Browns Season-in-Review: 2005
The 2005 Season
Record: 6-10
The Browns eternal search for a QB continued again in 2005. Gone were Jeff Garcia, Kelly Holcomb, and Luke McCown and in were Trent Dilfer and rookie 3rd round pick, Charlie Frye. The Browns also over-hauled their running back situation, signing Rueben Droughns, who the previous year, racked up 1,240 rush yards with the Denver Broncos. Most importantly though, the Browns hired former New England Patriots Defensive Coordinator, and 3-time Super Bowl champion, Romeo Crennel as the new Head Coach. The previous year, Crennel had guided the Patriots defensive to the #1 ranking, and looked to help strengthen a weak run defense. In the draft, the Browns selected WR Braylon Edwards with the 3rd pick. Edwards in his time in college for the Michigan Wolverines, set every school receiving record, and won the Biletnikoff Award his senior year. Edwards was brought in to team up with Kellen Winslow, who was looking to return to the field after losing the previous season to a broken leg. However, on May 1st, Winslow decided to end his second year before the season would ever start, when he tore his ACL after falling off his motorcycle, while trying to perform tricks on it. After the draft, the Browns added Kent State QB, Josh Cribbs who would then change positions to kick returner.
The Browns opened the 2005 season on September 11th at home against the Cincinnati Bengals. In usual Browns fashion, they ended up losing their first game of the season, by a score of 27-13. Browns WR Frisman Jackson turned in a virtuoso performance, when he caught 8 passes for 128 yards and 1 touchdown, this would turn out to be his only big game of the season, as he returned to obscurity the next week. Week 2 showed Browns fans why Braylon Edwards was the #3 overall pick, when he racked up 107 receiving yards on 3 catches. Late in the 3rd quarter, Edwards caught an 80 yard touchdown pass to put the Browns up 19-7 over the Green Bay Packers. The Browns would hold on to win their first game by a score of 26-24. In week 4, Antonio Bryant caught two 4th quarter touchdown passes to help the Browns to a 20-10 win over the Chicago Bears; the win gave the Browns a record of 2-2. In week 7, former Browns QB Jeff Garcia was able to lead the Detroit Lions to a win over the Browns by a score of 13-10. The Browns would also go on to lose the next week to the Houston Texans (a team that finished the year at 2-14) by a score of 19-16, the loss dropped the Browns to 2-5. In week 9 the Browns racked up 441 total yards of offense in a 20-14 win over the Tennessee Titans, the win gave the Browns a record of 3-5 at the half way mark.
In the Browns first match up against the Steelers, the Browns lost the game by a score of 34-21, in a Sunday Night Football match up. The Roethlisberger-less Steelers were able to race out to a 27-7 lead, before the Browns made a game of it. In week 11, the Browns held the Miami Dolphins to 55 passing yards, and Rueben Droughns ran for 166 yards, as the Browns shutout the Dolphins by a score of 22-0. Following a 24-12 loss to the Minnesota Vikings, Charlie Frye replaced Trent Dilfer as the starting QB. In his first game, he helped the Browns get out to a 14-3 lead over the Jacksonville Jaguars. Frye threw 2 touchdowns to Braylon Edwards in the 2nd quarter, but later in the game, Edwards would end up tearing his ACL, ending his promising rookie year. The Browns would go on to lose the game by a score of 20-14 dropping their record to 4-9. In week 15, Frye got his first NFL win, when he led the Browns on a game winning drive, capped by a Phil Dawson 37 field goal as time expired in an ugly 9-7 win over the Oakland Raiders. On Christmas Eve, the Browns gave all their fans coal for Christmas, when they lost by a score of 41-0 at home against the Pittsburgh Steelers, in one of the worst losses of the last 15 years. The Browns finished the year on a high note with a 20-16 win over the Baltimore Ravens. Dennis Northcutt sealed the win with a 62 yard punt return for a touchdown, which gave the Browns a 20-16 lead, one that would hold, as the Browns finished the season with a surprising record of 6-10.
Pro Bowl: None
All-Pro: None
Offensive Stats
Total Points: 232 (32nd)
Total Yards: 4,550 (26th)
Passing Yards: Trent Dilfer – 2,321
Passing TD: Trent Dilfer – 11
Passing Int: Trent Dilfer – 12
QB Rating: Trent Dilfer – 76.9
Rush Att: Reuben Droughns – 309
Rush Yards: Reuben Droughns – 1,232
Rush TD: Reuben Droughns – 2
Rec: Antonio Bryant – 69
Rec Yards: Antonio Bryant – 1,009
Rec TD: Antonio Bryant – 4
Defensive Stats
Total Points allowed: 301 (11th)
Total Yards allowed: 5,069 (16th)
Tackles: Andra Davis – 149
Sacks: Chaun Thompson, Alvin Mckinley – 5.0
Int: Brian Russell, Leigh Bodden – 3
–Chris Sladoje
Photo via spokeo.com
Cleveland Browns: Season in Review
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