Cleveland Browns: Ranking the 20 best former players since 1999
By Chad Porto
20) QB Tim Couch
Passing Yards: 11,131 yards
Passing TDs: 64
Interceptions: 67
Completion Percentage: 59.8%
1999 No. 1 Overall Pick
– Some call Tim Couch a bust, but that’s not fair. Before Joe Thomas and Eric Steinbach, the two best offensive linemen the Browns had were Dave Wohlabaugh and Jim Pyne. That’s the two best Couch had to play with for the first two years. Not to mention his best receiver was Kevin Johnson; who at best was the second-best wideout on any other bad team. I think Couch is simply a disappointment, and being the first overall pick in not just the 1999 NFL Draft but also the Brown’s first pick in years doesn’t help. If you look at his run in 2001 and 2002 under Butch Davis he was very productive and even lead the team to several comeback wins. Not to mention Couch lead the team to the only playoff appearance since the team came back in 1999 (as of this post). He and David Carr are often seen as examples of what happens to talented players when they lead the league in getting hit. Poor play by the offensive line caused more injuries and forced Couch to retire.
19) C/G Shaun O’Hara
Started 38 games at guard and center.
– Shaun O’Hara went undrafted by the Browns in 2000 but he quickly became their best lineman of the year. He’d go on to be a three-time pro bowler and a Super Bowl champion with the New York Giants, proving to be another example of the inept management in Cleveland. During his time with The Browns, he showed his versatility by playing left guard and center at times, often filling in for an injured Wohlabaugh. Arguably the team 4th best offensive lineman for the modern-day Browns organization.
18) QB Derek Anderson
Passing Yards: 7,083 yards
Passing TDs: 46
Interceptions: 45
Completion Percentage: 51.9
Pro Bowler (1x) – 2007
– It’s nucking futs to see Anderson this high, right? The former Oregon State Beaver and classmate of 2007 Playmate of the Year Sara Jean Underwood, was a 2005 sixth-round pick and much like Couch, his singe season performance can’t be overlooked. He won ten games in his first season as a starter, went to the Pro Bowl (only Browns QB to do that since 1999), and threw the second-most TDs in a season for the Browns with 29 (Brian Sipe had 30 in 1980). Unfortunately, like Couch, bad management and a bad head coach cost him success in the following seasons.
17) RB Peyton Hillis
Rushing: 1,746 yards
Receiving: 610 yards
Total TDs: 16
Madden 2011 Cover Athlete
– While Hillis will go hand-in-hand with the term “quitter”, his single season was a thing of beauty. Hillis perfected the ‘leap over a tackler’ move that we see so often today and was league’s most exciting player in 2010, riding that excitement to the cover of Madden. The 7th-round draft pick behind former Arkansas teammates Darren McFadden and Felix Jones had arguably the best single season of either of them (both teammates were drafted in the first round). Despite his stunning performance behind a mediocre line and no real help offensively, he tanked his career by holding out for money, allegedly faking injuries, and quitting in games. That left fans thinking about what could have been.
16) WR Kevin Johnson
Receiving: 3,455 yards
Punting: 245 yards
Total TDs: 24 (one passing)
– Kevin Johnson was the 2nd pick in the Browns’ new history, following Couch. He was the first in a run-on 2nd round receiver that management would draft through 2003 (Johnson, Northcutt, Quincy Morgan, and Andra Davis). He was the most reliable pass-catcher for the team and was the first player to top 1,000 yards in a single season since the franchise returned. While he did the best he could, he couldn’t impress former coach Butch Davis when he was shockingly cut mid-season in 2003. He still had something left, as he was claimed by 16 teams before Jacksonville claimed him. Unfortunately, injuries caught up to him and he was out of the NFL two years later.