The sudden impact of Butch Davis.(Brief Article)

Nobody is comparing Cleveland coach Butch Davis to Bill Parcells. Nor should they--yet. But there are similarities between the two coaches, including the ability to influence team attitudes, the willingness to adapt and, finally, the skill to turn losers into winners.

Attitude. Players, coaches and team officials who were with the Browns for both the Chris Palmer reign and now the new Davis era say that the biggest difference has been attitude. Palmer would threaten a player's job security when mistakes were made. That doesn't happen under Davis and, as a result, players no longer are afraid to make mistakes. Players are made aware of their mistakes, but in a more constructive fashion, and that has led to less tentative play.

Davis' attention to gaining an emotional edge has been another key for a roster with most of the players age 26 or younger. As early as training camp, the players were encouraged to be vocal, intense and competitive in every drill.

Davis took a frustrated franchise--which had five wins in its first 32 games after joining the league through expansion--and gave it a winning attitude before coaching a single game for the Browns. Now, the team has a winning record to match.

Adapting the offense to fit the talent. Palmer was criticized for not adjusting his system to fit his personnel. The first order of business for Davis was installing an offense that emphasized the physical skills and mental abilities of quarterback Tim Couch and the receivers.

The spread, short-passing game put together by Davis and coordinator Bruce Arians is a better fit for the Browns' receivers and Couch. Under the old regime, the receivers could come to the line of scrimmage with as many as three route options. For a receiver unit with so many young and inexperienced players, that was too much to ask. Now, barring an audible at ...