Every game is special.
You might not think so, but it’s true.
You’re going to see something – at least one thing, and perhaps more, hopefully more — when the Browns entertain Arizona Cardinals at 1 p.m. today at FirstEnergy Stadium, that will stand out and leave an impression on you.
It might not be enough to knock your socks off, or maybe it will, but whatever it is, it will be a first-timer – a new experience — and you’ll notice it right away and take that memory with you.
For instance, in last Sunday’s 24-6 loss to the St. Louis Rams, the Browns fumbled away a pass reception on their third play from scrimmage and it was returned for a touchdown.
Wow. I don’t recall ever seeing that before.
The next time the Browns got the ball, they fumbled the ball away on their fifth play. That set up the Rams for a field goal.
Two series, eight plays and two fumbles, and the Browns found themselves behind 10-0.
Double-wow. I don’t recall ever seeing that before, either.
The Rams had scored 10 points and yet had just three yards of offense.
Triple-wow. I know I’ve never seen that before.
Years from now, when I think back to that game, these are the three things I will recall.
Let’s hope the things we remember, and the impressions they made, from today’s game are positive ones this time for the Browns. But it won’t be easy since the 2-5 Browns are solid underdogs to the 5-2 Cardinals.
It was 56 years ago today, on Nov. 1, 1959 on Memorial Stadium in Baltimore, that fans of both the Browns and Baltimore Colts got to witness something truly special. There was no question that it was a wow moment – maybe the biggest one that had ever seen to that point of their lives, or even the biggest one they ever saw going forward as well.
Browns running back Jim Brown, the greatest player ever at any position, and Colts quarterback John Unitas, possibly the greatest player ever at his position, put on a show for the ages.
Brown rushed for 178 yards and five touchdowns in 32 carries against possibly the best defense in the game. He did so without a great passing attack to take some of the pressure – and focus — off him.
Unitas completed 23 of 41 passes for 397 yards and four touchdowns. He did so against a defense that wasn’t far behind that of the Colts, if it was behind it at all. And he did it in a time in history when the rules allowed defenders to mug – almost assault – receivers all over the field. If cornerbacks and safeties did that today, they’d probably be sent to prison for life – with no chance of parole.
And did we mention that Unitas, like Brown, did not have a complementary part of the offense to help him. The Colts rushed for just 45 yards, including 11 by him.
The result was that the Browns built a 24-10 second-quarter lead and steadied it into a 38-24 advantage in the fourth quarter en route a 38-31 win over a Colts team that was headed to its second straight NFL championship.
It was like two heavyweight championship-contending fighters – and two heavyweight championship-contending teams – trading roundhouse, knockout punches, one right after the other. No jabs – no feeling each other out — on this day. No siree!
Brown’s touchdown runs came on distances of 70, one (twice), 17 and three yards.
Unitas’s touchdown passes came on distances of three, eight, 10 and five yards. He might have had five scoring throws had Browns cornerback Bernie Parrish not intercepted him at the Cleveland 4 just before halftime. It was one of three interceptions by Cleveland, proving that Unitas was mortal – a tremendous mortal, but still a mortal.
Another Pro Football Hall of Famer, Browns running back Bobby Mitchell, had a team-leading five receptions for 66 yards.
Colts wide receiver Raymond Berry, who later served as an assistant coach with the Browns, had 11 catches for 156 yards and a TD. Yet another Hall of Famer, running back Lenny Moore, added five receptions for 115 yards and a score.
The Browns had won three straight to improve to 4-2.
As important as that was, it’s not what anyone remembers from this day.
