EDITOR’S NOTE: Back in the day, there was a term called “a Kodak moment,” which meant that there was a scene 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‘s recent discosure 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 Browns from 1985 to midway through the 1993 season. This is the Part 4 of that series.
By STEVE KING
Following their 24–21 loss to the Miami Dolphins in the divisional round of the 1985 playoffs, a game in which they fell in large part due to the fact their passing attack was so bad, the Browns made some big-picture moves to help rookie quarterback Bernie Kosar.
They fired offensive coordinator Greg Landry and replaced him with Lindy Infante, one of the most brilliant offensive minds in the NFL, especially when it came to the passing game. Even though the Browns had had two 1,000-yard rushers in 1985 in Kevin Mack and Earnest Byner, Infante came up with a scheme that relied heavily on passing so as to take advantage of Kosar’s skills.
Before any of that happened, though, the Browns took Pro Football Hall of Fame wide receiver Paul Warfield, who was back with his old club working in a front–office role, and gave him a project, to find a much-needed talented deep-threat wideout who would likely still be on the board when the Browns made their first pick in the 1985 NFL Draft, in the second round at No. 43 overall. The Browns had given up their first-round picks in both 1985 and ‘86 as part of the trade with the Buffalo Bills to get the No. 1 overall pick in the 1995 NFL Supppemental Draft, which they used to take Kosar.
Warfirld’s choice was Webster Slaughter from San Diego State, the same school that produced iconic Browns quarterback Brian Sipe a decade and a half earlier.
It was a great selection, for Slaughter started paying dividends right away, including in the 1986 opener in a 41-31 road loss to the defending world champion Chicago Bears, who were coming off a 46-10 pounding of the pre-Bill Belichick era New England Patriots in the Super Bowl. Although the Browns lost, they moved the ball up and down the field, particularly through the air, on the historically-great Bears defense. It was a real positive.
The Browns offense, and the team overall, continued after that to play much better than in 1985, when the club finished 8-8 and won the AFC Central title. The Browns were 7-4 when they hosted the arch-rival Pittsburgh Steelers on Nov. 23. Cleveland led 28-21 after three quarters but couldn’t hold it, allowing Pittsburgh to rally to tie the game at 31-31 to force overtime.
The Browns drove into Pittsburgh territory in OT, knowing full well they had to score a touchdown to win because a field-goal try was impossible since kicker Matt Bahr had suffered a broken leg earlier in the game while making a touchdown-saving tackle on a kickoff return.
Undaunted, the Browns got the TD, and the 37-31 win, when Kosar hit a streaking Slaughter down the left sideline as he beat Hall of Fame safety Donnie Shell for 36 yards into the Dawg Pound. It capped a day in which Kosar threw for 414 yards and two scores on the strength of his connection with Slaughter, who had four receptions for 136 yards and that score. This is exactly what the Browns envisioned when they paired Kosar and Slaughter.
It was one of the most exciting, and one of the biggest, plays of the season, along with being one of the most memorable ones, too, as the energy from the win served as a catalyst for the team down the stretch. It started a five-game winning streak to end the regular season, allowing the Browns to caoture eight of their final nine games to go 12-4, repeat as Central Division champions and secure home-field advantage throughout the AFC playoffs.
After Slaughter’s touchdown catch, Browns right tackle Cody Risien grabbed Kosar and lifted him up with a big bear hug. The photograph of that was seen everywhere, including even into the next season, when a drawing of that pucture was on the cover of the Browns 1987 media guide.
Indeed, it was a Kosar moment that turned into a Kodak moment, one that was burned into the memory of everyone who saw it and has stood the test of time all these years.
NEXT: Persistence pays off.
Steve King
