1970 Cleveland Browns season

Last updated

1970 Cleveland Browns season
Owner Art Modell
General manager Harold Sauerbrei
Head coach Blanton Collier
Home field Cleveland Stadium
Local radio WHK
Results
Record7–7
Division place2nd AFC Central
Playoff finishDid not qualify
Pro Bowlers None

The 1970 Cleveland Browns season was the team's 21st season with the National Football League. The Browns attempted to improve on its 10-3-1 record from 1969. The team would fail to do so, and they finished with an even 7-7 record and missed the postseason. This was the first season that the Browns would play the Cincinnati Bengals, their new arch-rival in the AFC Central. The two teams split their two meetings in the first season series.

Contents

Season summary

The merger between the NFL and AFL was complete, with the leagues now playing each other in the regular season for the first time. This was the last step in a four-year process that began in January 1967 with the champions from both leagues playing in Super Bowl I.

To finish the merger, the Browns, along with the Pittsburgh Steelers and Baltimore Colts, agreed to move in 1970 from the NFL to the old AFL, renamed the AFC, to balance the leagues, now called conferences (NFC and AFC), at 13 clubs each. The merger had hit a stalemate when none of the NFL teams initially wanted to jump to what many of the old-line NFL people felt was an inferior league overall.

Concerning just the Browns themselves, there was the situation involving Blanton Collier. Although no one except maybe the man himself knew it at the start of the season, this was going to be the last year for the venerable head coach. Plagued by hearing problems, the 64-year-old coach announced his retirement before the end of the 1970 season, which the Browns finished with a 7–7 record. [1] Collier told owner Art Modell that he could no longer hear his players, and it was difficult to read their lips through new face masks that obscured their mouths. [2] Modell tried to help by getting Collier to try new hearing aids and even sent him for acupuncture treatment, but none of it worked. [3] Collier struggled during press conferences because he often could not hear what reporters were asking and answered the wrong questions. [4] In eight years as coach, Collier led Cleveland to a championship and a 76–34–2 record. [1] Nick Skorich, who came to the Browns as offensive coordinator in 1964, was named as his replacement in 1971. [5] Collier had been in the job since 1963 and guided the Browns to the NFL championship a year later.

Paul Warfield trade to Dolphins

Realizing quarterback Bill Nelsen's aching knees were on borrowed time, the Browns had made a blockbuster trade with the Miami Dolphins on the eve of the 1970 NFL Draft to get the rights to select the man they felt would be their passer of the future, Mike Phipps. But it came at a steep price, for they had to give up Pro Football Hall of Fame wide receiver Paul Warfield in the process. That loss, coupled with Nelsen's physical condition and the unfamiliarity with the personnel on the former AFL clubs they were playing for the first time, took the starch out of what had been a good offense going back to 1963. The result was the Browns scored 65 less points than they had the year before, and 108 less than two seasons before.

Along with that, the defense, though it gave up 35 fewer points than it had in 1969, just could not make up the difference, led to the Browns finishing 7–7, only the second non-winning mark in club history. In spite of that, the season started well for the Browns, as they opened 3–1 and then were 4–2.

First Monday Night Football game

The Browns beat Joe Namath and the New York Jets 31–21 at Cleveland Municipal Stadium in the opener in the first Monday Night Football game in history, and, three games later, edged Cincinnati 30–27 in Bengals head coach Paul Brown's first official visit to Cleveland since being fired by the Browns eight years before. [6]

Offseason

NFL Draft

The following were selected in the 1970 NFL Draft.

1970 Cleveland Browns Draft
RoundSelectionPlayerPositionCollegeNotes
13 Mike Phipps Quarterback Purdue
121 Bob McKay Tackle Texas
236 Turkey Jones Defensive end Tennessee State
247 Jerry Sherk Defensive tackle Oklahoma State
499Ricky StevensonDefensive back Arizona
5125 Steve Engel Running back Colorado
6151Mike CilekQuarterback Iowa
7177 Craig Wycinsky Guard Michigan State
8203Honester DavidsonDefensive back Bowling Green
9229Geoff BrownLinebacker Pittsburgh
10255William YancharDefensive tackle Purdue
11281Gene BennerWide receiver Maine
12307Jerry SandersKicker Texas Tech
13333Larry RobertsRunning back Central Missouri
14359Jim TharpeLinebacker Lincoln (Mo.)
15385Guy HomolyDefensive back Illinois State
16410John RedebaughTight end Bemidji State
17436Charles TabbRunning back McMurry

[7]

Exhibition schedule

WeekDateOpponentResultRecordVenueAttendance
1August 8at Los Angeles Rams L 17–300–1 Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum 71,559
2August 15vs. San Francisco 49ers W 17–101–1 Tampa Stadium 41,851
3August 22vs. Kansas City Chiefs L 13–161–2 Memphis Memorial Stadium 31,532
4August 29at Cincinnati Bengals L 24–311–3 Riverfront Stadium 57,112
5September 5 Minnesota Vikings L 21–241–4 Cleveland Municipal Stadium 83,043
6September 12at New York Giants W 30–292–4 Yankee Stadium 62,461

There was a doubleheader on September 5, 1970 Cardinals vs Chargers and Vikings vs Browns.

Regular season schedule

WeekDateOpponentResultRecordVenueAttendanceRecap
1September 21 New York Jets W 31–211–0 Cleveland Municipal Stadium 85,703 Recap
2September 27at San Francisco 49ers L 31–341–1 Kezar Stadium 37,502 Recap
3October 3 Pittsburgh Steelers W 15–72–1Cleveland Municipal Stadium84,349 Recap
4October 11 Cincinnati Bengals W 30–273–1Cleveland Municipal Stadium83,520 Recap
5October 18 Detroit Lions L 24–413–2Cleveland Municipal Stadium83,577 Recap
6October 25at Miami Dolphins W 28–04–2 Miami Orange Bowl 75,313 Recap
7November 1 San Diego Chargers L 10–274–3Cleveland Municipal Stadium80,047 Recap
8November 8at Oakland Raiders L 20–234–4 Oakland–Alameda County Coliseum 54,463 Recap
9November 15at Cincinnati Bengals L 10–144–5 Riverfront Stadium 60,007 Recap
10November 22 Houston Oilers W 28–145–5Cleveland Municipal Stadium74,723 Recap
11November 29at Pittsburgh Steelers L 9–285–6 Three Rivers Stadium 50,214 Recap
12December 7at Houston Oilers W 21–106–6 Houston Astrodome 50,582 Recap
13December 12 Dallas Cowboys L 2–66–7Cleveland Municipal Stadium75,458 Recap
14December 20at Denver Broncos W 27–137–7 Mile High Stadium 51,001 Recap

Note: Intra-division opponents are in bold text.

Season summary

Week 4

In the first regular-season matchup between Paul Brown's old team and his new one, the Browns beat the Bengals. It's an important win for the Browns, who we're chastised for losing a preseason game to Cincinnati. Running backs Leroy Kelly and Bo Scott combined for 236 yards, and a fired up defense sets the early tone when defensive tackle Walter Johnson sacks Bengals quarterback Virgil Carter for a safety.

1234Total
Bengals1073727
•Browns21401430
Scoring summary
1CIN Horst Muhlmann 50 yard field goalBengals 3–0
1CIN Jess Phillips 2 yard run (Horst Muhlmann kick)Bengals 10–0
1CLESafety, Virgil Carter tackled by Walter Johnson in end zoneBengals 10–2
2CLE Leroy Kelly 3 yard pass from Bill Nelsen (Don Cockroft kick)Bengals 10–9
2CIN Royce Berry 58 yard fumble return (Horst Muhlmann kick)Bengals 17–9
2CLE Milt Morin 4 yard pass from Bill Nelsen (Don Cockroft kick)Bengals 17–16
3CINHorst Muhlmann 27 yard field goalBengals 20–16
4CLELeroy Kelly 1 yard run (Don Cockroft kick)Browns 23–20
4CLE Bo Scott 1 yard run (Don Cockroft kick)Browns 30–20
4CIN Speedy Thomas 16 yard pass from Virgil Carter (Horst Muhlmann kick)Browns 30–27

[8]

Standings

AFC Central
WLTPCTDIVCONFPFPASTK
Cincinnati Bengals 860.5713–37–4312255W7
Cleveland Browns 770.5004–27–4286265W1
Pittsburgh Steelers 590.3573–35–6210272L3
Houston Oilers 3101.2312–43–7–1217352L3

Note: Tie games were not officially counted in the standings until 1972.

Personnel

Staff

1970 Cleveland Browns staff

Front office

Head coaches

Offensive coaches

Defensive coaches


Strength and conditioning

  • Trainer - Leo Murphy

Roster

1970 Cleveland Browns roster
Quarterbacks

Running backs

Wide receivers

Tight ends

Offensive linemen

Defensive linemen

Linebackers

Defensive backs

Special teams

Reserve lists


Practice squad


Rookies in italics

[9]

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References

  1. 1 2 "Browns' Blanton Says He's Retiring This Year". Rochester Sentinel. December 2, 1970.
  2. ↑ Pluto 1997, p. 297.
  3. ↑ Pluto 1997, pp. 69–70.
  4. ↑ Pluto 1997, p. 70.
  5. ↑ "Name Nick Skorich New Browns' Coach". Bangor Daily News. Cleveland. Associated Press. January 8, 1971. p. 7. Retrieved September 1, 2012.
  6. ↑ "Season summary and statistics at Cleveland Browns.com". Archived from the original on October 25, 2011. Retrieved March 7, 2012.
  7. ↑ "1970 NFL Draft". Pro Football Reference. Retrieved November 22, 2021.
  8. ↑ Pro-Football-Reference.com
  9. ↑ "1970 Cleveland Browns Starters, Roster, & Players". Pro Football Reference. Retrieved November 22, 2021.

Bibliography

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