The other day while I was doing a variety of other things I watched the NBC telecast, with play-by-play announcer Don Criqui and color analyst and one-time Cincinnati Bengals tight end Bob Trumpy, of the 1988 regular-season finale between the Browns and Houston Oilers at Cleveland Stadium.
Played exactly 35 years ago almost to the day, on Dec. 18 (which is Monday), it is probably my favorite Browns game of all-time. If it’s not, then it’s certainly on the short list thereof.
The Browns that season lost their starting quarterback five times with four different players (Bernie Kosar twice, along with Gary Danielson, Mike Pagel and Don Strock). That necessitated along the way the signing of Strock, the former longtime backup with the Miami Dolphins to first Bob Griese and then Dan Marino. When Kosar was injured in the 38-31 road loss to the Dolphins the previous week, Strock was the last man standing and as such was named the starter for the all-important game against the Central Division rival Oilers, who had already clinched an AFC playoffs berth as a wild card. The 9-6 Browns would clinch a wild-card spot if they beat the Oilers, but if they lost, then they would be shut out of the postseason.
The game started out horribly for both Strock and the Browns. He looked incredibly rusty for the first 2-1/2 quarters, which is what you would expect from someone who was 38 years old and had retired and was signed coming off a golf course. Anyway, the Browns trained 23-7 with 9:32 left in the third quarter. They appeared to be finished, and the quietness of the sold-out crowd on the freezing-cold day — it was 20 degrees with a wind-chill of minus-8 — reflected that.
But then Strock got rolling and so did the Browns. They rallied — they came back from the dead and resurrected themselves — with three unanswered touchdowns — two of them on Strock throws — to win 28-23. He finished with 326 yards passing and a spot on the all-time Browns heroes list.
It gave me chills watching that game again. It was an absolute blast.
Strock was another generation’s Joe Flacco, coming in to save the day for the Browns. Like the long-ago team, this club has been able to stay in contention despite all the injuries at quarterback — less than in 1988 but still a lot — because of the overall talent on the roster.
What you are watching, Browns fans, is shaping up as a repeat of 1988, which, in large part because of that Oilers game, was a heckuva lot of fun. It was memorable. It was special.
This season is, too, with the 8-5 record with four games left. So, enjoy this to the fullest. Savor every last bit of it. Chances are you’ll be ones telling the story about the 2023 season 35 years from now.
Steve King
