The last original Browns teams that made meaningful postseason impact and were taken seriously by many after Thanksgiving.
I know one team got farther than the other, but I always felt the '94 team was a lot lot better and the AFC was better in 1994 than 1989 ('89 Bills/Oilers/Steelers not exactly the '94 Steelers/Chargers/Dolphins).
Hell, the '89 Browns are STILL the only team since the AFL merger to get a first-round bye with less than 10 wins.
'94 Browns did have the #1 scoring defense (led by of all people Nick Saban). '89 Browns had some players regress from past years, yet still had enough to win the games they won and get where they got to in the postseason, squeezing out one last run for that era.
'89 team had more decent wins (HOU twice, Denver, Vikings, Bears on a MNF when they still had a winning record). '94 team had only 1 standout win, but it was a doozy- Dallas at Dallas on one of those classic December nat. televised Saturday games.
Which of these teams did you like more?
1989 Browns vs. 1994 Browns
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BD Sullivan
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Re: 1989 Browns vs. 1994 Browns
The 1989 team was on a constant rollercoaster:
*Started the season 3-1, absolutely destroying the Steelers in the opener AT THREE RIVERS, 51-0.
*Lost their next two, including a flat 17-7 defeat at home to the Steelers, before then running off four straight wins.
*Tied the 4-6 Chiefs in Schottenheimer's return to Cleveland before then losing three straight.
*Beating Minnesota in OT and scoring in the final minute to beat Houston to win the division
*Holding off Buffalo in the first playoff game, receiving a huge gift when Ronnie Harmon dropped a TD pass in the last 15 seconds.
*Trailed Denver 24-7 in the AFC title game before scoring two TD's to close out the third quarter. That faded as Denver outscored them 13-0 the rest of the way.
The 1994 team got off to a strong 6-1 start, but like all of Belichick's Cleveland teams, stumbled in the second half. They lost three times to the Steelers (the last in a 29-9 playoff game). Their most costly loss was in Week 14, when they lost at home to the 5-7 Giants. Ironically, they won in Dallas six days later, though they had to stop the Cowboys near the goal line in the closing seconds.
*Started the season 3-1, absolutely destroying the Steelers in the opener AT THREE RIVERS, 51-0.
*Lost their next two, including a flat 17-7 defeat at home to the Steelers, before then running off four straight wins.
*Tied the 4-6 Chiefs in Schottenheimer's return to Cleveland before then losing three straight.
*Beating Minnesota in OT and scoring in the final minute to beat Houston to win the division
*Holding off Buffalo in the first playoff game, receiving a huge gift when Ronnie Harmon dropped a TD pass in the last 15 seconds.
*Trailed Denver 24-7 in the AFC title game before scoring two TD's to close out the third quarter. That faded as Denver outscored them 13-0 the rest of the way.
The 1994 team got off to a strong 6-1 start, but like all of Belichick's Cleveland teams, stumbled in the second half. They lost three times to the Steelers (the last in a 29-9 playoff game). Their most costly loss was in Week 14, when they lost at home to the 5-7 Giants. Ironically, they won in Dallas six days later, though they had to stop the Cowboys near the goal line in the closing seconds.
Re: 1989 Browns vs. 1994 Browns
I would take the 1994 team. The 1989 team should have ended up 7-9 or 6-10.
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74_75_78_79_
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Re: 1989 Browns vs. 1994 Browns
Definitely 1994. In addition to that famous at-Dallas win, they also beat Parcells' playoff-bound Pats (who they'd beat again in the playoffs). Loss to Reeves' Giants nothing to be too ashamed of for G-men were in midst of season-ending 6-game win-streak to finish 9-7.
As for Bud Carson's '89 installment, Bears were already bad by the time they met them that MNF match and you can't really count the 51-0 opener for the 'Burgh weren't 'thawed-out' yet. Yes they beat Denver & Vikes at home and swept 9-7 Houston, but they did get swept by Cincy, and lost to borderline-playoff squads, Miami & Indy. Given the state of the AFC that year added to it, really not much a case vs '94. Carson's bunch very much should have lost to Bills. Steelers almost making the SB that year can't be understated for IMO if they do avert that barely-loss at Mile High, Steeler Country would have sadly witnessed a Noll defeat in a Super Bowl three weeks later - and a big defeat at that. Just don't see a now-Marty-less Browns winning that hypo-AFCC, even at home. Steelers were simply hot by the time that '89 post-season began.
As for Bud Carson's '89 installment, Bears were already bad by the time they met them that MNF match and you can't really count the 51-0 opener for the 'Burgh weren't 'thawed-out' yet. Yes they beat Denver & Vikes at home and swept 9-7 Houston, but they did get swept by Cincy, and lost to borderline-playoff squads, Miami & Indy. Given the state of the AFC that year added to it, really not much a case vs '94. Carson's bunch very much should have lost to Bills. Steelers almost making the SB that year can't be understated for IMO if they do avert that barely-loss at Mile High, Steeler Country would have sadly witnessed a Noll defeat in a Super Bowl three weeks later - and a big defeat at that. Just don't see a now-Marty-less Browns winning that hypo-AFCC, even at home. Steelers were simply hot by the time that '89 post-season began.
Last edited by 74_75_78_79_ on Wed Jul 20, 2016 1:19 pm, edited 1 time in total.
Re: 1989 Browns vs. 1994 Browns
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sbhtOX8UT0ICSKreager wrote: '94 team had only 1 standout win, but it was a doozy- Dallas at Dallas on one of those classic December nat. televised Saturday games.