Top Five Cleveland Browns Moments: 1999-2006

As I write this, it’s early Sunday morning. The Browns-Steelers game is less than 12 hours away.

Both teams are 3-6, but I don’t think there’s a debate on who is the better team. The Browns are still rebuilding, while the Steelers are a year removed from a championship.

Basically, if Ben Roethlisberger and the Steelers destroy the Browns today, I won’t be shocked.

Earlier this week, I was ready to write a column about how the Browns-Steelers rivalry is not really a rivalry anymore. The days of Joe “Turkey” Jones sending Cleveland into frenzy by throwing Steelers’ quarterback Terry Bradshaw on his head are long gone.

Since the Browns returned in 1999, they have played Pittsburgh 15 times (including one playoff game). The Browns have won three of those games.

I was going to write another sob-column about the new Browns, about how bad they are. But tonight, as I was looking for a video tape, I found one marked Browns-New Orleans, 1999. This was the Browns first win since being back in the league. It brought a smile to my face, and gave me a new objective: The top five post-1999 Browns moments.

Here we go:

1. Rookie running back William Green breaks a 64-yard run late, and the Browns secure a playoff spot (with the help of a Jets win later) for the first time since 1994 with a 24-16 win over the Falcons in the 2002 season finale. Green rushed for 178 yards and looked like a star. Sadly, he never was to attain such greatness again.

2. In 1999, Tim Couch throws a 56-yard touchdown pass to Kevin Johnson as time expired, giving the Browns a 21-16 win over the Saints, their first in almost four years. As I mentioned, I have the game on tape and it’s a horrible one. The Saints committed five turnovers, but the finish makes it a classic.

Article Author: Zach Baker

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