the McCoy highlights he's seen it looks like "he's a pretty accurate passer, and everyone says he has good character."
Sipe also is smart enough to not want anyone comparing McCoy to himself, because it just puts added pressure on the new Cleveland QB. Browns fans have grabbed on to the Sipe / McCoy comparison because both quarterbacks were considered too small (maybe 6-foot-2) and lacked overpowering arm strength.
In a lengthy phone conversation from the Aztecs' football office, Sipe talked about playing for the Browns.
"I was a beach kid from southern California," he said. "When I came to the Browns, I was a 13th-round draft pick [in 1972]. I wasn't even supposed to make the team. No one was anxious for me to play.
"For the first two years, I was on the taxi squad. I wore a baseball cap, a sweat suit and held a clipboard on the sidelines."
Hearing that the Browns had no plans to rush McCoy into action, Sipe said that is the right approach.
"There just is so much to learn," he said of the NFL. "It can overwhelm you. I was blessed with great college coaching [Don Coryell of 'Air Coryell' fame] that was as good or better than most NFL teams had at the time. But it still takes time."
Advice: 'Embrace the cold'
Sipe believes that playing for Texas gives McCoy an advantage because football "is so important there, it's just like Cleveland."
Sipe said it took a while for him to grasp what football meant to Browns fans.
RICHARD CONWAY / THE PLAIN DEALERBrian Sipe jogs off the field after a late-November win over the Bengals in 1980. Sipe says Colt McCoy, or any Browns quarterback, must learn to embrace the cold in order to succeed in Cleveland. "Once I did, I felt this enormous responsibility," he said. "The Browns are like family to so many people. And they love to tell you about going to Browns games in terrible weather."
That is one road that is the same for both quarterbacks. Yes, McCoy talked about playing in the cold weather "at Kansas and Missouri," but that's not Cleveland.
"It takes a while, but you make the cold and the wind your asset," said Sipe. "You learn to play in it by practicing in it. Then, when the other teams come to lakefront, they aren't ready for it."
Sipe paused.
"Embrace the cold," he said. "It helps you as a quarterback because it slows the game down. You can see things better. We didn't have a fieldhouse back then -- we practiced outside every day."
Hearing that Browns coach Eric Mangini prefers to play and practice in lousy conditions, Sipe said: "That makes sense. If you don't practice in it, you can't play well in it."
He paused.
"Playing in that weather is part of what made us a tough team mentally," he said.
Still a soft spot for fans
Sipe is in his second season as quarterback coach at his alma mater. Before that, he spent eight years at Santa Fe Christian in San Diego, winning four state titles.
Now 60 -- that's right, Brian Sipe is 60! -- Sipe said he's proud "not that I played 14 years of pro football, but that 12 were in Cleveland."
Browns fans know his history well, especially the MVP season of 1980. They know about Red Right 88, the pass intercepted in the end zone in the 14-12 loss to Oakland in the 1980 AFC divisional playoff game.
"Three days after that game, I had put that pass behind me," he said. "Not just Colt, but any quarterback, has to be able to do that. We made a lot of bad plays in that game before that pass. It was never anything that stayed with me."
SPECIAL TO THE PLAIN DEALERBrian Sipe is the last Browns player to be named MVP of the NFL, winning the award for his play in the 1980 season.Sipe is still amazed when he returns to Cleveland, or just runs into Browns fans anywhere. "After all these years, they treat us like royalty. Not just me, but all the guys from that [1980] team. They are fantastic people."
Is there any other advice he can offer McCoy?
"Not just him, but this goes for every Browns player -- work hard, and do things right," he said. "Respect the fans. Get to know the team history. You are blessed to play in a very special place where the people really do want to get behind you."
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In my mind, I see a lot of Sipe in Colt.
I mentioned earlier that they were both about 6' 1"...
Sipe was listed at 195 lbs....
But Sipe CARED, had that love for BROWNS football.
One day, when Colt is playing... I expect to hear
some announcer compare him to be like Brian Sipe.
Those are big Browns' qb shoes to fill. GREAT FIND on the article !
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This article clearly points out why i disliked guys like Tim Couch. Sipe and Kosar EMBRACED being a Brown and loved it and the city. They UNDERSTOOD what it means to be a part of this team. Other guys, just haven't got it. (they got paid and that was it for them)
McCoy seems like a kid who could though and that is exciting.
I also like that Mangini has us practice in the junky stuff. People ragged on him about that...but for the Browns, we NEED to be able to dominate in the sludge. Any advantage you can get!
In order to appreciate the top you have to spend some time at the bottom. -
This article clearly points out why i disliked guys like Tim Couch. Sipe and Kosar EMBRACED being a Brown and loved it and the city. They UNDERSTOOD what it means to be a part of this team. Other guys, just haven't got it. (they got paid and that was it for them)
McCoy seems like a kid who could though and that is exciting.
I also like that Mangini has us practice in the junky stuff. People ragged on him about that...but for the Browns, we NEED to be able to dominate in the sludge. Any advantage you can get!
This article clearly points out why i disliked guys like Tim Couch. Sipe and Kosar EMBRACED being a Brown and loved it and the city. They UNDERSTOOD what it means to be a part of this team. Other guys, just haven't got it. (they got paid and that was it for them)
McCoy seems like a kid who could though and that is exciting.
I also like that Mangini has us practice in the junky stuff. People ragged on him about that...but for the Browns, we NEED to be able to dominate in the sludge. Any advantage you can get!
I think you are being completely unfair to Tim Couch. As far as I know TC embraced being a Cleveland Brown and loved the city. I mean, I know he married a girl from here and to my knowledge he actually still lives in this area. The problem with Couch was that it wasn't just a matter of understanding what it meant to be a part of this team....he WAS the team for all intents and purposes. The burden placed on his shoulders after the "inactive" period was way too much for anyone to bear. As far as I can tell he took that burden on pretty well even though it was too much. It wasn't until he suffered major shoulder injuries that he couldn't do the job. He is still the only QB to lead this team to a playoff season since their return (even though I know Holcomb played in the playoff game due to TC's injury). What you are saying is not that TC didn't "get it" its just that he didn't win enough for you. Fair to say?
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This article clearly points out why i disliked guys like Tim Couch. Sipe and Kosar EMBRACED being a Brown and loved it and the city. They UNDERSTOOD what it means to be a part of this team. Other guys, just haven't got it. (they got paid and that was it for them)
McCoy seems like a kid who could though and that is exciting.
I also like that Mangini has us practice in the junky stuff. People ragged on him about that...but for the Browns, we NEED to be able to dominate in the sludge. Any advantage you can get!
This article clearly points out why i disliked guys like Tim Couch. Sipe and Kosar EMBRACED being a Brown and loved it and the city. They UNDERSTOOD what it means to be a part of this team. Other guys, just haven't got it. (they got paid and that was it for them)
Where did this Tim Couch gripe come from? How can you say that he didn't embrace being a Brown? The love affair between him, the fans, Coach Palmer, and the FO seemed pretty strong.
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It is possible that Couch does not live in this area now because I note that he works for the Kentucky sports network doing commentary on U. of Ky games.
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This article states how I feel about the whole McCoy situation, that is why I posted it. If the kid has the heart and the passion to be successful, coupled with the athletic talent he has, he will be. Also, i love the props to practicing in the raw elements. i was always for that. These players can lay in thier bed of money when they go home, on the field its time to put in the work.
Side note: I was watching Mike And Mike today and they had Holmgren on thier show. During his conversation with them, on the topic of McCoy, he said "in a perfect world" Colt would sit awhile before he plays. But, if he is "the guy" then he will play. Straight from the mans mouth.
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This article clearly points out why i disliked guys like Tim Couch. Sipe and Kosar EMBRACED being a Brown and loved it and the city. They UNDERSTOOD what it means to be a part of this team. Other guys, just haven't got it. (they got paid and that was it for them)
McCoy seems like a kid who could though and that is exciting.
I also like that Mangini has us practice in the junky stuff. People ragged on him about that...but for the Browns, we NEED to be able to dominate in the sludge. Any advantage you can get!
I think you are being completely unfair to Tim Couch. As far as I know TC embraced being a Cleveland Brown and loved the city. I mean, I know he married a girl from here and to my knowledge he actually still lives in this area. The problem with Couch was that it wasn't just a matter of understanding what it meant to be a part of this team....he WAS the team for all intents and purposes. The burden placed on his shoulders after the "inactive" period was way too much for anyone to bear. As far as I can tell he took that burden on pretty well even though it was too much. It wasn't until he suffered major shoulder injuries that he couldn't do the job. He is still the only QB to lead this team to a playoff season since their return (even though I know Holcomb played in the playoff game due to TC's injury). What you are saying is not that TC didn't "get it" its just that he didn't win enough for you. Fair to say?
I think you are being completely unfair to Tim Couch. As far as I know TC embraced being a Cleveland Brown and loved the city. I mean, I know he married a girl from here and to my knowledge he actually still lives in this area. The problem with Couch was that it wasn't just a matter of understanding what it meant to be a part of this team....he WAS the team for all intents and purposes. The burden placed on his shoulders after the "inactive" period was way too much for anyone to bear. As far as I can tell he took that burden on pretty well even though it was too much. It wasn't until he suffered major shoulder injuries that he couldn't do the job. He is still the only QB to lead this team to a playoff season since their return (even though I know Holcomb played in the playoff game due to TC's injury). What you are saying is not that TC didn't "get it" its just that he didn't win enough for you. Fair to say?
Perhaps i AM being unfair to Tim but i just never really got the feeling from him that he connected with our city. I would agree he basically WAS the team, in terms of talent but in relation to how i felt with him leading, i don't know...perhaps it was the winning or lack of it. To me, i always got the feeling he took us for too much money and really played below where a number 1 guy should. A guy like him should be a Lebron but sadly he was more like all the rest of our future high round picks. Not trying to specificially hate on Timmy C but some guys are leaders and comfortable in these kind of enviroments and others, well others are like Couch. Happy enough to be in the town because you were drafted and got paid a bunch of doe. Also, the girl he married was a playboy model, if i'm not mistaken. -Just saying-
Anyway, Gipper...long of the short of it is you COULD be correct. It may've been the lack of winning but in all honesty, i just didn't care for the dude. Something about him always rubbed me wrong.
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Tim Couch is among only a handful of players who "got it" when it came to a Browns Steelers rivalry... Couch, Ryan Tucker, Josh Cribbs to name a few actually get ramped up for these games...
He understood what it meant to the fans and in at least one game put the team on his back and kicked some ass, in prime time to boot....
A healthy Tim Couch with this present roster would have been a delight to witness...
LeBron can put the team on his back and carry them because that is the nature of basketball in general and the NBA in particular... Football is the ultimate team sport, in that, one player can make a team better but one player cannot make a team a consistant winner....
I liked Couch, he embraced the team, city and the Browns culture only to get dissed when he got hurt......
Peace
T.Dawg
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It's a crying shame about Couch. The kid played his guts out, took more hits than any human being should, & the FO NEVER addressed the O line. Basically the only tool he had to work with was KJ. The worst part was some "alleged" fans cheering his injury after the way he played, knowing he was at risk.
To date, Couch was BY FAR the best QB we have had since the Brown's "return".
Mike
IN DORSEY I TRUST -
I have some real advice for colt or any potentially talented rookie QB that lands in cleveland:
Ask for a trade immediately to have any chance at success in the nfl because the browns coaches wont develop you or build around you, all you will be is a cheap undeveloped 3rd QB for this club while less talented mediocre has beens make all the money and win the starts and take this team down the gutter one interception at a time...leave or risk a short fruitless career..
In colts case theres added goodness, many fans and the current coaches wont like you because you are a newbie and or a texan and you are not 7 ft tall with tank like tuffness and you do not possess a small brain equipped with a golden lazer arm for throwing picks and you can scramble, adjust, read defenses and think, these are all no no's in cleveland...
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It's a crying shame about Couch. The kid played his guts out, took more hits than any human being should, & the FO NEVER addressed the O line. Basically the only tool he had to work with was KJ. The worst part was some "alleged" fans cheering his injury after the way he played, knowing he was at risk.
To date, Couch was BY FAR the best QB we have had since the Brown's "return".
Mike
To date, Couch was BY FAR the best QB we have had since the Brown's "return".
Mike
As much as i wasn't a fan of his, i agree with this. He somehow was able to get it done, in spite of his lack of arm strength. He also DID get the Steelers rivalry. Perhaps time will be kinder in my viewing of him. He was tosssed into a TERRIBLE situation in terms of getting beat to death, that much is certain.
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it was really easy to hate on couch back in the day. i remember him blowing that game against the bears in 2001 and how much i hated him after that. holcomb coming in and doing a good job during the 2002 season only exacerbated my negativity towards couch. now, when i go back and look at his numbers and how the team performed overall during the 2001 and 2002 seasons, he is by far the best QB that we've had since coming back. if the browns had established an offensive line from the get-go after the return, there is a good chance that he would still be the team's starting QB today.
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