1988 Browns Highlights

for the Cleveland Browns 1988 may have been the strangest season of all began with the bright promise of summer and ended on a dark December afternoon it was a season of unprecedented injuries to key personnel especially quarterbacks it was a season when the offense sputtered and stall committing turnovers on the first possession in eight different games it was a season of spotty special teams performance five kicks were blocked two of them led directly to defeat it was a season of strange calls by officials and stranger play calling Snap is good and here's a fake running who throws the bar bars in trouble on the left side and very back at the 34-yard line bar was absolutely and violated and the little guy very slow to get up after that hit despite it all this Browns team displayed the courage and character to overcome adversity Cleveland made the playoffs with a fourth consecutive year [Music] 1988 was a season of great expectations shattered by some of the strangest events in the history of the Browns [Music] the season began in Kansas City right from the start there were signs this wasn't to be the Browns here [Music] Burnie very slow to get up Bernie Kosar got wrapped pretty good in that strong saftey blit I can tell you this Doug is in P is in agony just sixteen minutes into the new season Kosar had literally become an armchair quarterback but the defense took control 29 seconds to go snap good hold good bars kick ease on the way and it is good Matt Morel was labeled as soon as he kicked the football and he is injured at the opening win exacta da high price six key players five of them Pro Bowlers were hurt the next week with Coase our sideline gary Danielson started the game incredibly the quarterback carnage continued as the Jets employing changing fronts and blitzing quarterbacks not danielson out of the game [Music] Danielson's fractured left ankle ended his season for the second straight year and the quarterback shuffle played on this time with third stringer Mike Kegel calling the tubes but it was bud Carson swarming jet defense that set the tempo [Music] in the home opener bud Carson and company danced away with an upset victory the Browns had now failed to score a touchdown in their first two games against the Colts on Monday night Mike Pago finally got them into the end zone out on the left bagel to throw with time firing in zone a throw by Mike bagel fire how are you bacon still the pigskin in this case one week later the undefeated Bengals chewed up the ground game and the Browns lost for the second time for the defense continued to stand out [Music] against Pittsburgh at forced 5 turnovers in the second half and didn't permit a touchdown for the third time in five games from Cleveland stadium it's the Seattle Seahawks against the Cleveland Browns and what could very well be a pivotal game in the Browns fortunes in the 1988 campaign right now it's time to take a step forward let's get a hat on them every play let's get this thing started we got to put something together back-to-back we can close the coffin on these sucker right now okay get your man that's all we gonna do do your job on three one two three come on play with these guys the night that rocket bonds would play with a Jersey cut off like that look at it it's regular what I'm going to do soon as I see him do this I'm gone fool I'm gonna try to catch him in the backfield defense prevailed but the game turned on a kickers nightmare the double thud potato puts it down Matt bars number ten Mike bagel whose quarterbacking kept his team in contention tried it with his tackling it cost the Browns their third quarterback in six games [Music] [Music] [Music] let's see if I've went down today ten five quarterbacks Medina is that right hey good luck with a cheat sheet rigged to his left wrist band Donst rock became the fourth quarter back in seven games the Browns had gone from the youngest to the oldest starter in the league truck backs up he is pulling it he has while the attack was paced by strong Cleveland's top-ranked defense consistently confused one of the league's newer stars now they have third and Shaker Heights third and 19 the Browns allowed on the 18 second half yards and racked up nine Cunningham sacks honey ham big hit again I'll go to his side [Music] [Applause] we'll Hills it there Charles Buchanan was in there too not a sec lumbered on I'm impressed with this Cleveland Brown ski you have to be they are strong to see why a lot of people were picking the Cleveland Browns to make it to the Super Bowl the Browns impressed the Eagles and their announcers best of all number 19 was ready to return in the sun-drenched sweatbox of Sun Devil Stadium field temperatures reached 115 degrees but Bernie Kosar add the hottest hand chased out of the pocket rolling right still rolling fires on the Deacon is going to feed oh well the only thing about Ricky Bolden is at the target you couldn't miss [Music] Kosar to throw second of three West firing in zone this couch his body to get that ball in his first game since opening day Bernie Kosar raised the performance level of everyone around him hitting ten different receivers for 314 yards and three touchdowns [Music] with co-stars triumphant return the Browns were back in the playoff hunt it has a lot to do with Barney back he's a leader of our team and it's just shown that when he's in everything goes the way it's supposed to go and everything was collected next were the first place Bengals who always bring out the best in the Cleveland crowd with a dog pound inform Cincinnati's off and stuff like it was facing over 80,000 defenders she turns to the referential here the dog pound goes to work [Applause] Hey the Browns dig in upfront hands off if he works [Applause] drives the dog going crazy we have had our first big emotional swing this afternoon thanks to three goal line stands the Browns defense didn't allow a touchdown but the tide was turned on two outstanding plays by the special teams [Music] with an 84 yard kickoff return then a touchdown recovery of a block kick special teams captain Herrmann Fontenot had a career afternoon with its third straight win Cleveland pulled within one game of division leading Cincinnati [Music] I want to roll I like to say that the team's coming up and look out we're back on track and we're ready to go into that destiny were released for in this circle next came the House of Pain where before a national television audience a bad center snap cost Cleveland its final chance to win but the disaster in the Astrodome was mild compared to six days later when the team reached a new low in Mile High Stadium for first half turnovers and six sacks led to defeat in Denver now after back-to-back blowouts Cleveland's postseason playoff picture looked bleak [Music] back home against the Steelers the Browns bounced back the catalyst was the longest pass play in 16 years to the right side caught by Langhorne breaks away at the 35 get at the 40 Rex Lango just pulled away 77 yards over 77,000 rain-soaked fans saw the special teams block a punt for a touchdown for the second time this season with a win over Pittsburgh the Browns were in the race again the next week in Washington and a driving rain they faced the Redskins traditionally tough to beat in their home park under tremendous pressure all day Cozart consistently beat the Blitz with short drops and sidearm passes that found Brian Brennan in stride [Music] but washington-led with time running out and hopes for the season fading fast the Browns crossed up Joe Gibbs with a third down draw from a four receiver set [Music] Redskins Cleveland eliminated the defending Super Bowl champions from the race and gave themselves a huge emotional lift they drew closer to their goal an invitation to the postseason tournament for the fourth consecutive year [Music] seven days later the beat went on [Music] cosa burned cowboy blitzes for three touchdowns including a one-handed circus catch by Clarence weathers the brothers open wanna get quiet [Music] the victory brought Cleveland's record to nine and five and continued their happy habit of winning when it counts the most in December [Music] unfortunately the Dallas victory was followed by a Monday night in Miami where the team lost an aerial shootout to the Dolphins they also lost co-star for the second and final time dumbstruck came in to haunt his former teammates value for Langhorne touchdown rounds then struck down the money I'm sure he enjoyed that one strike backpedaling sideline pattern Ritchie Langhorne inside the orange highlight of the Browns of stage two remarkable comeback stalks brilliant relief couldn't overcome Miami the Browns season was down to the final week from frosty Cleveland stadium welcome to the regular season finale between the Cleveland Browns and the Houston Oilers mmm-hmm win or else it has finally come down to a must-win situation either the Browns defeat the Oilers today or their season has come to an end with all pros co-star Mack and Dixon injured it was up to straw to keep playoff hopes alive but the 38 year old gray beard acted his age with three first quarter interceptions as each defense traded knockout punches it's right into the arms of Brian his second interception at the 30 the 20 the 15 one man booth beat at the five touchdown go Brian back three steps up and buried by David Grayson he promote a ball that was a pickling head Michael Dean Mary engine room [Music] [Applause] this is the house of decimals today's [Applause] make the staff throws the ball to the end zone touchdown heywhat Jefferies you down by 16 with snow blanketing the frozen turn Cleveland faced the fight of its life [Applause] first and goal think of at the bynars swinging right side goal line touchdown from with icy composure dawn struck brought his team back with the greatest performance of his 16-year career [Music] [Applause] [Music] strike firing over the middle slaughter we got have staged an incredible comeback from a 23 to seventh deficit and a AFC wild card spot and the whole field advantage the köppen and jerry glanville gets to come back to Cleveland next week [Music] program here gameday program see the thoughts here gameday program here Wow good afternoon and Merry Christmas everyone the Oilers playing the Cleveland Browns here at Municipal Stadium in Cleveland Ohio in this the AFC wild card game it is a cold rainy afternoon this is the real house of pain we'll see the day who tells lies and who don't tell lies I say this is the house of pain right here in Cleveland Ohio you better believe it we're on for today we're on for today the Browns are ready we're going to the Superbowl Bubba's nap ball is loose the Oilers have it at the 16 yard line not straw going out of the first snap of the second quarter with a jammed wrist this has been the house of rain and the House of Pain today for both teams and here is Mike bagel was just activated at two days ago in case of an emergency and the emergency is at hand [Music] bagel firing deep Brightside Brennan get the ball at the 10-yard line and down the quick angle was on the money [Music] to throw out chased out of the pocket throws on the run Nick [Music] Harper to the 30 to the 25 [Applause] of Justice after all a third interception of Warren moon the defense is spoken they hand up little swing pass knock down in the backfield is that a lateral play Matthew's picks it up and goes into the end zone they're going to look at this one again it's a wider roll it should be a touchdown strange strange strange despite two controversial calls against them Cleveland overcame both the officials and the Oilers to take a late 3rd quarter lead go back to the pocket looking over the middle firing over the middle touchdown water he keep wide open post pattern it's tangible grounds of overcome a Thoms of adversity here to take the lane but not for long for the fourth consecutive season the Browns defense didn't have it when they needed it most permitting a lengthy game-winning drive it cost Cleveland a playoff game they could have won [Music] though they never quit Cleveland's painful path to the playoffs came to an end can't say it didn't go down to the bitter end an exciting fashion to consider that they went from co-star to Danielson to pagal to strike to co-star to strike to pagal it's kind of remarkable that even came up at ten and six and went on into the playoffs come awfully close in the past four years especially two losses to Denver it took a lot of heart out of the organization but we had the resilience to to come bounce back we want to make the final hurdle and get over that final hump and go with the distance that's the bottom line as far as I'm concerned because I know this organization expects that I don't come in with any illusions about what's expected of me you've been there you certainly want to go back they didn't bring me here for there to be any slide backwards and the first order of business is to see that there isn't

Channel: Comrade Dobler

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Id: _O18wge8n4c

Length: 21min 53sec (1313 seconds)

Published: Sat Dec 17 2016