The Cleveland Browns have been among the worst NFL teams since their return to the league in 1999. But despite their constant struggles, some players have one or two-game stretches of dominance, before disappearing forever.
There’s an old saying that says that “even a blind squirrel finds a nut sometimes,” ans this could not be more true for the Cleveland Browns. While their decades-long stretch of ineptitude has left them the laughing stock of the league, there are rare instances where that seems to change.
In music, they call them the “one hit wonders.” Those artists who show up to the party, make a huge impact, light the world on fire, and then are never heard from again. In the movie industry, a director can come out of nowhere, make a hugely successful indie film, and then disappear from the limelight.
Sports have these too, although they are normally more memorable. In college football, Appalachian State defeated No. 5 ranked Michigan in 2007. This past March, eleven-seed Loyola-Chicago had a miraculous run to the Final Four.
History always remembers the victors, but because of the nature of sports, these guys are different. Whether they break records, light up the room, or make the SportsCenter Top 10 one week, and disappear the next, sports figures always have the best one hit wonders.
NFL football is no stranger to this phenomenon, with at least a cfew one hit wonders bound to happen each and every year. Sometimes they last one game, sometimes a few, sometimes one entire season. But no matter what, they always fizzle out and fade away.
The Cleveland Browns are no strangers to players experiencing their fifteen minutes of fame. With that in mind, this is our list of the top five one hit wonders in Browns history.
5. David Bowens, October 24, 2010
David Bowens is perhaps the most obscure on this list, for one reason or another. Whether it was because he played defense, or he was truly a one game wonder, Bowens has been mostly lost to the annals of Browns football history.
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A fifth-round pick for the Denver Broncos in 1999, Bowens came into the NFL with rather low expectations. While in the league, he would bounce around between six teams (two practice squads) before eventually landing with the Browns in 2009.
Although his career was forgettable at best, Bowens did get his one shining moment. On October 24, 2010, something just…clicked. At least for one game, that is.
Picking off New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees two times, Bowens returned both of his interceptions for touchdowns. Given that Bowens was a linebacker, and not a member of the secondary, this performance is all the more impressive.
At that time, 50 years had passed since a Cleveland Brown returned two interceptions for touchdowns. In 1960, Bob Franklin accomplished the same feat against the Chicago Bears.
After this game, Bowens would fade back into obscurity. In fact, he would only play eight more games in his NFL career. He would average 4.6 tackles in those final eight games, but would not collect a single interception, and only 0.5 sacks.
All in all, Bowens only had four interceptions throughout his entire 12-year career in the NFL. The Western Illinois product stayed relatively quiet throughout his time with the Browns (and five other teams) but he should be remembered as the driving force behind Cleveland’s 2010 win against New Orleans.
4. Derek Anderson’s 2007 season
Derek Anderson is something of an anomaly for a Browns quarterback. The 6-foot-6 gunslinger, drafted in 2006, actually saw marginal success during his time in the orange and brown. Throughout 2007, Anderson showcased that maybe, just maybe, he could be Cleveland’s franchise quarterback.
2007 was an odd year for the AFC, and in the best of ways. For one, the Patriots went 0-16 but would go on to lose the Super Bowl to the New York Giants. Ironically enough, the Giants were armed with their own one hit wonder in wide receiver David Tyree.
The AFC was unusually stacked throughout 2007. This was marked by the Cleveland Browns going 10-6, just their second winning season since coming back to the NFL in 1999. Perhaps more incredible is that the Browns, although they did go 10-6, didn’t make the playoffs.
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To quote SB Nation writer, video creator, and one of the best follows on Twitter, Jon Bois, in his video “The Browns live in Hell“:
"“The Browns won three of their last four to post their only ten-win season in franchise history, and yet they still missed the playoffs. Historically, more than 80% of ten-win teams make the playoffs. Not even luck is on [The Browns’] side.”"
The moral of the story here, though, is that the Browns posted a ten-win season. Not only that, but they did it on the back of a young quarterback that virtually no one had heard of: Derek Anderson.
Anderson’s eye-opening 2007 season included nearly 4,000 yards passing and 29 touchdowns in 15 starts. After that though, the eyes that he opened were promptly shut; Anderson only started 16 games after his miraculous 2007 season, posting a 10-20 TD-INT ratio.
Still, Anderson is remembered by many fans as the man who helped give the “New Browns” franchise their best season ever. They may not have made the playoffs, but a double-digit win season has to account for something.
3. Josh McCown, October 11, 2015
By some statistical measures, Josh McCown is one of the best Browns quarterbacks since 1999. On rare occasions, McCown turned back the clock in Cleveland, going backs to a greatness that he really never had. One of these performances was on October 11, 2015, against the Baltimore Ravens.
In a 33-30 overtime win, McCown helped the Browns to get over the Ravens hump that they have struggled with since coming back to the NFL. Since 1999, the Browns have a .237 winning percentage against the Ravens.
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For those keeping track, that is the worst head-to-head record for any one team against any other. Out of all head to head records, Browns-Ravens is the most lopsided. But, Josh McCown did everything he could to change that record for the better.
There must be something about mid-October that causes NFL veterans in Cleveland to have a miniature career renaissance. McCown would join fellow veteran David Bowens in 2015 to add to the list to back up this inherently asinine stat.
Against Baltimore, McCown would pass for 457 yards, setting the franchise record and earning the title of AFC Player of the Week. Going 36-51 passing, McCown became the only quarterback in Browns history to pass for over 300 yards in the consecutive games.
The Browns posted only a three-win season in 2015, beating the Ravens, along with the Tennessee Titans and San Francisco 49ers. Josh McCown remains a huge bright spot on what would become the Browns’ initial descent into their darkest days.
2. Brian Hoyer’s first half of 2014
For a time in 2014, it looked as though the Cleveland Browns would make the playoffs. Not having done so since 2002, the Dawg Pound waited anxiously for each Sunday in 2014. After 11 games the Browns sat alone atop the AFC North, with a record of 7-4.
Everything looked to be going smoothly for the franchise after a last-second win over the Atlanta Falcons. Josh Gordon had just come back from suspension, the future was looking up, and the Browns had immediate success on the back of hometown hero, Brian Hoyer.
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Hoyer, who some fans had anointed Hoyer the Destroyer at that time, was looking like a possible franchise option during this period. Although a career backup, Hoyer was having the year of his life in Cleveland, and if nothing else, he could be a good mentor to rookie Johnny Manziel.
The next game, Cleveland was staring down the barrel of the playoffs. They would travel to Buffalo to take on the Bills on November 30th, at which point the cries to play Manziel would become too loud for the coaching staff to bear.
After Hoyer’s second interception of the game, head coach Mike Pettine pulled him, in favor of the young Manziel. Although Manziel would make some progress on getting the Browns out of their hole against the Bills, it would be too little too late.
Then, everything just went downhill for Cleveland. They lost out of the season, finishing 7-9 and missing the playoffs yet again. Manziel would be reprimanded for drug and alcohol abuse issues, and Hoyer would never again return to himself from the first half of that season.
Brian Hoyer, the hometown hero, could not sustain success in Cleveland. Whether due to pressure from Manziel, or Hoyer simply losing his touch, he could not lead his city to the promised land, even when everything was looking up.
1. Jerome Harrison, December 20, 2009
At No. 145 overall in the 2006 NFL Draft, the Cleveland Browns would select Washington State running back, Jerome Harrison. For 60 minutes in December of 2009, that pick would finally pay off for Cleveland’s front office.
The ultimate one hit wonder, Harrison made his presence known and had his fifteen minutes of fame, before fading into obscurity almost immediately. Against the Kansas City Chiefs, Harrison accomplished a feat that many big-time running backs could only ever dream of: breaking a Jim Brown record.
On his 34 carries that day, Harrison collected a staggering 286 yards. This mark put him third on the all-time single game rushing list, and first on the Browns’ list. Harrison broke Jim Brown’s record of 237 yards by a wide margin.
Many factors contributed to this, including Kansas City’s injured defensive line, Harrison coming in as a wild card, and just dumb luck. Harrison had himself a game for the ages, and was essentially never heard from again.
While the Browns did attempt to get Harrison going the next week against Oakland, it was never the same again. Harrison had lost that spark that he had against the Chiefs, and he would truly never get it back.
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Maybe the NFL’s greatest one hit wonder, Harrison’s career was ended by a brain tumor in 2011. But, Browns fans will always remember him as the greatest one game running back of all time, for that fateful day against the Kansas City Chiefs.