1970 Cleveland Browns season
OwnerArt Modell
General managerHarold Sauerbrei
Head coachBlanton Collier
Home fieldCleveland Stadium
Local radioWHK
Results
Record7–7
Division place2nd AFC Central
Playoff finishDid not qualify
Pro BowlersNone

The 1970 Cleveland Browns season was the team's 21st season with the National Football League. The Browns attempted to improve on its 10-3-1 record from 1969. The team would fail to do so, and they finished with an even 7-7 record and missed the postseason. This was the first season that the Browns would play the Cincinnati Bengals, their new arch-rival in the AFC Central. The 2 teams split their 2 meetings in the first season series.

Season summary

The merger between the NFL and AFL was complete, with the leagues now playing each other in the regular season for the first time. This was the last step in a four-year process that began in January 1967 with the champions from both leagues playing in Super Bowl I.

To finish the merger, the Browns, along with the Pittsburgh Steelers and Baltimore Colts, agreed to move in 1970 from the NFL to the old AFL, renamed the AFC, to balance the leagues, now called conferences (NFC and AFC), at 13 clubs each. The merger had hit a stalemate when none of the NFL teams initially wanted to jump to what many of the old-line NFL people felt was an inferior league overall.

Concerning just the Browns themselves, there was the situation involving Blanton Collier. Although no one except maybe the man himself knew it at the start of the season, this was going to be the last year for the venerable head coach. Plagued by hearing problems, the 64-year-old coach announced his retirement before the end of the 1970 season, which the Browns finished with a 7–7 record.[1] Collier told owner Art Modell that he could no longer hear his players, and it was difficult to read their lips through new face masks that obscured their mouths.[2] Modell tried to help by getting Collier to try new hearing aids and even sent him for acupuncture treatment, but none of it worked.[3] Collier struggled during press conferences because he often could not hear what reporters were asking and answered the wrong questions.[4] In eight years as coach, Collier led Cleveland to a championship and a 76–34–2 record.[1] Nick Skorich, who came to the Browns as offensive coordinator in 1964, was named as his replacement in 1971.[5] Collier had been on the job since 1963 and guided the Browns to the NFL championship a year later.

Paul Warfield trade to Dolphins

Realizing quarterback Bill Nelsen's aching knees were on borrowed time, the Browns had made a blockbuster trade with the Miami Dolphins on the eve of the 1970 NFL Draft to get the rights to select the man they felt would be their passer of the future, Mike Phipps. But it came at a steep price, for they had to give up Pro Football Hall of Fame wide receiver Paul Warfield in the process. That loss, coupled with Nelsen's physical condition and the unfamiliarity with the personnel on the former AFL clubs they were playing for the first time, took the starch out of what had been a good offense going all the way back to 1963. The result was the Browns scored 65 less points than they had the year before, and 108 less than two seasons before.

Along with that, the defense, though it gave up 35 fewer points than it had in 1969, just could not make up the difference, led to the Browns finishing 7–7, only the second non-winning mark in club history. In spite of that, the season started well for the Browns, as they opened 3–1 and then were 4–2.

First Monday Night Football game

The Browns beat Joe Namath and the New York Jets 31–21 at Cleveland Municipal Stadium in the opener in the first Monday Night Football game in history, and, three games later, edged Cincinnati 30–27 in Bengals head coach Paul Brown's first official visit to Cleveland since being fired by the Browns eight years before. [6]

Offseason

NFL Draft

The following were selected in the 1970 NFL Draft.

1970 Cleveland Browns Draft
RoundSelectionPlayerPositionCollegeNotes
13Mike PhippsQuarterbackPurdue
121Bob McKayTackleTexas
236Turkey JonesDefensive endTennessee State
247Jerry SherkDefensive tackleOklahoma State
499Ricky StevensonDefensive backArizona
5125Steve EngelRunning backColorado
6151Mike CilekQuarterbackIowa
7177Craig WycinskiGuardMichigan State
8203Honester DavidsonDefensive backBowling Green
9229Geoff BrownLinebackerPittsburgh
10255William YancharDefensive tacklePurdue
11281Gene BennerWide receiverMaine
12307Jerry SandersKickerTexas Tech
13333Larry RobertsRunning backCentral Missouri
14359Jim TharpeLinebackerLincoln (Mo.)
15385Guy HomolyDefensive backIllinois State
16410John RedebaughTight endBemidji State
17436Charles TabbRunning backMcMurry

[7]

Exhibition schedule

Week Date Opponent Result Record Venue Attendance
1 August 8 at Los Angeles Rams L 17–30 0–1 Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum 71,559
2 August 15 vs. San Francisco 49ers W 17–10 1–1 Tampa Stadium 41,851
3 August 22 vs. Kansas City Chiefs L 13–16 1–2 Memphis Memorial Stadium 31,532
4 August 29 at Cincinnati Bengals L 24–31 1–3 Riverfront Stadium 57,112
5 September 5 Minnesota Vikings L 21–24 1–4 Cleveland Municipal Stadium 83,043
6 September 12 at New York Giants W 30–29 2–4 Yankee Stadium 62,461

There was a doubleheader on September 5, 1970 Cardinals vs Chargers and Vikings vs Browns.

Regular season schedule

Week Date Opponent Result Record Venue Attendance Recap
1 September 21 New York Jets W 31–21 1–0 Cleveland Municipal Stadium 85,703 Recap
2 September 27 at San Francisco 49ers L 31–34 1–1 Kezar Stadium 37,502 Recap
3 October 3 Pittsburgh Steelers W 15–7 2–1 Cleveland Municipal Stadium 84,349 Recap
4 October 11 Cincinnati Bengals W 30–27 3–1 Cleveland Municipal Stadium 83,520 Recap
5 October 18 Detroit Lions L 24–41 3–2 Cleveland Municipal Stadium 83,577 Recap
6 October 25 at Miami Dolphins W 28–0 4–2 Miami Orange Bowl 75,313 Recap
7 November 1 San Diego Chargers L 10–27 4–3 Cleveland Municipal Stadium 80,047 Recap
8 November 8 at Oakland Raiders L 20–23 4–4 Oakland–Alameda County Coliseum 54,463 Recap
9 November 15 at Cincinnati Bengals L 10–14 4–5 Riverfront Stadium 60,007 Recap
10 November 22 Houston Oilers W 28–14 5–5 Cleveland Municipal Stadium 74,723 Recap
11 November 29 at Pittsburgh Steelers L 9–28 5–6 Three Rivers Stadium 50,214 Recap
12 December 7 at Houston Oilers W 21–10 6–6 Houston Astrodome 50,582 Recap
13 December 12 Dallas Cowboys L 2–6 6–7 Cleveland Municipal Stadium 75,458 Recap
14 December 20 at Denver Broncos W 27–13 7–7 Mile High Stadium 51,001 Recap

Note: Intra-division opponents are in bold text.

Season summary

Week 4

In the first regular-season matchup between Paul Brown's old team and his new one, the Browns beat the Bengals. It's an important win for the Browns, who we're chastised for losing a preseason game to Cincinnati. Running backs Leroy Kelly and Bo Scott combined for 236 yards, and a fired up defense sets the early tone when defensive tackle Walter Johnson sacks Bengals quarterback Virgil Carter for a safety.

1 234Total
Bengals 10 737 27
• Browns 2 14014 30
Scoring summary
1CINHorst Muhlmann 50 yard field goalBengals 3–0
1CINJess Phillips 2 yard run (Horst Muhlmann kick)Bengals 10–0
1CLESafety, Virgil Carter tackled by Walter Johnson in end zoneBengals 10–2
2CLELeroy Kelly 3 yard pass from Bill Nelsen (Don Cockroft kick)Bengals 10–9
2CINRoyce Berry 58 yard fumble return (Horst Muhlmann kick)Bengals 17–9
2CLEMilt Morin 4 yard pass from Bill Nelsen (Don Cockroft kick)Bengals 17–16
3CINHorst Muhlmann 27 yard field goalBengals 20–16
4CLELeroy Kelly 1 yard run (Don Cockroft kick)Browns 23–20
4CLEBo Scott 1 yard run (Don Cockroft kick)Browns 30–20
4CINSpeedy Thomas 16 yard pass from Virgil Carter (Horst Muhlmann kick)Browns 30–27

[8]

Standings

AFC Central
W L T PCT DIV CONF PF PA STK
Cincinnati Bengals 8 6 0 .571 3–3 7–4 312 255 W7
Cleveland Browns 7 7 0 .500 4–2 7–4 286 265 W1
Pittsburgh Steelers 5 9 0 .357 3–3 5–6 210 272 L3
Houston Oilers 3 10 1 .231 2–4 3–7–1 217 352 L3

Note: Tie games were not officially counted in the standings until 1972.

Personnel

Staff

1970 Cleveland Browns staff
Front office

Head coaches

Offensive coaches

 Defensive coaches


Strength and conditioning

  • Trainer - Leo Murphy

Roster

1970 Cleveland Browns roster
Quarterbacks

Running backs

Wide receivers

Tight ends

 Offensive linemen

Defensive linemen

 Linebackers

Defensive backs

Special teams

 Reserve lists


Practice squad


Rookies in italics

[9]

References

  1. 1 2 "Browns' Blanton Says He's Retiring This Year". Rochester Sentinel. December 2, 1970.
  2. ↑ Pluto 1997, p. 297.
  3. ↑ Pluto 1997, pp. 69–70.
  4. ↑ Pluto 1997, p. 70.
  5. ↑ "Name Nick Skorich New Browns' Coach". Bangor Daily News. Cleveland. Associated Press. January 8, 1971. p. 7. Retrieved September 1, 2012.
  6. ↑ "Season summary and statistics at Cleveland Browns.com". Archived from the original on October 25, 2011. Retrieved March 7, 2012.
  7. ↑ "1970 NFL Draft". Pro Football Reference. Retrieved November 22, 2021.
  8. ↑ Pro-Football-Reference.com
  9. ↑ "1970 Cleveland Browns Starters, Roster, & Players". Pro Football Reference. Retrieved November 22, 2021.

Bibliography

  • Pluto, Terry (1997). Browns Town 1964: Cleveland Browns and the 1964 Championship. Cleveland: Gray & Company. ISBN 978-1-886228-72-6.
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