Coming to the defense of those great Browns defenses, especially in 1946

Great Browns defenses overshadowed(Original Caption) Marion Motley(above), fullback of the professional football Cleveland Browns announced his retirement from active duty as a player on September 20th. Motley made the decision after failing to recover from a chronic knee ailment. Motley, 34, was rated as one of the greatest fullbacks in pro football history. His retirement leaves coach Paul Brown with but four of the original squad who formed the nucleus of the Cleveland Browns in 1946.

Posted By: County Sports Network September 22, 2015

Great Browns defenses by Steve King

With 13 of their 15 players enshrined in the Pro Football Hall of Fame, what gets lost sometimes is the fact the Browns have had some pretty good defenses, and defensive players, over the years.

And that was especially so back in the day.

In fact, on this day 69 years ago, Sept. 22, 1946, the Browns, in their first year of existence, shut out the host Buffalo Bisons 28-0. It was their second shutout in their first three games.

The Browns finished the year with four shutouts and surrendered just 137 points in their 14-game regular season, which is actually a team record – by quite a lot when all things all considered – but is not recognized as such by the club because it didn’t happen in the NFL. It occurred when the franchise was still in the All-America Football Conference. Ignoring the accomplishment for that fact is very disrespectful to those players, but that’s another story for another time.

The Browns put the Bisons away quickly, racing to a 21-0 first-quarter lead on two Otto Graham touchdown passes, a 52-yarder to end John Yonakor and a 33-yarder to fullback Marion Motley, and a 12-yard scoring run by Gaylon Smith.

Appropriately so, the final touchdown, in the fourth quarter, came on linebacker Chet Adams’ 25-yard fumble return.

The great Browns defenses had allowed just 164 total yards and forced five turnovers.

But hardly anyone noticed that or Adams.

Unfortunately, that’s what happens when your offense includes players such as Graham, Motley, Dante Lavelli, Lou Groza and Frank Gatski, all of whom are in the Hall of Fame, and Mac Speedie, who would be joining them in Canton had he not bolted for the big money of the CFL following the 1952 season.

But that, too, is another story for another time.

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