Remembering the 1972 Cleveland Browns

 But the 1972 Browns managed to surprise many pro football fans.  They regrouped after that loss to Green Bay and went on to post a 10-4 record, claiming the Wild Card spot in the AFC.  Back then, each conference only had four playoff teams, and of course, each team dealt with a 14-game regular season. 

So, there was not much time for any team to develop into becoming a winner.  As a result of their victories and some strong individual performances, however, the 1972 Cleveland team was indeed a special team.

In the middle of the 1972 season, the Browns reeled off six straight victories, including am upset win over the Pittsburgh Steelers.  In the final month of the year, Cleveland knocked off the division rival Cincinnati Bengals and the New York Jets to qualify for the postseason tournament.  A big key in the Browns’ surge to the playoffs was their ability to win games within their division.  Of their six division contests, Cleveland lost only once (to Pittsburgh).

The strength of the 1972 Browns was their defense, a unit which surrendered 249 points, which gave them a ranking of ninth-best in the NFL.  They were led by defensive tackles Walter Johnson and Jerry Sherk, both of whom were healthy all throughout the year.

Defensive end Rich “Tombstone” Jackson came over from Denver and managed to play strong in 10 games for the team.  A group of veteran players filled out most of the other spots on Cleveland’s defensive lineup in 1972.  They included the likes of linebackers Jim Houston, Billy Andrews, John Garlington, and Dale Lindsey. 

Cleveland’s defensive secondary, however, enjoyed the stellar play of a few young stars, including Thom Darden at safety and Clarence Scott at cornerback.  Veteran Ben Davis returned from a knee injury and managed to play in every game in 1972. 

While the Browns’ offense did not post as strong of a batch of statistics as their defensive counterparts, they did enjoy sturdy play nonetheless from several players, including running backs Leroy Kelly (who ran for a team-best 811 yards) and Bo Scott (who contributed 571 yards. 

Quarterback Mike Phipps had a serviceable third year of his career, as he threw for 1,994 yards and 13 touchdowns.  But the Cleveland offense as a whole was forced to overcome some of its own worst performances.  They were shut out twice in 1972, once to the lowly Chicago Bears, and once to the Pittsburgh Steelers.  The Browns were also the victims of eight of their own turnovers in a 31-7 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs.

Unfortunately for Cleveland, they had to go up against the undefeated Miami Dolphins in the first round of the 1972 AFC Playoffs.  But although they were declared to be heavy underdogs in that game, they still somehow built a 14-13 lead midway through the fourth quarter in the Orange Bowl.  That lead could not hold up, however, as Miami surged to a 20-14 victory.

In summary, the 1972 Cleveland Browns were a team that, despite its own shortcomings, still managed to win some games when they most needed to win without any real superstars in their lineup, and thus were one of the surprising NFL teams of the 1972 season.