The chance to break down film with Hue Jackson?
PNC Bank regional director Paul Clark came away impressed with what the Browns coach had to say.
"What a great coach we have," Clark said.
Clark and about 20 guests had the chance to do just that Friday afternoon as part of a Chalk Talk auctioned off in September at the Cleveland Browns Foundation's Radiothon, where all proceeds earned went toward its mission to promote education and youth development across the Greater Cleveland area.
"His ability to articulate a vision for the team and his ability to get into the nitty gritty of how it all works is fantastic," Clark said. "And for our clients and our bankers to be able to witness that today and be a part of that today was something really special."
The Cleveland Browns Foundation raised $271,472 over a 28-hour stretch of continuous radio broadcasting. The auction itself netted $135,736 and Browns owners Dee and Jimmy Haslam announced before the event they would match funds dollar-for-dollar with a donation of their own.
One such item auctioned at the Radiothon was the Chalk Talk, an equally rare and enlightening opportunity to go behind the scenes with Jackson, who reviewed the Browns' 2016 draft class inside the team's war room.
With a laser pointer in tow to point out the finer points of the film, Jackson explained what each of Cleveland's 14 newest members could bring to the team and laid out a vision for the Browns moving forward.
"It's a wonderful opportunity to see a great leader in action, a great manager in action. I was struck by his ability to be very clear in how he articulates what we're trying to accomplish as a team," Clark said. "And the second thing was just the work ethic. Every story and every example (he gave), it's just hard work. That's what it is — it's hard work. But to be able to do with purpose to it is great."
Chief financial officer of Bettcher Industries Tim McNeill -- a season ticket holder of almost 30 years and a guest of Clark -- echoed a similar sentiment.
"(I was) just blown away. Absolutely blown away," said McNeill, whose autistic son participates in the Cleveland Browns Foundation's Adapted Football League, which offers children and adults with disabilities the opportunity to take part in an organized and developmental sport that would otherwise be unavailable to them.
"It's just a breath of fresh air. (Jackson is) very engaging, he's believable, he's got the experience to back it up. And I think this time hopefully the change is going to stick."
McNeill added: "To have someone sit there and analyze and go through film with you, there's nothing like it. To give you the reasons as to why they selected players he selected when all you get is the third-hand media information from Mel Kiper, you can't really put that into words to really try and explain why that layer was chosen and why that player was a good fit to be a Cleveland Brown."
Before the Chalk Talk got underway, Jackson had those in attendance go around the table and introduce themselves in order to get a better idea of his audience.
"I think we went around the table and talked about who we are and what we do during the day. I think he was impressed by the variety of the businesses that were represented, the fact that some were privately owned, some were owned by the employee base, some were public companies, some were big and some were smaller. And I think he just appreciated that diversity," Clark said.
"And I think — I was looking at him as we were going around the table — and I think he could quickly identify the fact we've all had a wide variety of experiences and I think he could relate to that."
McNeill said, "I think he got the sense that the fans here are real. I think they're passionate, I think they're die-hards."
"I think they're not just going to rely on the wins and losses and they're going to stick with the team," he continued. "I think he's learned this is a special place."
