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Cleveland Browns: Stefanski vs Cousins presages Belichick vs Brady

By Elliot Kennel

MINNEAPOLIS, MN - NOVEMBER 25: Quarterbacks Kirk Cousins #8 and Trevor Siemian #3 of the Minnesota Vikings, and quarterbacks coach Kevin Stefanski talk on field before the game against the Green Bay Packers at U.S. Bank Stadium on November 25, 2018 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. (Photo by Hannah Foslien/Getty Images)
MINNEAPOLIS, MN - NOVEMBER 25: Quarterbacks Kirk Cousins #8 and Trevor Siemian #3 of the Minnesota Vikings, and quarterbacks coach Kevin Stefanski talk on field before the game against the Green Bay Packers at U.S. Bank Stadium on November 25, 2018 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. (Photo by Hannah Foslien/Getty Images) /
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Cleveland Browns
SAN DIEGO, CA – JANUARY 24: Bill Callahan head coach of the AFC Champion Oakland Raiders answers questions during a press conference on January 24, 2003 at the San Diego Convention Center in San Diego, California. The Oakland Raiders will face the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Superbowl XXXVII on Sunday January 26, 2003 at Qualcomm Stadium in San Diego, California. (Photo by Doug Pensinger/Getty Images) /

Bill Callahan’s Skywalker moment

Been there, done that. Ask Bill Callahan and his quarterback, Rich Gannon about facing a former mentor. In this case, it was John Gruden, who had been the head coach of the Raiders the year before.

For whatever screwy reason, the Raiders were willing to let Gruden out of his contract and worked out a deal with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. They left offensive coordinator Bill Callahan in charge of running the team. Callahan did a great job and led the team all the way to the AFC championship.

Meanwhile, Gruden also had a great team with Warren Sapp and Tampa Bay and upset Philadelphia to land a Super Bowl berth.

Gruden prepared his team by running the scout team himself. This was captured on documentaries that aired after the Super Bowl. The still-youthful coach had been a quarterback at the University of Dayton, and demonstrated how Rich Gannon was going to scramble and pump-fake before throwing. There has never been a scout team quarterback like John Gruden imitating Rich Gannon. Talk about Jedi mind tricks!

"“I was sharp, I was extremely sharp in that [practice] period. I just wanted the team to get a feel for what it was going to be like. It’s hard to be Rich Gannon, obviously, but I did want them to feel a certain image that he was going to present. He changes plays, two or three times [at the line of scrimmage]. He can change protections, the flow of protection, the running game, and I wanted our players to feel like it was going to be a mind game. I enjoyed it, I really did. I was sore the next day, but I’ll keep that [practice] film forever.” — Jon Gruden, quoted by Leonard Shapiro, “Bucs’ Gruden Steps In Nicely,” Washington Post, January 28, 2003."

So, in the real game, Gruden’s Buccaneers pulled off a massive upset, winning 48-24 after being miscast as four-point underdogs. The Tampa Bay defense picked off Gannon five times. Was that a lucky coincidence? Probably not.

More than likely, the Force was strong among the Buccaneers. If you accept that premise, we may see something like that for the Browns on Sunday. Look for Denzel Ward, JJ3, and JOK and the defensive backfield to be able to read the mind of Cousins and generate an extra turnover or two.

Despite the fact that Raider fans want to blame their former coach for supposedly blowing the Super Bowl, the Browns are unbelievably fortunate to have Bill Callahan on staff. He is one of the most respected coaches in the NFL, especially for developing offensive linemen.

When you see players like Blake Hance and John Dunn coming from out of nowhere to play quality games for the Browns, it may not be a total coincidence that coach Callahan was their mentor.

So, if you are willing to buy the proposition that the old coach has an advantage over the young Jedi, what parallels can be drawn concerning the game in New England between Tampa Bay and New England?

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