The 1985

1985 NFL season

The 1985 NFL season was the 66th regular season of the National Football League. The season ended with Super Bowl XX when the Chicago Bears defeated the New England Patriots.-Major rule changes:...

 Cleveland Browns

Cleveland Browns

The Cleveland Browns are a professional football team based in Cleveland, Ohio. They are currently members of the North Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...

 season was the team's 36th season with the National Football League

National Football League

The National Football League is the highest level of professional American football in the United States, and is considered the top professional American football league in the world. It was formed by eleven teams in 1920 as the American Professional Football Association, with the league changing...

.

In Marty Schottenheimer's first full year as head coach, the Browns bounced back from a horrible 5–11 season in 1984 to make the playoffs, despite a .500 season. Rookie quarterback Bernie Kosar

Bernie Kosar

Bernard Joseph "Bernie" Kosar, Jr. is a former American football quarterback in the National Football League. Kosar played for the Cleveland Browns from 1985 to 1993 and then finished his career with the Dallas Cowboys and the Miami Dolphins.-Early life and high school career:A Hungarian-American...

 led the Browns' offense; Ozzie Newsome

Ozzie Newsome

Ozzie Newsome Jr. and a 1974 graduate of Colbert County High School in Leighton, Alabama, is a former American football tight end for the Cleveland Browns, an inductee into the Pro Football Hall of Fame, and the current General Manager of the Baltimore Ravens.-College career:Before his NFL career,...

's 62 receptions earned him a trip to the Pro Bowl

Pro Bowl

In professional American football, the Pro Bowl is the all-star game of the National Football League . Since the merger with the rival American Football League in 1970, it has been officially called the AFC–NFC Pro Bowl, matching the top players in the American Football Conference against those...

; Earnest Byner

Earnest Byner

Earnest Alexander Byner is a former American football running back in the National Football League and is currently a running backs coach for the Jacksonville Jaguars...

 and Kevin Mack

Kevin Mack

James Kevin Mack is a former professional American football player who played running back.-Early life:Mack was born in Kings Mountain, North Carolina...

 each rushed for over 1,000 yards.

In the Divisional Playoffs, the Browns led the Miami Dolphins

Miami Dolphins

The Miami Dolphins are a Professional football team based in the Miami metropolitan area in Florida. The team is part of the Eastern Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...

 21–3 in the third quarter, but in a scene that would be repeated 4 more times in the 1980s, the Browns collapsed down the stretch as the Dolphins came back to score three touchdowns to win the game 24–21.

Until 2011, Cleveland's .500 winning percentage held the record for the lowest such percentage for a division winning playoff team in a non-strike season; the record was tied by the 2008 San Diego Chargers

2008 San Diego Chargers season

The 2008 San Diego Chargers season was the franchise's 49th overall season and their 39th in the NFL. While they completed the regular season with only an 8–8 record, they nonetheless captured their third consecutive AFC West championship...

, then broken by the 2010 Seattle Seahawks

2010 Seattle Seahawks season

The 2010 Seattle Seahawks season was the 35th season for the team in the National Football League. Jim Mora was fired on January 8, 2010, leading the Seahawks to come to an agreement with Pete Carroll, instating him as head coach the following day. This marks the 9th season that the Seahawks will...

. (Incidentally, in 1985 and 2008, an 11–5 team [Denver in 1985, New England in 2008] missed the playoffs.) Cleveland was able to advance by winning their relatively weak division.

Staff

1985 Cleveland Browns staff
	Head Coaches Head Coach – Marty Schottenheimer Marty Schottenheimer Martin Edward "Marty" Schottenheimer is the current head coach of the Virginia Destroyers of the United Football League. Over his career, he has served as head coach of the Cleveland Browns, Kansas City Chiefs, Washington Redskins, and San Diego Chargers. He has the most wins of any NFL coach... Offensive Coaches Offensive Coordinator – Joe Pendry Joe Pendry Joe Pendry is a former American football coach. From 1971 until 2010, he was an assistant coach or offensive coordinator for multiple teams in both the collegiate and professional ranks.... Quarterbacks – Greg Landry Greg Landry Gregory Paul Landry is a former American football player and coach who played quarterback in the National Football League from 1968 to 1981 and again in 1984... Running Backs – Steve Crosby Steve Crosby Steve Crosby is a record producer, songwriter and music manager. He is best known for creating the group Steps.Crosby started his career dj-ing at the age of 17 and, from there, he bought and ran a record shop. Crosby then moved in to corporate entertainment and it wasn't long before he turned his... Receivers – Richard Mann Offensive Line – Howard Mudd Howard Mudd Howard Edward Mudd is an American football offensive line coach for the Philadelphia Eagles of the National Football League and a former offensive lineman in the NFL. From 1998–2009, he was the offensive line coach for the Indianapolis Colts...			Defensive Coaches Defensive Coordinator – Tom Bettis Tom Bettis William Thomas "Tom" Bettis is a former American football linebacker and coach. After starring at Purdue, Bettis was selected by the Green Bay Packers in the first round of the 1955 NFL Draft. He played nine seasons for the Packers, the Pittsburgh Steelers, and the Chicago Bears... Defensive Line – Tom Pratt Linebackers – Tom Olivadotti Special Assistant – Darvin Wallis Special Teams Coaches Special Teams – Bill Cowher Bill Cowher William Laird "Bill" Cowher is a former American football coach and player. Cowher resigned after 15 seasons as the Steelers' coach on January 5, 2007, 11 months to the day after winning 2005–06's Super Bowl XL... Strength and Conditioning Strength and Conditioning – Dave Redding Dave Redding -Biography:A native of Holdenville, Oklahoma, Redding has one daughter, Taylor. He attended the University of Nebraska-Lincoln where he was a three-year letterman on the Nebraska Cornhuskers football team.-Coaching career:...

Schedule

Week	Date	Opponent	Result	Attendance
1	September 8, 1985	St. Louis Cardinals Arizona Cardinals The Arizona Cardinals are a professional American football team based in Glendale, Arizona, a suburb of Phoenix. They are currently members of the Western Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League...	L 27–24	62,107
2	September 16, 1985	Pittsburgh Steelers Pittsburgh Steelers The Pittsburgh Steelers are a professional football team based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The team currently belongs to the North Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League . Founded in , the Steelers are the oldest franchise in the AFC...	W 17–7	79,042
3	September 22, 1985	at Dallas Cowboys Dallas Cowboys The Dallas Cowboys are a professional American football franchise which plays in the Eastern Division of the National Football Conference of the National Football League . They are headquartered in Valley Ranch in Irving, Texas, a suburb of Dallas...	L 20–7	61,456
4	September 29, 1985	at San Diego Chargers San Diego Chargers The San Diego Chargers are a professional American football team based in San Diego, California. they were members of the Western Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...	W 21–7	52,107
5	October 6, 1985	New England Patriots New England Patriots The New England Patriots, commonly called the "Pats", are a professional football team based in the Greater Boston area, playing their home games in the town of Foxborough, Massachusetts at Gillette Stadium. The team is part of the East Division of the American Football Conference in the National...	W 24–20	62,139
6	October 13, 1985	at Houston Oilers Tennessee Titans The Tennessee Titans are a professional American football team based in Nashville, Tennessee, United States. They are members of the South Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League . Previously known as the Houston Oilers, the team began play in 1960 as a charter...	W 21–6	38,386
7	October 20, 1985	Los Angeles Raiders Oakland Raiders The Oakland Raiders are a professional American football team based in Oakland, California. They currently play in the Western Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...	L 21–20	77,928
8	October 27, 1985	Washington Redskins Washington Redskins The Washington Redskins are a professional American football team and members of the East Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The team plays at FedExField in Landover, Maryland, while its headquarters and training facility are at Redskin Park in Ashburn,...	L 14–7	78,540
9	November 3, 1985	at Pittsburgh Steelers Pittsburgh Steelers The Pittsburgh Steelers are a professional football team based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The team currently belongs to the North Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League . Founded in , the Steelers are the oldest franchise in the AFC...	L 10–9	51,976
10	November 10, 1985	at Cincinnati Bengals Cincinnati Bengals The Cincinnati Bengals are a professional football team based in Cincinnati, Ohio. They are members of the AFC's North Division in the National Football League . The Bengals began play in 1968 as an expansion team in the American Football League , and joined the NFL in 1970 in the AFL-NFL...	L 27–10	57,293
11	November 17, 1985	Buffalo Bills Buffalo Bills The Buffalo Bills are a professional football team based in Buffalo, New York. They are currently members of the East Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...	W 17–7	54,478
12	November 24, 1985	Cincinnati Bengals Cincinnati Bengals The Cincinnati Bengals are a professional football team based in Cincinnati, Ohio. They are members of the AFC's North Division in the National Football League . The Bengals began play in 1968 as an expansion team in the American Football League , and joined the NFL in 1970 in the AFL-NFL...	W 24–6	74,439
13	December 1, 1985	at New York Giants New York Giants The New York Giants are a professional American football team based in East Rutherford, New Jersey, representing the New York City metropolitan area. The Giants are currently members of the Eastern Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League...	W 35–33	66,482
14	December 8, 1985	at Seattle Seahawks Seattle Seahawks The Seattle Seahawks are a professional American football team based in Seattle, Washington. They are currently members of the Western Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The team joined the NFL in 1976 as an expansion team...	L 31–13	58,477
15	December 15, 1985	Houston Oilers Tennessee Titans The Tennessee Titans are a professional American football team based in Nashville, Tennessee, United States. They are members of the South Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League . Previously known as the Houston Oilers, the team began play in 1960 as a charter...	W 28–21	50,793
16	December 22, 1985	at New York Jets New York Jets The New York Jets are a professional football team headquartered in Florham Park, New Jersey, representing the New York metropolitan area. The team is a member of the Eastern Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...	L 37–10	59,073

Playoffs

Week	Date	Opponent	Result	Attendance
Divisional	January 4, 1986	at Miami Dolphins Miami Dolphins The Miami Dolphins are a Professional football team based in the Miami metropolitan area in Florida. The team is part of the Eastern Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...	L 24–21	75,128

Standings

AFC Central
	W	L	T	PCT	PF	PA	STK
Cleveland Browns	8	8	0	.500	287	294	L-1
Pittsburgh Steelers 1985 Pittsburgh Steelers season - Schedule :- Week 1 : vs. Indianapolis Colts :at Three Rivers Stadium, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania* Game time: 1:00 pm EDT* Game weather:* Game attendance: 55,279* Referee: Red Cashion...	7	9	0	.438	379	355	L-1
Cincinnati Bengals 1985 Cincinnati Bengals season The 1985 Cincinnati Bengals season was their 16th in the league.-NFL Draft:-Schedule:-Standings:-Roster:-References:* * *...	7	9	0	.438	441	437	L-2
Houston Oilers 1985 Houston Oilers season The 1985 Houston Oilers season was the 26th season the team was with the league. The team improved upon their previous season's output of 3–13, winning five games, but failed to qualify for the playoffs for the fifth consecutive season.-Schedule:-Standings:...	5	11	0	.313	284	412	L-4