2002 Cleveland Browns

2002 Cleveland Browns season
Owner	Alfred Lerner (Until October 2, 2002) Randolph Lerner (Took position October 2, 2002)
Head Coach	Butch Davis
Home Field	Cleveland Browns Stadium
Results
Record	9–7
Place	2nd AFC North
Playoff Finish	Lost AFC Wild Card Playoffs
Uniform
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Timeline
Previous Season	Next Season
2001	2003

The 2002 season was the Cleveland Browns' 54th as a professional sports franchise, their 50th as a member of the National Football League, and the second season under head coach Butch Davis.

In their opener against the Kansas City Chiefs, linebacker Dwayne Rudd cost the Browns a victory when he threw his helmet in celebration unaware the play was still going on, incurring an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty. Because the clock expired during the play the Browns' unsportsmanlike conduct occurred on, per NFL rules, the Chiefs were given one untimed down. Chiefs' kicker Morten Andersen made the 30-yard field goal to win the game.

The Browns made their first playoff appearance since their re-activation. It was only the Browns' fourth year since returning to the league effectively as an expansion team, and their first winning season. The Browns faced the Pittsburgh Steelers in the wild card round at Heinz Field. Despite a strong start with a 24–7 lead late in the third quarter, the Steelers would ultimately bounce back erasing a 17 point deficit, causing the Browns to lose 36–33. The Browns owner Al Lerner stepped down on October 2 and died on October 23, 2002, from brain cancer. His son, Randy Lerner took over the team until 2012. The Browns wore a patch with the initials "AL" for the remainder of the season and became a fixture on their uniforms to commemorate Lerner. After 2013 the initials were removed from the uniforms when Jimmy Haslam became owner of the franchise. The Browns would not make the playoffs again until 2020.

Offseason

Additions	Subtractions
T Ryan Tucker (Rams)	LB Wali Rainer (Jaguars)
FS Robert Griffith (Vikings)	T Roman Oben (Buccaneers)
LB Earl Holmes (Steelers)	DE Greg Spires (Buccaneers)
DE Kenard Lang (Redskins)	DE Keith McKenzie (Bears)

2002 NFL draft

2002 Cleveland Browns draft

Round	Selection	Player	Position	College
1	16	William Green	Running back	Boston College
2	47	André Davis	Wide receiver	Virginia Tech
3	76	Melvin Fowler	Center	Maryland
4	101	Kevin Bentley	Linebacker	Northwestern
4	111	Ben Taylor	Linebacker	Virginia Tech
4	122	Darnell Sanders	Tight end	Ohio State
5	141	Andra Davis	Linebacker	Florida
7	227	Joaquin Gonzalez	Tackle	Miami (FL)

Undrafted free agents

2002 undrafted free agents of note

Player	Position	College
Frisman Jackson	Wide receiver	Western Illinois
Kalvin Pearson	Safety	Grambling State

Personnel

2002 Cleveland Browns final staff
	Front Office Head Coaches Offensive Coaches			Defensive Coaches Special Teams Coaches

Roster

2002 Cleveland Browns final roster
	Quarterbacks 12 Josh Booty  2 Tim Couch 10 Kelly Holcomb Running backs 34 R. J. Bowers FB 31 William Green 29 James Jackson 30 Jamel White Wide receivers 87 André Davis KR/PR 88 Frisman Jackson 85 Kevin Johnson 84 Andre King KR 81 Quincy Morgan 86 Dennis Northcutt PR Tight ends 83 Mark Campbell 82 Steve Heiden 89 Darnell Sanders		Offensive linemen 68 Chad Beasley G/T 67 Melvin Fowler C 73 Joaquin Gonzalez T 60 Shaun O'Hara C/G 79 Barry Stokes G 72 Ryan Tucker T 77 Ross Verba T 64 Dave Wohlabaugh C 66 Paul Zukauskas G Defensive linemen 96 Kenard Lang DE 70 Alvin McKinley DT 78 Tyrone Rogers DE 99 Orpheus Roye DT 93 Cedric Scott DE 94 Gerard Warren DT 90 Mark Word DE		Linebackers 59 Kevin Bentley OLB 52 Brant Boyer MLB/OLB 54 Andra Davis MLB 56 Darren Hambrick OLB 50 Earl Holmes MLB 51 Lenoy Jones MLB 57 Dwayne Rudd OLB Defensive backs 36 Chris Akins FS 23 Devin Bush FS 25 Corey Fuller CB 24 Robert Griffith SS 37 Anthony Henry CB/S 22 Michael Jameson SS 20 Earl Little FS/SS 33 Daylon McCutcheon CB 21 Lewis Sanders CB/SS 42 Raymond Walls CB Special teams  4 Phil Dawson K 17 Chris Gardocki P 97 Ryan Kuehl LS		Reserve lists 18 Dimitrius Breedlove WR (IR) 92 Courtney Brown DE (IR) 74 Felipe Claybrooks DE (IR) 49 Chris Eitzmann TE (IR) 28 J. J. Johnson RB (IR) 71 Michael Josiah DE (IR) 40 Ben Miller RB/Military Reserve 95 Jamir Miller LB (IR) 61 Qasim Mitchell G/T (IR) 48 Rod Monroe TE (IR) 38 Earthwind Moreland CB (IR) 98 Thomas Pittman DT (NF-Inj.) 80 Aaron Shea TE (IR) 58 Ben Taylor LB (IR) Practice squad 75 Damian Gregory DT 65 Chad Mustard T 43 Kalvin Pearson CB/S 71 Chad Ward G 53 Jamal White LB Rookies in italics 52 Active, 14 Inactive, 5 Practice squad

Regular season

Schedule

Apart from their AFC North division games, the Browns played against the AFC South and NFC South according to the NFL's new conference rotation, and played the Chiefs and Jets based on 2001 standings with respect to the newly aligned divisions.

Week	Date	Opponent	Result	Record	Venue	Att.
1	September 8	Kansas City	L 39–40	0–1	Browns Stadium	72,938
2	September 15	Cincinnati	W 20–7	1–1	Browns Stadium	73,358
3	September 22	at Tennessee	W 31–28 (OT)	2–1	Adelphia Coliseum	68,804
4	September 29	at Pittsburgh	L 13–16 (OT)	2–2	Heinz Field	62,864
5	October 6	Baltimore	L 21–26	2–3	Browns Stadium	73,688
6	October 13	at Tampa Bay	L 3–17	2–4	Raymond James Stadium	65,625
7	October 20	Houston	W 34–17	3–4	Browns Stadium	73,248
8	October 27	at NY Jets	W 24–21	4–4	The Meadowlands	78,502
9	November 3	Pittsburgh	L 20–23	4–5	Browns Stadium	73,718
10	Bye
11	November 17	at Cincinnati	W 27–20	5–5	Paul Brown Stadium	64,060
12	November 24	at New Orleans	W 24–15	6–5	Superdome	68,295
13	December 1	Carolina	L 6–13	6–6	Browns Stadium	72,718
14	December 8	at Jacksonville	W 21–20	7–6	Alltel Stadium	46,267
15	December 15	Indianapolis	L 23–28	7–7	Browns Stadium	73,098
16	December 22	at Baltimore	W 14–13	8–7	M&T Bank Stadium	68,348
17	December 29	Atlanta	W 24–16	9–7	Browns Stadium	73,528

Note: Intra-divisional opponents are in bold text.

Game summaries

Week 1: vs. Kansas City Chiefs

Week 1: Kansas City Chiefs at Cleveland Browns – Game summary 1 2 3 4 Total Chiefs 7 7 3 23 40 Browns 6 14 7 12 39 at Cleveland Browns Stadium, Cleveland, Ohio Date: September 8 Game time: 1:00 p.m. EDT Game weather: Sunny, 86°F / 30°C Game attendance: 72,938 Referee: Ron Blum TV announcers (CBS): Ian Eagle, Dan Dierdorf, and Bonnie Bernstein Recap, Game Book Game information First quarter CLE – Phil Dawson 20-yard field goal, 12:36. Browns 3–0. Drive: 4 plays, 3 yards, 0:54. KC – Tony Gonzalez 17-yard pass from Trent Green (Morten Andersen kick), 8:21. Chiefs 7–3. Drive: 8 plays, 73 yards, 4:15. CLE – Phil Dawson 32-yard field goal, 3:16. Chiefs 7–6. Drive: 10 plays, 55 yards, 5:05. Second quarter CLE – Dennis Northcutt 43-yard pass from Kelly Holcomb (Phil Dawson kick), 12:19. Browns 13–7. Drive: 2 plays, 65 yards, 0:48. KC – Priest Holmes 5-yard run (Morten Andersen kick), 8:41. Chiefs 14–13. Drive: 6 plays, 83 yards, 3:38. CLE – Quincy Morgan 33-yard pass from Kevin Johnson (Phil Dawson kick), 5:38. Browns 20–14. Drive: 5 plays, 71 yards, 3:03. Third quarter CLE – André Davis 4-yard pass from Kelly Holcomb (Phil Dawson kick), 7:09. Browns 27–14. Drive: 14 plays, 80 yards, 7:51. KC – Morten Andersen 33-yard field goal, 2:04. Browns 27–17. Drive: 9 plays, 42 yards, 5:05. Fourth quarter CLE – Phil Dawson 34-yard field goal, 11:19. Browns 30–17. Drive: 8 plays, 50 yards, 3:27. KC – Priest Holmes 26-yard run (Morten Andersen kick), 9:06. Browns 30–24. Drive: 4 plays, 56 yards, 2:13. KC – Priest Holmes 15-yard run (Morten Anderson kick), 8:05. Chiefs 31–30. Drive: 1 play, 15 yards, 0:07. CLE – Quincy Morgan 44-yard pass from Kelly Holcomb (run failed), 5:52. Browns 36–31. Drive: 5 plays, 66 yards, 2:13. KC – Priest Holmes 7-yard run (run failed), 3:05. Chiefs 37–36. Drive: 6 plays, 74 yards, 2:47. CLE – Phil Dawson 41-yard field goal, 0:29. Browns 39–37. Drive: 7 plays, 45 yards, 2:36. KC – Morten Andersen 30-yard field goal, 0:00. Chiefs 40–39. Drive: 4 plays, 53 yards, 0:29. Top passers KC – Trent Green – 20/29, 276 yards, TD, INT CLE – Kelly Holcomb – 27/39, 326 yards, 3 TD Top rushers KC – Priest Holmes – 22 rushes, 122 yards, 4 TD CLE – Jamel White – 12 rushes, 42 yards Top receivers KC – Eddie Kennison – 4 receptions, 120 yards CLE – Quincy Morgan – 9 receptions, 151 yards, 2 TD

Week 8: at New York Jets

Week 8: Cleveland Browns at New York Jets – Game summary 1 2 3 4 Total Browns 3 3 15 3 24 Jets 14 7 0 0 21 at The Meadowlands, East Rutherford, New Jersey Game time: 1:05 p.m. Game weather: Mostly cloudy, 57°F / 14°C Game attendance: 78,502 Referee: Bob McElwee (95) TV announcers (CBS): Kevin Harlan, Randy Cross, and Beasley Reece Recap, Game Book Game information First quarter NYJ – Santana Moss 63-yard punt return (John Hall kick), 14:21. Jets 7–0. CLE – Phil Dawson 23-yard field goal, 8:12. Jets 7–3. Drive: 10 plays, 74 yards, 6:09. NYJ – Laveranues Coles 37-yard pass from Chad Pennington (John Hall kick), 5:57. Jets 14–3. Drive: 5 plays, 70 yards, 2:15. Second quarter NYJ – Wayne Chrebet 8-yard pass from Chad Pennington (John Hall kick), 14:23. Jets 21–3. Drive: 8 plays, 62 yards, 4:22. CLE – Phil Dawson 26-yard field goal, 7:29. Jets 21–6. Drive: 7 plays, 41 yards, 3:39. Third quarter CLE – Mark Campbell 5-yard pass from Tim Couch (Phil Dawson kick), 4:40. Jets 21–13. Drive: 11 plays, 60 yards, 4:41. CLE – André Davis 4-yard pass from Tim Couch (Tim Couch–Dennis Northcutt pass), 0:09. Tied 21–21. Drive: 3 plays, 11 yards, 1:26. Fourth quarter CLE – Phil Dawson 35-yard field goal, 3:30. Browns 24–21. Drive: 14 plays, 61 yards, 8:33. Top passers CLE – Tim Couch – 32/48, 294 yards, 2 TD NYJ – Chad Pennington – 19/26, 183 yards, 2 TD, INT Top rushers CLE – Jamel White – 14 rushes, 25 yards NYJ – Curtis Martin – 18 rushes, 65 yards Top receivers CLE – Kevin Johnson – 5 receptions, 73 yards NYJ – Laveranues Coles – 5 receptions, 61 yards, TD

Standings

Division

Template:2002 AFC North standings

Conference

Template:2002 AFC standings

Postseason

Further information: 2002–03 NFL playoffs

Round	Date	Opponent (seed)	Result	Record	Venue	Attendance	Recap
AFC Wild Card	January 5, 2003	at Pittsburgh (3)	L 33–36	0–1	Heinz Field	62,595	Recap

Game summaries

AFC Wild Card: (#6) Cleveland Browns at (#3) Pittsburgh Steelers – Game Summary 1 2 3 4 Total Browns 7 10 7 9 33 Steelers 0 7 7 22 36 at Heinz Field, Pittsburgh Date: January 5, 2003 Game time: 1:00 p.m. EST Game weather: Light snow, 27°F / -3°C Game attendance: 62,595 Referee: Bill Carollo (63) TV announcers (CBS): Greg Gumbel, Phil Simms and Armen Keteyian Recap, Game Book Game information First quarter CLE – William Green 1-yard run (Phil Dawson kick), 13:44. Browns 7–0. Drive: 4 plays, 80 yards, 1:16. Second quarter CLE – Dennis Northcutt 32-yard pass from Kelly Holcomb (Phil Dawson kick), 14:28. Browns 14–0. Drive: 1 play, 32 yards, 0:06. PIT – Antwaan Randle El 66-yard punt return (Jeff Reed kick), 9:35. Browns 14–7. CLE – Phil Dawson 31-yard field goal, 0:49. Browns 17–7. Drive: 10 plays, 45 yards, 4:24. Third quarter CLE – Dennis Northcutt 15-yard pass from Kelly Holcomb (Phil Dawson kick), 12:11. Browns 24–7. Drive: 3 plays, 14 yards, 0:49. PIT – Plaxico Burress 6-yard pass from Tommy Maddox (Jeff Reed kick), 3:50. Browns 24–14. Drive: 10 plays, 71 yards, 3:45. Fourth quarter CLE – Phil Dawson 24-yard field goal, 14:52. Browns 27–14. Drive: 8 plays, 64 yards, 3:58. PIT – Jerame Tuman 3-yard pass from Tommy Maddox (Jeff Reed kick), 12:28. Browns 27–21. Drive: 6 plays, 65 yards, 2:24. CLE – André Davis 22-yard pass from Kelly Holcomb (pass failed), 10:17. Browns 33–21. Drive: 5 plays, 61 yards, 2:11. PIT – Hines Ward 5-yard pass from Tommy Maddox (Jeff Reed kick), 3:06. Browns 33–28. Drive: 10 plays, 77 yards, 2:24. PIT – Chris Fuamatu-Ma'afala 3-yard run (Tommy Maddox–Jerame Tuman pass), 0:54. Steelers 36–33. Drive: 6 plays, 61 yards, 1:41. Top passers CLE – Kelly Holcomb – 26/43, 429 yards, 3 TD, INT PIT – Tommy Maddox – 30/48, 367 yards, 3 TD, 2 INT Top rushers CLE – William Green – 25 rushes, 30 yards, TD PIT – Amos Zereoué – 13 rushes, 73 yards Top receivers CLE – Kevin Johnson – 4 receptions, 140 yards PIT – Hines Ward – 11 receptions, 104 yards, TD

An amazing performance from Browns quarterback Kelly Holcomb was overshadowed by journeyman quarterback Tommy Maddox, who led the Steelers to 29 second-half points to overcome a 17-point deficit. A 3-yard touchdown run by Chris Fuamatu-Maʻafala with 54 seconds left capped the game-winning 58-yard drive.

On the third play of the game, Holcomb completed an 83-yard pass to Kevin Johnson at the Steelers 1-yard line, setting up William Green's 1-yard touchdown run and giving the Browns a 7–0 lead after just 1:16 had elapsed in the game. Most of the rest of the quarter would be taken up by drives that ended in punts, but the Steelers got a big scoring opportunity when Amos Zereoué's 36-yard run gave them a first down on the Cleveland 23-yard line. This would only amount to nothing though, as Maddox was intercepted by Daylon McCutcheon on the next play.

One play into the second quarter, Steelers receiver Antwaan Randle El fumbled a Browns punt, and Chris Akins recovered the ball for Cleveland on the Steelers 32-yard line. On the next play, Cleveland took a 14–0 lead with Holcomb's 32-yard touchdown pass to Dennis Northcutt. The Browns seemed to be taking control of the game now, particularly when another Steelers drive into field goal range was again snuffed out by a McCutheon interception (the Steelers' third turnover in less than six minutes). But suddenly Randle El brought the team right back into the game by returning a punt 66 yards for a touchdown, making the score 14–7. Cleveland stormed right back, as Holcomb's 29-yard pass to Johnson and two completions to running back [Jamel White]] for 22 total yards earned the team a Phil Dawson field goal that made the score 17-7 going into halftime.

Early in the third quarter, Northcutt returned Tom Rouen's 37-yard punt 59 yards to the Pittsburgh 14-yard line, setting up Holcomb's 15-yard touchdown pass to Northcutt that increased the Browns lead to 24–7. Then after a punt, Cleveland drove to the Steelers 32-yard line. They were now in a position to build a near-insurmountable lead, but Mike Logan made a clutch interception to keep the team's victory hopes alive. Maddox then completed 7/8 passes for 62 yards, one of them a 24-yard completion to Randle El, and rushed for eight as he led the team 71 yards to score on his 6-yard touchdown pass to Plaxico Burress, cutting the deficit to 24–14 with four minutes left in the third quarter. Cleveland responded by driving 64 yards in eight plays, featuring a 43-yard completion from Holcomb to receiver André Davis]], to score on Dawson's 24-yard field goal on the second play of the final quarter, increasing their lead to 27–14.

On Pittsburgh's ensuing drive, Maddox completed three passes to Randle-El for gains of 20, 30, and six yards before finding tight end Jerame Tuman with a 3-yard touchdown pass early in the fourth quarter. But the Browns stormed back, with Green's 23-yard run sparking a 61-yard drive that ended on Holcomb's 22-yard touchdown pass to Davis, giving them a 33–21 lead after the 2-point conversion failed.

With 3:06 left in the game, Maddox finished off a 77-yard drive with a 5-yard touchdown pass to Hines Ward, cutting the score to 33–28. The Browns tried to run out the clock on their ensuing possession, but Northcutt dropped a potential first down catch on third down and 12, forcing his team to punt. Taking over at their 42-yard line, Maddox threw to Burress for 24 yards, Ward for 10, Burress again for 17, and Ward again for seven before Fuamatu-Ma'afala finished the drive with a 3-yard touchdown run. Then Tuman scored the two-point conversion to give the Steelers a 36–33 lead. The Browns attempted to drive for the tying field goal, but time expired in the game on Holcomb's pass to Andre King at the Steeler's 29-yard line.

Maddox completed 30 of 48 passes for a franchise postseason record 367 yards and three touchdowns, with two interceptions. Burress caught six passes for 100 yards and a touchdown, while Ward caught 11 passes for 104 yards and a score. Randle El caught five passes for 85 yards and returned a punt 66 yards for a touchdown. In his first career playoff game, Holcomb completed 26 of 43 passes for 429 yards, three touchdowns, and an interception. Johnson caught four passes for 140 yards, while Northcutt caught six passes for 92 yards and two touchdowns, and returned two punts for 70 yards.

This was the most recent playoff appearance for the Browns until the 2020 season.

This was the second postseason meeting between the Browns and Steelers. Pittsburgh won the only prior meeting.

This was the first game that Heinz Field played Renegade.

External links

• 2002 Cleveland Browns at Pro Football Reference (Profootballreference.com)
• 2002 Cleveland Browns Statistics at jt-sw.com
• 2002 Cleveland Browns Schedule at jt-sw.com
• Template:Usurped at DatabaseFootball.com