Ozzie Newsome, the tight end of the Hall of Fame Browns and former general manager of Ravens, who now serves as executive vice president of the team, sits down for a few questions and answers with Post columnist Steve Serby:
Q: What did it mean for you to be the first African American general manager of the NFL?
A: Well, I didn’t really realize it until I did a radio interview with [the late] John Thompson. In the interview, he made the statement: “Now, some African Americans can grow up to become GM because you are. You opened the way. ”So, at that point, I realized that it was about work, but also about creating opportunities for other people to support me.
Q: What qualities will Jets fans learn to appreciate from general manager Joe Douglas?
A: Joe is very thorough – very, very thorough. He is a very good listener and has an unbelievable eye for talent. He has a way of describing a player so that everyone in the meeting can understand what that player is and what he does.
Q: What makes Ravens’ head coach John Harbaugh the coach he is?
A: No. 1, he has a passion for football. He is a very good listener, is willing to learn and is not afraid to tackle problems. But he is also astute enough to allow his players to be who they are.
Q: What makes Alabama head coach Nick Saban the coach he is?
A: Nick is motivated. He also likes aspects of coaching. He, like John, their parents were coaches, so they kind of grew up in the business. But Nick has a way of motivating players to make them play. He has a very good knowledge of football, is a very good recruiter and we have been very blessed to have him at the University of Alabama.
Q: What are the characteristics of the ideal football player for Ozzie Newsome?
A: I think the characteristics start with being altruistic, you have to have a passion for the game. You have to be very trainable and you have to have some athletic ability. If you have these characteristics, you probably have a chance to be a good crow.
Q: Coaches and general managers in sports other than football that you admire and why.
A: The guy I most likely admire was Phil Jackson, from the NBA, [because of] what he did with the Bulls and then what he was able to do with the Lakers. He was able to bring all those championships to both cities. He was a guy who was basically a newsboy as a player, but he understood the game and was able to handle some of the higher profile players and get these guys to play and play as a team.
Q: Who are some tight end that you enjoyed watching and enjoy watching now?
A: I always enjoyed watching Jimmie Giles, who played for the Buccaneers and Eagles; Charlie Sanders, who played for the Detroit Lions; of course Kellen [Winslow] – I liked to watch him; Todd Christensen. And then today’s guys; [Travis] Kelce, George Kittle and also [Tony] Gonzalez. You know what? I’m going to piss Shannon [Sharpe] out and don’t mention his name, because he knows what I think about him.
Q: What did Art Modell mean to you (the former owner of Browns and Ravens)?
A: Art was my boss, a mentor and a friend. And having played for him, and how he treated me as a player, and then, [to have] the opportunity to work for him – to become his partner – is unbelievable. Most of my success in my professional career belongs to Art Modell.
Q: Which of your two Super Bowl wins was the sweetest?
A: The first. I mean, I didn’t get a chance to play in the Super Bowl as a player. I won a state championship in high school, both in basketball and football. But it was special. It was special, the first, because it was right after the move, four years after the move. In order to be there with Mr. Modell, who decided to move with his family and his team to a new city and, four years later, we were there holding the Lombardi trophy. It was very special.
Q: Where in history is the defense of 2000 Ravens classified?
A: Right there with the Monsters of the Midway, with the ’85 Bears. I think with the Steelers from 76 to 77, I think they got maybe five members of that team’s Hall of Fame. But I think it suits that, because we were big and physical. We can stop the race. We can play the pass. Also, we had guys who could make it to the quarterback.
Q: What are your memories of Mike Davis’ (Raiders) playoff interception over QB Brian Sipe?
A: Not very well, in the sense that we were going down, we were already in the field goal range; a field goal would have won the game. We took the opportunity to shoot. Basically, it was a game in which Reggie Rucker and I were on the right side. The part’s name was Red-Right 88; I still remember today. And we were basically going to make choices for Dave Logan to come under. And I beat Mike outside the scrimmage line, and Brian [Sipe] I saw and tried to deliver a pass to me, but it was held by the wind. Mike, fighting for his life, looked up and the ball fell right into his hands. And Dave was wide open. It was heartbreak. There has been a lot of talk [as to] why we just didn’t kick the basket, but the way the Kardiac Kids played that year, in every chance we had, we tried, and we went on that particular move.
Q: How was it for you to watch The Drive in the 1986 AFC Championship game against John Elway?
A: It was a lesson learned. When you are not on the pitch, there is nothing you can do but prepare to go there for the next move and the next race. But watching that ride, it drained not only me, but the other guys in the attack. And so, we recovered the ball, but we were so exhausted from watching that move that we were unable to make a first down and ended up throwing or returning the ball to Denver. But I learned back then that if you’re not playing, sit on the bench, stay with your coaches, stay with the other teammates and get ready to go back there to play, and don’t be a spectator.
Q: What do you remember about meeting Bear Bryant for the first time?
A: Well, that was when I was in 10th grade. He came and spoke at our basketball banquet, because one of the seniors was Leon Douglas. He was a highly recruited player, being recruited by UCLA, Kentucky and Louisville. And then he came to speak. Then I was introduced to him, and the basketball coach said to him, “You will probably be back here in two years to recruit this young man.” And he looked at me and said, “Are your grades good?” So it was different, but it was my first opportunity.
Q: Who were your biggest influences while growing up?
A: My parents were there. I had an older brother who was 12 years older than me who was an unbelievable athlete, but he faced the difficulties of trying to be a good player, a good student and then go to an HBCU [historically black college or university] – it was difficult to do that at that time. He ended up going to the Army, but he was a big influence. My high school coach, Coach CT Manley, who started preparing me when I was in seventh grade. Also, I had another assistant coach, Don Creasy, who taught me about two or three different classes, and he was my gym coach.
Q: Three guests for dinner?
A: Martin Luther King Jr., Michael Jordan; Tiger Woods.
Q: Favorite actor?
A: Sidney Poitier.
Q: Favorite singer / artist?
A: Michael Jackson.
Q: Favorite meal?
A: I don’t really know. I’ll say this: everything my mother cooked was always very good – sorry [wife] Glory.
Q: Why was it important for you to join the National Coalition of Minority Football Coaches?
A: No. 1, the commissioner, Roger [Goodell], asked me to join the Workplace Diversity Committee with the National Football League, which we are working on to ensure that the channel is available to African Americans in the position of coach, in the position of coordinator and, hopefully, to become head coaches, as well as GMs in the league. So, if we’re working on it at that level, joining the coalition now allows me to get involved at the high school level, as well as in high school [level], so that there is a channel for young coaches qualified to train at collegiate level and in the National Football League.