▪︎ Cleveland Browns honor past success with white facemasks ?
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︎ ? So what do you think, like, whatever ?
ROWNS. THE. ABJ'The next chapter': Cleveland Browns honor past success with change to white facemasks
The Cleveland Browns once again will look to the past for inspiration for its uniforms.
The white facemask on the team’s helmet returns after a nearly 20-year hiatus — with a couple of notable exceptions — beginning this season.
“We are excited to honor our storied history through the return of the white facemask,” Cleveland Browns Partner JW Johnson said in a release. “As we continue to write the next chapter of Browns’ history, we reflect on different eras, such as the Kardiac Kids and the return of the franchise, that led us to this place in time.”
Those white facemasks were prevalent during some of the team’s more memorable seasons. The helmets featured them from 1975 to 1995 and were on full display when Brian Sipe and the Kardiac Kids, revived the team’s fortunes in 1980.
They were also prominent when Bernie Kosar, Earnest Byner and Kevin Mack made three AFC championship game appearances. The same helmets were back for the team’s return to the NFL in 1999 and were used until 2005.
The team did use the facemasks on two occasions in the past two seasons in 2022 against the Baltimore Ravens in Week 15 and in 2023 during Week 11.
George M. Thomas
Akron Beacon Journal
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When I think of "classic Browns", I think of Jim Brown, Otto Graham, Dante Lavelli, Lou Groza, Bill Willis, etc.
None of them wore the 1970s invention of mediocre Browns teams and the white facemasks (thanks Art for both). The uniform nerd in me hates the white facemasks. ?
Oh well.
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I understand the importance of the classical gray facemasks, and I understand why guys love the gray facemasks and what they represent in the history of the Browns.
When I think of the whitemasks, I think of my watching games with my Dad, cheering until we were hoarse and crying until there was nothing in the tank...The Drive, The Fumble, the loss in Denver in the '89 AFCC. It reminds me of Mike Baab saying, "I've never met John Elway and if I did, I'm not sure if I'd shake his hand or punch him in the face." The white facemasks make me think of Clay Matthews intercepting Jim Kelly, Eric Metcalf's two punt returns against the Steelers, Brian Brennan getting yards after the catch, Reggie Langhorne going over the middle and Webster Slaughter spiking the ball between legs after sprinting into the end zone and Hanford Dixon and Frank Minnifield locking WRs down. They make me think of beating Dallas in Dallas and the magic of the 1994 season.
For me, there are great nostalgia with both and I would have embraced either as a nod to my childhood heroes of both eras.
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Easily my 2 faves leading both versions of Kardiac Kids in the 80s.
Honorable mention goes to Bill Nelson who got his knees so banged up in Pittsburgh by the time he go here all he had left was a great arm and not much else... He very much was the Carson Palmer of his era... Too bad he had Nick Skorich for a coach and not a real guru like Blanton Collier was.
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Easily my 2 faves leading both versions of Kardiac Kids in the 80s.
Honorable mention goes to Bill Nelson who got his knees so banged up in Pittsburgh by the time he go here all he had left was a great arm and not much else... He very much was the Carson Palmer of his era... Too bad he had Nick Skorich for a coach and not a real guru like Blanton Collier was.
Honorable mention goes to Bill Nelson who got his knees so banged up in Pittsburgh by the time he go here all he had left was a great arm and not much else... He very much was the Carson Palmer of his era... Too bad he had Nick Skorich for a coach and not a real guru like Blanton Collier was.
Nelsen was with the Browns between 1968-1972.
Blanton Collier was his head coach for Nelsen's first three seasons in Cleveland.
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Honorable mention goes to Bill Nelson who got his knees so banged up in Pittsburgh by the time he go here all he had left was a great arm and not much else... He very much was the Carson Palmer of his era... Too bad he had Nick Skorich for a coach and not a real guru like Blanton Collier was.
Nelsen was with the Browns between 1968-1972.
Blanton Collier was his head coach for Nelsen's first three seasons in Cleveland.
Nelsen was with the Browns between 1968-1972.
Blanton Collier was his head coach for Nelsen's first three seasons in Cleveland.
He had some good records in Cleveland when he played. Fans seemed to like him. After 1968 you could see the drop-off in his TD/INT ratio. Here's his record each season played & TDs/INTs:
1968: 11-2 & 19 TDs 10 INTs
1969: 10-3-1 & 23 TDs 19 INTs Pro Bowl
1970: 6-6 & 16 TDs 16 INTs
1971: 9-4 & 13 TDs 23 INTs
1972: 0-1 & 0 TDs 3 INTs
I welcome the only Defensive Coordinator to earn a Superbowl Ring in New Orleans while understanding Revenge of the Nerds is a sequel. "Come get some!" -
Nelsen was with the Browns between 1968-1972.
Blanton Collier was his head coach for Nelsen's first three seasons in Cleveland.
He had some good records in Cleveland when he played. Fans seemed to like him. After 1968 you could see the drop-off in his TD/INT ratio. Here's his record each season played & TDs/INTs:
1968: 11-2 & 19 TDs 10 INTs
1969: 10-3-1 & 23 TDs 19 INTs Pro Bowl
1970: 6-6 & 16 TDs 16 INTs
1971: 9-4 & 13 TDs 23 INTs
1972: 0-1 & 0 TDs 3 INTs
He had some good records in Cleveland when he played. He threw a lot of INTs. Here's his record each season played & TDs/INTs:
1968: 11-2 & 19 TDs 10 INTs
1969: 10-3-1 & 23 TDs 19 INTs Pro Bowl
1970: 6-6 & 16 TDs 16 INTs
1971: 9-4 & 13 TDs 23 INTs
1972: 0-1 & 0 TDs 3 INTs
It definitely is a different game now.
Kind of funny to go back to the "old days" and look at stats of the good quarterbacks... A top QB pre-1980s might complete 52-55% of their passes and throw slightly more touchdowns than interceptions.
Now, QBs routinely complete 60%+ of their passes with a 3 to 1 touchdown to interception ratio - or better...
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Nelsen was with the Browns between 1968-1972.
Blanton Collier was his head coach for Nelsen's first three seasons in Cleveland.
He had some good records in Cleveland when he played. Fans seemed to like him. After 1968 you could see the drop-off in his TD/INT ratio. Here's his record each season played & TDs/INTs:
1968: 11-2 & 19 TDs 10 INTs
1969: 10-3-1 & 23 TDs 19 INTs Pro Bowl
1970: 6-6 & 16 TDs 16 INTs
1971: 9-4 & 13 TDs 23 INTs
1972: 0-1 & 0 TDs 3 INTs
He had some good records in Cleveland when he played. Fans seemed to like him. After 1968 you could see the drop-off in his TD/INT ratio. Here's his record each season played & TDs/INTs:
1968: 11-2 & 19 TDs 10 INTs
1969: 10-3-1 & 23 TDs 19 INTs Pro Bowl
1970: 6-6 & 16 TDs 16 INTs
1971: 9-4 & 13 TDs 23 INTs
1972: 0-1 & 0 TDs 3 INTs
Pretty damn good numbers until Skorich took over but like I said.. By that time like Namath.. His knees went to hell.. Then we made one of the dumbest trades ever sending Paul Warfield to Miami for the right to draft Mike Phipps.. I'll never forget how pissed my old man was when we made that deal.. But my fathers hatred of Modell stemmed from firing Paul Brown. I did get to see Bill Nelson once at a signing once at the now defunct Richmond Mall.. My stepbrother and I ran into Ozzie Newsome quite a lot. He lived down the street from us in East Cleveland. Browns players were often seen like regular joes in the community back then. How time sure has changed things is mind bending.
Nickers...."There are no old running QB's in the NFL "~Sam Rutigliano~ -
I don't care one way or the other about the color of the facemasks, but if this board is any indication of the broader public, cool beans. Looks like JW got it right.
Just a comment on completion percentage. DB's could mug up on receivers a bit more back then. No doubt that through training QBs are more accurate, but it's not like QBs of old weren't accurate. The rules have changed to help increase the percentage.
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He had some good records in Cleveland when he played. Fans seemed to like him. After 1968 you could see the drop-off in his TD/INT ratio. Here's his record each season played & TDs/INTs:
1968: 11-2 & 19 TDs 10 INTs
1969: 10-3-1 & 23 TDs 19 INTs Pro Bowl
1970: 6-6 & 16 TDs 16 INTs
1971: 9-4 & 13 TDs 23 INTs
1972: 0-1 & 0 TDs 3 INTs
Pretty damn good numbers until Skorich took over but like I said.. By that time like Namath.. His knees went to hell.. Then we made one of the dumbest trades ever sending Paul Warfield to Miami for the right to draft Mike Phipps.. I'll never forget how pissed my old man was when we made that deal.. But my fathers hatred of Modell stemmed from firing Paul Brown. I did get to see Bill Nelson once at a signing once at the now defunct Richmond Mall.. My stepbrother and I ran into Ozzie Newsome quite a lot. He lived down the street from us in East Cleveland. Browns players were often seen like regular joes in the community back then. How time sure has changed things is mind bending.
Pretty damn good numbers until Skorich took over but like I said.. By that time like Namath.. His knees went to hell.. Then we made one of the dumbest trades ever sending Paul Warfield to Miami for the right to draft Mike Phipps.. I'll never forget how pissed my old man was when we made that deal.. But my fathers hatred of Modell stemmed from firing Paul Brown. I did get to see Bill Nelson once at a signing once at the now defunct Richmond Mall.. My stepbrother and I ran into Ozzie Newsome quite a lot. He lived down the street from us in East Cleveland. Browns players were often seen like regular joes in the community back then. How time sure has changed things is mind bending.
In 68, I was only 4 years old. Any 1st impressions I had of Bill Nelsen thru 1972 were from whatever my dad saw and said. I got the sense he liked Bill Nelsen and appreciated him trying to play despite the 2 bad knees.
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Pretty damn good numbers until Skorich took over but like I said.. By that time like Namath.. His knees went to hell.. Then we made one of the dumbest trades ever sending Paul Warfield to Miami for the right to draft Mike Phipps.. I'll never forget how pissed my old man was when we made that deal.. But my fathers hatred of Modell stemmed from firing Paul Brown. I did get to see Bill Nelson once at a signing once at the now defunct Richmond Mall.. My stepbrother and I ran into Ozzie Newsome quite a lot. He lived down the street from us in East Cleveland. Browns players were often seen like regular joes in the community back then. How time sure has changed things is mind bending.
In 68, I was only 4 years old. Any 1st impressions I had of Bill Nelsen thru 1972 were from whatever my dad saw and said. I got the sense he liked Bill Nelsen and appreciated him trying to play despite the 2 bad knees.
In 68, I was only 4 years old. Any 1st impressions I had of Bill Nelsen thru 1972 were from whatever my dad saw and said. I got the sense he liked Bill Nelsen and appreciated him trying to play despite the 2 bad knees.
That's pretty much how it was for me.. My Dad had a lot of great stories and facts we loved as kids.. We enjoyed personalities like Jim Otto, Art Donovan and other players around the league that made the league great.. And fun.... I see that lost on the league today. Even if you weren't a fan of their team.. You loved and rooted for guys like Alex Karras, Roman Gabriel, Billy "White Shoes" Johnson. Kenny Stabler and over acheivers like Fred Biletnikoff and Steve Largent and even Danny Abramovitz who overcame the odds..
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I saw where Roman just passed away.
R.I.P. Roman.
If everybody had like minds, we would never learn. -
RIP Roman Gabriel as he set the tone over for Asian-Americans for being athletes. Thoughts and prayers for his family and loved ones.
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Third Helmet possibility?
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BEING A BROWNS FAN IS A TEST TO SEE HOW MUCH YOU CAN TAKE
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