1979 Browns Highlights

[Music] 1979 was a banner year for the Browns for Cleveland fans witnessed the most entertaining autumn since the championship season of 64 an incredible string of harum-scarum photo finishes kept Cleveland in the title chase until the final five seconds of the season for the Browns brass the succession of nail-biting nerve-racking melodrama was like a Chinese water torture as the team walked a tightrope of tension all year twelve games were decided in the final minutes of play this penchant for heart-pounding theatrical thrillers kept the crowd on the edge of its seats and earn Sam Rutigliano steam the act nicknamed cardiac gifts [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] the opener marked the debut of Lyle Alzado the all-pro defensive end dominated the line of scrimmage against the Jets all afternoon number 77 s ferocious pass rush was infectious as the Browns bagged Matt Robinson five times particularly heartwarming was the performance of number 72 jerry shirk who proved his injured knees were ready for the long season ahead despite the defensive heroics it took the field goal with just four seconds left to tie the game and send it into sudden death where Don Cockcroft soon had the chance to win right now it's gonna be about a 27 yard attempt for Dom chakra here's the kick he kicked the field over 35 tired and regulations play with four seconds remaining [Music] we're drilling football game the second game was in Kansas City where led by the running of Greg Pruitt Cleveland jumped ahead what'd he do nothing but the lead was squandered in Cleveland trailed by four with time running out 52 seconds to play hardy sight back to throw [Applause] [Music] the cardiac kids now had to straight come back with number three was only a week away again sparked by the passing of Brian Sipe Cleveland erased attend nothing Baltimore leads with just two minutes to go and the score tied the Browns hope to reach Cockcroft he'll go away but were backed up near their own go 90 yards away from a third straight win site the throw [Music] Ozzy's clutch catch him carry ended in a winning field goal Sam's cardiac kid remained undefeated but the Dallas Cowboys loomed in him [Music] [Applause] mr. live animal [Music] you know what team has the winningest record the that's right they've got a tradition in this place I'm telling you before national television in over 80,000 fans the kids from Cleveland showed their cardiac label by exploding for three long touchdown in the first seven minutes the first quarter fireworks were capped by all-pro safety Tom Darden who snapped Roger Staubach string of 150 passes without effect Darden's TD ignited the mammoth crowd for this was a victory not only for a team but an entire city with a record now a four and oh the ground rejoiced amid overwhelming cheer more than any other game the flashing of Dallas showed what kind of year was in store for the 79 Brown [Music] the perfect record was ruined in Houston the browns outgained the Oilers but could manage merely a single touchdown in addition the season's first serious injury occurred Keith Wright who led the league and kickoff returns in 78 and was leading again in 79 was lost for the year next the sky-high Browns fell flat on their faces against Pittsburgh Cleveland was clobbered for 27 unanswered points enough to warrant a smile from one of the Browns more illustrious alumni but Cleveland wouldn't quit Brian Sipe growing in stature each week gave one of the most prolific passing performances any Cleveland quarterback ever had piercing the Steel Curtain for 351 yards and five touchdown passes gave Logan's one-handed touchdown snare brought the Browns point total to 35 and proved a Pittsburgh that Cleveland could score on anyone but the sensational shootout couldn't mask the hard fact that the defense had been shredded for the appalling total of 51 points the following two weeks clouds hung heavy over the state first Washington won in the final seconds then Cincinnati took a commanding lead the specter of a fourth straight loss loomed large then the Cardiac and Cleveland resurfaced mighty Mike Frueh turned an innocent outlet pass into a 50-yard score the full-back began shouldering the load with 189 yards taking the heat off site who hit four touchdown passes the 2827 victory over archrival Cincinnati brought the Browns one game behind the Steelers and the central division race the following week on the banks of the Mississippi the Browns won again but lost Greg Floyd for the season with a knee injury with both Greg and Mike Pruitt sidelined by injuries the bench came to the rescue as an old pro cavalry of Calvin Hill and Cleo Miller carried the team to a 38 20 romp over the cotton the route allowed to rookie runners Dino hall and Pat moriarity to score their first professional touchdowns Dino the NFL's smallest player flashed head fakes stutter steps and four for speed on his long sideline run but the key was a great block by number 80 top draft heck Willis Adams that wiped out - Cardinal defense thanks to their bench Cleveland had its first breather of the year and it was now apparent the ground game was no longer built around one man next hidden Philadelphia the Browns were backed into the shadows of defeat as the high-flying Eagles controlled the game 1910 with only four minutes remaining like the old Saturday matinee serials the good guys in orange hats arrived just in the nick of time Mike Pruitt's touchdown run put the Browns on top with 55 seconds showing but true to form one last swing of the pendulum brought the Eagles to the Browns doorstep it was yet another photo finish for Sam's cardiac kid one second last play of the game one second remaining by Michael to the right here goes to war ski he's it easy trolls incomplete [Music] but for the second straight week victory was costly number 72 jerry shirk playing perhaps the finest football of his career left appeal for the final time in 79 felled by a serious staph infection the next Sunday shirked replacement promising rookie rich dimmler went down with a knee injury and played no more for the defensive line in tatters Lyle Alzado unselfishly filled in at three of the four positions but still number 77 maintained his unique combination of brute strength and sheer speed in pursuit of opponents with the football [Music] the Browns reflect the personality of their coach colorful confident in war no player benefited more from it that Mike Pruett who in Greg through its absence fulfilled the high hopes that made him a number one draft choice several years ago through its piston like 30-inch thighs pumped him forty yards in four or five seconds his nearly 1300 yards rushing and five yard per carry average made Mike Pruett the best power speed combination running back since Jim Brown [Music] but the years most dramatic event for Sam and the Browns was the emergence of Brian sight from the shadows of obscurity to a position of prominence as one of the elite quarterbacks in the game in only his fourth season as a starter sight was honored as all-pro babyface Brian was abetted by the most prolific trio of receivers in the league with Rutger Newsome and Logan ciphers like a gourmet at a feast he can pick and choose and everything is good three pairs of the surest hands in football the most spectacular was tight and has a new suit on the brink of NFL star through the wizardry of its air attack Cleveland gained more yards than any Browns team ever the trigger man was Brian sight the targets enemy Enzo as sight squadron of aerial acrobats bombed opponents into submission all season long [Music] with nearly 4,000 yards through the air and a league leading 28 touchdown passes Brian Sipe had the best year of any Cleveland quarterback since Otto Graham's heyday the height about site was obviously justified before Otto Graham and the Browns all-time all-star team the Browns played their finest game of 1979 following their season-long script Cleveland fell behind but Brian brought them back to second half touchdowns attest to his coolness under fight on the first Newsome signature one-handed catch got six points then with only one 21 left and losing by seven a 34 yard touchdown pass to Ozzie tied the game at 24 it brought the sun-drenched frogs with collectively sudden death meant instant victory for Cleveland [Music] [Music] an earthquake of emotion erupted on field as the Browns had won their eighth piling up nearly 500 yards against the NFL's top-ranked defense Cleveland once again was in the thick of its division race and with Pittsburgh and then Houston ahead the opportunity was there to turn the AFC central upside down we wait a long time to be involved in a game like this it's going to be a dogfight and we know that it literally can come down the very last play of the game and regardless of what happens just hang in there together and at the end of the day we would have taken one hell of a giant step I'm dreaming again the Pasadena okay good luck let's go to beat the Steelers Inc Sam pulled out all stops free SWAT left heel 80 big X flag my right lead 126 big red slot left open close 34 mo moon right side close peel double dive 222 Bryan watch the Blitz now there's the dog there it is [Applause] site and the Browns air attack again showed they could score on anybody as Cleveland constantly picked up Pittsburgh's blitzes and took a commanding 22:6 lead [Applause] both siphon Terry Bradshaw were red-hot but a dazzling display of passing reminiscent of the old AMF but Pittsburgh came roaring back to eclipse the Browns Bigley [Applause] [Music] the Steelers tied the score and the Browns faced their third overtime of the season Sam's Good Humor faded as he wants the biggest game of a season slip away the ED had been lost Pittsburgh got first crack at ending the marathon come on baby blanket come on baby one time one time one time baby one time one time the Browns had taken the world champions to the last nine seconds of sudden death but Pittsburgh not Cleveland had taken a giant step toward Pasadena everybody get your head up I couldn't be more proud of you Hey look it's tough and it was a hard-fought football game you played the world's champions but I told you right from the beginning win lose a draw as far as I'm concerned you're all that matters to me you're just got to take things like this and you got to grow in victory or defeat Sam remains the same let's go let's go for his leadership he was named coach of the year in 1979 despite the bitter loss there was no leptin in the home finale the brown surprised Houston with a 3/4 it was a defense borne of injury but it was three four shut the door has the much-maligned unit turned in its best performance of the season swarming or the Player of the Year Earl Campbell and holding Euston to a single touch down [Music] while Campbell had problems navigating the frozen tundra against the sky-high Cleveland defense the Browns big blaster Mike Truitt had none out rushing Campbell and scoring both his team's touchdowns against the Blitz chased out looked throws he's gone in the most exciting season of the seven days Cleveland barely missed making the playoffs but became a genuine title contender in football's toughest division there have been better Browns team but for pure entertainment that the cardiac kids of 79 cannot be touched and they're headed in the right direction that's the Gospel according to Sam constantly have to believe you constantly have to fantasize and you constantly have to dream and know where at we have credibility we are where we want to be [Music] you

Channel: Comrade Dobler

Views: 25,012

Rating: 4.8792453 out of 5

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Id: yhiYOsNaq10

Length: 22min 35sec (1355 seconds)

Published: Mon Jan 09 2017

Reddit Comments

[u/dreamslade]

holy shit this channel is awesome, this guy has one of these videos for almost every year from the 50's through 80's!

[u/finix240]

"The winningest record in NFL history." Man such a far cry from our Browns today. Don't even have an overall winning record anymore..