Just when the 70's had beat all us Browns fans down for the count...a tiny little quarterback named Sipe came to the rescue. The 70's was the Steeler's heyday, the Oilers had Earl Campbell, heck the Bengals had Ken Anderson. It was a rough time for us. The magical 1980 season changed all that and rekindled Super Bowl dreams for Browns fans everywhere.
The team featured a 1000 yard rusher (Mike Pruitt), an all-world tight end (Ozzie Newsome) and Brian Sipe at quarterback. Sipe was listed at 5' 11" but looked shorter. When he stood back to pass, it always looked like he was looking straight up and heaving it toward the heavens. I don't really think he tossed it OVER his lineman as much as he threw it BETWEEN them.
After limping to a 2-3 start, the Browns reeled off five wins in a row...many of the last second variety. Sipe beat the Packers with a touchdown pass with 16 seconds left, the Steelers with a 4th quarter pass to Ozzie Newsome and the Bengals with a Don Cockroft field goal at the 1:25 mark of the 4th quarter. They also LOST on a deflected pass to the Vikings as time expired and a Bradshaw to Swann touchdown in Pittsburgh with 11 ticks remaining.
The Browns had a resiliency and fortitude that made them a threat to win every game. Sipe inspired confidence in the fans as well as his teammates. He led the team to an 11-5 record and the first playoff appearance for the Browns since 1972. Of course any Browns love story since the 60's HAS ended up being like Romeo and Juliet and ended badly.
The playoff game against the Raiders ended as time expired on a Sipe interception in the end zone. Coach Sam Rutigliano was vilified in some circles for trying to pass, when a field goal could have won the game. He just didn't have confidence that Cockroft could kick us to the win on such a bitterly cold day in Cleveland when he had already missed two attempts.
As the 70's gave way to the 80's, the Browns would once again rise from the ashes to make the playoffs...but some of those great teams may have wounded the fans even more than the Kardiac Kids loss and ultimately culminated in the biggest betrayal of all. But that's a story for another day. Go Browns!
Wednesday, November 13, 2013
The Kardiac Kids
Just when the 70's had beat all us Browns fans down for the count...a tiny little quarterback named Sipe came to the rescue. The 70's was the Steeler's heyday, the Oilers had Earl Campbell, heck the Bengals had Ken Anderson. It was a rough time for us. The magical 1980 season changed all that and rekindled Super Bowl dreams for Browns fans everywhere.
The team featured a 1000 yard rusher (Mike Pruitt), an all-world tight end (Ozzie Newsome) and Brian Sipe at quarterback. Sipe was listed at 5' 11" but looked shorter. When he stood back to pass, it always looked like he was looking straight up and heaving it toward the heavens. I don't really think he tossed it OVER his lineman as much as he threw it BETWEEN them.
After limping to a 2-3 start, the Browns reeled off five wins in a row...many of the last second variety. Sipe beat the Packers with a touchdown pass with 16 seconds left, the Steelers with a 4th quarter pass to Ozzie Newsome and the Bengals with a Don Cockroft field goal at the 1:25 mark of the 4th quarter. They also LOST on a deflected pass to the Vikings as time expired and a Bradshaw to Swann touchdown in Pittsburgh with 11 ticks remaining.
The Browns had a resiliency and fortitude that made them a threat to win every game. Sipe inspired confidence in the fans as well as his teammates. He led the team to an 11-5 record and the first playoff appearance for the Browns since 1972. Of course any Browns love story since the 60's HAS ended up being like Romeo and Juliet and ended badly.
The playoff game against the Raiders ended as time expired on a Sipe interception in the end zone. Coach Sam Rutigliano was vilified in some circles for trying to pass, when a field goal could have won the game. He just didn't have confidence that Cockroft could kick us to the win on such a bitterly cold day in Cleveland when he had already missed two attempts.
As the 70's gave way to the 80's, the Browns would once again rise from the ashes to make the playoffs...but some of those great teams may have wounded the fans even more than the Kardiac Kids loss and ultimately culminated in the biggest betrayal of all. But that's a story for another day. Go Browns!
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