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2002 Cleveland Browns season
2002 Cleveland Browns season
Owner	Al Lerner (Until October 2, 2002); Randy Lerner (Took position October 2, 2002)
Head coach	Butch Davis
Offensive coordinator	Bruce Arians
Defensive coordinator	Foge Fazio
Home field	Cleveland Browns Stadium
Local radio	WTAM · WMMS
Results
Record	9–7
Division place	2nd AFC North
Playoff finish	Lost Wild Card Playoffs; (at Steelers) 33–36
Pro Bowlers	none
	← 2001; Browns seasons; 2003 →;

The 2002 season was the Cleveland Browns' 54th as a professional sports franchise, their 50th as a member of the National Football League, and the second season under head coach Butch Davis.

In their opener against the Kansas City Chiefs, linebacker Dwayne Rudd cost the Browns a victory when he threw his helmet in celebration unaware the play was still going on, incurring an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty. Because the clock expired during the play the Browns' unsportsmanlike conduct occurred on, per NFL rules, the Chiefs were given one untimed down. Chiefs' kicker Morten Andersen made the 30-yard field goal to win the game.

The Browns made their first playoff appearance since their re-activation. It was only the Browns' fourth year since returning to the league effectively as an expansion team, and their first winning season. The Browns faced the Pittsburgh Steelers in the wild card round at Heinz Field. Despite a strong start with a 24–7 lead late in the third quarter, the Steelers would ultimately bounce back erasing a 17 point deficit, causing the Browns to lose 36–33. The Browns would not make the NFL playoffs again until 2020, when they would again face the Steelers in the wild card round. The Browns owner Al Lerner stepped down on October 2 and died on October 23, 2002, from brain cancer. His son, Randy Lerner took over the team until 2012. The Browns wore a patch with the initials "AL" for the remainder of the season and became a fixture on their uniforms to commemorate Lerner. After 2013 the initials were removed from the uniforms when Jimmy Haslam became owner of the franchise.

Offseason

Additions	Subtractions
T Ryan Tucker (Rams)	LB Wali Rainer (Jaguars)
FS Robert Griffith (Vikings)	T Roman Oben (Buccaneers)
LB Earl Holmes (Steelers)	DE Greg Spires (Buccaneers)
DE Kenard Lang (Redskins)	DE Keith McKenzie (Bears)

2002 NFL draft

2002 Cleveland Browns Draft
Round	Selection	Player	Position	College
1	16	William Green	Running back	Boston College
2	47	André Davis	Wide receiver	Virginia Tech
3	76	Melvin Fowler	Center	Maryland
4	101	Kevin Bentley	Linebacker	Northwestern
4	111	Ben Taylor	Linebacker	Virginia Tech
4	122	Darnell Sanders	Tight end	Ohio State
5	141	Andra Davis	Linebacker	Florida
7	227	Joaquin Gonzalez	Offensive tackle	Miami

Undrafted free agents

2002 undrafted free agents of note
Player	Position	College
Frisman Jackson	Wide receiver	Western Illinois
Kalvin Pearson	Safety	Grambling State

Personnel

**2002 Cleveland Browns staff**
	Front office Owner and chairman – Randy Lerner President and chief executive officer – Carmen Policy Director of Football Development – Pete Garcia Pro Personnel Coordinator - Jeremy Green Pro Personnel Coordinator - Steve Sabo Director of college personnel – Phil Neri Head coaches Head coach and General Manager – Butch Davis Offensive coaches Offensive coordinator – Bruce Arians Quarterbacks – Carl Smith Running backs – Todd McNair Wide receivers – Terry Robiskie Tight ends – Steve Hagen Offensive line – Larry Zierlein Assistant offensive line – Mike Sullivan			Defensive coaches Defensive coordinator – Foge Fazio Defensive line – Ray Hamilton Linebackers – Keith Butler Defensive Backs – Chuck Pagano Defensive assistant – Phillip Banko Defensive assistant – Todd Bowles Special teams coaches Special teams coordinator – Jerry Rosburg Strength and conditioning Head strength and conditioning – Tim Jorgensen Assistant strength and conditioning – Rob Phillips

Roster

**2002 Cleveland Browns roster**
Quarterbacks (QB) 12 Josh Booty 2 Tim Couch 10 Kelly Holcomb Running backs (RB) 34 R. J. Bowers FB 31 William Green 29 James Jackson 30 Jamel White Wide receivers (WR) 87 André Davis 88 Frisman Jackson 85 Kevin Johnson 84 Andre King KR 81 Quincy Morgan 86 Dennis Northcutt PR Tight ends (TE) 83 Mark Campbell 82 Steve Heiden 89 Darnell Sanders		Offensive linemen (OL) 68 Chad Beasley G/T 67 Melvin Fowler C 73 Joaquin Gonzalez T 60 Shaun O'Hara C/G 79 Barry Stokes G 72 Ryan Tucker T 77 Ross Verba T 64 Dave Wohlabaugh C 66 Paul Zukauskas G Defensive linemen (DL) 96 Kenard Lang DE 70 Alvin McKinley DT 78 Tyrone Rogers DE 99 Orpheus Roye DT 93 Cedric Scott DE 94 Gerard Warren DT 90 Mark Word DE		Linebackers (LB) 59 Kevin Bentley OLB 52 Brant Boyer 54 Andra Davis MLB 56 Darren Hambrick OLB 50 Earl Holmes MLB 51 Lenoy Jones MLB 57 Dwayne Rudd OLB Defensive backs (DB) 36 Chris Akins FS 23 Devin Bush FS 25 Corey Fuller CB 24 Robert Griffith SS 37 Anthony Henry CB/S 22 Michael Jameson SS 20 Earl Little S 33 Daylon McCutcheon CB 21 Lewis Sanders 42 Raymond Walls CB Special teams 4 Phil Dawson K 17 Chris Gardocki P 97 Ryan Kuehl LS		Practice squad 75 Damian Gregory DT 65 Chad Mustard T 43 Kalvin Pearson CB/S 71 Chad Ward G 53 Jamal White LB Reserve 18 Dimitrius Breedlove WR (IR) 92 Courtney Brown DE (IR) 74 Felipe Claybrooks DE (IR) 49 Chris Eitzmann TE (IR) 28 J. J. Johnson RB (IR) 71 Michael Josiah DE (IR) 40 Ben Miller 95 Jamir Miller LB (IR) 61 Qasim Mitchell G/T (IR) 48 Rod Monroe TE (IR) 38 Earthwind Moreland CB (IR) 98 Thomas Pittman DT (NF-Inj.) 80 Aaron Shea TE (IR) 58 Ben Taylor LB (IR) Rookies in italics 52 active, 14 reserve, 5 practice squad

^[1]

Regular season

Schedule

Apart from their AFC North division games, the Browns played against the AFC South and NFC South according to the NFL's new conference rotation, and played the Chiefs and Jets based on 2001 standings with respect to the newly aligned divisions.

Week	Date	Opponent	Result	Record	Venue	Attendance
1	September 8	Kansas City Chiefs	L 39–40	0–1	Cleveland Browns Stadium	72,938
2	September 15	Cincinnati Bengals	W 20–7	1–1	Cleveland Browns Stadium	73,358
3	September 22	at Tennessee Titans	W 31–28 (OT)	2–1	Adelphia Coliseum	68,804
4	September 29	at Pittsburgh Steelers	L 13–16 (OT)	2–2	Heinz Field	62,864
5	October 6	Baltimore Ravens	L 21–26	2–3	Cleveland Browns Stadium	73,688
6	October 13	at Tampa Bay Buccaneers	L 3–17	2–4	Raymond James Stadium	65,625
7	October 20	Houston Texans	W 34–17	3–4	Cleveland Browns Stadium	73,248
8	October 27	at New York Jets	W 24–21	4–4	Giants Stadium	78,502
9	November 3	Pittsburgh Steelers	L 20–23	4–5	Cleveland Browns Stadium	73,718
10	Bye
11	November 17	at Cincinnati Bengals	W 27–20	5–5	Paul Brown Stadium	64,060
12	November 24	at New Orleans Saints	W 24–15	6–5	Louisiana Superdome	68,295
13	December 1	Carolina Panthers	L 6–13	6–6	Cleveland Browns Stadium	72,718
14	December 8	at Jacksonville Jaguars	W 21–20	7–6	Alltel Stadium	46,267
15	December 15	Indianapolis Colts	L 23–28	7–7	Cleveland Browns Stadium	73,098
16	December 22	at Baltimore Ravens	W 14–13	8–7	M&T Bank Stadium	68,348
17	December 29	Atlanta Falcons	W 24–16	9–7	Cleveland Browns Stadium	73,528

Note: Intra-divisional opponents are in bold text.

Game summaries

Week 1: vs. Kansas City Chiefs

Week 1: Kansas City Chiefs at Cleveland Browns – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Chiefs	7	7	3	23	40
Browns	6	14	7	12	39

at Cleveland Browns Stadium, Cleveland, Ohio

Date: September 8
Game time: 1:00 p.m. EDT
Game weather: Sunny, 86 °F (30 °C)
Game attendance: 72,938
Referee: Ron Blum
TV announcers (CBS): Ian Eagle, Dan Dierdorf, and Bonnie Bernstein
Recap, Game Book

Game information

First quarter

CLE – Phil Dawson 20-yard field goal, 12:36. Browns 3–0. Drive: 4 plays, 3 yards, 0:54.
KC – Tony Gonzalez 17-yard pass from Trent Green (Morten Andersen kick), 8:21. Chiefs 7–3. Drive: 8 plays, 73 yards, 4:15.
CLE – Phil Dawson 32-yard field goal, 3:16. Chiefs 7–6. Drive: 10 plays, 55 yards, 5:05.

Second quarter

CLE – Dennis Northcutt 43-yard pass from Kelly Holcomb (Phil Dawson kick), 12:19. Browns 13–7. Drive: 2 plays, 65 yards, 0:48.
KC – Priest Holmes 5-yard run (Morten Andersen kick), 8:41. Chiefs 14–13. Drive: 6 plays, 83 yards, 3:38.
CLE – Quincy Morgan 33-yard pass from Kevin Johnson (Phil Dawson kick), 5:38. Browns 20–14. Drive: 5 plays, 71 yards, 3:03.

Third quarter

CLE – André Davis 4-yard pass from Kelly Holcomb (Phil Dawson kick), 7:09. Browns 27–14. Drive: 14 plays, 80 yards, 7:51.
KC – Morten Andersen 33-yard field goal, 2:04. Browns 27–17. Drive: 9 plays, 42 yards, 5:05.

Fourth quarter

CLE – Phil Dawson 34-yard field goal, 11:19. Browns 30–17. Drive: 8 plays, 50 yards, 3:27.
KC – Priest Holmes 26-yard run (Morten Andersen kick), 9:06. Browns 30–24. Drive: 4 plays, 56 yards, 2:13.
KC – Priest Holmes 15-yard run (Morten Anderson kick), 8:05. Chiefs 31–30. Drive: 1 play, 15 yards, 0:07.
CLE – Quincy Morgan 44-yard pass from Kelly Holcomb (run failed), 5:52. Browns 36–31. Drive: 5 plays, 66 yards, 2:13.
KC – Priest Holmes 7-yard run (run failed), 3:05. Chiefs 37–36. Drive: 6 plays, 74 yards, 2:47.
CLE – Phil Dawson 41-yard field goal, 0:29. Browns 39–37. Drive: 7 plays, 45 yards, 2:36.
KC – Morten Andersen 30-yard field goal, 0:00. Chiefs 40–39. Drive: 4 plays, 53 yards, 0:29.

Top passers

KC – Trent Green – 20/29, 276 yards, TD, INT
CLE – Kelly Holcomb – 27/39, 326 yards, 3 TD

Top rushers

KC – Priest Holmes – 22 rushes, 122 yards, 4 TD
CLE – Jamel White – 12 rushes, 42 yards

Top receivers

KC – Eddie Kennison – 4 receptions, 120 yards
CLE – Quincy Morgan – 9 receptions, 151 yards, 2 TD

Week 8: at New York Jets

Week 8: Cleveland Browns at New York Jets – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Browns	3	3	15	3	24
Jets	14	7	0	0	21

at Giants Stadium, East Rutherford, New Jersey

Game time: 1:05 p.m.
Game weather: Mostly cloudy, 57 °F (14 °C)
Game attendance: 78,502
Referee: Bob McElwee (95)
TV announcers (CBS): Kevin Harlan, Randy Cross, and Beasley Reece
Recap, Game Book

Game information

First quarter

NYJ – Santana Moss 63-yard punt return (John Hall kick), 14:21. Jets 7–0.
CLE – Phil Dawson 23-yard field goal, 8:12. Jets 7–3. Drive: 10 plays, 74 yards, 6:09.
NYJ – Laveranues Coles 37-yard pass from Chad Pennington (John Hall kick), 5:57. Jets 14–3. Drive: 5 plays, 70 yards, 2:15.

Second quarter

NYJ – Wayne Chrebet 8-yard pass from Chad Pennington (John Hall kick), 14:23. Jets 21–3. Drive: 8 plays, 62 yards, 4:22.
CLE – Phil Dawson 26-yard field goal, 7:29. Jets 21–6. Drive: 7 plays, 41 yards, 3:39.

Third quarter

CLE – Mark Campbell 5-yard pass from Tim Couch (Phil Dawson kick), 4:40. Jets 21–13. Drive: 11 plays, 60 yards, 4:41.
CLE – André Davis 4-yard pass from Tim Couch (Tim Couch–Dennis Northcutt pass), 0:09. Tied 21–21. Drive: 3 plays, 11 yards, 1:26.

Fourth quarter

CLE – Phil Dawson 35-yard field goal, 3:30. Browns 24–21. Drive: 14 plays, 61 yards, 8:33.

Top passers

CLE – Tim Couch – 32/48, 294 yards, 2 TD
NYJ – Chad Pennington – 19/26, 183 yards, 2 TD, INT

Top rushers

CLE – Jamel White – 14 rushes, 25 yards
NYJ – Curtis Martin – 18 rushes, 65 yards

Top receivers

CLE – Kevin Johnson – 5 receptions, 73 yards
NYJ – Laveranues Coles – 5 receptions, 61 yards, TD

Standings

Division

AFC North
view talk edit	W	L	T	PCT	DIV	CONF	PF	PA	STK
⁽³⁾ Pittsburgh Steelers	10	5	1	.656	6–0	8–4	390	345	W3
⁽⁶⁾ Cleveland Browns	9	7	0	.563	3–3	7–5	344	320	W2
Baltimore Ravens	7	9	0	.438	3–3	7–5	316	354	L2
Cincinnati Bengals	2	14	0	.125	0–6	1–11	279	456	L1

Conference

AFC v t e
#	Team	Division	W	L	T	PCT	DIV	CONF	SOS	SOV
Division leaders
1^[a]	Oakland Raiders	West	11	5	0	.688	4–2	9–3	.529	.531
2^[a]	Tennessee Titans	South	11	5	0	.688	6–0	9–3	.479	.474
3	Pittsburgh Steelers	North	10	5	1	.656	6–0	8–4	.486	.451
4^[b]	New York Jets	East	9	7	0	.563	4–2	6–6	.500	.500
Wild Cards
5	Indianapolis Colts	South	10	6	0	.625	4–2	8–4	.479	.400
6^[c]	Cleveland Browns	North	9	7	0	.563	3–3	7–5	.486	.413
Did not qualify for the postseason
7^[c]^[d]	Denver Broncos	West	9	7	0	.563	3–3	5–7	.527	.486
8^[b]^[c]^[d]^[e]	New England Patriots	East	9	7	0	.563	4–2	6–6	.525	.455
9^[b]^[e]	Miami Dolphins	East	9	7	0	.563	2–4	7–5	.508	.486
10^[f]	Buffalo Bills	East	8	8	0	.500	2–4	5–7	.473	.352
11^[f]^[g]	San Diego Chargers	West	8	8	0	.500	3–3	6–6	.492	.453
12^[g]	Kansas City Chiefs	West	8	8	0	.500	2–4	6–6	.527	.516
13	Baltimore Ravens	North	7	9	0	.438	3–3	7–5	.506	.384
14	Jacksonville Jaguars	South	6	10	0	.375	1–5	4–8	.506	.438
15	Houston Texans	South	4	12	0	.250	1–5	2–10	.518	.492
16	Cincinnati Bengals	North	2	14	0	.125	0–6	1–11	.537	.406
Tiebreakers^[h]
^ ^a ^b Oakland finished ahead of Tennessee based on head-to-head victory. ^ ^a ^b ^c N.Y. Jets finished ahead of New England based on win percentage in common games (8–4 to 7–5) and Miami based on division record (4–2 to 2–4). ^ ^a ^b ^c Cleveland finished ahead of Denver and New England based on conference record (7–5 vs 5–7/6–6) ^ ^a ^b Denver finished ahead of New England based on head-to-head victory. ^ ^a ^b New England finished ahead of Miami based on division record (4–2 to 2–4). ^ ^a ^b Buffalo finished ahead of San Diego based on head-to-head victory. ^ ^a ^b San Diego finished ahead of Kansas City based on division record (3–3 to 2–4). ^ When breaking ties for three or more teams under the NFL's rules, they are first broken within divisions, then comparing only the highest ranked remaining team from each division.

Postseason

Round	Date	Opponent (seed)	Result	Record	Venue	Attendance	Recap
AFC Wild Card	January 5, 2003	at Pittsburgh Steelers (3)	L 33–36	0–1	Heinz Field	62,595	Recap

Game summaries

AFC Wild Card: (#6) Cleveland Browns at (#3) Pittsburgh Steelers – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Browns	7	10	7	9	33
Steelers	0	7	7	22	36

at Heinz Field, Pittsburgh

Date: January 5, 2003
Game time: 1:00 p.m. EST
Game weather: Light snow, 27 °F (−3 °C)
Game attendance: 62,595
Referee: Bill Carollo (63)
TV announcers (CBS): Greg Gumbel, Phil Simms and Armen Keteyian
Recap, Game Book

Game information

First quarter

CLE – William Green 1-yard run (Phil Dawson kick), 13:44. Browns 7–0. Drive: 4 plays, 80 yards, 1:16.

Second quarter

CLE – Dennis Northcutt 32-yard pass from Kelly Holcomb (Phil Dawson kick), 14:28. Browns 14–0. Drive: 1 play, 32 yards, 0:06.
PIT – Antwaan Randle El 66-yard punt return (Jeff Reed kick), 9:35. Browns 14–7.
CLE – Phil Dawson 31-yard field goal, 0:49. Browns 17–7. Drive: 10 plays, 45 yards, 4:24.

Third quarter

CLE – Dennis Northcutt 15-yard pass from Kelly Holcomb (Phil Dawson kick), 12:11. Browns 24–7. Drive: 3 plays, 14 yards, 0:49.
PIT – Plaxico Burress 6-yard pass from Tommy Maddox (Jeff Reed kick), 3:50. Browns 24–14. Drive: 10 plays, 71 yards, 3:45.

Fourth quarter

CLE – Phil Dawson 24-yard field goal, 14:52. Browns 27–14. Drive: 8 plays, 64 yards, 3:58.
PIT – Jerame Tuman 3-yard pass from Tommy Maddox (Jeff Reed kick), 12:28. Browns 27–21. Drive: 6 plays, 65 yards, 2:24.
CLE – André Davis 22-yard pass from Kelly Holcomb (pass failed), 10:17. Browns 33–21. Drive: 5 plays, 61 yards, 2:11.
PIT – Hines Ward 5-yard pass from Tommy Maddox (Jeff Reed kick), 3:06. Browns 33–28. Drive: 10 plays, 77 yards, 2:24.
PIT – Chris Fuamatu-Ma'afala 3-yard run (Tommy Maddox–Jerame Tuman pass), 0:54. Steelers 36–33. Drive: 6 plays, 61 yards, 1:41.