I don't think it will get that bad, though, had he still been around, my opinion would likely be different. The fact that the son (David) who everyone in Cleveland despised is also dead also reduces the rage likelihood.conace21 wrote:While popular opinion should never influence a HOF vote, Cleveland fans may riot if Art is elected.
Regarding the Rosenbloom vs. Modell debate, it was Rosenbloom who at least signed off on hiring Ewbank and Shula (as well as Chuck Knox) and was there from the early lean years until the fade in the 70's. Modell took over an established team and usually filled it with a mediocre front office that usually had lousy drafts that only occasionally found a gem.
Modell gets criticized for firing Brown and Belichick, but to be honest, Brown was floundering and the players had basically tuned him out, while Belichick was a coach who made all of his mistakes in his five years and was smart enough to learn from them. Plus, Belichick's Browns teams largely faded in the second half of the season--even excluding the 95 nightmare.
Another longstanding criticism (especially in Cleveland) of Modell was how his tight-fistedness often alienated the team. Guys like Jack Gregory got traded away when money disputes came up, with Leroy Kelly also having a longstanding grudge against him over contract negotiations.
Finally, Modell is still taking heat more than 50 years later because he essentially tried to strongarm Jim Brown into getting to training camp in 1966 rather than finish up The Dirty Dozen. Brown called his bluff and quit, and while he probably wouldn't have played more than another year or two anyway, having him on the roster during that time might have made things more interesting.