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1985 Cleveland Browns season

NFL team season

NFL team season

FieldValue
teamCleveland Browns
year1985
coachMarty Schottenheimer
general managerErnie Accorsi
ownerArt Modell
stadiumCleveland Municipal Stadium
record8–8
division_place1st AFC Central
playoffsLost Divisional Playoffs
(at Dolphins) 21–24
pro bowlersTE Ozzie Newsome
FB Kevin Mack
NT Bob Golic
OLB Clay Matthews Jr.
OLB Chip Banks
shortnavlinkBrowns seasons

(at Dolphins) 21–24 FB Kevin Mack NT Bob Golic OLB Clay Matthews Jr. OLB Chip Banks The 1985 Cleveland Browns season was the team's 36th season with the National Football League.

This was the first of three consecutive AFC Central titles for the Browns. In Marty Schottenheimer's first full year as head coach, the Browns bounced back from a 5–11 season in 1984 to make the playoffs, despite a .500 season. Rookie quarterback Bernie Kosar led the Browns' offense; Ozzie Newsome's 62 receptions earned him a trip to the Pro Bowl; Earnest Byner and Kevin Mack each rushed for over 1,000 yards.

In the Divisional Playoffs, the Browns led the Miami Dolphins 21–3 in the third quarter, but in a scene that would be repeated 4 more times in the 1980s, the Browns collapsed down the stretch as the Dolphins came back to score three touchdowns to win the game 24–21.

In 2004, Football Outsiders named the 1985 Browns as one of the "worst playoff teams ever":

Opponents outscored them 287–294, and they were blown out in two of their last three games (31–13 by the Seahawks and 37–10 by the Jets). They took a 21–3 lead over the Dolphins in the playoffs, only to watch Dan Marino and company score 21 unanswered points to win the game.

The 1985 Browns are probably best known for having two 1,000-yard rushers in Earnest Byner and Kevin Mack. Despite that impressive feat, the Browns were only fourth in the AFC in team rushing yards. They were 13th in the conference in passing yards, thanks to rookie quarterback Bernie Kosar and journeyman Gary Danielson. What that team did very well was play defense and take advantage of a weak division. The Browns swept the 5–11 Oilers and split with the 7–9 Bengals and Steelers. A 28–21 win in week 15 against the Oilers proved to be the division capper: Kosar threw three TDs to open up a 28–7 lead, and the defense withstood a comeback driven by Warren Moon.

Until 2011, Cleveland's .500 winning percentage held the record for the lowest such percentage for a division winning playoff team in a non-strike season; the record was tied by the 2008 San Diego Chargers, then broken by the 2010 Seattle Seahawks. (Incidentally, in 1985 and 2008, teams with 11–5 records – Denver in 1985, New England in 2008—missed the playoffs.)

Personnel

Staff

  • President and Owner – Art Modell

  • Executive Vice President of football operations – Ernie Accorsi

  • Head coach – Marty Schottenheimer

  • Offensive coordinator – Joe Pendry

  • Quarterbacks – Greg Landry

  • Running backs – Steve Crosby

  • Receivers – Richard Mann

  • Offensive line – Howard Mudd

  • Defensive coordinator – Tom Bettis

  • Defensive line – Tom Pratt

  • Linebackers – Tom Olivadotti

  • Special assistant – Darvin Wallis

  • Special teams – Bill Cowher

  • Strength and conditioning – Dave Redding

Roster

  • Clay Matthews OLB

Schedule

Cleveland Brownsyear=1985border=2}}"WeekCleveland Brownsyear=1985border=2}}"DateCleveland Brownsyear=1985border=2}}"OpponentCleveland Brownsyear=1985border=2}}"ResultCleveland Brownsyear=1985border=2}}"RecordCleveland Brownsyear=1985border=2}}"VenueCleveland Brownsyear=1985border=2}}"AttendanceCleveland Brownsyear=1985border=2}}"Recap12345678910111213141516
September 8St. Louis CardinalsL 24–270–1Cleveland Municipal Stadium62,107Recap
Pittsburgh SteelersW 17–71–1Cleveland Municipal Stadium79,042Recap
September 22at Dallas CowboysL 7–201–2Texas Stadium61,456Recap
September 29at San Diego ChargersW 21–72–2Jack Murphy Stadium52,107Recap
October 6New England PatriotsW 24–203–2Cleveland Municipal Stadium62,139Recap
October 13at Houston OilersW 21–64–2Houston Astrodome38,386Recap
October 20Los Angeles RaidersL 20–214–3Cleveland Municipal Stadium77,928Recap
October 27Washington RedskinsL 7–144–4Cleveland Municipal Stadium78,540Recap
November 3at Pittsburgh SteelersL 9–104–5Three Rivers Stadium51,976Recap
November 10at Cincinnati BengalsL 10–274–6Riverfront Stadium57,293Recap
November 17Buffalo BillsW 17–75–6Cleveland Municipal Stadium54,478Recap
November 24Cincinnati BengalsW 24–66–6Cleveland Municipal Stadium74,439Recap
December 1at New York GiantsW 35–337–6Giants Stadium66,482Recap
December 8at Seattle SeahawksL 13–317–7Kingdome58,477Recap
December 15Houston OilersW 28–218–7Cleveland Municipal Stadium50,793Recap
December 22at New York JetsL 10–378–8Giants Stadium59,073Recap

Note: Intra-division opponents are in bold text.

Postseason

Cleveland Brownsyear=1985border=2}}"RoundCleveland Brownsyear=1985border=2}}"DateCleveland Brownsyear=1985border=2}}"Opponent (seed)Cleveland Brownsyear=1985border=2}}"ResultCleveland Brownsyear=1985border=2}}"RecordCleveland Brownsyear=1985border=2}}"VenueCleveland Brownsyear=1985border=2}}"AttendanceCleveland Brownsyear=1985border=2}}"RecapDivisional
January 4, 1986at Miami Dolphins (2)L 21–240–1Miami Orange Bowl75,128Recap

Standings

Notes

References

References

  1. [http://www.footballoutsiders.com/walkthrough/2004/skin-teeth-worst-playoff-teams-ever Football Outsiders: Skin of the Teeth: The Worst Playoff Teams Ever]
  2. "All-Time Assistant Coaches". ClevelandBrowns.com.
  3. "1985 Cleveland Browns Starters, Roster, & Players".
Info: Wikipedia Source

This article was imported from Wikipedia and is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Content has been adapted to SurfDoc format. Original contributors can be found on the article history page.

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