Cleveland Browns

Hue Jackson and Cleveland Browns coaching debuts

Updated Mar. 4, 2020 8:22 p.m. ET

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Aug 26, 2016; Tampa, FL, USA; Cleveland Browns head coach Hue Jackson calls a play against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers during the second half at Raymond James Stadium. Tampa Bay Buccaneers defeated the Cleveland Browns 30-13. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports

Cleveland Browns head coach Hue Jackson will be looking to buck several streaks when the Browns take on the Philadelphia Eagles.

When the Cleveland Browns take the field on Sunday against the Philadelphia Eagles to open the 2016 NFL season, head coach Hue Jackson will be looking to break some disheartening streaks.

Since returning to the NFL in 1999, the Browns are just 1-16 in season openers, with their last win on the season’s first weekend coming in 2004. They will carry an NFL-record 11-game Week 1 losing streak with them into Lincoln Financial Field.

Those losses include blowouts (against Pittsburgh in 1999 and 2007), last-minute defeats (Kansas City in 2002 and Philadelphia in 2012) and more forgettable games than we want to count.

Those numbers help explain why Jackson will also be looking to break a less-publicized, “Only in Cleveland” streak by the Browns. If Cleveland can pull out a win, Jackson will become the first Browns head coach to win his debut game since Bud Carson in 1989.

That was 27 years and seven head coaches ago, for those of you scoring at home.

It wasn’t always like that, of course, as the Browns first three head coaches all won their opening games in convincing fashion.

Let’s take a quick look down memory lane at the men who came before Jackson and how they fared in their debut NFL games.

Paul Brown: 1950 vs. the Philadelphia Eagles

After rolling through the All-America Football Conference for four years, the Browns joined the NFL for the 1950 season. Commissioner Bert Bell thought he would put the upstarts in their place by having the Browns open the season on the road against the two-time defending champion Eagles.

But with all summer to prepare for the game, the Browns unleashed a 35-10 beating on the Eagles that let the rest of the league know there was a new sheriff in town. Quarterback Otto Graham passed for three touchdowns and 346 yards as the Browns rolled up 448 yards of total offense.

Blanton Collier: 1963 vs. the Washington Redskins

Blanton Collier was promoted to head coach after Paul Brown was fired but picked right up where the legendary Brown left off as the Browns opened the season by hosting the Redskins and had 543 total yards of offense in an easy 37-14 win.

Jim Brown rushed for 162 yards and caught three passes for 100 yards, including an 83-yard touchdown reception and an 80-yard touchdown run. Making his first start as the full-time quarterback, Frank Ryan passed for 334 yards and a pair of touchdowns.

Nick Skorich: 1971 vs. the Houston Oilers

Nick Skorich kept the tradition of opening-day blowouts alive as the Browns beat the Houston Oilers, 31-0, in front of 73,387 fans at Municipal Stadium.

Cleveland was coming off a poor preseason (where have we heard that before?) but quickly took control of the game on a pair of one-yard touchdown runs by Leroy Kelly. The defense held the Oilers to just 35 rushing yards and forced six turnovers — including three interceptions of Houston quarterback Lynn Dickey and two off of backup quarterback Charley Johnson.

Forrest Gregg: 1975 vs. the Cincinnati Bengals

The winning streak had to come to an end at some point, and it arrived at Riverfront Stadium against the Cincinnati Bengals in a 24-17 loss in Forrest Gregg’s first game in charge.

The Browns did not go down easily, however, as they fought their way back from a 24-3 deficit in the third quarter to cut the lead to just seven. First, running back Greg Pruitt scored on an eight-yard run, then on the ensuing possession linebacker Charlie Hall recovered a fumble in the end zone for another Cleveland score.

Cincinnati fumbled the ensuing kickoff, with the Browns recovering, and quarterback Mike Phipps drove the offense to the Bengals’ three-yard line. The drive stalled on two fumbled center exchanges and a failed run on fourth down.

After getting the ball back, the Browns drove to Cincinnati’s one-yard line, but running back Hugh McKinnis was stopped on another fourth-down run. For the game, the Browns somehow managed to run six plays inside the Bengals two-yard line and fail to score a point.

Sam Rutigliano: 1978 vs. the San Francisco 49ers

In their first game under head coach Sam Rutigliano the Browns gave fans a preview of the excitement to come by scoring 10 points in the game’s final six minutes for a 24-7 win over the 49ers.

The Browns took a first-quarter lead on Greg Pruitt’s two-yard run and went into the half up by seven after a 33-yard touchdown run by rookie Ozzie Newsome. The game remained tight into the fourth quarter when Brian Sipe hit Reggie Rucker for a 69-yard touchdown pass following an O.J. Simpson fumble. Don Cockroft’s 23-yard field goal closed out the scoring.

The defense forced six San Francisco turnovers and limited Simpson to just 11 rushing yards in the second half.

Marty Schottenheimer: 1984 vs. the New Orleans Saints

The Marty Schottenheimer era kicked off in the middle of the 1984 season after Sam Rutigliano was fired and, oh boy, was that first game ever an omen of things to come as the Browns lost, 16-14.

The Browns took a 14-10 lead in the third quarter after Ozzie Newsome’s second five-yard touchdown catch of the day. The Saints cut the lead to one on a 21-yard field goal by Morten Anderson, setting up a finish that would soon become familiar to Browns fans.

Working to run out the clock, the offense looked to have clinched the win when quarterback Paul McDonald hit Brian Brennan for a 40-yard completion to the Saints five-yard line. But a holding penalty wiped out the play and the Browns were forced to punt.

The Saints took over on their own 23-yard line with no timeouts, but moved into field-goal range and Anderson connected on a 53-yard field goal as time expired to hand the Browns the loss.

Bud Carson: 1989 vs. the Pittsburgh Steelers

Of all the unexpected and unexplained things to happen to the Browns on opening day, the first game under head coach Bud Carson may have topped them all. The Browns visited Three Rivers Stadium, the former house of horrors, and embarrassed the Steelers in every way possible during a 51-0 win.

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Cleveland’s defense held Pittsburgh to 53 yards of total offense, sacked Steeler quarterback Bubby Brister six times and forced eight turnovers. Three of the turnovers resulted in touchdowns as linebacker Clay Matthews returned a fumble three yards, and linebacker David Grayson scored on a 28-yard fumble return and a 14-yard interception return.

The game was Cleveland’s first opening-day shutout since the 1971 opener and, while no one knew it at the time, the last debut win by a Browns head coach.

Bill Belichick: 1991 vs. the Dallas Cowboys

The Bill Belichick era got off to a disappointing start in a 26-14 loss to the Dallas Cowboys, who had no trouble moving the ball against Belichick’s defense in running 75 plays and gaining 395 yards of offense.

The Browns took an early 7-3 lead on Kevin Mack’s one-yard touchdown run, but the Cowboys came back with 17 points in the second quarter to take a lead that they would not surrender.

Cleveland closed the gap to six points on the opening play of the second half when Bernie Kosar hit Webster Slaughter for a 62-yard touchdown, but would get no closer. The running game was also non-existent as the Browns could only manage 32 yards on the ground, led by Eric Metcalf’s 13 yards on three carries.

Chris Palmer: 1999 vs. the Pittsburgh Steelers

It was supposed to be a night of celebration marking the Browns return to the NFL, but it only served as a preview for what was to come over the next 16 years (and counting).

In front of a passionate fan base and a national-television audience, the Browns were held to 40 yards of total offense, nine rushing yards and two first downs in a 43-0 loss to the Steelers.

Not to be left out, the Cleveland defense was just as poor as the offense, allowing 464 yards of total offense and 33 first downs on the first of many long days to come for the expansion Browns.

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Butch Davis: 2001 vs. the Seattle Seahawks

It was a battle of field goals in the first game under head coach Butch Davis, with the Browns coming out on the wrong end of a 9-6 score.

It was a day for the defense, as both the Browns and Seahawks gave up less than 260 total yards of offense, and special teams, as Phil Dawson and Rian Lindell traded field goals.

Dawson tied the game with a 22-yard field goal with two minutes remaining in the game, only to see the Browns surrender a 49-yard return on the ensuing kickoff. The Seahawks were able to run down the clock before Lindell’s 52-yard field goal sealed the win.

Romeo Crennel: 2005 vs. the Cincinnati Bengals

The Browns hung tough, at least for a half, in head coach Romeo Crennel’s first game only to eventually fall to the Bengals, 27-13.

Cleveland tied the game at 10 just before halftime when Trent Dilfer hit Frisman Jackson for a 68-yard touchdown pass. But the Bengals answered back with touchdown passes from Carson Palmer to close out the second quarter and open the third, putting the game out of reach.

The outcome may have been different if the Browns had not an interception return for a touchdown and a punt return for a touchdown called back by penalties.

The game is probably most notable for being the only 100-yard receiving game in Jackson’s NFL career.

Eric Mangini: 2009 vs. the Minnesota Vikings

Not content with having already hired someone from the Bill Belichick coaching tree, and having had Belichick himself, the Browns went back to the well one more time with predictable results with head coach Eric Mangini.

The Browns held a 13-10 lead at halftime thanks to a 67-yard punt return for a touchdown by Josh Cribbs, only to see the Vikings dominate the second half en route to a 34-20 win.

The defense, allegedly Mangini’s strong suit, was overwhelmed by Minnesota running back Adrian Peterson, who rushed for 155 yards in the second half and scored three touchdowns, including a 64-yard run in the fourth quarter.

Sep 7, 2014; Pittsburgh, PA, USA; Cleveland Browns head coach Mike Pettine walks on the sidelines against the Pittsburgh Steelers during the second half at Heinz Field. Pittsburgh won the game, 30-27. Mandatory Credit: Jason Bridge-USA TODAY Sports

Pat Shurmur: 2011 vs. the Cincinnati Bengals

The Cleveland Browns got off to an exciting, albeit losing, debut under head coach Pat Shurmur in a 27-17 loss to the Cincinnati Bengals.

The Browns fell behind 13-0 only to rally back to take a one-point lead at the half after a pair of Colt McCoy touchdown passes. Cleveland pushed the lead to 17-13 on a Phil Dawson field goal in the third quarter before the fun began.

In the fourth quarter the Browns defense had the Bengals on the ropes, facing a third-and-11 situation with Bruce Gradkowski in a quarterback for the injured Andy Dalton. But the defense fell asleep in the huddle as Gradkowski quick-snapped the ball and hit A. J. Green for a 41-yard touchdown to give the Bengals the lead with a little more than four minutes remaining.

The Browns still had a chance to win, but managed just a lone first down on their next two possessions, allowing Cincinnati to put the game away on Cedric Benson’s 39-yard touchdown run with less than two minutes remaining.

Rob Chudzinski: 2013 vs. the Miami Dolphins

The Browns opened Rob Chudzinski’s one year in charge with a forgettable 23-10 loss to the Miami Dolphins.

Cleveland scored its lone touchdown of the day on a touchdown pass from Brandon Weeden to Jordan Cameron just before halftime to take a 7-6 lead. That was despite five offensive penalties and three interceptions in the first half.

Despite holding the Dolphins to just 20 rushing yards, the Browns defense had no answer for Ryan Tannehill, who threw a 34-yard touchdown pass to Brian Hartline in the third quarter, and completed six passes for 78 yards on a fourth-quarter touchdown drive.

Weeden was sacked six times and running back Trent Richardson managed just 47 rushing yards — none in the fourth quarter.

Mike Pettine: 2014 vs. the Pittsburgh Steelers

It may have ended in predictable fashion, but for 60 minutes the Browns gave as good as they got in dropping a 30-27 decision to the Steelers.

Quarterback Brian Hoyer rallied the Browns to 24 second-half points to tie the score, only to see Pittsburgh kicker Shaun Suisham hit a 41-yard field goal at the gun to give Pittsburgh the win. Prior to Suisham’s game-winning kick, the Browns had the ball with a chance to win the game, but mismanaged the drive and were forced to punt.

Hoyer passed for 222 yards and a touchdown, Terrance West rushed for 100 yards and Isaian Crowell added a pair of rushing touchdowns, but it was not enough as the defense allowed 503 yards of total offense.

While Jackson’s tenure won’t be defined by what happens on Sunday against the Eagles, a win would be a nice way to kick things off — especially given what has occurred over the past two decades.

“Our whole organization has something to prove. We all have a chip on our shoulder, you know. We’ve been the brunt of jokes over several years, and deservedly so, [because] we haven’t played very good football,” Jackson recently told NFL.com. “So, I get it and I understand it, and I’m a part of it now. And at the end of the day … I don’t like being a part of jokes. So, we’re gonna do everything we can here to win, and that’s the message that I give to our football team and our organization every single day.”

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