1999 Cleveland Browns season

1999 Cleveland Browns season
1999 Cleveland Browns season
Owner	Al Lerner
Head coach	Chris Palmer
General manager	Dwight Clark
Home field	Cleveland Browns Stadium
Local radio	WTAM · WMJI
Results
Record	2–14
Division place	6th AFC Central
Playoff finish	Did not qualify
	← 1995; Browns seasons; 2000 →;

The 1999 Cleveland Browns season was the Browns 51st season overall and 47th in the NFL. It marked the return of professional football to the city of Cleveland, Ohio for the first time since the 1995 season, when the franchise was temporarily deactivated following the Cleveland Browns relocation controversy, which ultimately established the Baltimore Ravens. Officially, the Browns are considered a continuation of the previous franchise, as the history and colors of the team remained in Cleveland. The franchise was still alive as a legal entity between 1996 and 1998 and its assets kept in a trust managed by the NFL until Al Lerner became the owner in 1998. The Browns, however, in 1999 were treated as an "expansion team" by having an expansion draft and receiving the number one overall draft pick.

Season information[]

During the course of the 1995 season, then-Browns owner Art Modell announced his decision to move the Browns to Baltimore. Modell's new team would begin playing in the 1996 season. It would be the first time since 1935 that Cleveland would be left without an existing football team and the first time since 1943 without a team playing, when the Cleveland Rams suspended operation for one year, so the other teams could have enough players during World War II.

However, many Browns fans and Cleveland city officials were determined to keep the team in Cleveland, and orchestrated a grassroots movement to keep the team in Cleveland. The NFL responded by working with city officials, and the two parties came to a unique agreement which would provide the city with a brand-new, state-of-the-art stadium and would promise the return of professional football to Cleveland by the beginning of the 1999 season. Modell also agreed to relinquish the Browns' name, colors and team history to the new owner of the Browns. Modell's new team would begin playing in the 1996 season as the Baltimore Ravens.

While the Browns' new stadium was being built on the site of the old Cleveland Stadium, the foundation of the front office was being set in place. Al Lerner won a bidding war for the new team for $750 million. Lerner hired former San Francisco 49ers front office staffers Carmen Policy and Dwight Clark as the Browns' president and vice president.

Football finally returned to Cleveland on September 12 when the Browns opened the season against the Pittsburgh Steelers at home; Cleveland native Drew Carey was present and gave a rousing pre-game speech. However, the fans were sorely disappointed as the Browns were defeated by the Steelers 43–0. The team would go on to lose their first seven games, but finally in week 8 of their inaugural season the "New Browns" got their first ever win over the New Orleans Saints. From the Browns' 42-yard line Tim Couch squared up and threw a Hail Mary pass that was tipped in the endzone by Saints defenders but then caught by the Browns' Kevin Johnson. The dramatic game-winning touchdown play happened in the last two seconds of the game, causing the final score to be 21–16. Two weeks later, the Browns defeated the Steelers in Pittsburgh, 16–15, for their second and final win of the year.

The Browns finished the season 2–14—sixth in the AFC Central. It was, at the time, the worst record that the Browns had ever compiled at the end of a season. Since then, the Browns finished with worse records in 2016 and 2017. The Browns did not win a home game throughout the season.

Draft[]

1999 NFL Draft[]

Draft order		Player name	Position	College
Round	Pick	Player name	Position	College
1	1	Tim Couch	Quarterback	Kentucky
2	32	Kevin Johnson	Wide receiver	Syracuse
2	45	Rahim Abdullah	Linebacker	Clemson
3	62	Daylon McCutcheon	Cornerback	USC
3	78	Marquis Smith	Defensive back	California
4	124	Wali Rainer	Linebacker	Virginia
5	148	Darrin Chiaverini	Wide Receiver	Colorado
6	174	Marcus Spriggs	Defensive tackle	Troy State
	187	Kendall Ogle	Linebacker	Maryland
	191	James Dearth	Long snapper	Tarleton State
7	207	Madre Hill	Running back	Arkansas

Expansion Draft[]

Players selected from other teams in the Cleveland Expansion Draft, in order of selection.^[1]

1. C Jim Pyne, Detroit
2. DE Hurvin McCormack, Dallas
3. T Scott Rehberg, New England
4. WR Damon Gibson, Cincinnati
5. C Steve Gordon, San Francisco
6. LB Tarek Saleh, Carolina
7. G Jeff Buckey, Miami
8. LS Jason Kyle, Seattle
9. DE Rod Manuel, Pittsburgh
10. LB Lenoy Jones, Tennessee
11. CB Tim McTyer, Philadelphia
12. LB Elijah Alexander, Indianapolis
13. T Pete Swanson, Kansas City
14. S Gerome Williams, San Diego
15. S Marlon Forbes, Chicago
16. WR Justin Armour, Denver
17. T Paul Wiggins, Washington
18. S Duane Butler, Minnesota
19. WR Fred Brock, Arizona
20. CB Kory Blackwell, N.Y. Giants
21. CB Kevin Devine, Jacksonville
22. CB Ray Jackson, Buffalo
23. G Jim Bundren, N.Y. Jets
24. G Ben Cavil, Baltimore
25. RB Michael Blair, Green Bay
26. DT Antonio Anderson, Dallas
27. G Orlando Bobo, Minnesota
28. LB James Williams, San Francisco
29. QB Scott Milanovich, Tampa Bay
30. S Eric Stokes, Seattle
31. RB Ronald Moore, Miami
32. RB Clarence Williams, Buffalo
33. WR Freddie Solomon, Philadelphia
34. S Brandon Sanders, N.Y. Giants
35. DT Mike Thompson, Cincinnati
36. RB Jerris McPhail, Detroit
37. CB Antonio Langham, San Francisco

Personnel[]

Staff[]

**1999 Cleveland Browns staff**

	Front office Owner and chairman – Alfred Lerner President and chief executive officer – Carmen Policy Executive Vice President/Director of Football Operations – Dwight Clark Executive Director of Player Personnel – Joe Collins Director of College Personnel – Phil Neri Director of Pro Personnel – Keith Kidd Head coaches Head Coach – Chris Palmer Offensive coaches Quarterbacks – John Hufnagel Running Backs – Wide Receivers – Jerry Butler Tight Ends – Ray Perkins Offensive Line – Offensive Quality Control – Tony Sparano			Defensive coaches Defensive Coordinator – Bob Slowik Defensive Line – Clarence Brooks Linebackers – Keith Butler Defensive Backs – Jerry Holmes Defensive Quality Control – Billy Davis Special teams coaches Special Teams – Ken Whisenhunt Special Teams Quality Control – Strength and conditioning Head Strength and Conditioning – Tim Jorgensen Assistant Strength/Pass Rush Consultant – Joe Kim Assistant Strength – Aril Smith

Final roster[]

**1999 Cleveland Browns final roster**

	Quarterbacks 2 Tim Couch 11 Ty Detmer 10 Jamie Martin Running backs 27 Karim Abdul-Jabbar 44 Marc Edwards FB 34 Madre Hill 42 Terry Kirby 29 Rashaan Salaam 25 Sedrick Shaw Wide receivers 84 Darrin Chiaverini 87 Zola Davis 85 Kevin Johnson 80 Ronnie Powell 86 Leslie Shepherd Tight ends 83 Mark Campbell 88 James Dearth 89 Randy Palmer 82 Irv Smith Sr.		Offensive linemen 76 Lomas Brown T 77 Orlando Brown Sr. T 65 Jim Bundren G 69 Roger Chanoine T 71 Jim Pyne G/C 79 Scott Rehberg T 68 Chris Ruhman T 64 Dave Wohlabaugh C 75 Steve Zahursky G/T Defensive linemen 94 Derrick Alexander DE 93 Stalin Colinet DE/DT 62 Bill Duff DT 73 Darius Holland DT 67 John Jurkovic DT 97 Ryan Kuehl DT/LS 99 Hurvin McCormack DE 98 DE 78 Tyrone Rogers DE 91 Marcus Spriggs DT 96 Mike Thompson DT		Linebackers 55 Rahim Abdullah 51 Lenoy Jones 95 Jamir Miller 59 Kendall Ogle 58 Wali Rainer 40 Tarek Saleh 53 John Thierry DE Defensive backs 39 Marlon Forbes FS 24 Corey Fuller CB 31 Raymond Jackson SS 38 Antonio Langham CB 20 Earl Little SS 33 Daylon McCutcheon CB 47 Ryan McNeil CB 23 Marquez Pope SS 21 Marquis Smith CB Special teams 4 Phil Dawson K 17 Chris Gardocki P		Reserve lists 22 Tim McTyer DB (IR) 54 Chris Spielman ILB (IR) Practice squad Rookies in italics

Preseason[]

Hall of Fame Game[]

Cleveland Browns 20, Dallas Cowboys 17 (Overtime)^[2]

Regular season[]

Schedule[]

Week	Date	Opponent	Result	Record	Venue	Recap
1	September 12	Pittsburgh Steelers	L 0–43	0–1	Cleveland Browns Stadium	Recap
2	September 19	at Tennessee Titans	L 9–26	0–2	Adelphia Coliseum	Recap
3	September 26	at Baltimore Ravens	L 10–17	0–3	PSINet Stadium	Recap
4	October 3	New England Patriots	L 7–19	0–4	Cleveland Browns Stadium	Recap
5	October 10	Cincinnati Bengals	L 17–18	0–5	Cleveland Browns Stadium	Recap
6	October 17	at Jacksonville Jaguars	L 7–24	0–6	Alltel Stadium	Recap
7	October 24	at St. Louis Rams	L 3–34	0–7	Trans World Dome	Recap
8	October 31	at New Orleans Saints	W 21–16	1–7	Louisiana Superdome	Recap
9	November 7	Baltimore Ravens	L 9–41	1–8	Cleveland Browns Stadium	Recap
10	November 14	at Pittsburgh Steelers	W 16–15	2–8	Three Rivers Stadium	Recap
11	November 21	Carolina Panthers	L 17–31	2–9	Cleveland Browns Stadium	Recap
12	November 28	Tennessee Titans	L 21–33	2–10	Cleveland Browns Stadium	Recap
13	December 5	at San Diego Chargers	L 10–23	2–11	Qualcomm Stadium	Recap
14	December 12	at Cincinnati Bengals	L 28–44	2–12	Cinergy Field	Recap
15	December 19	Jacksonville Jaguars	L 14–24	2–13	Cleveland Browns Stadium	Recap
16	December 26	Indianapolis Colts	L 28–29	2–14	Cleveland Browns Stadium	Recap
17	Bye

Season summary[]

Week 1 vs. Pittsburgh Steelers[]

Week 1: Pittsburgh Steelers at Cleveland Browns

	1	2	3	4	Total
Steelers	7	13	6	17	43
Browns	0	0	0	0	0

at Cleveland Browns Stadium, Cleveland, Ohio

Date: September 12, 1999
Game time: 8:26 p.m. CST
Game weather: Overcast, 80 °F (27 °C)
Game attendance: 73,138
TV announcers (ESPN): Mike Patrick, Joe Theismann, Paul Maguire, and Solomon Wilcots
[1]

Game information

First quarter

Second quarter

Third quarter

Fourth quarter

Top passers

PIT – Kordell Stewart – 15/23, 173 yards, TD
CLE – Ty Detmer – 6/13, 52 yards, INT

Top rushers

PIT – Jerome Bettis – 18 rushes, 89 yards
CLE – Terry Kirby – 5 rushes, 10 yards

Top receivers

PIT – Richard Huntley – 5 receptions, 67 yards, 2 TD
CLE – Leslie Shepherd – 2 receptions, 32 yards

Standings[]

AFC Central
view talk	W	L	T	PCT	PF	PA	STK
⁽¹⁾ Jacksonville Jaguars	14	2	0	.875	396	217	W1
⁽⁴⁾ Tennessee Titans	13	3	0	.813	392	324	W4
Baltimore Ravens	8	8	0	.500	324	277	L1
Pittsburgh Steelers	6	10	0	.375	317	320	L1
Cincinnati Bengals	4	12	0	.250	283	460	L2
Cleveland Browns	2	14	0	.125	217	437	L6

^[3]

References[]

^ 1999 Cleveland Expansion Draft
^ NFL 2001 Record and Fact Book, Workman Publishing Co, New York, NY, ISBN 978-0-7611-2480-1, p. 369
^ NFL 2001 Record and Fact Book, Workman Publishing Co, New York, NY, ISBN 978-0-7611-2480-1

"History: Cleveland Browns Draft History: 1990s". Cleveland Browns official Web site. Archived from the original on 2006-10-21. Retrieved 2007-04-13.
"Team Histories – Baltimore Ravens". Pro Football Hall of Fame official Web site. Archived from the original on 16 April 2007. Retrieved 2007-04-13.
"Team Histories – Cleveland Browns". Pro Football Hall of Fame official Web site. Archived from the original on 13 April 2007. Retrieved 2007-04-13.
"Cleveland Browns (1946–1995; 1999–present)". Sports E-Cyclopedia. Archived from the original on 2 May 2007. Retrieved 2007-04-13.

[1] 1999 Cleveland Expansion Draft

[2] NFL 2001 Record and Fact Book, Workman Publishing Co, New York, NY, ISBN 978-0-7611-2480-1, p. 369

[3] NFL 2001 Record and Fact Book, Workman Publishing Co, New York, NY, ISBN 978-0-7611-2480-1

[1]

[2]

[3]

v t Cleveland Browns
Founded in 1946 Based in Cleveland, Ohio Headquartered in Berea, Ohio
Franchise	History Players Head coaches Seasons Logos and uniforms First-round draft picks 1999 expansion draft Starting quarterbacks Pro Bowlers Broadcasters
Stadiums	Cleveland Stadium FirstEnergy Stadium
Key personnel	Owners: Jimmy Haslam Dee Haslam Chief Strategy Officer: Paul DePodesta EVP of Football Ops/GM: Andrew Berry Head coach: Kevin Stefanski
Culture and lore	Art Modell Bottlegate Cleveland sports curse Dawg Pound The Drew Carey Show ("Drew Goes to the Browns' Game") Draft Day Hot Tub Time Machine Kardiac Kids Marty ball Miracle at the Met Paul Brown Red Right 88 Relocation controversy "The Best Man" The Drive The Express: The Ernie Davis Story The Fortune Cookie The Fumble
Rivalries	Baltimore Ravens Cincinnati Bengals Pittsburgh Steelers
Playoff appearances (29)	1946 1947 1948 1949 1950 1951 1952 1953 1954 1955 1957 1958 1964 1965 1967 1968 1969 1971 1972 1980 1982 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989 1994 2002 2020
Division championships (12)	1946 1947 1948 1967 1968 1969 1971 1980 1985 1986 1987 1989
Conference championships (11)	1950 1951 1952 1953 1954 1955 1957 1964 1965 1968 1969
League championships (8)	AAFC: 1946 1947 1948 1949 NFL: 1950 1954 1955 1964
Retired numbers	14 32 45 46 76
Hall of Fame inductees	Players: Brown, J. DeLamielleure Ford Gatski Graham Groza Hickerson Kelly Lavelli McCormack Mitchell Motley Newsome Warfield Willis Coach: Brown, P.
Current league affiliations	League: National Football League (1950–present) Conference: American Football Conference Division: North Division
Former league affiliation	League: All-America Football Conference (1946–1949)