1988 Cleveland Browns season
Encyclopedia
The 1988
Cleveland Browns
season was the team's 39th season with the National Football League
.
's interception set up kicker Tony Zendejas
' game-clinching 49-field field goal with 1:54 left in the game. After the Browns scored first on a 33-yard field goal by Matt Bahr
, Houston marched 91 yards to score on quarterback Warren Moon
's 14-yard touchdown pass to running back Allen Pinkett
. Then on Cleveland's next drive, Oilers defensive lineman Richard Byrd recovered quarterback Don Strock
's fumble to set up Pinkett's 16-yard touchdown run. Bahr later made two field goals to cut Houston's lead, 14–9, before halftime. In the third quarter, backup quarterback Mike Pagel
, who replaced an injured Strock, threw a 14-yard touchdown completion to wide receiver Webster Slaughter
to put the Browns ahead, 16–14. However, the Oilers marched on a 76-yard drive that was capped with running back Lorenzo White
's 1-yard rushing touchdown. After Johnson's interception and Zendejas' subsequent game-clinching 49-yard field goal, Slaughter caught a 2-yard touchdown reception to close out the scoring.
1988 NFL season
The 1988 NFL season was the 69th regular season of the National Football League. The Cardinals relocated from St. Louis, Missouri to the Phoenix, Arizona area becoming the Phoenix Cardinals but remained in the NFC East division....
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 39th 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...
.
NFL Draft
| Pick # | |Player | |College | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 21 | 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... |
Clifford Charlton Clifford Charlton Clifford Tyrone Charlton is a former American college and professional football player who was a linebacker in the National Football League for two seasons in the late 1980s... |
Outside Linebacker | Florida University of Florida The University of Florida is an American public land-grant, sea-grant, and space-grant research university located on a campus in Gainesville, Florida. The university traces its historical origins to 1853, and has operated continuously on its present Gainesville campus since September 1906... |
| 50 | Cleveland Browns | Michael Dean Perry Michael Dean Perry Michael Dean Perry is a former American football defensive lineman and the younger brother of William Perry. His parents are Mrs. Inez S. Perry [deceased] and Hollie Perry, Sr. of Aiken, South Carolina. He learned to play football from his older brothers... |
Defensive Tackle | Clemson Clemson University Clemson University is an American public, coeducational, land-grant, sea-grant, research university located in Clemson, South Carolina, United States.... |
| 77 | Cleveland Browns | Van Waiters Van Waiters Van Waiters was a professional American football player who played linebacker for five seasons for the Cleveland Browns and Minnesota Vikings.-References:... |
Outside Linebacker | Indiana |
| 103 | Cleveland Browns | Anthony Blaylock Anthony Blaylock Anthony Darius Blaylock is a former professional American football cornerback in the National Football League. He played six seasons for the Cleveland Browns, the San Diego Chargers, and the Chicago Bears.... |
Corner Back | Winston-Salem |
| 188 | Cleveland Browns | Thane Gash Thane Gash Thane Alvin Gash is a former professional American football player who played safety for four seasons for the Cleveland Browns and the San Francisco 49ers in the National Football League.... |
Defensive Back | East Tennessee State |
| 216 | Cleveland Browns | J. J. Birden | Wide Receiver | Oregon |
Staff
| 1988 Cleveland Browns staff | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Head Coaches
Offensive Coaches
|
Defensive Coaches
Dave Adolph Dave Adolph is a retired American football coach who last served as defensive coordinator for the University of San Diego. He also served as defensive coordinator for the Cleveland Browns from 1986-88. Prior to leaving the Browns in 1985 for the San Diego Chargers, he was the Browns' interim... 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... Special Teams Coaches
Strength and Conditioning
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Schedule
| Week | Date | Opponent | Result | Attendance |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | September 4, 1988 | at Kansas City Chiefs Kansas City Chiefs The Kansas City Chiefs are a professional American football team based in Kansas City, Missouri. They are a member of the Western Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League . Originally named the Dallas Texans, the club was founded by Lamar Hunt in 1960 as a... |
W 6–3 | |
| 2 | September 11, 1988 | 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 23–3 | |
| 3 | September 19, 1988 | Indianapolis Colts Indianapolis Colts The Indianapolis Colts are a professional American football team based in Indianapolis. They are currently members of the South Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League .... |
W 23–17 | |
| 4 | September 25, 1988 | 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 24–17 | |
| 5 | October 2, 1988 | 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... |
W 23–9 | |
| 6 | October 9, 1988 | 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 16–10 | |
| 7 | October 16, 1988 | Philadelphia Eagles Philadelphia Eagles The Philadelphia Eagles are a professional American football team based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. They are members of the East Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League... |
W 19–3 | |
| 8 | October 23, 1988 | at Phoenix 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... |
W 29–21 | |
| 9 | October 30, 1988 | 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 23–16 | |
| 10 | November 7, 1988 | 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... |
L 24–17 | |
| 11 | November 13, 1988 | at Denver Broncos Denver Broncos The Denver Broncos are a professional American football team based in Denver, Colorado. They are currently members of the West Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League... |
L 30–7 | |
| 12 | November 20, 1988 | 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 27–7 | |
| 13 | November 27, 1988 | at 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,... |
W 17–13 | |
| 14 | December 4, 1988 | 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... |
W 24–21 | |
| 15 | December 12, 1988 | 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 38–31 | |
| 16 | December 18, 1988 | 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 28–23 | |
Playoffs
| Week | Date | Opponent | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wild Card | December 24, 1988 | Houston Oilers | L 24–23 |
Standings
| AFC Central | ||||||
| Team | W | L | T | PCT | PF | PA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cincinnati Bengals 1988 Cincinnati Bengals season The 1988 Cincinnati Bengals season was the team's 21st year in professional football and its 19th with the National Football League.The Bengals were a team on the rebound. During the 1987 strike-shortened season, quarterback Boomer Esiason and head coach Sam Wyche had openly feuded, and the team... |
12 | 4 | 0 | .750 | 448 | 329 |
| Cleveland Browns | 10 | 6 | 0 | .625 | 304 | 288 |
| Houston Oilers 1988 Houston Oilers season -Schedule:-Standings:-Playoffs:-References:* *... |
10 | 6 | 0 | .625 | 424 | 365 |
| Pittsburgh Steelers 1988 Pittsburgh Steelers season The 1988 Pittsburgh Steelers began the season with the death of Hall of Fame team founder & owner Art Rooney at age 87 less than two weeks before the start of the season... |
5 | 11 | 0 | .313 | 336 | 421 |
Roster
Quarterbacks
Running Backs Wide Receivers
Tight Ends |
Offensive Linemen Defensive Linemen |
Linebackers Defensive Backs Special Teams |
Reserve Lists
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AFC Wild Card Game
Oilers cornerback Richard JohnsonRichard Johnson (defensive back)
Richard James Johnson is a former American football cornerback who played eight seasons in the National Football League for the Houston Oilers. All-American and All-Big Ten cornerback in 1984 while at the University of Wisconsin-External links:*...
's interception set up kicker Tony Zendejas
Tony Zendejas
Tony Zendejas is a retired Mexican professional athlete. He was a placekicker in American football, playing for the Los Angeles Express, Houston Oilers, the Los Angeles Rams, the Atlanta Falcons and the San Francisco 49ers.-Early life:...
' game-clinching 49-field field goal with 1:54 left in the game. After the Browns scored first on a 33-yard field goal by Matt Bahr
Matt Bahr
Matthew David Bahr is a former professional American football placekicker in the National Football League. He attended Neshaminy High School in Langhorne, Pennsylvania where he excelled in both football and soccer...
, Houston marched 91 yards to score on quarterback Warren Moon
Warren Moon
Harold Warren Moon is a former American professional gridiron football quarterback who played for the Canadian Football League's Edmonton Eskimos and the National Football League's Houston Oilers, Minnesota Vikings, Seattle Seahawks and Kansas City Chiefs...
's 14-yard touchdown pass to running back Allen Pinkett
Allen Pinkett
Allen Pinkett is a former professional American football player who played running back for six seasons for the Houston Oilers. He grew up in the Sterling, Virginia area and attended Park View High School there in the early 1980s.-Playing career:Pinkett was a two-time All-American at Notre Dame...
. Then on Cleveland's next drive, Oilers defensive lineman Richard Byrd recovered quarterback Don Strock
Don Strock
Don Strock is a former professional football player who was the head coach of the Florida International University football team from 2002–2006.-College:Strock played college football at Virginia Tech, and graduated in 1973...
's fumble to set up Pinkett's 16-yard touchdown run. Bahr later made two field goals to cut Houston's lead, 14–9, before halftime. In the third quarter, backup quarterback Mike Pagel
Mike Pagel
Mike John Pagel , was a former professional American football player who was selected by the Baltimore Colts in the 4th round of the 1982 NFL Draft. A 6'2", . quarterback from Arizona State, Pagel played in 12 NFL seasons from 1982-1993...
, who replaced an injured Strock, threw a 14-yard touchdown completion to wide receiver Webster Slaughter
Webster Slaughter
Webster Melvin Slaughter is a former American football wide receiver who played in the National Football League from 1986 to 1998....
to put the Browns ahead, 16–14. However, the Oilers marched on a 76-yard drive that was capped with running back Lorenzo White
Lorenzo White
Lorenzo Maurice White , is a former professional American football player who was selected by the Houston Oilers in the 1st round of the 1988 NFL Draft. He attended Dillard High School in Ft. Lauderdale in Florida. A 5 ft 11 in running back from Michigan State University, White played in 8...
's 1-yard rushing touchdown. After Johnson's interception and Zendejas' subsequent game-clinching 49-yard field goal, Slaughter caught a 2-yard touchdown reception to close out the scoring.