Pro Football Hall of Fame head coach Paul Brown knew exactly what he was looking for in a player on those early Browns teams.

No matter the position, he wanted guys who were smart, quick, athletic, principled and on the lighter side.

Long before anyone else realized it, Brown knew that football was a game of quickness much more than it was one of hulking behemoths who couldn’t move. Hall of Fame middle guard Bill Willis, who was just 213 pounds, which was small even for those days, was a prime example of that. He once chased down one of the fastest players in the NFL then, New York Giants running Charlie “Choo-Choo” Roberts, to make a touchdown-saving tackle in a playoff game in 1950.

Conversely, Brown used to go back and forth all the time over weight with defensive tackle Forrest “Chubby” Grigg, who was 290 pounds, which was off the charts size-wise for that era, and for Brown’s taste.

Innovations such as that – figuring out what the prototypical Browns player should look like – that he brought to the game are why Brown is considered “The Father of Modern Football.” Indeed, all the good teams now, like the New England Patriots and Pittsburgh Steelers, have followed Brown’s lead by doing exactly that.

The Browns have struggled — mightily – in the expansion era, so it’s not surprising that they have struggled – mightily – to determine what they want in a player. It hasn’t helped that they have changed offensive and defensive schemes as often as some people change socks.

I’ve got an idea. Call me crazy, but I think the prototypical Brown – the kind of player the club should, from this moment forward, be looking for – is someone like future Hall of Fame left tackle Joe Thomas, who announced his retirement from the club last Wednesday and held his  retirement press conference on Monday, and former expansion era Brown Phil Dawson, who is the best kicker in team history.

Thomas was a better left tackle than was Lou Groza, and Dawson, who is still playing in the NFL, was a better kicker here than was Groza. Considering that Groza is in the Hall of Fame and is the man for whom the award as college football’s best kicker every season is named, that’s high praise for both those guys.

Skill.

Class.

Longevity.

Reliability.

Smarts.

Leadership qualities.

Strong work ethic.

Etc. etc., etc.

Joe Thomas and Phil Dawson had it all.

Are you listening, John Dorsey?