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Bill Belichick: The West Coast Offense should be called "The Ohio River Offense."


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Three years ago before Bill Belichick tied Paul Brown on the all-time coaches win list, he wore a fedora in honor of Brown. Photo courtesy of Kissing Suzy Kolber website

On every Bill Belichick conference call before the Patriots face the Bengals, the conversation comes up about his reverence for Paul Brown.

Belichick’s godfather, Bill Edwards, played and coached with Brown. Edwards then coached with Belichick’s father, Steve. At the league meetings two years ago, Belichick talked about visiting Browns training camp and then Bengals camp in Wilmington while growing up and how Brown was always very accommodating.

Before the Patriots played the Bengals in 2004, Belichick said he had two copies of Brown’s biography, “PB: The Paul Brown Story.” One of the copies was autographed by Brown but got ate by Belichick’s dog. When asked during that call what happened to the dog, Belichick said the dog wasn’t around anymore. When another writer asked what kind of dog it was, Belichick said it was  “A dead dog.”

On Wednesday, Belichick said he was able to get that copy replaced but it is not an autographed copy like the original. He also repeated something that he has said in the past, that the West Coast Offense should be named the Ohio River Offense “because it’s really Paul Brown’s offense that (Bill) Walsh took out of there.”

Belichick added: “He was so far ahead of his time in all other organizational things, a lot of schematic things. The preparation that we do, it all very very similar to what he did half a century ago. The more I know about Paul Brown the more I’m impressed by him.”

When asked what are the biggest things we see today offensively that were influenced by Brown, Belichick was quick to point out the possession passing game.

“You can pass the ball for five, six yards and that’s a good play. It moves the chains and it keeps the down and distance in your favor. The pass doesn’t have to be 15-to-18 yards down field, where a big gain or an incomplete pass and you have a lot of second-and-10s,” Belichick said. “He was able to use his backs in the passing game, which is such trademark of the West Coast Offense when they had (Paul) Robinson and those guys. Using the tight ends on short, intermediate routes. Not always the 12 to 15 yard routes. Being able to get them the ball. The whole catch-and-run principles that were in those drive routes, those underneath crossing routes where it’s a two or three yard pass, but you get the ball in the hands of a good player and you can make 15 out of it.

“The balance he had offensively, he was so far ahead of his time, even going back to Cleveland. You saw a lot of that even back in that day. Those toss sweeps that they ran ,a s well as the inside running game , and they did a good job getting the ball down the field as well. I just think it was expanded to a different level, and one that is more familiar to the current NFL when he went to Cincinnati in the late ’60s and implemented what is now the West Coast Offense, which to me is Paul Brown’s offense.”

 

http://cincinnati.com/blogs/bengals/2013/10/03/the-walkthrough-belichick-on-paul-brown-and-modern-offenses/

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“You can pass the ball for five, six yards and that’s a good play. It moves the chains and it keeps the down and distance in your favor. The pass doesn’t have to be 15-to-18 yards down field, where a big gain or an incomplete pass and you have a lot of second-and-10s,” Belichick said. “He was able to use his backs in the passing game, which is such trademark of the West Coast Offense when they had (Paul) Robinson and those guys. Using the tight ends on short, intermediate routes. Not always the 12 to 15 yard routes. Being able to get them the ball. The whole catch-and-run principles that were in those drive routes, those underneath crossing routes where it’s a two or three yard pass, but you get the ball in the hands of a good player and you can make 15 out of it.

 

 

hello, coach gruden...please read the above.

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Before the Patriots played the Bengals in 2004, Belichick said he had two copies of Brown’s biography, “PB: The Paul Brown Story.” One of the copies was autographed by Brown but got ate by Belichick’s dog.

 

Professional writer and Professional Editor.   Here's your citation from the grammar police.

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I have a copy of this on my bedside night stand.  It's must-reading for any PB fan, and any Bengals fan for that matter.  

 

The chapter about the 1950 Ravens is inspiring.  It should be made into a movie.

 

 

 

I remember that... they beat the Jags in the world series.... amazing

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I remember that... they beat the Jags in the world series.... amazing

 

Actually, Paul Brown's team played and beat the Rams in the NFL Championship Game.  The team in Cleveland was known as the Browns, but they go by a different name these days.

 

The team currently playing in Cleveland should be named after it's founder, Al Lerner, instead of being named after a team that was named after it's founder, Paul Brown.

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