Art Modell is one of 29 semifinalists for the Hall of Fame Class of 2024 in the coach/contributory category. Only one of the 29 will be advanced to the finalist round.
#HeyTony: What are the chances of Art Modell making a belated run at the Hall of Fame?
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Editor's note: Tony Grossi is a Cleveland Browns analyst for TheLandOnDemand.com and 850 ESPN Cleveland. He has covered the Browns since 1984.
Hey Tony: Can you give us an honest assessment of how likely it is that Art Modell makes the HOF? We all know how hard you fought for Cleveland to make sure it didn’t happen. (Thank you for that BTW.) Just wondering how concerned I should be now.
-- AJ, Avon, OH
Hey AJ: Modell has been a finalist for the Hall of Fame three times. Each time he failed to advance beyond the first cut. The last time he was a finalist was in 2020 when the Hall elected a “centennial” class of 20 new inductees to honor the 100th anniversary of the birth of the NFL and reduce the backlog of deserving candidates. A special committee comprised of regular Hall selectors, former league executives, league historians and some active coaches such as Bill Belichick voted on this class. I had no vote. Modell did not advance past the first round. Yet he continues to be nominated as a candidate. That’s not surprising. It takes nothing more than a phone call or letter to the Hall to nominate someone for consideration. What’s irritating is he still receives just enough votes to keep his name in the process. But he doesn’t have nearly the votes to advance to the finalist round, much less be voted in by the regular selector committee.
Hey Tony: Do you think Myles Garrett can turn into a great leader for this team? The Malik Jackson interview has me concerned.
-- Josh, Galena, OH
Hey Josh: I’ve learned to never say never. The Jackson comments were somewhat damning because Jackson was a respected veteran who has no axe to grind with Garrett. I think it’s part of the responsibility of Garrett’s position as the team’s highest-paid and best defensive player to lead by example during every work day and not just on game days. I think it’s a needed next step in his ongoing development as an NFL player. It can happen.
Hey Tony: Will they make the rookies stay in the nuclear bunker at the Greenbrier? I would. LOL. Are you going?
-- Greg, Westlake, OH
Hey Greg: Yes, I’ll be part of the ESPN Cleveland team chronicling the Browns’ eight days at the Greenbrier Resort in White Sulphur Springs, WV. Taking the tour of the nuclear bunker ($40) is on my to-do list.
Hey Tony: Chances the Stefanski & Schwartz marriage turns out to be like Hue & Haley? Will Kev back his DC on discipline issues?
-- Bruce, Mentor, OH
Hey Bruce: The marriage of Hue Jackson and Todd Haley was doomed from the start because neither man had a great deal of respect for the other. It was an arranged marriage by former GM John Dorsey that promoted mistrust and ultimately dysfunction. Kevin Stefanski and Jim Schwartz are two entirely different people from Jackson and Haley. I believe there is strong mutual respect between them. Stefanski definitely needs a “bad cop” to discipline the defense and I think Schwartz will be able to fill that role with Stefanski’s blessing.
Hey Tony: If the Browns don't make the playoffs, do they clean house?
-- Jess, Oakland, CA
Hey Jess: I don’t think it’s that cut-and-dried. Should the Haslams clean house if the team goes 10-7 and misses the playoffs on tie-breakers? I think not.
Hey Tony: Excluding the fact you mentioned the Steelers are slightly better than the Browns, where do you see them now at this point preseason and where do you REALLY see them finishing in the division?
-- Sean (in Navy), Marine Corps Base, Iwakuni, Japan
Hey Sean: Thank you for your service. So, it’s the toughest division in the NFL. All four teams have legitimate hopes of finishing first. The rosters are THAT close. The division will be won beyond quarterback play. The team that plays the best complementary football will finish first. I can see the Browns finishing anywhere from first to fourth. I say the same thing about Baltimore, Cincinnati and Pittsburgh.
Hey Tony: Modell's poor business acumen, while his owner colleagues were hugely profitable, should negatively weigh with voters -- should it not? He was nearly bankrupt!
-- Tim, Dana Point, CA
Hey Tim: Yes, that point has been made by Modell’s detractors, of which there are many. My contention is even if he were a brilliant businessman, breaking a stadium lease and moving the Browns was reason alone to disqualify him as a Hall of Fame candidate. He broke the hearts of a passionate, loyal fan base and violated the NFL's relocation policy solely for personal gain. By the way, Modell remains the only NFL team owner in the league's modern era to brazenly break a lease and move his team. Which is why he paid heavily to do so when the city of Cleveland successfully sued him. (The NFL could not stop him legally.). Every other owner who moved his team -- Al Davis, Robert Irsay, Bud Adams, Bill Bidwill, Stan Kroenke -- had a window in the lease or buyout provision to relocate.
Hey Tony: Why aren't training camp practices televised? It would seem to be a new easy revenue stream for the NFL.
-- Philip, Long Beach, CA
Hey Philip: Even though practices are open to the public – albeit the number of open practices continues to decrease – coaches don’t want those practices blasted on media platforms for opponents to see. Teams now routinely stream their training camp practices on their individual Websites and YouTube channels, but they are careful to edit them down to basic stuff so as not to reveal anything important to opponents.
Hey Tony: Why is [Jerome] Ford considered a better backup running back than [Demetric] Felton? Is there any competition there?
-- Dave, Cedar Park, TX
Hey Dave: Few, if any, personnel experts projected the 5-8 5/8, 189-pound Felton as an NFL running back. As a back in Chip Kelly’s spread offense at UCLA, Felton topped out at 668 yards and a 5.1 rushing average. My oracle on draft projections, Dane Brugler of The Athletic, summarized Felton in his 2021 draft guide thusly: “He projects best in the slot and as a return man.” Ford, 5-10 ½ and 210 pounds, was a pure running back with pass-catching ability at Cincinnati after transferring from Alabama. His last year for the Bearcats he rushed for 1,319 yards for a 6.1 average and 19 touchdowns. Brugler wasn’t as high on Ford as the Browns, who took him in the fifth round while Brugler projected him for the sixth round. Brugler wrote of Ford: “Overall, Ford has room to improve his eyes and timing at the line of scrimmage to be more of a creator, but he has an effective blend of size, strength and speed with upside catching the football. He can provide a punch to an NFL team’s depth chart.” Browns running backs coach Stump Mitchell said last year that he sees Ford as a three-down feature back. There is no positional competition between Ford and Felton in the 2023 camp.
Hey Tony: Who is this year’s Ethan Pocic -- a free agent who went from afterthought to must-resign?
-- Jay, LaGrange, OH
Hey Jay: Pocic took advantage of an unexpected opportunity created by the knee injury suffered by designated starting center Nick Harris on the second play from scrimmage of the 2022 preseason. That kind of story doesn’t happen every year, so I can’t even offer a guess.
Hey Tony: Which UDFAs have a chance to make the 53-person roster?
-- Mark, Silicon Valley, USA
Hey Mark: I would say the odds-on favorite is running back Hassan Hall, who played four years at Louisville and one year at Georgia Tech. He has good speed and return ability. He could be this year’s D’Ernest Johnson and is probably the No. 1 reason the Browns have showed little interest in signing a veteran running back to serve as RB3 behind Nick Chubb and Ford.
