Mistake no more
Spielman signs with Browns, becomes latest team star
Posted: Tuesday February 16, 1999 11:40 PM
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Spielman's Ohio roots and hard-nosed play instantly make him a favorite among Browns fans. AP |
CLEVELAND (AP) - Chris
Spielman had always learned life's lessons in the weight room and on
the football field. Then his wife, Stefanie, was diagnosed with breast
cancer.
After spending most of his adulthood knocking 250-pound fullbacks on
their butts, Spielman was confronted by an opponent he didn't know how to
tackle.
So he quit playing last season for the Buffalo Bills to be with
his family, and the Spielmans took on the disease the only way they knew
how: head on.
Stefanie Spielman is now cancer free, and her husband is returning to
football as a member of the Cleveland Browns.
"I learned what real courage is from her," Spielman said Tuesday. 'What
real toughness is, and what unconditional love is. You don't know what
stress is until you're waiting for a biopsy report. That's stress.'
The expansion Browns acquired the 33-year-old Spielman on Tuesday for
past considerations. Spielman hasn't played a down in the NFL since 1997
following neck surgery and his one-season sabbatical to care for his
family.
Skeptics are wondering what the former Pro Bowl linebacker might have
left. Go ahead and wonder, Spielman warns.
"Some people might look at it as a gamble," he said. "But anyone who
has ever bet against me in football has lost. It's irrelevant what anybody
else thinks."
The Browns, who also signed free agent offensive tackle Orlando Brown and
cornerback Corey Fuller
on Tuesday, are banking on Spielman providing them with solid linebacking
and leadership for the next three years.
"He is the kind of player any coach would want," said Browns coach Chris
Palmer. "He's a winner with an intense desire to excel."
Spielman's Ohio roots instantly make him the new Browns' star. He's
played every snap as if it was his last throughout a career that began in
Massillon, Ohio and continued at Ohio State. Stories of his workout regime
as well as his pregame preparation rituals are already part of this state's
football lore.
"It's great to be home," he said. "I'm a Northeast Ohio guy. I'm about
as Northeast Ohio as you can get. Steel mill or whatever you want to call
it."
Spielman, drafted in the second round by Detroit in 1988, played eight
seasons and made four Pro Bowls for the Lions. He was signed as a free
agent by the Bills in 1996.
"I seem to have a problem getting off Lake Erie," he said. "From Detroit
to Buffalo to Cleveland."
Spielman was limited to just nine games in 1997 when his season was cut
short by his neck injury. And then as he prepared to return, Stefanie got
cancer.
For Spielman the decision to become a stay-at-home-daddy was an easy
one.
"If I didn't do the things I did for my family last year I wouldn't be a
man," he said. "I did what was right."
When Stefanie lost her hair during chemotherapy, Spielman shaved his head
so she wouldn't feel alone. And to deal with the stress, Spielman would
drive over to Ohio State from his home in Columbus to work out.
He thinks during the time off he was able to improve his speed and
quickness, and thinks he's in better shape than when he left football. And
as for his neck, and the pounding it will take, Spielman isn't worried.
"I'll never be the player I despise," he said. "If I ever ducked a hit,
I'd give my money back and walk off the field."
Spielman said he hopes play out the three years remaining on the
contract that transferred over from the Bills.
"I don't want to put limits on myself," said Spielman, who has coaching
aspirations. "I think I can fulfill my contract here at a high level but
after that I don't know. I want to give them everything I can for three
years."
Brown, a 6-foot-7, 350-pound tackle nicknamed "Zeus," will be the
second former Browns player to return to Cleveland. Last week, the Browns
used their final expansion draft pick to select cornerback Antonio Langham.
Brown, who has reportedly signed a seven-year, $26 million deal, gives the
Browns three young, quality offensive linemen. The 28-year-old will join
guard Jim Pyne and
center Dave Wohlabaugh,
the former Patriot, who signed a seven-year, $26.25 million contract
Saturday night.
"My name is Zeus," said Brown, who first came to the Browns as an
undrafted free agent in 1993. "I'm ready to play ball, bang some heads and
get some Ws {wins}. I'm glad to be back. I missed the Dawg Pound."
Copyright 2003 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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