2002 Cleveland Browns season

54th season in franchise history August 2023 March 2026 Cleveland Browns 2002 Al Lerner (Until October 2, 2002)Randy Lerner (Took position October 2, 2002) Butch Davis Cleveland Browns Stadium 9–7 2nd AFC North Lost Wild Card Playoffs(at Steelers) 33–36 none Browns seasons thumb | right | Cleveland Browns vs. Atlanta Falcons, 2002 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. During the offseason Dwight Clark had resigned as general manager, and Butch Davis became the de facto general manager. Also during a preseason matchup against the Minnesota Vikings at the Metrodome, the Browns lost pro bowl linebacker Jamir Miller to a ruptured Achilles tendon injury forcing him to miss the entire regular season. 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 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. The Browns would not make the playoffs again until 2020. 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) LB Darren Hambrick (Panthers) 2002 expansion draft 2002 NFL expansion draft + Cleveland Browns selected during the expansion draft Round Overall Name Position Expansion team—11Jeremy McKinneyGuardHouston Texans 2002 NFL draft 2002 NFL draft 2002 Cleveland Browns 1 16 William Green Running back Boston College yes 2 47 André Davis Wide receiver Virginia Tech yes 3 76 Melvin Fowler Center Maryland yes 4 101 Kevin Bentley Linebacker Northwestern yes 4 111 Ben Taylor Linebacker Virginia Tech yes 4 122 Darnell Sanders Tight end Ohio State yes 5 141 Andra Davis Linebacker Florida yes 7 227 Joaquin Gonzalez Offensive tackle Miami (FL) yes no no Undrafted free agents + 2002 undrafted free agents of notePlayerPositionCollegeDimitrius BreedloveWide receiverEvangelKonrad DeanOffensive LinemanAkronFrisman JacksonWide receiverWestern IllinoisMichael JosiahDefensive endLouisvilleBen MillerRunning backAir ForceQasim MitchellOffensive LinemanNorth Carolina A&TKalvin PearsonSafetyGrambling StateCalvin SpearsDefensive backGrambling State Personnel 2002 Cleveland Browns 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 coach and General Manager – Butch Davis 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 coordinator – Foge Fazio Defensive line – Ray Hamilton Linebackers – Keith Butler Defensive Backs – Chuck Pagano Defensive assistant – Phillip Banko Defensive assistant – Todd Bowles Special teams coordinator – Jerry Rosburg Head strength and conditioning – Tim Jorgensen Assistant strength and conditioning – Rob Phillips Roster 2002 Cleveland Browns 52 14 5 12 Josh Booty  2 Tim Couch 10 Kelly Holcomb 34 R. J. Bowers FB 31 William Green American football y 29 James Jackson American football 30 Jamel White 87 André Davis y KR/PR 88 Frisman Jackson y 85 Kevin Johnson wide receiver 84 Andre King KR 81 Quincy Morgan 86 Dennis Northcutt PR 83 Mark Campbell tight end 82 Steve Heiden 89 Darnell Sanders y 68 Chad Beasley y G/T 67 Melvin Fowler C y 73 Joaquin Gonzalez American football T y 60 Shaun O'Hara C/G 79 Barry Stokes American football G 72 Ryan Tucker T 77 Ross Verba T 64 Dave Wohlabaugh C 66 Paul Zukauskas G 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 59 Kevin Bentley y OLB 52 Brant Boyer MLB/OLB 54 Andra Davis y MLB 56 Darren Hambrick OLB 50 Earl Holmes MLB 51 Lenoy Jones MLB 57 Dwayne Rudd OLB 36 Chris Akins FS 23 Devin Bush FS 25 Corey Fuller CB 24 Robert Griffith SS 37 Anthony Henry American football CB/S 22 Michael Jameson SS 20 Earl Little FS/SS 33 Daylon McCutcheon CB 21 Lewis Sanders CB/SS 42 Raymond Walls CB  4 Phil Dawson K 17 Chris Gardocki P 97 Ryan Kuehl LS 18 Dimitrius Breedlove WR IR y 92 Courtney Brown defensive end DE IR 74 Felipe Claybrooks DE IR 49 Chris Eitzmann TE IR 28 J. J. Johnson American football RB IR 71 Michael Josiah y DE IR 40 Ben Miller American football y RB/Military Reserve 95 Jamir Miller LB IR 61 Qasim Mitchell y G/T IR 48 Rod Monroe American football TE IR 38 Earthwind Moreland CB IR 98 Thomas Pittman American football y DT NF-Inj. 80 Aaron Shea TE IR 58 Ben Taylor American football y LB IR 75 Damian Gregory DT 65 Chad Mustard y T 43 Kalvin Pearson CB/S y 71 Chad Ward G 53 Jamal White LB yCleveland Browns 2002 Roster accessed November 28, 2018. 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 Cleveland Browns 2002 2;text-align:center; autocollapse Week 1: Kansas City Chiefs (0–0) at Cleveland Browns (0–0) – Game summary September 8 1:00 p.m. EDT Chiefs 7 7 3 23 Browns 6 14 7 12 Cleveland Browns Stadium, Cleveland, Ohio 72,938 Sunny, 86 F C Ron Blum CBS Ian Eagle, Dan Dierdorf, and Bonnie Bernstein Recap, Game Book 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 This game is notable for Browns player Dwayne Rudd tossing his helmet onto the ground under the assumption that he had sacked Chiefs QB Trent Green, who had actually released the ball prior to hitting the ground. As a result, the Browns got hit with an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty, which allowed the Chiefs to hit a game winning field goal and drop the Browns to 0-1. Week 8: at New York Jets Cleveland Browns 2;text-align:center; autocollapse Week 8: Cleveland Browns (3–4) at New York Jets(2–4) – Game summary Browns 3 3 15 3 Jets 14 7 0 0 Giants Stadium, East Rutherford, New Jersey 1:05 p.m. Mostly cloudy, 57 F C CBS Kevin Harlan, Randy Cross, and Beasley Reece Bob McElwee (95) 78,502 Recap, Game Book 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 Conference Postseason 2002–03 NFL playoffs 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 Cleveland Browns 2;text-align:center; autocollapse AFC Wild Card: (#6) Cleveland Browns at (#3) Pittsburgh Steelers – Game Summary January 5, 2003 1:00 p.m. EST Browns 7 10 7 9 Steelers 0 7 7 22 Heinz Field, Pittsburgh 62,595 Bill Carollo (63) Light snow, 27 F C CBS Greg Gumbel, Phil Simms and Armen Keteyian Recap, Game Book 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. Top passers CLE – Kelly Holcomb – 26/43, 429 yards, 3 TD, INT PIT – Tommy Maddox – 30/48, 367 yards, 3 TD, 2 INT Top rushers CLE – William Green – 25 rushes, 30 yards, TD PIT – Amos Zereoué – 13 rushes, 73 yards Top receivers CLE – Kevin Johnson – 4 receptions, 140 yards PIT – Hines Ward – 11 receptions, 104 yards, TD An amazing performance from Browns quarterback Kelly Holcomb was overshadowed by journeyman quarterback Tommy Maddox, who led the Steelers to 29 second-half points to overcome a 17-point deficit. A 3-yard touchdown run by Chris Fuamatu-Maʻafala with 54 seconds left capped the game-winning 58-yard drive. On the third play of the game, Holcomb completed an 83-yard pass to Kevin Johnson at the Steelers 1-yard line, setting up William Green's 1-yard touchdown run and giving the Browns a 7–0 lead after just 1:16 had elapsed in the game. Most of the rest of the quarter would be taken up by drives that ended in punts, but the Steelers got a big scoring opportunity when Amos Zereoué's 36-yard run gave them a first down on the Cleveland 23-yard line. This would only amount to nothing though, as Maddox was intercepted by Daylon McCutcheon on the next play. One play into the second quarter, Steelers receiver Antwaan Randle El fumbled a Browns punt, and Chris Akins recovered the ball for Cleveland on the Steelers 32-yard line. On the next play, Cleveland took a 14–0 lead with Holcomb's 32-yard touchdown pass to Dennis Northcutt. The Browns seemed to be taking control of the game now, particularly when another Steelers drive into field goal range was again snuffed out by a McCutheon interception (the Steelers' third turnover in less than six minutes). But suddenly Randle El brought the team right back into the game by returning a punt 66 yards for a touchdown, making the score 14–7. Cleveland stormed right back, as Holcomb's 29-yard pass to Johnson and two completions to running back Jamel White for 22 total yards earned the team a Phil Dawson field goal that made the score 17-7 going into halftime. Early in the third quarter, Northcutt returned Tom Rouen's 37-yard punt 59 yards to the Pittsburgh 14-yard line, setting up Holcomb's 15-yard touchdown pass to Northcutt that increased the Browns lead to 24–7. Then after a punt, Cleveland drove to the Steelers 32-yard line. They were now in a position to build a near-insurmountable lead, but Mike Logan made a clutch interception to keep the team's victory hopes alive. Maddox then completed 7/8 passes for 62 yards, one of them a 24-yard completion to Randle El, and rushed for eight as he led the team 71 yards to score on his 6-yard touchdown pass to Plaxico Burress, cutting the deficit to 24–14 with four minutes left in the third quarter. Cleveland responded by driving 64 yards in eight plays, featuring a 43-yard completion from Holcomb to receiver André Davis, to score on Dawson's 24-yard field goal on the second play of the final quarter, increasing their lead to 27–14. On Pittsburgh's ensuing drive, Maddox completed three passes to Randle-El for gains of 20, 30, and six yards before finding tight end Jerame Tuman with a 3-yard touchdown pass early in the fourth quarter. But the Browns stormed back, with Green's 23-yard run sparking a 61-yard drive that ended on Holcomb's 22-yard touchdown pass to Davis, giving them a 33–21 lead after the 2-point conversion failed. With 3:06 left in the game, Maddox finished off a 77-yard drive with a 5-yard touchdown pass to Hines Ward, cutting the score to 33–28. The Browns tried to run out the clock on their ensuing possession, but Northcutt dropped a potential first down catch on third down and 12, forcing his team to punt. Taking over at their 42-yard line, Maddox threw to Burress for 24 yards, Ward for 10, Burress again for 17, and Ward again for seven before Fuamatu-Ma'afala finished the drive with a 3-yard touchdown run. Then Tuman scored the two-point conversion to give the Steelers a 36–33 lead. The Browns attempted to drive for the tying field goal, but time expired in the game on Holcomb's 16-yard completion to Andre King at the Steeler's 29-yard line. Maddox completed 30 of 48 passes for a franchise postseason record 367 yards and three touchdowns, with two interceptions. Burress caught six passes for 100 yards and a touchdown, while Ward caught 11 passes for 104 yards and a score. Randle El caught five passes for 85 yards and returned a punt 66 yards for a touchdown. In his first career playoff game, Holcomb completed 26 of 43 passes for 429 yards, three touchdowns, and an interception. Johnson caught four passes for 140 yards, while Northcutt caught six passes for 92 yards and two touchdowns, and returned two punts for 70 yards. With the loss, the Browns season ended with them failing to win their playoff game since 1994. This would end up being both, the Browns last playoff game against the Steelers, and Cleveland's last playoff game in general up until 2020. As the Browns would end up missing the playoffs ever year from 2003-2019, with 2007 being their only winning season after 2002 prior to 2020. This was the second postseason meeting between the Browns and Steelers. Pittsburgh won the only prior meeting.[6] This was the first game that Heinz Field played Renegade. References External links 2002 Cleveland Browns at Pro Football Reference (Profootballreference.com) 2002 Cleveland Browns Statistics at jt-sw.com 2002 Cleveland Browns Schedule at jt-sw.com 2002 Cleveland Browns at DatabaseFootball.com Cleveland Category:Cleveland Browns seasons Cleveland