| 2001 Cleveland Browns season | |
|---|---|
| Owner | Al Lerner |
| General manager | Dwight Clark |
| Head coach | Butch Davis |
| Offensive coordinator | Bruce Arians |
| Defensive coordinator | Foge Fazio |
| Home field | Cleveland Browns Stadium |
| Local radio | WTAM · WMJI |
| Results | |
| Record | 7–9 |
| Division place | T–3rd AFC Central |
| Playoff finish | Did not qualify |
| Pro Bowlers | LB Jamir Miller |
The 2001 season was the Cleveland Browns' 53rd as a professional sports franchise, their 49th as a member of the National Football League, and the first season under head coach Butch Davis. The team improved on their 3-13 record from the previous season, but for the seventh straight year did not qualify for the postseason.
| Round | Selection | Player | Position | College |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 3 | Gerard Warren | Defensive tackle | Florida |
| 2 | 33 | Quincy Morgan | Wide receiver | Kansas State |
| 3 | 65 | James Jackson | Running back | Miami |
| 4 | 97 | Anthony Henry | Defensive back | South Florida |
| 5 | 134 | Jeremiah Pharms | Linebacker | Washington |
| 6 | 165 | Michael Jameson | Defensive back | Texas A&M |
| 7 | 203 | Paul Zukauskas | Offensive lineman | Boston College |
| 7 | 245 | Andre King | Wide receiver | Miami |
Front office
Head coaches
Offensive coaches
| Defensive coaches
Special teams coaches
Strength and conditioning
|
The most notable game from the 2001 Cleveland Browns season came on a December 16 game against the Jacksonville Jaguars in what became known as "Bottlegate". The Browns were driving toward the east end zone for what would have been the winning score. A controversial call on fourth down gave the Jaguars the ball. Browns' receiver Quincy Morgan had caught a pass for a first down on 4th and 2. After Tim Couch spiked the ball on the next play, referee Terry McAulay reviewed Morgan's catch, claiming that the replay officials had buzzed him before Couch spiked the ball. (NFL Rules state that once the next play is started, the officials cannot under any circumstances review any previous plays.) Upon reviewing the play, McAulay determined that Morgan never had control of the ball, thus the pass was incomplete, and the Jaguars were awarded the ball. Fans in the Dawg Pound began throwing plastic beer bottles and other objects on the field. [2] McAulay declared the game over and sent the teams to the locker rooms. NFL Commissioner Paul Tagliabue then called to override the referee's decision, sending the players back onto the field, where the Jaguars ran out the last seconds under a hail of debris. [3]
After the game, McAulay clarified that they first reviewed whether or not the electronic pager had buzzed before Couch had spiked the ball. In a discussion with the Replay Official, Bill Reynolds, it was determined that Reynolds buzzed down before the spike. After the game was called, Tagliabue called NFL Supervisor Dick McKenzie and informed him that the game had to be finished to completion. Neither McAulay nor Reynolds suggested to Tagliabue that the game should be called, which was within the power of the Commissioner's Office. Davis would later comment that he was told that the buzzer went off at the same time as the snap. Couch had initially believed that the officials were going to penalize the Browns for intentional grounding for Couch faking a spike before spiking it, but was then told that the spike was legal. The referees then began discussing the play prior to the spike. President and Chief Executive Officer Carmen Policy refused to criticize the actions of the fans and the decisions of the officiating crew. [4]
| Week | Date | Opponent | Result | Record | Venue | Attendance | Recap |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | September 9 | Seattle Seahawks | L 6–9 | 0–1 | Cleveland Browns Stadium | 72,318 | Recap |
| 2 [upper-alpha 1] | September 23 | Detroit Lions | W 24–14 | 1–1 | Cleveland Browns Stadium | 73,168 | Recap |
| 3 | September 30 | at Jacksonville Jaguars | W 23–14 | 2–1 | Alltel Stadium | 57,875 | Recap |
| 4 | October 7 | San Diego Chargers | W 20–16 | 3–1 | Cleveland Browns Stadium | 73,018 | Recap |
| 5 | October 14 | at Cincinnati Bengals | L 14–24 | 3–2 | Paul Brown Stadium | 64,217 | Recap |
| 6 | October 21 | Baltimore Ravens | W 24–14 | 4–2 | Cleveland Browns Stadium | 72,818 | Recap |
| 7 | Bye | ||||||
| 8 | November 4 | at Chicago Bears | L 21–27 (OT) | 4–3 | Soldier Field | 66,944 | Recap |
| 9 | November 11 | Pittsburgh Steelers | L 12–15 (OT) | 4–4 | Cleveland Browns Stadium | 73,218 | Recap |
| 10 | November 18 | at Baltimore Ravens | W 27–17 | 5–4 | PSINet Stadium | 69,353 | Recap |
| 11 | November 25 | Cincinnati Bengals | W 18–0 | 6–4 | Cleveland Browns Stadium | 72,918 | Recap |
| 12 | December 2 | Tennessee Titans | L 15–31 | 6–5 | Cleveland Browns Stadium | 72,818 | Recap |
| 13 | December 9 | at New England Patriots | L 16–27 | 6–6 | Foxboro Stadium | 60,292 | Recap |
| 14 | December 16 | Jacksonville Jaguars | L 10–15 | 6–7 | Cleveland Browns Stadium | 72,818 | Recap |
| 15 | December 23 | at Green Bay Packers | L 7–30 | 6–8 | Lambeau Field | 59,824 | Recap |
| 16 | December 30 | at Tennessee Titans | W 41–38 | 7–8 | Adelphia Coliseum | 68,798 | Recap |
| 17 [upper-alpha 1] | January 6 | at Pittsburgh Steelers | L 7–28 | 7–9 | Heinz Field | 59,189 | Recap |
Note: Intra-division opponents are in bold text.
| AFC Central | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| W | L | T | PCT | PF | PA | STK | |||
| (1) Pittsburgh Steelers | 13 | 3 | 0 | .813 | 352 | 212 | W1 | ||
| (5) Baltimore Ravens | 10 | 6 | 0 | .625 | 303 | 265 | W1 | ||
| Cleveland Browns | 7 | 9 | 0 | .438 | 285 | 319 | L1 | ||
| Tennessee Titans | 7 | 9 | 0 | .438 | 336 | 388 | L2 | ||
| Jacksonville Jaguars | 6 | 10 | 0 | .375 | 294 | 286 | L2 | ||
| Cincinnati Bengals | 6 | 10 | 0 | .375 | 226 | 309 | W2 | ||
2001 was the first of two seasons since the Browns were reactivated in 1999 in which the same quarterback (Tim Couch) started all 16 games. The second was (Baker Mayfield) in 2019.
Rookie Cornerback Anthony Henry had 10 interceptions including one ran back 97 yards for a touchdown.
Timothy Scott Couch is an American former football quarterback who played in the National Football League (NFL) for five seasons with the Cleveland Browns. He played college football for the Kentucky Wildcats, where he set the Southeastern Conference record for single-season passing yards and won the Quarterback of the Year as a junior. Selected first overall by the Browns in the 1999 NFL Draft, Couch was the franchise's first draft pick following their reactivation as an expansion team.
The Dawg Pound is the name of the bleacher section behind the east end zone in Cleveland Browns Stadium, the home field of the Cleveland Browns, a National Football League (NFL) franchise based in Cleveland, Ohio.
Quincy Demond Earl Morgan is an American former professional football player who was a wide receiver in the National Football League (NFL) for the Cleveland Browns, Dallas Cowboys, Pittsburgh Steelers, and Denver Broncos. He played college football for the Kansas State Wildcats, earning first-team All-American honors in 2000. With the Steelers, he won Super Bowl XL over the Seattle Seahawks.
Terry McAulay is a former American football official who worked in the National Football League (NFL) for the 1998 through 2017 seasons. He was the referee for seven conference championship games and three Super Bowls. He was the Coordinator of Football Officials for college football's Big East and subsequently the American Athletic Conference from 2008 to 2017.
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The 2000 Pittsburgh Steelers season was the franchise's 68th season as a professional sports franchise and as a member of the National Football League.
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The 2009 Jacksonville Jaguars season was the franchise's 15th season in the National Football League (NFL) and the 7th under head coach Jack Del Rio. This was the first season for new general manager Gene Smith, who hoped to usher in a "rebuilding" era for the Jaguars franchise. The Jaguars improved upon their 5–11 record in 2008, however, they failed to qualify to play in the playoffs.
In gridiron football, replay review is a method of reviewing a play using cameras at various angles to determine the accuracy of the initial call of the officials. An instant replay can take place in the event of a close or otherwise controversial call, either at the request of a team's head coach or the officials themselves.
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The 2011 Jacksonville Jaguars season was the 17th season in the National Football League (NFL) for the Jacksonville Jaguars. It began as the 9th under head coach Jack Del Rio, until he was fired on November 29 and replaced on an interim basis by defensive coordinator Mel Tucker. Del Rio finished his tenure in Jacksonville with a 69-73 record in the regular season and 1-2 in the playoffs. He was also just 4 wins shy of surpassing his predecessor, Tom Coughlin as the winningest head coach in Jaguars history. The Jaguars had hoped to improve on their 8–8 record from 2010, but exceeded their loss total in Week 13, and were officially eliminated from postseason contention. With the 10th pick in the 2011 NFL Draft, they selected quarterback Blaine Gabbert from the University of Missouri, and Gabbert would replace Luke McCown as the starting quarterback in Week 3.
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Bottlegate, also referred to as The Beer Bottle Game, was an officiating controversy that resulted in a fan riot during an American football game in the 2001 season of the National Football League (NFL) between the visiting Jacksonville Jaguars and the Cleveland Browns.
