We thought he was crazy.

“We” are those of us in the media who were covering the Browns from 1991-95.

“He” is Bill Belichick, who, of course, was the team’s head coach during that time, the last five seasons of the original Browns franchise.

I got along great with Belichick. He seemed to take an interest in me because instead of trying to make him look bad, I was just trying to cover the team. He saw that and respected it, and told me so in a roundabout kind of way.

But I still thought he was crazy.

I mean, he did things no one else in the game was doing at that time.

I mean, his complete and unwavering focus on even the most minute and seemingly insignifiant details of running a team was like that of no one else in the game at that time.

I mean, his desire to win – no matter how much work it took to do it – was like that of no one else in the game at that time.

I mean, his dogmatic perseverance in sticking to the plan that he had laid out was like that of no one in the game at that time.

I mean, his ability to put personalities aside and make the really tough decisions that he felt absolutely needed to made, again for the good of the team, what’s best for the team, as he always used to put it – ever hear of some guy named Bernie Kosar? – was like that of no one else in the game at that time.

I mean, his dogmatic determination to do what he thought was best for the team – even if it didn’t make sense, and it didn’t, at least to us in the media – was like that of no one else in the game at that time.

Going against the grain and doing things that no one else is doing is part of the definition of “crazy.” And so, then, Belichick really was crazy, and still is, for that matter.

Yeah, Belichick was crazy … like a fox. He was doing all these different things – and still is – because he has always seen things no one else sees.

He’s the best head coach in the history of the game – not just the NFL, mind you, but the history of the game.

So beware to anyone who is betting against Belichick and his New England Patriots in Super Bowl 52 on Sunday night. The Belichicks might end up losing the game – I don’t think they will, though it could certainly happen because anything is possible – but anyone who is willing to wager some of his or her hard-earned money against him is … well, crazy.

And I mean it.