Bud Carson Makes Believers of Browns’ Fans With Impressive Debut

CLEVELAND —  If Bud Carson ever wrote down his philosophy of life, it probably would come out sounding something like Murphy’s Law: If something can go wrong, it will, and it will go wrong at the worst possible moment. So, as he was standing on the sidelines during his NFL head-coaching debut Sunday at Pittsburgh’s Three Rivers Stadium watching his Browns beat the Steelers worse than anyone ever had in the 57 years of their existence, Carson could not believe his eyes -- could not believe something so good could happen to him.

Describing the Browns’ shocking 51-0 victory, Carson Tuesday said, “It was a feeling of disbelief, and I was afraid it would all fall apart. We had a lot of fantastic luck. It was the type of thing that happens once in a lifetime.”

The folks in Cleveland were no less astonished than Carson. Browns fans have not been quick to embrace the 58-year-old former New York Jets defensive coordinator who was largely unknown to them when owner Art Modell brought him in to replace Marty Schottenheimer.

Schottenheimer led the Browns to four straight playoff appearances, but he refused to give in to Modell’s desire to take a more innovative approach on offense.

Upon his arrival, Carson caused a public furor with his aborted plan to move popular Pro Bowl cornerback Hanford Dixon to safety. A 1-4 -preseason record only heightened the skepticism.

But the eye-opener in Pittsburgh ought to convince a few people that Carson knows what he’s doing. He promised an attack defense, and the Browns forced eight turnovers, scored three defensive touchdowns and recorded seven sacks. The headline in the Cleveland Plain-Dealer’s sports section on Monday, in type the size of the letter at the top of an eye chart, read simply: “51-0!”

Knowing Carson’s penchant for finding the black lining in a silver cloud, the Plain-Dealer’s Tony Grossi wrote: “Bud Carson, that great worrywart, must be wondering if it’s all downhill from here.”

It would be next to impossible to play better. The Steelers were held to a record-low 53 yards and five first downs. “It was quite evident that was not a normal football game,” Carson said afterward. “In all categories, we played almost a perfect game. I’ve never seen a defense create as many turnovers. It was one of the greatest games a defense can play in the NFL.”

The only thing that bothered Carson about winning that way was the effect it had on Steelers Coach Chuck Noll, who gave Carson his start in the NFL in 1972. It was Carson who put together the “Steel Curtain” defense for the first two of Noll’s four Super Bowl champions.

“Chuck is a good friend,” Carson said. “A 7-6 win might’ve been better.” The touching thing was that he meant it.

Carson’s emotions, which he always wears on his sleeve on game day, should be running just as high Sunday at Cleveland Stadium for the Browns’ home opener against the Jets (0-1). Not that he has anything against the Jets. In fact, Carson has always been grateful to Coach Joe Walton for resurrecting his career by hiring him in 1985 after a year out of football. But it’s a matter of pride.

“It will be another (emotional game),” Carson said. “But they all count one, no matter who they are. You can’t afford to make any game too big for your football squad.”

The battle of wits between Carson, who calls all the defensive signals, and Walton will be an intriguing one. All of the Jets’ offensive weapons will not be at Walton’s disposal because of injuries to wide receivers Al Toon and Wesley Walker, so, Carson goes in with a clear advantage.

No one is better at putting together a defensive game plan than Carson, which explains the difference between the Browns’ indifferent preseason performance and their remarkable display against the Steelers, who had injury problems on the offensive line that Carson exploited.

“We had not played well in the preseason, and I was concerned,” Carson admitted. “Of course, we really hadn’t game-planned because we were trying to find out who the football players were.”

During the week before the opener, Carson finally resolved the uproar over Dixon’s status by returning him to cornerback. The 30-year-old seemed to have lost a step in the past year, which was one reason Carson moved him to free safety. Early in training camp, Carson, who is known for his honesty, said Dixon was “showing slippage.” That remark, for which Carson apologized, caused most of the trouble. In fact, Carson says it actually was Dixon’s idea to move to safety.

“He wanted to be a safety; I think he talked to (49ers safety) Ronnie Lott at the Pro Bowl,” Carson said. “I was trying to let him do that. I moved him back to cornerback because he looked completely different than when I first watched him. He just was a very slow starter. He can still run, or, I wouldn’t have put him back. There’s no question in my mind that I made a mistake.”

As harsh as Carson can be at times with his blunt criticism, his players know and appreciate the fact that he accepts his share of the blame when things go wrong. When someone asked him Sunday if Dixon’s return to cornerback were permanent, Carson replied, “Hanford is the cornerback until I screw it up again and move him back.”

If Carson’s honesty has offended some people or gotten him into trouble along the way, it also is the quality that caused so many associates to speak up for him last January when they heard that he had a shot at the Browns’ job. Former Steelers greats Mel Blount, Jack Ham and Andy Russell made unsolicited calls to Modell to put in a good word. So did Steelers owner Dan Rooney, former Rams general manager Don Klosterman and Jets owner Leon Hess.

“Leon Hess called and talked about Bud Carson the man,” Modell recalled. “He said, ‘You will not find a finer man.”’

Modell hired Carson with the expectation that he could get the Browns to the Super Bowl, but in a way, the pressure is no more than Carson put on himself in all the years he spent grinding to get a head job. His days of wondering and wandering to seven NFL teams are over. Cleveland is the final stop. “This is it,” Carson said. “I’m not going anyplace else to coach football. I promised that to my wife, Linda. She’s sick of moving, and I am, too.”