Cleveland Browns: 4 best backup quarterbacks of all-time
By Randy Gurzi
Best Cleveland Browns backup No. 1: Brian Sipe
This player ended up having such a huge impact for the Browns that it’s easy to forget there was a time that Brian Sipe was a backup. Even Cleveland fans who weren’t old enough to see Sipe play have heard the name, and they also surely know he was the face of the team during their ‘Kardiac Kids’ era.
What people probably don’t know is that the San Diego State product was taken in the 13th round of the 1972 NFL Draft and was the 330th overall pick. He then spent the first two seasons of his career as a backup, never even seeing the field.
He finally got some action in 1974 and started four games. He helped them earn a come-from-behind win which aided in him taking the starting spot but was replaced following a 1-3 record.
However, his replacement in 1975 was Mike Phipps who was part of a disastrous stretch of losses. Sipe was put back in the lineup and while he was just 0-2 as the starter, he began to set himself apart from the other options.
Before long, Sipe was an NFL MVP and had five seasons with a winning record as the starter by the time his career in Cleveland was done.
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In the end, he went from a backup to the league’s best player and took the Browns to the AFC Championship Game. That’s a heck of a resume for a guy brought in to be an understudy.