2001 Cleveland Browns season

53rd season in franchise history August 2023 March 2026 Cleveland Browns 2001 Al Lerner Butch Davis Bruce Arians Foge Fazio Dwight Clark Cleveland Browns Stadium 7–9 T–3rd AFC Central Did not qualify LB Jamir Miller Browns seasons The 2001 season was the Cleveland Browns' 53rd as a professional sports franchise, their 49th as a member of the National Football League, and the first season under head coach Butch Davis. The team improved on their 3-13 record from the previous season, but for the seventh straight year did not qualify for the postseason. Offseason Additions SubtractionsQB Kelly Holcomb (Colts) QB Doug Pederson (Packers)T/G Ross Verba (Packers) T Everett Lindsay (Vikings)G Tre' Johnson (Redskins) FB Marc Edwards (Patriots)TE Rickey Dudley (Raiders) QB Ty Detmer (Lions)LB Brant Boyer (Jaguars) WR David Patten (Patriots)S Devin Bush (Rams) WR Darrin Chiaverini (Cowboys)LB Dwayne Rudd (Vikings) RB Travis Prentice (Vikings) QB Spergon Wynn (Vikings) 2001 NFL draft 2001 Cleveland Browns 1 3 Gerard Warren Defensive tackle Florida yes 2 33 Quincy Morgan Wide receiver Kansas State yes 3 65 James Jackson Running back Miami (FL) yes 4 94 Anthony Henry Cornerback South Florida yes 5 134 Jeremiah Pharms Linebacker Washington no 6 165 Michael Jameson Cornerback Texas A&M yes 7 203 Paul Zukauskas Guard Boston College yes 7 245 Andre King Wide receiver Miami (FL) yes no no Undrafted free agents + 2001 undrafted free agents of notePlayerPositionCollegeCecil CaldwellDefensive LinemanSouth CarolinaBo CarrollWide receiverFloridaBrandon DavisSafetyArkansasCarl FairRunning backUABKerry LinearDefensive endTexas A&M–KingsvilleJohn RavecheTacklePrincetonDoug RosfeldCenterCincinnati Personnel 2001 Cleveland Browns Owner and chairman – Alfred Lerner President and chief executive officer – Carmen Policy Executive vice president/director of football operations – Dwight Clark Executive director of player personnel – Joe Collins Director of college personnel – Phil Neri Director of pro personnel – Keith Kidd Head coach – 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 Secondary – Chuck Pagano Defensive nickel package – Todd Bowles Special teams coordinator – Jerry Rosburg Head strength and conditioning – Tim Jorgensen Assistant strength and conditioning – Rob Phillips 2001 Media Guide Cleveland Browns 4 Staff Directory Roster 2001 Cleveland Browns 53 17 4 12 Josh Booty  2 Tim Couch 10 Kelly Holcomb 42 Carl Fair 34 Benjamin Gay KR 30 Jamel White KR 88 JaJuan Dawson 85 Kevin Johnson PR 84 Andre King KR 81 Quincy Morgan KR 86 Dennis Northcutt PR 48 Rod Monroe 89 Jake Moreland 47 Alvin Morrow 87 O.J. Santiago 63 Brad Bedell G 69 Roger Chanoine T 71 Gaylon Hyder T 66 Jeremy McKinney G 61 Richard Mercier G 72 Roman Oben T 60 Shaun O'Hara C/G 77 Ross Verba G/T 64 Dave Wohlabaugh C 62 Paul Zukauskas G/T 79 DeVone Claybrooks DT 74 Felipe Claybrooks DE 73 Derrick Ham DE 70 Alvin McKinley DT 78 Tyrone Rogers DE 93 Mark Smith DT 96 Greg Spires DE 94 Gerard Warren DT 52 Brant Boyer MLB/OLB 55 Anthony Denman OLB 51 Lenoy Jones MLB 95 Jamir Miller OLB 58 Wali Rainer MLB 57 Dwayne Rudd OLB 54 Tarek Saleh OLB 36 Chris Akins FS 23 Devin Bush FS 26 Dyshod Carter CB 24 Corey Fuller CB 37 Anthony Henry CB 31 Raymond Jackson CB 20 Earl Little SS 33 Daylon McCutcheon CB 38 Earthwind Moreland CB 21 Marquis Smith SS  4 Phil Dawson K 17 Chris Gardocki P 97 Ryan Kuehl LS 92 Courtney Brown DE (IR) 7px 83 Mark Campbell TE (IR) 7px 27 Lamar Chapman CB (IR) 7px 82 Rickey Dudley TE (IR) 7px -- Jammi German WR (IR) 7px 29 James Jackson RB (IR) 7px 22 Michael Jameson S (IR) 7px 67 Tre' Johnson G (IR) 7px -- Noel LaMontagne G (IR) 7px 90 Keith McKenzie DE (IR) 7px 98 Arnold Miller DE (IR) 7px 99 Orpheus Roye DE/DT (IR) 7px 25 Lewis Sanders CB (IR) 7px 80 Aaron Shea TE (IR) 7px 91 Marcus Spriggs DT (IR) 7px -- Mike Thompson DT (IR) 7px -- Mark Word DE (IR) 7px 18 Bobby Brown WR 49 Chris Eitzmann TE 68 Gannon Shepherd T -- Terrence Sykes T Bottlegate incident Bottlegate The most notable game from the 2001 Cleveland Browns season came on a December 16 game against the Jacksonville Jaguars in what became known as "Bottlegate". The Browns were driving toward the east end zone for what would have been the winning score. A controversial call on fourth down gave the Jaguars the ball. Browns' receiver Quincy Morgan had caught a pass for a first down on 4th and 2. After Tim Couch spiked the ball on the next play, referee Terry McAulay reviewed Morgan's catch, claiming that the replay officials had buzzed him before Couch spiked the ball. (NFL Rules state that once the next play is started, the officials cannot under any circumstances review any previous plays.) Upon reviewing the play, McAulay determined that Morgan never had control of the ball, thus the pass was incomplete, and the Jaguars were awarded the ball. Fans in the Dawg Pound began throwing plastic beer bottles and other objects on the field.http://media.nesn.com/2010/11/top-10-most-ridiculous-sports-fan-moments/ Top 10 Most Ridiculous Sports Fan Moments - Photo 1 of 10 - NESN.com Media.nesn.com 2010-11-18 2012-08-09 dead https://web.archive.org/web/20120111085605/http://media.nesn.com/2010/11/top-10-most-ridiculous-sports-fan-moments/ 2012-01-11 McAulay declared the game over and sent the teams to the locker rooms. NFL Commissioner Paul Tagliabue then called to override the referee's decision, sending the players back onto the field, where the Jaguars ran out the last seconds under a hail of debris.http://www.cleveland.com/browns/index_story.ssf?/sports/more/bottlegate/100858507428490132.html Browns Cleveland.com 2012-08-09 https://web.archive.org/web/20151227133504/http://www.cleveland.com/browns/index_story.ssf?%2Fsports%2Fmore%2Fbottlegate%2F100858507428490132.html 2015-12-27 dead After the game, McAulay clarified that they first reviewed whether or not the electronic pager had buzzed before Couch had spiked the ball. In a discussion with the Replay Official, Bill Reynolds, it was determined that Reynolds buzzed down before the spike. After the game was called, Tagliabue called NFL Supervisor Dick McKenzie and informed him that the game had to be finished to completion. Neither McAulay nor Reynolds suggested to Tagliabue that the game should be called, which was within the power of the Commissioner's Office. Davis would later comment that he was told that the buzzer went off at the same time as the snap. Couch had initially believed that the officials were going to penalize the Browns for intentional grounding for Couch faking a spike before spiking it, but was then told that the spike was legal. The referees then began discussing the play prior to the spike. President and Chief Executive Officer Carmen Policy refused to criticize the actions of the fans and the decisions of the officiating crew.Pool Report - Cleveland Browns vs. Jacksonville Jaguars - December 16, 2001 The following season from there on plastic beer bottles became banned from Cleveland Browns Stadium. Schedule Week Date Opponent Result Record Venue Attendance Recap 1 September 9 Seattle Seahawks L 6–9 0–1 Cleveland Browns Stadium 72,318 Recap 2CLE-PIT The Browns were originally scheduled to play the Pittsburgh Steelers during Week 2 of the original NFL schedule (September 16) at Heinz Field in Pittsburgh. However, due to the September 11 attacks, the game was rescheduled to Week 17. September 23 Detroit Lions W 24–14 1–1 Cleveland Browns Stadium 73,168 Recap 3 September 30 at Jacksonville Jaguars W 23–14 2–1 Alltel Stadium 57,875 Recap 4 October 7 San Diego Chargers W 20–16 3–1 Cleveland Browns Stadium 73,018 Recap 5 October 14 at Cincinnati Bengals L 14–24 3–2 Paul Brown Stadium 64,217 Recap 6 October 21 Baltimore Ravens W 24–14 4–2 Cleveland Browns Stadium 72,818 Recap 7 Bye 8 November 4 at Chicago Bears L 21–27 (OT) 4–3 Soldier Field 66,944 Recap 9 November 11 Pittsburgh Steelers L 12–15 (OT) 4–4 Cleveland Browns Stadium 73,218 Recap 10 November 18 at Baltimore Ravens W 27–17 5–4 PSINet Stadium 69,353 Recap 11 November 25 Cincinnati Bengals W 18–0 6–4 Cleveland Browns Stadium 72,918 Recap 12 December 2 Tennessee Titans L 15–31 6–5 Cleveland Browns Stadium 72,818 Recap 13 December 9 at New England Patriots L 16–27 6–6 Foxboro Stadium 60,292 Recap 14 December 16 Jacksonville Jaguars L 10–15 6–7 Cleveland Browns Stadium 72,818 Recap 15 December 23 at Green Bay Packers L 7–30 6–8 Lambeau Field 59,824 Recap 16 December 30 at Tennessee Titans W 41–38 7–8 Adelphia Coliseum 68,798 Recap 17CLE-PIT January 6 at Pittsburgh Steelers L 7–28 7–9 Heinz Field 59,189 Recap Note: Intra-division opponents are in bold text. Game summaries Week 2: vs Detroit Lions Cleveland Browns 2001 2;text-align:center; autocollapse Week 2: Detroit Lions at Cleveland Browns – Game summary September 23 1:00 p.m. EDT Lions 0 0 7 7 Browns 7 7 10 0 Cleveland Browns Stadium, Cleveland, Ohio 73,168 73 F C Terry McAulay Fox Kenny Albert, Tim Green Box score First quarter CLE – Kevin Johnson 4-yard pass from Tim Couch (Phil Dawson kick), 8:55. Browns 7–0. Drive: 7 plays, 57 yards, 2:50. Second quarter CLE – Shaun O'Hara 2-yard pass from Tim Couch (Phil Dawson kick), 13:21. Browns 14–0. Drive: 6 plays, 53 yards, 3:36. Third quarter CLE – Phil Dawson 33-yard field goal, 11:36. Browns 17–0. Drive: 4 plays, 2 yards, 0:49. DET – Terry Fair 26-yard interception return (Jason Hanson kick), 7:26. Browns 17–7. CLE – Quincy Morgan 34-yard pass from Tim Couch (Phil Dawson kick), 4:25. Browns 24–7. Drive: 1 play, 34 yards, 0:07. Fourth quarter DET – Johnnie Morton 14-yard pass from Ty Detmer (Jason Hanson kick), 11:25. Browns 24–14. Drive: 9 plays, 84 yards, 4:13. Top passers DET – Ty Detmer – 22/42, 212 yards, TD, 7 INT CLE – Tim Couch – 12/20, 138 yards, 3 TD, 2 INT Top rushers DET – James Stewart – 17 rushes, 71 yards CLE – James Jackson – 31 rushes, 124 yards Top receivers DET – Johnnie Morton – 6 receptions, 100 yards, TD CLE – Quincy Morgan – 2 receptions, 38 yards, TD Week 5: at Cincinnati Bengals Cleveland Browns 2001 2;text-align:center; autocollapse Week 5: Cleveland Browns at Cincinnati Bengals – Game summary October 14 1:00 p.m. EDT Browns 7 0 0 7 Bengals 3 0 10 11 Paul Brown Stadium, Cincinnati, Ohio 64,217 Cloudy, 57 F C Mike Carey CBS Don Criqui, Steve Tasker Box score Week 8: at Chicago Bears Cleveland Browns 2001 2; text-align:center collapsed Week 8: Cleveland Browns at Chicago Bears November 4, 2001 4:15 p.m. EST/3:15 p.m. CST Browns 7 0 14 0 0 Bears 0 7 0 14 6 Soldier Field, Chicago, Illinois 66,944 Overcast, 54 F C CBS Greg Gumbel, Phil Simms, Armen Keteyian First quarter Second quarter Third quarter Fourth quarter Top passers CLE – Tim Couch – 14/23, 211 yards, 2 TD, INT CHI – Shane Matthews – 30/50, 357 yards, 2 TD, 3 INT Top rushers CLE – James Jackson – 22 rushes, 71 yards CHI – Anthony Thomas – 31 rushes, 96 yards, TD Top receivers CLE – Kevin Johnson – 5 receptions, 99 yards, TD CHI – Dez White – 7 receptions, 92 yards Week 9: vs. Pittsburgh Steelers Cleveland Browns 2001 2;text-align:center; autocollapse Week 9: Pittsburgh Steelers at Cleveland Browns – Game summary November 11 1:00 p.m. EST Steelers 3 3 3 3 3 Browns 9 0 3 0 0 Cleveland Browns Stadium, Cleveland, Ohio 73,218 42 F C Dick Hantak CBS Ian Eagle, Solomon Wilcots Box score First quarter Second quarter Third quarter Fourth quarter Top passers PIT - Kordell Stewart - 18/32, 188 yards CLE - Tim Couch - 18/33, 160 yards, TD Top rushers PIT - Jerome Bettis - 29 rushes, 163 yards CLE - James Jackson - 18 rushes, 57 yards Top receivers PIT - Amos Zereoue - 3 receptions, 77 yards CLE - Kevin Johnson - 8 receptions, 62 yards Week 15: at Green Bay Packers Cleveland Browns 2001 2; text-align:center collapsed Week 15: Cleveland Browns at Green Bay Packers December 23, 2001 4:15 p.m. EST/3:15 p.m. CST Browns 0 7 0 0 Packers 13 10 0 7 Lambeau Field, Green Bay, Wisconsin 59,824 Snow Overcast, 24 F C CBS Dick Enberg, Dan Dierdorf, Bonnie Bernstein First quarter Second quarter Third quarter Fourth quarter Top passers CLE – Tim Couch – 22/33, 203 yards, TD, 3 INT GB – Brett Favre – 18/28, 139 yards, 3 TD Top rushers CLE – Jamel White – 21 rushes, 131 yards GB – Anthony Thomas – 31 rushes, 96 yards, TD Top receivers CLE – Jamel White – 9 receptions, 85 yards, TD GB – Bubba Franks – 4 receptions, 29 yards, 2 TD Standings Awards and records Milestones 2001 was the first of two seasons since the Browns were reactivated in 1999 in which the same quarterback (Tim Couch) started all 16 games. The second was (Baker Mayfield) in 2019. Rookie Cornerback Anthony Henry had 10 interceptions including one ran back 97 yards for a touchdown. Notes References External links 2001 Cleveland Browns at Pro Football Reference (Profootballreference.com) 2001 Cleveland Browns Statistics at jt-sw.com 2001 Cleveland Browns Schedule at jt-sw.com 2001 Cleveland Browns at DatabaseFootball.com Cleveland Category:Cleveland Browns seasons Cleveland