In watching the NFL conference championships on Sunday, I was struck by the fact that three of the top four defenses, in terms of yardage allowed, were represented in the two title tilts. The Steelers, Ravens, and Eagles all have excellent defensive units. That’s why they win.
Then it struck me. When was the last time the Cleveland Browns had a dominant defense? I couldn’t remember the Browns ever having a defense like Pittsburgh or Baltimore, and I’ve been following the team since the mid-1960’s. Even in those years, when they were a perennial playoff team, they didn’t shut their opponents down. It was always a bend, but don’t break philosophy.
So, I decided to check the Browns defensive stats since Blanton Collier retired as head coach, as this was really the end of the period where Cleveland was recognized as one of the NFL’s elite franchises. I remember hearing my father and grandfather tell me that at that time, the Browns had the highest winning percentage in NFL history.
Someone born in 1970 or later cannot fathom that, as the Cleveland Browns have really been a mediocre team since that time, save for the Marty Schottenheimer/Bernie Kosar/ Hanford Dixon teams of the late 1980’s that went to three AFC Championship games.
I decided to focus on the yardage allowed by a defense rather than points allowed, because to me, a dominant defense isn’t one that bends, but doesn’t break. An excellent defense allows an offense no breathing room.
In the 35 seasons the Browns have played since 1970, the team has finished in the top ten in yards allowed just eight times, most recently in 1994, the year Cleveland made the playoffs with Bill Belichick as head coach. The team finished 11-5 that season, beating New England, ironically in the playoffs before losing to Pittsburgh, of course.
Only twice has the franchise finished in the top 5 in yardage allowed in this period, both in the 80’s in the Schottenheimer era. The first time was 1984, the year Sam Rutigliano was fired and replaced by the then defensive coordinator as head coach. The team went 5-11 that year and finished 2nd in total defense, but the foundation was built in ’83 and ’84 for a defense that ranked in the top ten six times in seven years.
The other top five finish was in 1987 when the Browns made the second of their AFC Championship appearances, finishing with a 10-5 mark.
The other trademark of a great defense is putting pressure on the quarterback. On NFL.com, team statistics for sacks are only available starting with the 1982 season. That would give me 27 years of data, 24 seasons for the Cleveland Browns.
In over two decades of football, the Cleveland Browns have finished in the top ten in the league in sacks just five times, with three of those seasons coming in the Belichick years (’92, ‘93’, and ’94). The high water mark was a 3rd place ranking in 1993. The other years, the Browns ranked 7th (1994) and 8th (1992). Of course, we know the team made the playoffs just once in those years.
The team ranked 7th in sacks in Bud Carson’s first year as head coach, a season in which the brown and orange made they last appearance in the AFC Championship game. The team’s last top ten ranking was in 2002, the only post-expansion finish involved, when they ranked 10th, the last season the Browns made the playoffs.
What this shows is that for all the talk about offense and scoring points, the Browns generally win when they have a respectable defense. They just haven’t had a good defense all that often. Hopefully, Eric Mangini and new GM George Kokinis realize this and start building up the organization on the defensive side of the ball.
The Steelers have realized this for years, that is why they are making their 7th Super Bowl appearance in a little over a week in Tampa. It isn’t just a cliché, offense sells tickets, but defense wins championships.
JD
Cleveland Sports Perspective 