NFL's A Football Life Focuses On The Final Days of Cleveland Browns 1.0

The next installment of NFL Network’s and NFL Films’ critically acclaimed documentary series will focus on the demise of the Cleveland Browns when owner Art Modell announced he was moving the team to Baltimore. It’s a painful memory for Browns fans like me. And when the season began, there was hope that the team could make the playoffs, but it all quickly collapsed as the roof caved in.

NFL Films talks with former coach Bill Belichick who assembled quite the staff to surround the team including current college coaches Nick Saban of Alabama and Nick Ferentz of Iowa. Also on the staff was current Detroit Lions coach Jim Schwartz, current NFL Network analyst Mike Lombardi, current Kansas City Chiefs GM Scott Pioli who went with Belichick to New England, former Jets and Browns coach Eric Mangini and so many others.

NFL Films will feature a lot of interviews featuring that Browns staff and former players.

We have the press release and a link to a video preview of the documentary.

STORY OF 1995 CLEVELAND BROWNS DETAILED ON NFL NETWORK’S CLEVELAND ’95: A FOOTBALL LIFE

Emmy-Nominated Series Continues Wednesday, October 3 at 8:00 PM ET
Former Browns Personnel Bill Belichick, Ozzie Newsome, Michael Lombardi, Nick Saban, Scott Pioli Interviewed
“Those years in Cleveland, those teams, those people impacted the NFL. It impacted a lot of football.” – Scott Pioli

On December 17, 1995, the Cleveland Browns played their final game at Cleveland Municipal Stadium before relocating to Baltimore. The latest installment of NFL Network’s Emmy-nominated series A Football Life chronicles the Browns’ final season in Cleveland under head coach Bill Belichick, looks at the immediate impact the relocation had on both the city and the organization, and discovers the roots of a football lineage seeded during that time which has reverberated throughout the football world in the 21st century.

Airing Wednesday, October 3 at 8:00 PM ET on NFL Network, Cleveland ’95: A Football Life details the coaching staff and front office executives who took what they learned during their five years under Belichick and applied it throughout their football careers. From current NFL general managers Ozzie Newsome, Scott Pioli, Thomas Dimitroff and Mike Tannenbaum, to three-time national championship head coach Nick Saban, to former NFL head coach Eric Mangini and current Detroit Lions head coach Jim Schwartz, the Cleveland Browns under Belichick consisted of football’s next generation of leaders who continue to impact the game today.

In all, Belichick’s staff in Cleveland included nine future NFL head coaches and general managers, and three head coaches at major college programs.

The one-hour episode includes never-before-seen footage including Belichick meeting with his former staff in team meeting rooms and of Belichick at home. Additionally, pre and postgame footage from the Browns’ final home game is showcased.

Emmy-nominated actor from CBS’ The Good Wife, Josh Charles, narrates.

The story of the 1995 Cleveland Browns is told through interviews with the following people:

Bill Belichick – New England Patriots head coach
Ozzie Newsome
– Baltimore Ravens general manager
Nick Saban
– University of Alabama head coach
Michael Lombardi
– NFL Network analyst and former Cleveland Browns front office executive
Scott Pioli
– Kansas City Chiefs general manager
Jim Schwartz
– Detroit Lions head coach
Eric Mangini
– ESPN analyst and former New York Jets/Cleveland Browns head coach
Thomas Dimitroff
– Atlanta Falcons general manager
Phil Savage
– Former Cleveland Browns general manager
Mike Tannenbaum
– New York Jets general manager
Kirk Ferentz
– University of Iowa head coach
Matt Stover
– Cleveland Browns kicker, 1991-95
Steve Everitt
– Cleveland Browns offensive lineman, 1993-95
Earnest Byner
– Cleveland Browns running back, 1984-88; 1994-95

For the first look at Cleveland ’95: A Football Life, visit:
http://nflfilms.nfl.com/2012/09/27/first-look-at-a-football-life-1995-cleveland-browns/

Following are select quotes from Cleveland ’95: A Football Life:

  • “We wanted a tough, hard-nosed, blue-collar football team. That’s what Cleveland is and that’s what we wanted our football team to be.” – Bill Belichick
  • “We had a great group of people there and we were all committed to trying to bring that franchise back [to prominence].” – Nick Saban
  • “There was that sense of we had turned the corner. All of that time, all of that work, all of that effort – we were poised to make that next jump.” – Eric Mangini
  • “I felt bad for that team, the players and the coaches that were working so hard with less than no support. The owner was nowhere to be found; he was in Baltimore. It kind of felt like you were on a deserted island fending for yourself.” – Belichick
  • “When I won in 2000 [with the Baltimore Ravens], I owe a lot of that to Bill Belichick.” – Ozzie Newsome
  • “Those years in Cleveland, those teams, those people impacted the NFL. It impacted a lot of football.” – Scott Pioli
  • “We got better every year, our program improved every year. I wish that it would have turned out a bit differently, but we tried to do what we could and the best that we could for ourselves, for the team and for the city of Cleveland. I have no regrets about that.” – Belichick

Below is the remaining broadcast schedule for A Football Life, airing on Wednesday nights at 8:00 PM ET:

  • October 10 – Fearsome Foursome
  • October 17 – Steve McNair
  • October 24 – Eddie DeBartolo
  • October 31 – Chris Spielman
  • November 7 – Jimmy Johnson
  • November 21 – John Riggins
  • December 5 – Barry Sanders
  • December 12 – Marcus Allen
  • December 19 – The Immaculate Reception

I’ll have the Sunday NFL pregame show previews coming later.

About Ken Fang

Ken has been covering the sports media in earnest at his own site, Fang's Bites since May 2007 and at Awful Announcing since March 2013. He provides a unique perspective having been an award-winning radio news reporter in Providence and having worked in local television. Fang celebrates the three Boston Red Sox World Championships in the 21st Century, but continues to be a long-suffering Cleveland Browns fan.

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