1993-09-13 San Francisco 49ers vs Cleveland Browns

[@Handlethis81637]

I haven’t seen this broadcast since it was first aired. Happy to see it again after all these years.

[@TagCavello]

Thank you for posting. Tears wet my cheeks as I watched. I was 22 when this game aired. When Dan Dierdoff said "Right now fans in SF might be going...say what?" I never forgot it. Hearing him say it again just now was priceless. As I understand it Bernie Kosar went against Bill Belichick's play calling several times during this game. I don't know if it's really true. But Bernie was indeed fired during this same season. I barely remember being 22 these days. But this game remains. My guys beat up on a Superbowl team that night. Thanks again to the poster.

[@Hotspur77]

Dammyl1971 You have it correct sir - as glorious as this victory was, it was the beginning of the end of Kosar in Cleveland. In 1991, Kosar tried to run the offense but often found himself bailing-out Belichick with audibles and 2 minute drill heroics. The OL in 1991 was horrible, and in 1992, Belichick got rid of all 3 of Bernie’s receivers (Slaughter, Langhorne, Brennan). In week 2 of that campaign against Miami (also a MNF game), BB’s offense was so bad even the MNF announcers couldn’t hide their disdain. In the 4th quarter BK started to freelance, and brought the team back, before Belichick’s defense collapsed in the final seconds to rob Kosar of what should have been a great comeback victory - especially bitter because BK played most of that game on a broken ankle, sidelining him for more than a month. When Kosar returned late in the 92 season, Belichick’s horrible OL and vanilla playcalling were even more of an issue. In the ‘93 offseason Belichick brought in Testeverde and although Kosar was still the starter, the heat was officially on. Characteristically, Bernie came out gunning that year, determined to reclaim his place as a premier QB and put the Browns back in contention, Belichick’s poor offensive coaching be damned. After blowing out Cincinnati in week one, THIS GAME was high tide, the last really great moment for Kosar in Cleveland - and it was filled with audibles, the TD to Jackson and game sealer to Carrier being but 2 of many plays Kosar improvised that night. Belichick seethed over this, unable to enjoy what should have been a signature win over the mighty 49ers. He was determined to rein in his rebel QB, and in the next 3 games Belichick benched Bernie late in the game for Testaverde. Although Vinny provided a spark in the 1st of those games (in LA), in the others (at Indy and home against Miami) Kosar seemed the better QB, but set up to fail by Belichick. The Dolphins game was particularly egregious: Bernie came out playing great, but once Miami figured out that the Cle OL couldn’t block - especially on the left side - it was open season on Kosar. A couple audibles that turned into sacks got Kosar benched, this time for good, Belichick naming Vinny the starter even though he hadn’t shown he could do any better than Kosar in that pathetic offense. Sure enough, Vinny got hurt 2 weeks later, running for his life against Pittsburgh, setting up Bernie’s last start as a Cleveland Brown...vs Denver. In that game, Belichick’s defense was utterly embarrassed, smoked by Elway, who found wide open targets all day in Belichick’s secondary. Facing a big deficit and getting killed behind Belichick’s sorry OL, Kosar completely ignored Belichick and audibled 2 TD’s in the final minutes, his last pass going for a TD to Michael Jackson. Belichick cut him the next day. The Browns promptly lost 5 in a row, going from 1st place in AFCC to 7-9 and out of playoff contention, getting booed off the field at home to finish another losing season under Belichick. Bernie, meanwhile, signed with Dallas less than 48 hours after Belichick cut him (BB cited “diminishing skills” as his pretext, not wanting to admit publicly the embarrassing truth about being outsmarted and upstaged by his own QB), and that very same week started for an injured Troy Aikman. And while Belichick was getting blown out in Seattle, Bernie was leading the Cowboys to victory in Texas, throwing for 2 TD’s and getting the game ball from Jimmy Johnson. 2 months later, Bernie came off the bench for a concussed Aikman in the NFC Championship Game, throwing the game-clinching TD to Alvin Harper. Two weeks later, while Belichick was watching from his couch, Bernie took the final victory formation snap in Dallas’s Super Bowl XXVIII victory over Buffalo. Pats fans should contemplate these events as they approach their first season in 20 years without Tom Brady to bail them out. I would not be surprised in the least to see the 2020 Patriots come out resembling the 1991-95 Browns: good ST and D...pedestrian offense. Control freak at head coach.

[@TagCavello]

@@Hotspur77 Wow man thank you for this very detailed post!

[@howUlikemenow]

Bernie Kosar's last win as starting QB of the Browns.

[@daved1535]

Little would we know that Kosar would beat the 49ers again in the nfc championship that same year

[@MGAF688]

Back in the day when Bernie Kosar could still out-duel a HOF legend.

[@howUlikemenow]

Bernie had very good games throughout his career .... and very good stretches of several games. But after the injuries he suffered in '88, Kosar was never the same effective QB that he was prior.

[@Hotspur77]

Bernie was a dominant QB thru the 89 season, although the 1988 year was a turning point. First was the elbow injury in KC. Should have been a season ender, but BK came back in week 9 with his elbow sutures still raw. He played well until his knee was destroyed in Miami on Monday night second to last week of the season. In ‘89 he played well but the line was a problem, and BK didn’t seem to have quite the same mobility, and a staph infection in the elbow was so severe there were rumors it would end his career. BK played well in 1991, but Belichick tore down the offense to the studs in 1992, and the line was a total mess. Kosar came out gunning in 1993, but Belichick’s offense was too predictable and he took away BK’s top weapon: the audible. In this SF game, you can see Bernie changing plays all over the place - with success. Belichick was too much of a control freak to handle that, and cut Bernie after his defense got embarrassed by Denver. Kosar’s last pass as a Brown: an audible that went for a TD to Michael Jackson. Pats fans may get a taste of the real Belichick this season now that Brady isn’t around to make him look like the GOAT of coaching.

[@whataboutrob442]

@@howUlikemenow 89 was a great season for him.

[@whataboutrob442]

@@Hotspur77 We will see.

[@Hotspur77]

What about Rob? Belichick surely never liked having to rely on Brady and the passing game to win, but he was shrewd enough to accept reality, and has the rings to show for it. Nevertheless, winning games 42-35 is not what BB prefers. And when Brady’s efficiency dropped off in 2018 BB wasted no time in refashioning the offense around the power running game. Very much the same as what he did with Kosar in Cleveland. And when he was in NY, he and Parcells did it with Hostetler. Those1990 Giants are the archetypical Belichick team: blue collar offense, tough as nails and smart. They could win on toughness and strategy alone. No superstar QB required.

[@chipeventstaff]

Sadly at least 2 of the Browns players have passed on, 1 Eric Turner 2 Mike Jackson aka Mike Dyson. sad

[@jonxisxbatman]

Eric Turner was one of my favorite players ever. I remember him being called the Terminator

[@daved1535]

This was some serious home field advantage. Very electric atmosphere

[@Warriorpoet79]

This was a great game! Back when they could still wear dark visors.

[@juanparty]

Metcalf is a HOF material!

[@nemo-nb3gh]

Cleveland avenges the humiliating loss to SF back in 1987 .

[@redmustangredmustang]

I am so glad that Jimmy got Bernie when Belichick cut him because he was useful when Aikman went down and did well in the Cardinals and the 2nd half of the NFC Championship game.

[@howUlikemenow]

Bernie was never a #1 QB on any roster after BB cut him. Maybe Bill knew something?

[@Handlethis81637]

Don’t forget that Bernie took a knee in the Super Bowl to finish the game that year.

[@johnleeson6946]

Bill didn’t know dick! He wouldn’t let Bernie call audibles and he wanted to run Metcalf between the tackles. Kosar went the Cowboys then the Dolphins. There was no way he was going to replace Aikmen(sp?) or Marino as starters. Johnson brought him is a an on-field coach. And, yes, Bernie beat Young’s 49ers TWICE that year!!!

[@esedman157]

Wow you could actually tackle AND hit the qb back then! Wow!

[@tubby4388]

Yes, that was football.

[@kyasarin901]

I was there!!

[@ackjass998]

7:43 they should definitely do this more often . put a big lineman in to run the ball even for short first downs .

[@curtisjoseph]

28:19 Imagine this happening for a regular season win in 2023

[@theturnerfamilyttf3857]

Gonna be so hype in Cleveland

[@andrewdunn49ers]

Imagine Bill getting a bath in week 2 now? 😂

[@dennydavila9407]

Why was Jackson allowed to wear #1? I saw it I'm not sure what year maybe 91 he caught a T.D. with that #??????

[@howUlikemenow]

New NFL number regulation required him to change from wearing #1. I just now notice that he died about a year ago. High speed motorcycle crash in which a young woman in the other vehicle also passed.

[@dennydavila9407]

Branden F I grew up watching football in the 80s and 90s receivers were only allowed to wear numbers 80 through 89 I don’t know why he was wearing number one has to be something else

[@michelbriere7362]

@@dennydavila9407 The Browns were out of numbers in the 80s to give out when Jackson arrived as a rookie. He wore 1 until a receiver number became available, then switched to 81 per NFL rules.

[@TagCavello]

I remember that play. He caught the pass over his shoulder and the announcer was like Oh! What a catch by Jackson!

[@eddiematus4415]

So many great players in this game on both teams ,9ers always been my team,but I love the NFL

[@drewzuhosky6826]

The Browns won this game despite a suspect O-line, which was exposed two weeks later in Indy.

[@PerpetualArt]

That old Municipal Stadium was the best home field advantage in the NFL. The Indy game was par for the course.... They lost 23-10, and their O line gave up 5 sacks. Nothing compared to a year earlier, week 1 vs Indy they lost 14-3, and gave up 11 sacks.

[@michaelparker6240]

Refs vs the niners

[@michaelparker6240]

The refs ruined this game..some of the worst call in nfl history