A HOT QB, A COLD DAY AND A COOL MEMORY
EDITOR’S NOTE: This is the final of a two-part series about the late Marty Schottenheimer’s greatest regular-season game as head coach of the Browns — in his last regular-season game with the team, against the Houston Oilers on a freezing-cold, snow-filled Dec. 18, 1988 at Cleveland Stadium in the regular-season finale. Part 1
By STEVE KING
After scoring on their first drive of the second half to build a 23-7 lead with 9 1/2 minutes left in the third quarter, and with the fact the Browns offense was going nowhere fast, the Houston Oilers appeared to have the all-important game won.
But the Browns — and quarterback Don Strock, in particular — had other ideas.
With their season on the line — they were in a must-win situation if they wanted to make it to the AFC playoffs for the fourth straight season, and the first time as a wild card — the Browns went to work on putting together one of the most impressive comebacks in team history. Indeed, from that point on, the teams switched places, with the Browns offense, and Strock, suddenly becoming unstoppable and their defense, which had been hanging by a thread, taking over in dominant fashion, shutting out Houston the rest of the way.
Ad: Were you a Browns fan when they were 0-16? Click here
It began when Strock, who had thrown three interceptions on the first three possessions of the game (the Browns also fumbled the ball away for four total turnovers in the first half), flipped a two-yard touchdown pass to running back Earnest Byner later in the third quarter to cut the margin to 23-14. Then in the fourth quarter, Byner ran two yards for a TD to make it 23-21, and the Browns got the game-winner on Strock’s 22-yard scoring pass to wide receiver Webster Slaughter, the snow continuing to pelt down as he high-stepped his way into the end zone.
Just like that, the Browns, somehow, some way, had resuscitated themselves and scored 21 unanswered points to win 28-23 to finish 10-6 and make their way into the postseason again.
“This was one of the greatest comebacks — ever — in the history of this storied franchise,” Don Criqui, who served as the play-by-play announcer on NBC’s telecast of the game, kept saying over and over in the final minutes.
Strock was outstanding after his rocky start, completing 16 of 22 passes for two TDs and no interceptions in the second half after hitting on just 9 of 20 tries for 124 yards and those three picks in the first half. Add it all up, and he was 25-of-42 for 326 yards, two scores and three interceptions. His favorite target was Slaughter, whom the Oilers had no idea how to cover, as evidenced by the fact he caught six passes for 136 yards and that TD.
“Don Strock is the toast of Cleveland,” said former Cincinnati Bengals tight end Bob Trumpy, who was color analyst on the telecast.
All this came under the command of head coach Marty Schottenheimer. In a season when so much — not just the historic number of injuries at quarterback but injuries at other positions and controversy swirling about the harmony among the players — he was able to keep the team together, especially for the first 35 1/2 minutes against Houston when everything went wrong. The Browns could have easily quit, but, because of him, they didn’t. As such, It was his finest hour — his finest regular-season game — in his finest season as Browns coach.
Who could have guessed at that moment that it would also be his last regular-season game with the club?
And to think Schottenheimer, a defensive guy through and through who was serving as his own offensive coordinator, and getting criticism from every corner as the attack sputtered more than it purred in 1988, had his best moment in large part because of that offense, which was directed by a 38-year-old quarterback who was coaxed out of retirement. You can’t make that stuff up. No one would believe it.
“There have been questions about this offense, and its coordinator, all year, but not today,” Trumpy said.
So, then, as he walked off the field and headed toward the first-base dugout to get to the phone-booth-sized locker room, Marty Schottenheimer, flashing a rare — and quick — smile after saving the best for last, waved to the roaring fans there and blew a kiss their way.
Right back at ya, Coach.
