NFL Week 13: September 8, 2002

Year 4 of the re-birth started with plenty of promise. After the first two seasons of 2-14 and 3-13, we were competitive in Year Three, with a young coach plucked from the college ranks (Butch Davis) and some young talent on both sides of the ball.

We went 7-9 in 2001, with one of those losses highlighted here before (the Chicago) and another heartbreaking, undeserved, stolen loss to be detailed later. So there was reason to believe that this team was truly an 8-8, 9-7 team that would only get better in 2002.

Our opener was a home game against the Kansas City Chiefs. Many recall that the early 2000s Browns were filled with QB controversies, with Tim Couch and Kelly Holcomb battling it out for years for the starting spot. For the start of 2002, Timmy got injured and Kelly was our started for week 1. The Chiefs' QB was Trent Green, himself a victim of a QB controversy over in St Louis as Kurt Warner replace him.

Anyway, this was a shoot out for the ages. We had no running game, so all we did was pass; Kelly had over 350 yards and 3 TDs. Priest Holmes had 4 TDs, I believe. Down 37-36, we kicked a FG with :20 sec to take the lead, 39-37. Now, if we can only hold on for the last 20 seconds....

The Chiefs got the ball to about their own 40 with :02 on the clock. Time for one last play for them. Green went back, hoping to have enough time for a Hail Mary - but the Browns rush came on too quick. Green was grabbed,spun around, and looked like he was sacked.....the clock hit :00.... Dwayne Rudd was the primary player that grabbed him.

However, Green was not down. He managed to lateral the ball to one of his offensive linemen, who had plenty of running room. Jon Tait was the lineman - and he got the bal around the KC 40 - he ran (slowly) to his left - to the 50...to the 40. There are no Browns in the picture......

I was screaming and panicking at that moment. Where the hell is everyone????? Where's the defense?
Finally - some help came around the 30 yard line, and Tait was pushed out at the 25. Ball game. We win the opener!

Or do we ? All Browns fans know that the game is never over when the clock hits :00; it's not even over when the clock is at :00 and the refs are in the locker room.....

A flag is seen on the field - and by now, many of you know what had happened. Rudd, thinking that Green had been sacked and down, started celebrating and took off his helmet. He didn't realize the play was still going on - and Tait was running down the field......Taking your helmet of during the play is an automatic penalty - 15 yards.

Here is Chris Berman giving highlights for that play.....

The game can not end on a defensive penalty * - so the 15 yards was tacked on to the end of Tait's run; the Chiefs ran an untimed down from our 12, where of course they lined up for a field goal - and Morten Andersen made it. Final (for good this time), Chiefs 40-39.

Most NFL teams will never experience an untimed down; for Browns fans, we have lost 3 games to an untimed down over the past 15 years:

2002 - The Helmet Game
2008 - The Brady Quinn game in Detroit, where Quinn threw for 4 touchdowns;
2015- The San Diego game where we jumped offsides on a missed field goal; the Chargers got a second chance and made it on an untimed down.

This doesn't even include the fiasco two weeks ago against the Pittsburgh where the Steelers got TWO untimed downs at the end of the first half; with :02 left and the Steelers at our 1, they threw an incomplete pass but we were called for holding; on the untimed down, we were called for another penalty. The Steelers got the touchdown on the 3rd try. I'm sure that's a record - most untimed downs in one half.

* - We now know that a game can not end on a defensive penalty, but it CAN end on an offensive penalty - thanks to John Harbaugh. I had the Ravens -4, so that safety did not hurt me.

All finished ok in the Browns 2002 season, however; even with that loss, we ended up 9-7 and won a massive tiebreaker for the final playoff spot.

To the games:

Atl 24, KC 16. I believe there's got to be some hangover effect for the Chiefs, and the Falcons can't afford to lose.

Bal 20, Mia 13 Bal's defense is excellent against the run, so that forces Miami to pass - and I dont' trust Tannehill on the road.

Chi 30, SF 20. Barkley actually looked good last week. I have faith in him.

Phi 23, Cin 20. I think the Bengals are ready to quit on the season. Will be interesting to see the line next week when they go visit Cleveland.

GB 31, Hou 20. Maybe last week's Packers' game is a mirage. But boy, are the Texans awful on offense.

Den 20, Jax 10. How exactly are the Jags going to score?

NE 27, LA 20. I really didn't like the way Brady looked lat week vs. the Jets. Of course, he will prove me wrong and come out firing for 500 yards today....

NO 31, Det 23. I still think Detroit is a fraud...

Oak 23, Buf 20. Speakig of frauds, here are two of them. Or maybe they are above-average teams that know how to beat inferior opponents.

Az 23, Was 16. I think there is one last stand in store for Arizona. At home, vs. a road-weary Redskins team....

Pit 27, NYG 23.  I so want to go against the Giants here, but folks - something is off with Pittsburgh. Their defense is shaky and they only have one receiver.

SD 27, TB 20. Why can't the Chargers run the table for the rest of their games?

Sea 27, Car 13. The Seahawks, at home, in a prime time game, coming off an embarassing loss? Yes please.

NYJ 20, Ind 17. Looks like the Colts are regressing this year. I fear for Luck with that line vs. the Jet's rush.

Best bets: 16 of them. Last week: 7-6-1; overall: 71-67-7.
Atl -5.5
KC/Atl under 50
Bal -3.5
Mia/Bal under 41
Chi +2
SF/Chi over 43,5
Phi +1.5
GB -6.5
Den -3.5
LA +13.5
Az -2.5
Was/Az under 48.5
SD -3.5
Sea -7.5
NYJ +1.5
Ind/NYJ under 48.5

My supercontest picks: last week: 2-2-1; overall: 29-29-2
Az -2.5
Atl -4
LA +13.5
Sea -6.5
NYJ +2

Our combined Supercontest picks: last week: 3-1-1; overall: 29-27-4
Phi pk
Oak -3
SD -3.5
Az -2.5
NYJ +2