By Zac Jackson
This report filed January 15, 2002

20. The Browns’ offensive line underwent plenty of changes and took lots of criticism during the season.

Ross Verba started the season at right tackle, was moved to left guard for the season opener and finished the year at left tackle. Verba received high marks and Butch Davis said Verba could be the team’s left tackle of the future.

For the rest of the line, the future isn’t as certain. Roman Oben and Dave Wohlabaugh are pricey veterans and Oben was benched at the end of the season. Roger Chanoine is a young player who held his own at right tackle and two other young players—Brad Bedell and Jeremy McKinney—had their ups and downs at right guard.

Backup C Shaun O’Hara caught a TD pass as an extra tackle in a goalline set early in the season and finished it by starting at left guard. His versatility is a plus as the Browns search for linemen for the future.

19. One place where youth and inexperience wasn’t a problem was in the secondary. CB’s Corey Fuller and Daylon McCutcheon and S Earl Little added bark and bite to the group with vocal leadership and steady play throughout the season. Another solid contributor was Devin Bush, a late pickup from St. Louis who ended the season starting at free safety.

18. There was one more DB who had a good season, and no, we’re not talking about Anthony Henry.

Ray Jackson, cut in training camp and re-signed in the second week of the season, had three timely interceptions and made smart, consistent plays throughout the year. His quiet leadership and solid special teams work went a long way for a young team.

17. Speaking of training camp moves, the Browns got a fourth round draft pick for QB Ty Detmer. They also got a win out of the deal when Detmer, returning with the Lions, threw seven interceptions in Cleveland’s 24-14 victory.

16. Unfortunately, it wasn’t that easy every week. In fact, the Chicago loss on Nov. 4 may have been the hardest any of the Browns ever had to swallow.

Cleveland led 21-7 in the final 30 seconds of regulation but the Bears got two Jim Miller TD passes to tie the game, then won it on an interception return by Mike Brown in overtime.

15. Speaking of tough losses, the Browns dropped a 15-10 home decision to Jacksonville on Dec. 16. A controversial instant replay decision killed Cleveland’s final drive and turned the ball over to the Jaguars, who ran out the clock and extended the Browns’ losing streak to three games.

14. Adversity unfortunately seemed to follow the Browns this season. But even without suspended starters Mike Sellers and Gerard Warren, Cleveland recorded its first shutout since 1994 in an 18-0 win over the Bengals on Nov. 25 to improve to 6-4.

Warren returned the next week and finished the season with his five best games. Sellers was released by the team the following week.

13. The Browns struggled in the running game, averaging just 3.2 yards per carry for the season with three young running backs.

Starter James Jackson led the team with 554 yards, including the “new” Browns first 100-yard game, but was plagued by injury and finished the year on injured-reserve. Jamel White, the “veteran” of the group with two years experience, finished strong in Jackson’s absence.

Intriguing 21-year old rookie Ben Gay finished with 172 yards and a TD but had problems protecting the passer and holding onto the football. Gay, who came to the NFL from the junior college level, has a long way to go. But his natural athletic ability and explosiveness make him a project worth enduring.

12. Dwayne Rudd was solid in his first season as a Brown. A free agent pickup from Minnesota, the speedy OLB led the team in tackles (122).

But depth at linebacker was a concern as MLB Wali Rainer struggled early in the year and then missed two games with an injury. Brant Boyer was solid but excelled in limited duty, not as an every down player. Marquis Smith, the team’s starting SS in 2000, was moved to linebacker at the end of the season to help fortify the position.

11. Injuries killed defensive depth, and it showed when the Browns struggled in kick coverage and in stopping the run. 17 players were on injured-reserve at the end of the season, and Cleveland’s defense finished 28th against the run.

10. Coverage units? So-so. But the kicking games were outstanding. Davis constantly praised K Phil Dawson, P Chris Gardocki and long snapper Ryan Kuehl, saying all three were among the league’s best at their respective positions.

9. Outside of Kevin Johnson, the Browns young wide receivers had a long season. JaJuan Dawson and Dennis Northcutt never really recovered from early season injuries. Veteran Jammi German was lost for good at midseason. Rookie Quincy Morgan had his ups and downs and rookie Andre King, inactive for the first 10 games, finished strong and proved he belonged on the roster.

8. When Bruce Arians took over as offensive coordinator, he promised an offense that would provide Tim Couch with H-Backs and tight ends as weapons. But injuries to Rickey Dudley and Aaron Shea and the release of Sellers left the cupboard bare and forced late additions Rod Monroe and Jake Moreland into action.

7. The injuries, lack of depth and roster turnover took the Browns from 6-4 to 6-8 following a four-game losing streak in December. Two home division losses (Tennessee and Jacksonville) and two road losses (New England and Green Bay) eliminated Cleveland from playoff contention.

6. When the Browns did break the streak, they did it in a big way.

The often-ridiculed offense exploded for 41 points and overcame a 14-point fourth quarter deficit to defeat the Titans, 41-38, in Nashville on Dec. 30. Couch threw an amazing bullet pass to Johnson for the game-tying TD and Phil Dawson booted a 44-yard game winning field goal to bury the demons of the streak.

5. Seven wins was, without a doubt, a big deal. The two over Baltimore were huge, as were the road wins in Tennessee and Jacksonville. The toughest loss, obviously, came in Chicago, but Seattle, Jacksonville (home) and Pittsburgh (home) were also tough to swallow. 7-9 very easily could have been 9-7.

4. Davis is quick to point out that the Browns beat every division rival except Pittsburgh. The Browns went 2-5 against playoff teams, and all five of those teams are still alive in the NFL playoffs. Four of the losses to playoff teams came on the road, and two were overtime decisions.

3. In Couch We Trust: The team exercised its 4-year, $8.75 million option on Couch’s contract in the final week of the season, solidifying his status as the team’s quarterback of the present and future.

2. There’s no doubt progress has been made. Sure, there’s a long way to go, but the seasons turned in by Jamir Miller, Johnson, Henry, Rudd, Warren, Couch, Verba, McCutcheon, Little, Fuller and a handful of other players are proof that the foundation has been laid.

As the Browns continue to build through the draft and continue to follow Davis’ lead, the progress will become more and more evident.

1. One year from playoff contention? It sure will be fun to find out.

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