There are two topics in pro football about which everyone involved is a con artist, spewing junk just to sway the situation a certain way – their way.
Those topics are the NFL Draft and contract negotiations.
Sunday marks the anniversary of one of these situations that longtime Browns fans may recall.
It was 34 years ago, on April 16, 1983, that Browns owner Art Modell had a lot to say – none of it hopeful — about his attempts to land linebacker Tom Cousineau. Modell declared that he was going to stop trying to sign the former Lakewood St. Edward High school and Ohio State star. According to the owner, Cousineau’s agent, Jimmy Walsh, had not returned his phone calls, which indicated to Modell that he was wasting his time.
Cousineau was drafted No. 1 overall by the Buffalo Bills in 1979, but never signed with them and ended up playing for the Canadian Football League’s Montreal Alouettes for three years. Then he decided to try the NFL again, which interested Modell, who saw Cousineau as a great addition for the Browns both as a player and a box-office attraction with his local ties. So Modell began trying to get Cousineau. But the Bills, who still held his rights, had the ability to match any offer.
So, then, were Modell and the Browns out of luck? Not so fast, my friend.
It was exactly a week later, on April 23, that Modell, returning from Los Angeles where negotiations were held, said that there was a 75-percent chance that a deal to get Cousineau would be struck. And indeed, that‘s exactly what happened, as Cousineau signed with the Browns the next day.
But it came at a steep price – and not just monetarily – as Cleveland gave the Bills its first-round draft pick in 1983, which they used to select a quarterback by the name of Jim Kelly. Perhaps you’ve heard of him.
In one of the greatest drafts in NFL history, Kelly was one of five Pro Football Hall of Famers chosen in the first round that year, the others being John Elway, Dan Marino, Eric Dickerson, Bruce Matthews and Darrell Green.
Why bring all this up? Because the Browns are looking for a quarterback, and there is so much junk out there concerning who they might pick, and where in the draft they will get him, that it’s impossible to separate fact from fiction.
Just as it would have been wise to ignore Modell’s initial comments about Cousineau 34 years ago, it would be wise to ignore all that junk now. We just have to wait – only 11 more days until the draft begins – to see how it all plays out.
