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Hello, and welcome once again to "Inside the NFL Studio." Today we continue
our series of interviews with great men of sport by talking with the head coach
of the Cleveland Browns, a man of untold numbers of grand accomplishments, now
with a franchise whose proud history and tradition stretch back to the days of
Woodrow Wilson, Queen Victoria, and the diplodocus, Mr. Romeo Crennel. Thank
you for joining us, sir, it is indeed an honor.
Crennel: My pleasure, James. I think.
Rashad: Tell us, Mr. Crennel, how you have approached the reinventing
of the sport we to this point have called "Football."
Crennel: We're not reinventing the sport here, James. We're simply
trying to play the sport well. There's nothing to "reinvent."
Rashad: Your modesty is a great as your unparalleled skill and acumen, sir.
Crennel: Um, okay. But my skill isn't going to win diddley. It's the players
who had better have some damn skill, or it won't matter what the hell I do out
there.
Rashad: Deflecting praise, the mark of a true gentleman. Tell me, you have
had a long and distinguished coaching career, to whom would you compare yourself
most accurately? John Wooden? Vince Lombardi?
Crennel: Have you lost your mind? I've been a head coach for one season. We
lost almost twice as many games as we won. Start comparing me to great coaches
when we win something.
Rashad: Well, I am certain that this will only be a matter of time. How would
you compare yourself to Bill Belichick, perhaps the foremost genius of the
twenty-first century?
Crennel (laughs): Coach Belichick would kick your ass if you said that to
his face. Bill's a good friend, and certainly an excellent football coach, but
he's no genius. The man coaches football, for Pete's sake. How freaking
brilliant can he be?
(both men laugh, one sycophantically, one in disbelief)
Rashad: Tell me, what lessons did the Great One impart upon you, his
hand-picked disciple?
Crennel (stunned): Did you have a head injury as a child?
(Rashad laughs nervously)
Crennel: I'm serious, young man, you have a serious problem with reality.
The reality is that Bill Belichick brings a certain defensive philosophy to
whatever team he's coaching, but in the end, it's pretty simple: you put the
best players you can get in the best situations you can and ask them to make the
best decisions and execute to get the best results. This isn't rocket science.
This isn't even programming your cell phone. This is about bringing in guys who
can think and execute at the same time. Ben Taylor can think but not execute.
Chaun Thompson can execute but not think. You need guys who can do both: Bill
had 'em, and we won Super Bowls. I don't, and I haven't won jack. There's your
brilliant insight. Give Belichick my players, he don't make the playoffs. Gimme
his players, we do. The only "genius" is to teach the guys how to think and get
them to commit to executing and trusting their teammates to execute as well.
Rashad: My eyes! I have been struck blind by the brilliant flash of awesome
exceptionality! I call it, "Awceptionalisome!"
Crennel: You are a very strange man.
Rashad: Again, I bow to your unrivaled intellect and powers of perception!
Crennel: Okay, you're kind of freaking me out here. Have you had the mercury
levels in your blood checked? You eat a lot of fish? Is there an actual football
question hiding in that soft-boiled head of yours?
Rashad: Yes, I'm sure everyone would like to know: Charlie Frye. More John
Elway, Brett Favre, or Tom Brady?
Crennel (laughs): You really are insane, aren't you? Charlie Frye? Right
now, you got Don Majkowski. That's it. Could he become an All-Pro, an MVP, a
Super Bowl champion quarterback? Good Lord, you can't answer that in 2006. Use
your brain! He's got potential, and I like the attitude he brings to the game,
but the man can't even figure out whether to shave the top or the bottom part of
his head. Cut him open, and fresh sap will run out, he's so green. You think the
NFL defenses are a little more advances than what he saw from Ball State ? My
guess, and this is only my opinion, is they are, just a little. I'd like him to
stop chucking the ball like he's the only guy on offense with a brain, we'll see
where he goes from there. John Flipping Elway, you really are an idiot, aren't
you?
Rashad: Next to you, my intellect cowers in fear.
Crennel: Good Lord.
Rashad: What developments do you see the Browns making this season? A Super
Bowl? Two Super Bowls?
Crennel (sarcastically): Yes, James, I see the Browns winning two Super
Bowls this season.
Rashad: Fantasmariffical!
Crennel: I'll have to take your word for it. Seriously, the Browns will win
more games this season. That is our goal. Until I know who's on the damn team, I
can't tell you anything. But I'll tell you this: we will have better play from the
front seven against the run, or I will kill and eat Phil Savage.
Rashad: No! You wouldn't!
Crennel: Of course not, you great buffoon. My doctor told me to cut down on
red meat.
(Rashad laughs uncertainly, Crennel remains impassive)
Rashad: What inspiration do you take from your AFC North counterpart, the
hypergenius Brian Billick?
Crennel: He is an inspiration to all NFL head coaches, James.
Rashad (beaming): Yes, he is.
Crennel: If he can win a Super Bowl, there is hope for any of us. Except
Dennis Green, poor guy.
Rashad (knowingly): Because he held Billick back?
Crennel: Of course not, you muttonhead, because he coaches the damn
Cardinals! That is one seriously messed-up franchise right there. No hope at
all.
Rashad (confused): I see.
Crennel: And Rich Kotite, I guess. Give him a job, don't give him a job,
he's got the same chance.
Rashad: Well, that's all the time we have this week. Join us next time ...
Crennel: And Marty Mornhinweg. Serious maroon material there.
Rashad: ... when our guest will be legendary Steelers broadcaster Myron Cope.
Until next time ...
Crennel: Norv Turner, too.
Rashad: ... this has been "Inside the NFL Studio." I am your host, James
Lipton Rashad, wishing you, good night.
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The Right Hon. Sir James
Lipton Rashad received a Bachelor of Arts in Lackeying from the
University of Ohio at Barrett. He received a PhD in Toadying soon
thereafter and is now the Trivisonno Chair of Bootlicking at UOB. He
has trained many members of the Cleveland Press Corps, but left to
pursue his own interests when his pupils surpassed his sycophantic
skills. He can be reached at
jlrashad@theobr.com, where he will no
doubt be thrilled to receive your missive. |