choco Posted February 1, 2012 Report Share Posted February 1, 2012 heath evans on the walrus INDIANAPOLIS — Heath Evans could be bitter about Bill Belichick. He allowed Evans to walk in free agency after four of his most productive seasons with the Patriots. But Evans, now a budding star on NFL Network, says if he ever was in charge of building a team, he would do it the way Belichick has with the Patriots. Evans was a member of the Patriots' last Super Bowl team in 2008, facing the Giants. Now, only seven players who played in that game will play this Sunday. Four years, 46 new players. That team was considered to be on the verge of being called the greatest NFL team ever, an eyelash away from 19-0. This year's Patriots team went 13-3 in the regular season and is 2-0 in the playoffs. The Patriots might not be the most likeable team, and Belichick is Enemy No. 1 in a lot of circles, but Evans thinks the coach does things the way they have to be done. "You can't argue with Bill's success," Evans said. "You see these cyclical teams: They get hot and they die off. Well, the Patriots have been hot since 2001. Even in their bad years, they go 11-5 and miss the playoffs in 2008. The Giants would have died to be 11-5 this year." The way Evans would not run a team is the way Mike Holmgren did in Seattle. Holmgren was Evans' coach for his first four seasons in the NFL, from 2001 to 2004, before he signed with New England. Evans said he was "ready to retire" because of the clubhouse cancers he encountered in Seattle, and he blames Holmgren for fostering that kind of environment. "Bunch of selfish guys," Evans said. "Everything from racism to 'I want the ball' to 'It's all about me.' Bad locker room." Evans said what separates Belichick from Holmgren — and from almost any other head coach he has been around — was accountability. "Mike Holmgren didn't coach his star players," Evans said. "It's really kind of true. The most talented football teams I was ever on were those Seahawks teams. But they were complete failures. A lack of consistency, a lack of discipline. Mike was mad at Shaun Alexander for skipping a non-mandatory minicamp, but instead of calling Shaun or reaming him out, he finds me buck naked in the shower and reams me out in front of everybody else. Because I was the 'yes, sir, no, sir' Marine Corps daddy guy. "I wish I would have done it my first year, but I finally said, 'For four years you have mistaken my respect as weakness. Don't ever talk to me that way again.' It really changed my relationship with him for the last three weeks of my career in Seattle. I couldn't get out of there fast enough." And leave he did, signing with the Patriots (after being cut by the Dolphins after only six games in 2005) and playing three years in New England, racking up some of his best career rushing numbers in four seasons there. But the way Evans tells it, individual achievements have nothing to do with the reason he respects Belichick so much. It was the way that he put pressure on every player never to make mental mistakes. Physical ones happen, and Belichick can live with those. But not knowing what you are doing on a given play? Simply not tolerated. "I don't remember ever getting reamed out for making a physical mistake," Evans said. "But I remember getting railroaded for not doing what I was supposed to. But it was (that way) for everybody. Tom Brady, all the way down. "As a young player, you see, 'Hey, I am not the only one.' There's a consistency level that frees your team to be a team and a family. When Brady is getting reamed out just like the 53rd man on the roster, you feel a tightness and a oneness with the group. But when your star players are untouchables and you see them make mistake after mistake after mistake and there is no calling them out or accountability, the young players look back and say, 'I don't respect that man.'" That approach has changed the way Evans approaches his new job. He spent last week in Mobile, Ala. for the Senior Bowl, doing analysis for the network. While he was there, he found himself scouting the prospects with a distinctly Belichickian eye, thinking about all the characteristics he'd want if Evans was putting together a roster. "I'd look at character, I'd look at intangibles and I would look at work ethic," Evans said. "Prime example: Quinton Coples, this big, awesome (defensive) end from UNC. I doubt Bill would touch him with a 10-foot pole. All the talent in the world but had this nonchalant attitude all week during the Senior Bowl. "I was watching and I thought, 'You know ... he has all the ability in the world, but I would be highly surprised if he is in the league in four years.' Truth of the matter is, he'll probably get picked in the first 10 picks (of the draft) and someone will let him hang around for 10 years, but if he doesn't change his work ethic and learn how to attack the game, he will not be successful on the NFL level." The influence of Bill Belichick is far-reaching, and Evans thinks he knows why. "It all comes down to discipline, structure and humility. People say, 'What do you mean humility with Bill Belichick?' Humility to me is a guy laying it all on the line so that others can get the praise. That's what Bill does. It works." ---------------------------------------- this is actually backed up by an incident between shaun alexander and holmgren, when ol' mikey decided to run a QB sneak instead of give the ball to alexander, he missed the rushing title by a yard....and completely blew his top. evans comments lend some explanation. the signs are mounting, and the sheep still rejoice. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bringbackbrownie2 Posted February 1, 2012 Report Share Posted February 1, 2012 So basically Heath Evans hated Holmgren as a coach and loved Belichick. Holmgren is the president now not the coach... So what exactly does this have to do with the Browns? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Gipper Posted February 1, 2012 Report Share Posted February 1, 2012 So basically Heath Evans hated Holmgren as a coach and loved Belichick. Holmgren is the president now not the coach... So what exactly does this have to do with the Browns? ...and Pat Shurmur. Also, exactly what is he accusing Holmgrem of being: not tough enough? too tough? inconsistent? Too me the guy seems contradictory. I wish I knew WTF he is talking about. And correct me if I am wrong, but didn't Holmgren take the Seahawks to the SB AFTER they cut this guy loose? Maybe it was Heath Evans who, indeed, was "the locker room cancer". Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
calfoxwc Posted February 1, 2012 Report Share Posted February 1, 2012 Which is the opposite of how the Browns have been drafting.... Heath is a weasel. Waste of thread space. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tim Couch Pulls Out Posted February 1, 2012 Report Share Posted February 1, 2012 ...and Pat Shurmur. Also, exactly what is he accusing Holmgrem of being: not tough enough? too tough? inconsistent? Too me the guy seems contradictory. I wish I knew WTF he is talking about. And correct me if I am wrong, but didn't Holmgren take the Seahawks to the SB AFTER they cut this guy loose? Maybe it was Heath Evans who, indeed, was "the locker room cancer". I don't see where he contradicts himself, Gip. His claims make perfect sense, and I'm not saying that because I dislike Holmgren. On the contrary, I like Holmgren and I really want him to succeed. But Holmgren does give off that aura of being too "buddy-buddy" with his star players, and for a coach that is not a way to lead a team. Granted, Holmgren is no longer a coach, so this doesn't pertain entirely to our current situation but it still does offer some insight. If you want your players to respect you, you have to treat each player the same. To get the true "family" dynamic, a coach must play no favorites, and hold each player to the same standard. This is true for every level, whether it's high school, college, or the professional level. Say what you want about him, but one thing Belichick does is command the respect of those around him. I dislike the guy heavily, but I do respect his coaching and drafting abilities. Holmgren, on the other hand, seems to give off a different vibe. I can easily believe that he has his core group of favorites, and that he takes his anger out on some of the other "roster fodder" players. I look at it this way. In high school, my HC was part of the good ol' boy network. He grew up in my hometown, his high school buddies were local coaches or business owners and their kids all went to my high school. Naturally, my HC preferred those kids over the others on the team, letting them start at varying "skill" positions even though there were better players on the roster. During practices, his group of kids could do no wrong, whereas the other players seemed to always mess up. I, unfortunately, wasn't part of "that group", but I also wasn't completely written off either. As a 4 year All-State OL at 6'5 330 lb, the HC at least respected my abilities, and tried to include me in "his group", but he also seized every opportunity he could to blame or belittle me on the field. In a way, I was a hybrid, one of the "in crowd" that he could yell at with no repercussions. I tell you that story because, after 4 years, his players refused to play for him. Only 5 or 6 would show up for tryouts, and nobody would care to listen to him. The moment he was fired, nearly 100 kids began attending tryouts. Nobody respected him, and nobody wanted to play for him. I fear it could be the same way for Holmgren, if what Evans says is actually true. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BrownIndian Posted February 1, 2012 Report Share Posted February 1, 2012 I will judge him solely on what he does here. So far im unhappy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rooster Dick Posted February 1, 2012 Report Share Posted February 1, 2012 Problem with our situation is that we have no stars. Also, who the hell is Heath Evans? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
USFBrown Posted February 1, 2012 Report Share Posted February 1, 2012 So basically Heath Evans hated Holmgren as a coach and loved Belichick. Holmgren is the president now not the coach... So what exactly does this have to do with the Browns? Just about everything since he's President and the shit always rolls down hill. It's funny how guys will have double standards on this board. Blind fan passion? Big Gay Ben is a rapist but Jim Brown is Ok. Gimme a break. You can't have it both ways. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
USFBrown Posted February 1, 2012 Report Share Posted February 1, 2012 Which is the opposite of how the Browns have been drafting.... Heath is a weasel. Waste of thread space. Mangini was the one who drafted Smart, Athletic, and Tough. Not defending his draft picks cuz he had some busts but this new regime doesn't care about that. You think Mangini would have drafted Little? No way. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Cysko Kid Posted February 2, 2012 Report Share Posted February 2, 2012 Yeah, I heard this guy's interview on 92.3. While I'm sure he knows more about holmgren than anyone on this board, he sounded like he had a bit of a grudge against him. I'm not sure anything he says is objective. I've had certain bosses that I've hated, and I wouldn't have anything good to say.about them if I had a platform. Im pretty sure this is one of those situations. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
choco Posted February 2, 2012 Author Report Share Posted February 2, 2012 TCPO is da winna! cysko....objectivity is required when looking at an issue one has no first hand knowledge, no facts. evans played under holmgren, and simply described what he thought about the situation that he was a part of. objectivity is not needed in this case....whether he has an axe to grind or not, would that change the fact that holmgren plays favorites and caused dissent amoung his team? this is only to show a glimpse of the savior of this franchise...the football guy that has made crap teams into superbowl teams. so, heath evans isn't credible. how about ron wolf, ya know, the GM that made holmgren into the who he is today? finger pointing at the walrus so, can we at least temper the "complete faith" and the "he's a football guy" crap until he actually does something here? in no way am i saying he's completely incompetent. he's simply not guaranteed success because he doesn't have great football guys around him. he's it now.....and you see that he's not the same guys as in the past. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
1 more season Posted February 2, 2012 Report Share Posted February 2, 2012 Mangini was the one who drafted Smart, Athletic, and Tough. Not defending his draft picks cuz he had some busts but this new regime doesn't care about that. You think Mangini would have drafted Little? No way. No mangini would have traded that pick to the jets. Quit acting like mangini was the answer. He did nothing more or less with the Browns than any other coach has. That is what's so frustrating with that team. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
USFBrown Posted February 2, 2012 Report Share Posted February 2, 2012 No mangini would have traded that pick to the jets. Quit acting like mangini was the answer. He did nothing more or less with the Browns than any other coach has. That is what's so frustrating with that team. Please show me where I said mangini had all the answers. I was refuting the statement that we don't draft guys with issues. Reading comprehension. Try to pick up on that skill. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Gipper Posted February 2, 2012 Report Share Posted February 2, 2012 Reality Check to the Human Race....or at least to those who read this: Star players are going to get treated differently. They are going to be given better, more special treatment. Shaun Alexander, who was an NFL MVP, an NFL leading rusher..is going to get better, preferential treatment over a pine rider like Heath Evans who got nothing but splinters in his ass. Fact of Life. Deal with it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
choco Posted February 2, 2012 Author Report Share Posted February 2, 2012 it would be facvt if all coaches did this. which is not the case. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BrownsFan! Posted February 2, 2012 Report Share Posted February 2, 2012 How is Wolf saying MH failed to make adjustments in one game (albeit the SB) even in the same realm of converstation as Evans complaining about how he felt he was treated by MH in comparison to "star" players (note Evans doesn't tell you what he was ripped for)? Those two are not even the same discussion. MH isn't the coach of the Browns, and has anyone ever said he didn't make mistakes in during a game? What HC hasn't made a mistake in a game. To me this is simply one players opinion (guy has also ripped Saban) of how MH ran his locker room in SEA. That's one guy out of god knows how many players that have played under MH in his 17 years as an NFL head coach. It is worth noting Evans talked about how talented those SEA teams (says most talented he ever played on, when he was on the NE team that went into the SB undefeated). If we are to believe all things Evans says, wouldn't that mean MH was not bad at being GM/HC, as far as aquiring talent (people have said over and over how bad he was as a GM in SEA)? Personally I don't think those teams were that talented, but I would disagree with Evans saying they were failures, since they were in the playoffs 2 of the 4 years Evans played in SEA. As Gipper pointed out, reality is, star players are treated different on almost every team. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bringbackbrownie2 Posted February 2, 2012 Report Share Posted February 2, 2012 Just about everything since he's President and the shit always rolls down hill. I was asking what Heath Evan's opinion had to do with the Browns. And the answer is: absolutely nothing! Just because one former player holds a grudge against Holmgren doesn't mean Holmgren is a terrible coach/president. After all, he did bring 2 different teams to the Super Bowl. It's funny how guys will have double standards on this board. Blind fan passion? Big Gay Ben is a rapist but Jim Brown is Ok. Gimme a break. You can't have it both ways. And this statement makes you sound like the ignorant Ghoolie. This thread has nothing to do with Ben Roethlisberger or Jim Brown (nor have I ever entered in any debate about the two of them). So why bring it up? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BadNewsBrowns Posted February 2, 2012 Report Share Posted February 2, 2012 The Fat Cat Walrus Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
miktoxic Posted February 3, 2012 Report Share Posted February 3, 2012 wow, all he's missing is the strippers, the mound of coke and money falling out of his pockets. (what's the driver of the golf cart doing...rolling a doob?) drinking a strawberry dacquiri and smokin a stog at 9:30 am. now that's the life!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
choco Posted February 3, 2012 Author Report Share Posted February 3, 2012 ^ he's really a very himble guy.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Gipper Posted February 3, 2012 Report Share Posted February 3, 2012 The Fat Cat Walrus I didn't know he smoked. It seems incongruous that a guy associated with sports these days would smoke. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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