Browns Season-in-Review: 2000
The 2000 Season
Record: 3-13
The new millennium had arrived, and everyone survived Y2K. The Browns entered their second season since returning, and were still in the honeymoon phase of football, as in people in Northeast Ohio were just glad to have a team still. In the draft, the Browns had the 1st overall pick for the second straight year, and this time decided to beef up the defensive line when they drafted defensive end, Courtney Brown out of Penn State. Brown the previous year in college had won just about every award a lineman can win, and was considered a can’t miss prospect. Some other notable draft picks were WR Dennis Northcutt (2nd round) and everyone’s favorite quarterback, Spergon Wynn (6th Round). Here’s a fun fact, Tom Brady was drafted 15 picks after Spergon Wynn.
The Browns opened the season at home against the Jacksonville Jaguars and lost their ninth consecutive home game by a score of 27-7. The next week, the Browns would get their first win of the season, with a 24-7 win over Cincinnati, marking the first time the Browns had a .500 record since returning. Week 3 marked the Browns first winning streak, their first win in Cleveland, and the first time a Browns QB would throw for 300 yards in a game since their return. The first home win was a 23-20 victory over the Pittsburgh Steelers, Tim Couch threw for 312 yards and 2 touchdowns in the victory, and through the first 3 weeks, the Browns had a record of 2-1. The Browns would then go on to lose their next 7 games, with none of the games being that close of a score, losing by an average of 19 points. In week 11, the Browns would go on to win their last game of the season, with a 19-11 victory over the New England Patriots. Don’t get too happy folks, Tom Brady was still far down on the depth chart at this point in his career. The win gave the Browns a record of 3-8. The Browns would end the season losing their final 5 games by an average of 27 points. The season was marked when Tim Couch got injured in week 7, and did not return the rest of the season. This forced the Browns to give Doug Pederson (pictured above) and Spergon Wynn a shot at the starting gig. When Tim Couch (I can’t believe I’m actually glamorizing him) started, the Browns averaged 13.6 point per game, without him starting, they averaged 7.3 points per game (excuse me while I puke). This was the start of the Browns quarterback carousel that we have come to both love and hate (well, love as in jokingly love). On the season the Browns average a microscopic 10.1 points per game, good enough of 3rd fewest in NFL history (over a 16-game schedule).
Pro Bowl: None
All-Pro: None
Offensive Stats
Total Points: 161 (31st)
Total Yards: 3530 (31st)
Passing Yards: Tim Couch – 1,483
Passing TD: Tim Couch – 7
Passing Int: Tim Couch – 9
QB Rating: Tim Couch – 77.3
Rush Att: Travis Prentice – 173
Rush Yards: Travis Prentice – 512
Rush TD: Travis Prentice – 7
Rec: Kevin Johnson – 57
Rec Yards: Kevin Johnson – 669
Rec TD: Kevin Johnson/Aaron Shea – 2
Defensive Stats
Total Points allowed: 419 (27th)
Total Yards allowed: 5643 (26th)
Tackles: Wali Rainer – 86
Sacks: Keith McKenzie – 8.0
Int: Corey Fuller – 3
–Chris Sladoje (@CST_Doje)
Photo via Cleveland.com
Cleveland Browns: Season in Review
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