EDITOR’S NOTE: Back in the day, there was a term, “Kodak moment,” that meant a scene was so great that it just had to be captured on camera, and the most popular brand at the time was Kodak. In lieu of former Browns quarterback Bernie Kosar disclosing recently that he is facing several challenging health issues, we have come up with some Kosar moments to tell the story of his iconic 8 1/2-year career with the club from 1985 to midway through the 1993 season. This is the second part of that series.

Rookie quarterback Bernie Kosar had done a great job the previous Sunday in his NFL debut, coming on for the injured Gary Danielson and directing the Browns to a 24–20 home victory over a New England Patriots team that would go on to make it to the Super Bowl following that 1985 season.

But, if the truth be told, the Patriots never had a chance to game plan against Kosar. Their preparation was all done with the idea that Danielson would be the quarterback they would be facing throughout the game. Almost no study was made of Kosar. 

Now, as Danielson continued to heal in street clothes and Kosar got set for his first start, in the Astrodome on Oct. 13, 1985, he would be going up against a Houston Oilers defense that had had a full week to devise some things to frustrate the young quarterback. Their plan of attack was not a surprise at all. Even in his younger days, Kosar was not a mobile quarterback. He was a big guy who liked to stand in the pocket and throw the ball. So, the Oilers went after him with a lot of blitzing to see if he could deal with it.

Some of it worked, but overall, what the Oilers learned, and what the rest of the NFL teams would come to find out as well, was that Kosar had a high football IQ and a keen mind for reading defenses. He could see where the blitzes were coming from and what the coverages were. He was able to adjust, find the holes and still make plays, and he showed off that prowess by leading the Browns to a 21–6 victory, their third in a row to move their record to 4–2.

Kosar completed just eight of 19 passing attempts on the day and was intercepted once, but the biggest throw he made was the one that set the tone not just for the game but also for his career going forward. With his team trailing 6-0 in the third quarter, Kosar beat the blitz and found streaking wide receiver Clarence Weathers for a 68-yard touchdown pass that got the Browns offense untracked.

It was the first of Kosar’s 118 scoring throws for the Browns, placing him third in team history behind his idol growing up, Brian Sipe (154), and the very underrated Dr. Frank Ryan (134).

NEXT: Losing a playoff game, and his patience.

Steve King