We told a Jim Brown story the other day that included Browns head coach Bill Belichick and his top assistant, defensive coordinator.

 

They worked together for the first four (1991-94) of Belichick’s five years on the job, after which Saban left to become the head coach at Michigan State.

 

Belichick is not only the best head coach in the NFL today, but one of the best all-time.

 

Saban is not only the best head coach in the college ranks today, but one of the best all-time.

 

So, with those two great football minds, and another pretty good one in Kirk Ferentz, who spent three seasons (1993-95) as offensive line coach and is now the successful longtime head coach at Iowa, how in the world did Belichick’s Browns make it to the playoffs just once, with only one win?

 

That’s a head-scratcher.

 

Including the members of new head coach Hue Jackson’s staff, the Browns have had about 260 different assistant coaches in their 68 seasons of play going back to that first season of 1946. We sorted through all those names and resumes and tried to come up with the top 40 assistants. We’re going to break it down in four groups of 10. We’ll count backward to No. 1 over the next four days, starting with  Nos. 31 through 40 (the years they coached for the Browns are included in parentheses):

 

40. DAVE REDDING (1982-88) – The man with the red beard was the Browns’ first strength coach, helping them get fit for those runs to the playoffs.

 

39. JERRY SIMMONS (1991-95) – He had the same role of strength coach for all of the Belichick years.

 

38. AL TABOR (1972-77) – One of the first African American coaches in the NFL, he served as the Browns’ first special teams coach.

 

37. STEVE HAGEN – (2001-04, 2009-12) – He did two stints as the tight ends coach.

 

36. LEN FONTES (1980-82) – A man with extensive Ohio ties, he coached the secondary during the Kardiac Kids years.

 

35. BRAD SEELY (2009-10) – Yes, the Browns were dreadful overall during his two-year stay, but his special teams were outstanding.

 

34. ERNIE ADAMS (1991-95) – He still works for Belichick in New England in the same role that was created for him in Cleveland, that of a general, all-purpose second-in-command to the coach.

 

33. JIM BATES (1991-93, 1995) – He served as linebackers coach for Belichick.

 

32. MEL TUCKER (2005-08) – A Cleveland native and former Ohio State assistant who was a fine defensive coach for Romeo Crennel.

 

31. CARL SMITH (2001-04, 2009-10) – Nobody knows more about quarterbacks than this guy.

 

NEXT: Nos. 21-30.