Jason Garrett was in a discussion with a fellow NBC NFL analyst a week ago when the subject of the Browns’ three straight down-to-the-very end victories came up.
He smiled immediately.
“The Kardiac Kids!,” he said. “You’re talking to someone who grew up watching the old Kardiac Kids Browns teams years ago when my dad was coaching in Cleveland.”
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The product of University School in the Cleveland suburb of Hunting Valley was referring to Jim Garrett, an offensive assistant on head coach Sam Rutigliano’s staff from
1978 through ‘84.
Probably because it happened so long ago — about 4-1/2 decades — people, even those in the local media, haven’t touched at all on the Kardiac Kids’ aspect of these recent victories. But in this corner we have made the connection because I have mentioned countless times here on Browns Daily Dose that the Kardiac Kids era was the most exciting period of time in Browns history. That was especially the case in 1980, which was the era’s zenith, when 13 of the 16 regular-season games — 14 of 17 if you include the playoff contest against the Oakland Raiders — were not decided until the final two minutes as the Browns finished 11-5 and won the AFC Central title for the first time in nine years. You had to have seen it to believe it, and even then, you scratched your head and wondered if it was actually real.
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We’re obviously getting ahead of ourselves here, big-time in fact — I am fully aware of that, and that’s fine because you have to be able to dream — but wouldn’t it be something if the Browns’ 2026 season played out like the one in 1980, that is, except, of course, for the nightmarish finish?
We’ll see what happens when the Browns play the host New York Jets on Sunday. The Browns edged the Jets 17-14 at Cleveland in 1980. The current Browns are coming off a 27-24 win over the Pittsburgh Steelers at Cleveland. In 1980, the Browns beat Pittsburgh 27-26 at home. This year’s Browns defeated the Tampa Bay Buccaneers 23-19 on the road. The 1980 Browns defeated the Bucs 34-27 in Tampa.
Just sayin’.
Hmmm.
A GOLDEN ANNIVERSARY: Saturday marked 50 years since Browns defensive end Joe “Turkey” Jones made his famous spike/sack of Steelers quarterback Terry Bradshaw on Oct. 10, 1976 at Cleveland Stadium. The Browns defeated the two-time defending Super Bowl champions 18-16, getting four field goals from Don Cockroft from 43, 28, 50 and 40 yards and a one-yard touchdown run by Cleo Miller. The Steelers scored two TDs, one of which on a 22-yard run by backup quarterback Mike Kruczek. The Browns also got good play from their backup quarterback, Dr. David Mays, who had a dental practice in the Cleveland suburb of Shaker Heights. Mays entrred the game after starter Brian Sipe suffered a concussion when he was hit out of bounds along the Browns bench by Steelers linebacker Jack Lambert, who was penalized for a late hit and ejected. Mays made plays with his arm and legs, particularly in key situations, sustaining drives. I interviewed Jones years after the game as we stood on the same spot on the field at what is now Huntington Bank Field, which, of course, is on the identical footprint of Cleveland Stadium. Jones told me that he played in a lot of celebrity golf tournaments over the years with members of that Steelers team, and they still give him a hard time about it.
Steve King
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