Season-in-review team reports — AFC
Central
As published in print Feb. 6, 2002
2001 record: 7-9 |
| Overview |
| After enduring a pair of miserable seasons after re-entering the NFL in
1999, the Browns appear to have turned the corner. They achieved respectability during
Butch Davis’ first season as head coach. The Browns believe they will be in a
position to challenge for the playoffs in 2002. |
| Turning point |
| The Browns began to believe things were different this season in Weeks
Three and Four. Heading into Week Three’s game in Jacksonville, the Browns were 1-1.
Then they beat the Jaguars and followed that up with a win over the Chargers. Both of
those wins were over previously unbeaten teams. |
| Offensive MVP |
| Early on, Davis was not a big Kevin Johnson fan. In fact, the first-year
head coach seriously considered dealing Johnson, who wasn’t thrilled about being
shopped around but used it as a motivational tool. Johnson got in a productive groove with
QB Tim Couch right away, and it paid dividends over the course of the season. Johnson
wound up as the Browns’ only consistent threat in the passing game, catching 84
passes for 1,097 yards with nine touchdowns. |
| Defensive MVP |
| OLB Jamir Miller had a huge season in Davis’ new defense. Miller had
a career high in sacks with 13. He often was shifted to the defensive end in nickel
situations but also played two entire games at end because of injuries to the starters at
the position. For his outstanding play in 2001, Miller earned his first Pro Bowl berth and
was named an All-Pro. |
| Biggest surprise |
| After going 5-27 in two seasons under former head coach Chris Palmer, it
was shocking how quickly Davis was able to erase the losing attitude that had built up in
the players. Davis was able to get the Browns to believe that they could beat any opponent
on any day. |
| Biggest disappointment |
| The Browns had high hopes for their defensive line, especially
considering the presence of DE Courtney Brown and DT Gerard Warren. That young duo, along
with DE Keith McKenzie and DT Orpheus Roye, was supposed to be the cornerstone of a very
strong defensive line. However, the Browns didn’t get to see that unit intact very
often because of injuries. In fact, the starting defensive line played together for just
one quarter all season. |
| Rookie recap |
| Warren didn’t get off to a great start, but he did come on in the
second half of the season. He played more snaps than any other defensive lineman on the
team and finished with five sacks and a team-high 34 QB pressures. Second-round WR Quincy
Morgan struggled with his consistency. He was given an opportunity to win the No. 2 WR
job, but his few big plays were overshadowed by a lot of dropped balls and some key
fumbles. Third-round RB James Jackson was the team’s leading rusher, but he was
dogged by injuries and averaged only 2.8 yards per carry. Fourth-rounder Anthony Henry
made a successful switch from safety to cornerback. Even though he played primarily in the
nickel defense, he picked off 10 passes. The Browns rescinded their rights to fifth-round
pick Jeremiah Pharms after he was charged with a felony. Sixth-round S Michael Jameson
spent the year on injured reserve, but the Browns like his potential. Seventh-round OG
Paul Zukauskas was a backup all year, and seventh-round WR Andre King ended the year as
the No. 3 wideout. Free-agent RB Ben Gay has a ton of potential that the Browns hope to
tap next season. |
| Free-agent/trade review |
| OLB Dwayne Rudd was the team’s leading tackler and greatly upgraded
the speed on defense. Ross Verba was signed to play right tackle but wound up at left
tackle, a spot he’s liable to keep next season. TE Rickey Dudley was hurt early. Mark
Smith was a solid part of the DT rotation. Kelly Holcomb was a good backup quarterback in
limited action. LB Brant Boyer played a lot of key snaps in the nickel defense and on
special teams. H-back Mike Sellers was cut after getting into some off-the-field trouble. |
| Team leaders |
Rushing — James Jackson, 554 yards on 195 carries, 2.8 avg., 2 TDs.
Passing — Tim Couch, 272-454 attempts for 3,040 yards, 17 TDs, 21 interceptions, 73.1
rating.
Receiving — Kevin Johnson, 84 receptions for 1,097 yards, 13.1 avg., 9 TDs.
Scoring — Phil Dawson, 95 points on 29 PATs and 22 FGs.
Kickoff returns — Ben Gay, 23 for 513 yards, 22.3 avg., 0 TDs.
Punt returns — Kevin Johnson, 14 for 117 yards, 8.4 avg., 0 TDs.
Punting — Chris Gardocki, 99 for 42.9 avg., 34.6 net, 9 TB, 25 inside 20, 0 blk.,
69L.
Interceptions — Anthony Henry, 10 for 177 yards, 17.7 avg., 1 TDs.
Sacks — Jamir Miller, 13. |
| Results |
Pointspread Shown Refers to Cleveland.
| Date |
Opponent |
Spread |
Score |
| Sept. 9 |
Seattle |
(+3) |
6-9 |
| Sept. 23 |
Detroit |
(+1) |
24-14 |
| Sept. 30 |
At Jacksonville |
(+8.5) |
23-14 |
| Oct. 7 |
San Diego |
(+3) |
20-16 |
| Oct. 14 |
At Cincinnati |
(+2) |
14-24 |
| Oct. 21 |
Baltimore |
(+7.5) |
24-14 |
| Oct. 28 |
BYE |
|
|
| Nov. 4 |
At Chicago |
(+3.5) |
21-27* |
| Nov. 11 |
Pittsburgh |
(+3) |
12-15* |
| Nov. 18 |
At Baltimore |
(+8) |
27-17 |
| Nov. 25 |
Cincinnati |
(-4) |
18-0 |
| Dec. 2 |
Tennessee |
(+1) |
15-31 |
| Dec. 9 |
At New England |
(+5.5) |
16-27 |
| Dec. 16 |
Jacksonville |
(-2) |
10-15 |
| Dec. 23 |
At Green Bay |
(+8) |
7-30 |
| Dec. 30 |
At Tennessee |
(+5.5) |
41-38 |
| Jan. 6 |
At Pittsburgh |
(+5) |
7-28 |
* Overtime |
Top of page
Back to team index |
|
 |
The Archives
2001 - 2002 Season |
| Online writers
— features and columns by our PFW staff, columnists, national correspondent, AFC
reporters, NFC reporters and contributing writers |
| College football
— articles, college notepad, key college game previews, PFW's college top 10,
Scouting Combine, Senior Bowl, top 25 predictions |
| Fantasy football
— articles, injury reports, weekly fantasy tips, weekly matchups, The Fantasy Doctor,
"In our opinion" daily fantasy columns, Fantasy spins |
| Free-agency
— news and notes, updates and features |
| General features
— Internet features, features from our print edition, MVP meter, Rookie meter, They
said it, team reports, training camp reports |
| Handicapper's
Corner — staff selections, games of the week, PFW Players of the Week, NFL
standings, weekly handicapping columns, predictions, trends, tips and timely stats |
| "In our
opinion" daily columns — opinions on general football topics |
| "PFW spins"
— short-takes on current events |
| Joel
Buchsbaum — college player evaluations, NFL player analysis, NFL draft coverage,
NFL notepad, NFList, college game previews and other NFL articles by PFW's contributing
editor |
| NFL Draft —
player evaluations, printouts, feature stories, commentaries, draft recaps |
| Ron
Pollack — articles and commentary by PFW's editor-in-chief |
| Season in
review — the 2001-2002 NFL season |
|
