Author Archives: Dave Algase

Tough trivia #6

Who is the only player to score all of the Browns’ rushing touchdowns in a season? Answer to #5:1980 first-round selections Charles White, Vegas Ferguson, and Curtis Dickey all spent time as Browns, while Billy Sims and Earl Cooper did not.

Tough trivia #5

In which year’s draft did the majority of the running backs chosen in the first round eventually play for the Browns? Answer to #4: Joe Amstutz, whose younger brother, “Toledo Tom,” has been the Rockets’ head coach since 2001.

Tough trivia #4

After the 1957 College All-Star Game, four members of that squad reported directly to their first Browns training camp. Jim Brown, Henry Jordan, and Paul Wiggin were three. Which Toledo native was the other? Answer to #3: San Diego’s Wes Chandler, now the Browns’ receivers coach, helped the Chargers get into overtime in a memorable […]

Tough trivia #3

Which opposing receiver once sustained a chipped tooth and lacerated lip on a hard Browns tackle, but came back to catch two touchdown passes in the game?Answer to #2: Despite those commonalities, the careers of Calvin Hill, the reliable veteran third-down back, and Madre Hill, a late-round pick in 1999, could not have been more […]

Tough trivia #2

Which two former Browns played the same position, have the same last name, and share a birthday? Answer to #1: David Lee signed with the Browns as a rookie free agent in 1965 and spent a year on their taxi squad before heading to Baltimore. In the first of his 13 years with the Colts, […]

Tough trivia #1

Starting a new feature here. Please leave your answer as a comment. The correct answer will appear along with the next question in the series. I’ll try to do this daily.Which All-Pro punter signed his first professional contract with the Browns at the house of Dub Jones but never took the field for Cleveland?

Seize the season

Prior to last season’s breakout, the most improved Browns offense of the decade was in 2002. Though they ranked just 23rd in total yards, that was a far cry better than the dead last ranking of the previous three years. They snuck into the playoffs but bowed out with an epic collapse at Heinz Field. […]

Eight Browns greats who never played

As training camp kicks off, my greatest concern is always injury. Talent, coaching, chemistry and all that do matter, but unfortunately it’s those tough breaks that constitute the single biggest variable affecting a team’s fortunes in any given year. Partially related to this is the following list, which I’ll wager is as illustrious as any […]

Ranking the powerful

Take the latest standings, adjust for recent transactions, and stick your finger in to stir it up with opinion. That’s your basic recipe for power rankings. But how about ranking the powerful? That’s what Michael Silver spoons out in this two-part dish on the NFL owners. Unlike his team, which is generally regarded in the […]

Opening Day roster projection

Each year before training camp, I like to distill the conventional wisdom by projecting the team’s Opening Day roster. Given all the variables, it would be foolhardy to call this a prediction. Rather, the main purpose is to later look back and assess the nature and degree of surprises that each summer yields. It also […]