Five things to know about Browns special teams coach Bubba Ventrone

On Mar 11, 2023

Indianapolis Colts special teams coordinator Bubba Ventrone sits on the sidelines during an NFL football game against the Las Vegas Raiders, Sunday, Jan. 2, 2022, in Indianapolis. (AP Photo/Zach Bolinger)

It takes someone unique as a special teams coordinator to generate the kind of buzz that Bubba Ventrone has since the Browns hired him as their assistant head coach/special teams coordinator in late February.

Ventrone’s hiring seemed to be universally welcomed by Browns fans when it was announced Feb. 23. Then again, considering the quick turnaround from the Feb. 21 firing of Mike Priefer to the hiring less than 48 hours later, the Browns themselves seemed to be smitten with the former special-teams standout-turned-special teams coordinator for the Indianapolis Colts.

Of course, many of the Browns fans excited about Ventrone’s return likely remember the four seasons he spent with the team from 2009-12, the last two as special teams captain. Since his playing day ended, he’s gone on to be one of the top special teams coordinators over the last five seasons with the Colts.

Now, Ventrone is back with the Browns, only this time as a coach. To reintroduce you to him, here’s five things from his introductory Zoom call this week with the media.

If you don’t quite remember a Bubba Ventrone from the late 2000s or early 2010s Browns, that’s OK. You may have remembered him better by his actual first name: Raymond.

The Browns officially listed Ventrone by his given first name while he was on the roster. That won’t be the case for him as he returns in a coaching capacity.

“I am not into the Ray mode anymore,” Ventrone said. “Nobody really calls me Ray. Everyone calls me Bubba. My mom calls me Raymond.”

Ventrone grew up in Pittsburgh. He played football collegiately outside of Philadelphia at Villanova University.

So it’s not really a surprise that Cleveland held a special place in Ventrone’s heart from his playing days.

“It is a blue-collar town,” Ventrone said. “It is a blue-collar town that loves football and that is passionate about football. I was here from ‘09-’12, and we didn’t have a lot of successful seasons. We were very good on special teams back then, may I note. Even back then, we didn’t win a lot of football games, but you could just tell that this town just loves football.”

It would be understandable if Ventrone struggled to come up with a favorite memory from his time as a Browns player. It was a time during which his teams went a combined 19-45 under Eric Mangini and Pat Shurmur.

Actually, what remains front of mind from those days isn’t surprising at all. That’s because the memory — a 34-14 win over the New England Patriots on Nov. 7, 2010 — may still be one of the most surprising results in the last 25 years of Browns football.

“We beat them up pretty good,” Ventrone recalled. “I know that is obviously a really hard team to play against every season, so it was a big win in that game. I remember I recovered a fumble off a muffed kick in that game.”

Ventrone made two tackles along with recovering the muffed kick in the game.

The first head coach Ventrone played for in the NFL was Bill Belichick. He signed with the Patriots in 2007, playing in the Super Bowl that season.

When Ventrone’s playing career ended after the 2014 season, the first NFL coach for whom he worked as an assistant was Belichick. He served as an assistant special teams coach under Patriots special teams coordinator Joe Judge from 2015 until he left for the Colts in 2018.

“I credit Bill a huge amount to everything that I have had and the success that I have had,” Ventrone said. “He actually texted me this morning to congratulate me on the job. Bill really has given me my foundation for learning the kicking game. He and (former Patriots special teams coordinator) Brad Seely both have a huge influence in the things I do, how I coach the game, how I call the game and how I see the game. They just have given me a lot of insight, direction and opportunity. Bill gave me opportunities as a player and coach, as did Brad. I am going to use everything I learned from them and hopefully make this group one that we can be proud of.”