Nightmarish Start Ends Up a Dream Finish for Browns

Don Strock, with a perfectly straight face, said, “What, me worry?”

After 3 interceptions in the first quarter seemingly doomed his team to the most embarrassing of failures, it looked as if the Cleveland Browns needed James Bond, not a 38-year-old quarterback, to deliver them from peril.

But eventually, Strock miraculously pulled himself together as only an old, wise man can, to lead the Cleveland Browns from despair to a 28-23 victory over the Houston Oilers that allowed the Browns to play host to a wild-card game against these very same Oilers next Saturday.

Strock, playing in place of injured Bernie Kosar, led four touchdown drives, two in the fourth quarter, for the victory. His 22-yard touchdown pass to Webster Slaughter with 6 minutes left finished the comeback.

“I guess I must be a folk hero for middle-age America,” Strock said.

This improbable comeback victory before 74,610 here in frozen, snowy, delirious Cleveland Stadium, put the Browns in the playoffs for the fourth straight season.

This one was so nice, they’ll play it again; right here on Christmas Eve Day.

The Oilers bolted out of town faster than you can say “Pain,” but they’ll be back.

Perhaps the lesson to be learned from this one is never trust a Dome team in the great outdoors.

The Oilers, aided by four Cleveland turnovers, took a 23-7 lead 6 minutes into the third quarter. Warren Moon was throwing, the Oiler defenders were bashing heads, and the Browns were so far down they couldn’t even see the playoffs.

But as the snow flakes got bigger and the wind-chill chillier, the Oilers watched helplessly as their Dome-field wild-card game against the Indianapolis Colts slipped away.

“I guess I’d better pack my long underwear for wherever we go,” Moon said.

On Cleveland’s first three possessions, Strock threw three interceptions. And at the end of the half, Strock ruined a chance for a touchdown or field goal by fumbling inside the Houston 10.

Three Tony Zendejas field goals, Moon’s touchdown pass to Haywood Jeffries and Domingo Bryant’s 36-yard interception return had Houston ahead by 16 early in the third quarter.

But thereafter, Strock was the Man with the Golden Gun.

Somehow, he finished with 25 completions in 42 attempts for 326 yards and 2 touchdowns. This was after a first half which had to qualify as one of the worst in his 16-year career.

“My teammates rallied around me,” he said.

And there was a lot of rallying to do.

Fortunately for Strock, most of the Browns had the attitude of nose tackle Bob Golic. “Not once, not for one moment did I hear anybody say, ‘Oh my God, 3 interceptions, we’re out of here,’ ” Golic said.

Before Sunday, Strock had started 1 game in 5 years. In fact, he’s started only 21 games in his entire 16-year career. He’s been caddy to Dan Marino, Bernie Kosar, Bob Griese, even crewcut Earl Morrall.

But Sunday, he was player, not teacher or pupil.

He and the Browns certainly had luck. A questionable offside penalty helped one scoring drive continue. And a deflected pass that could have been a fourth interception landed in the hands of teammate Herman Fontenot at the 2 just a few plays later.

Still, as receiver Reggie Langhorne said, “Strock was wonderful.”

After Houston’s 11-play, 74-yard drive with 9 minutes left in the third quarter made it 23-7, Strock led Cleveland 63 yards in 8 plays. He completed passes to Slaughter, running back Earnest Byner, Clarence Weathers and tight end Ozzie Newsome. A 2-yard lob to Byner made it 23-14 with 6:06 left in the third quarter.

But Kosar, fullback Kevin Mack and Pro Bowl cornerback Hanford Dixon were all injured and on the sideline.

It didn’t matter. The Browns defense finally held Moon, and Strock struck again. A fourth-and-3 offside called against Houston linebacker Johnny Meads looked on replay as if it might have been illegal motion against Cleveland’s Brian Brennan. Anyway, the drive was alive.

On third and 5, Strock’s pass deflected off Byner’s hands, but Fontenot was there for the catch at the 2.

“I saw the tip and just knew we had made the big play,” Houston Coach Jerry Glanville said. “I’m thinking we have the football, that’s the play we’ve been wanting to make. All of a sudden, Cleveland’s got a first down at the 2.”

Cleveland Coach Marty Schottenheimer said he definitely would have gone for the field goal on fourth down. But with this new life, again, Byner went in from the 2 for the touchdown which got the Browns to within 23-21 with 13 minutes left in the game.

Seconds later, however, the Oilers might have won the game. Curtis Duncan, the young speedster from Northwestern, broke in the clear on the ensuing kickoff. But Cleveland kicker Matt Bahr, who played despite cracked ribs, reached out with one hand and tripped Duncan, preventing the touchdown.

The Oilers were driving, but had a critical third-down pass completion nullified by a penalty for lining up in an illegal formation. Houston had to punt.

Cleveland didn’t. Starting at their own 11, Strock and the Browns worked patiently, taking more than 4 minutes before Strock found Slaughter with the 22-yard scoring pass that made it 28-23.

It was a strange bit of good fortune for the Browns, who lost the AFC Championship game the last 2 years to Denver on late-game dramatics.

Glanville, bubbly and effervescent coming into the game, didn’t have any one-liners after this one.

Asked about Strock, Glanville said his defensive backs slipped several times in man-to-man coverage, then muttered, “(Strock), he’s done it so many times. . . . He evidently got the rhythm, got the feel and threw extremely well the second half.”

Strock, asked the difference between the first half and second, said, “The quarterback was throwing the ball better.”