PRO FOOTBALL : Browns Bounce the Chiefs : AFC: Byner helps knock an old friend, Schottenheimer, from unbeaten ranks.

The man who gave Earnest Byner his big shot in the NFL paid for it Sunday.

“Feels good to see him again. Feels better to beat him,” Byner said, speaking of his old coach, Marty Schottenheimer.

Byner ran for one touchdown and caught a pass for another as the Cleveland Browns handed Schottenheimer’s Kansas City Chiefs their first loss, 35-17.

The 33-year-old Byner doesn’t get nearly as many opportunities as he used to back in the 1980s, when Schottenheimer was in Cleveland.

But Byner made the most of his time Sunday, spinning seven yards up the middle for a touchdown on Cleveland’s second drive and catching a three-yard pass from Vinny Testaverde for the clinching score with 10 minutes to play.

“It is somewhat mystical that it would happen as such,” Byner said. “Marty had a lot of belief in me. He stuck with me through a lot of tough times.”

Testaverde also threw a four-yard scoring pass to Andre Rison in the third quarter--Rison’s first touchdown catch in four games with the Browns, who made him the highest-paid receiver in the NFL by signing him to a five-year, $17-million contract.

The Browns (3-1) added two quick touchdowns on defense only 19 seconds apart late in the fourth quarter. Gerald Dixon stepped in front of Steve Bono’s pass and returned it 18 yards for a score with 4:45 left, and Mike Caldwell duplicated that with a 24-yard interception return before the Cleveland Stadium crowd had time to catch its breath.

Kansas City (3-1) was trying to go 4-0 for the first time in franchise history.

“Earnest has a heart like a blowtorch,” Schottenheimer said. “He’s not the most talented guy from the standpoint of speed and all those things, but the good thing for whoever he’s playing for is that he doesn’t know that--or he won’t accept it.”

It was Schottenheimer who first gave Byner a chance to make it in the NFL after Cleveland drafted him in the 10th round in 1984. The next year--Schottenheimer’s first full season as the Browns’ head coach--Byner rushed for 1,002 yards, the first of his three career 1,000-yard seasons.

Byner, though, was also the culprit in one of the biggest disappointments of Schottenheimer’s career. His fumble at the goal line stopped Cleveland’s last-gasp drive for a tying touchdown in a loss to Denver in the AFC championship game after the 1987 season.

“That’s one thing that caused me a lot of heartache for a number of years,” Byner said. “If we can teach people to concentrate on the positive, we’ll be better off.”

Byner, who had been used mostly in third-down situations since returning to the Browns from Washington last year, was much more versatile than that Sunday, catching seven passes for 59 yards and rushing nine times for 38 yards.

The Chiefs were stung by the loss of Marcus Allen on their first offensive play of the game when he was cut over the left eye.

Lin Elliott kicked a 25-yard field goal late in the second quarter, pulling Kansas City to 7-3 at the half, and Bono threw a 38-yard touchdown pass to Keith Cash that closed it to 21-10 midway through the fourth quarter. Bono added a three-yard touchdown pass to Webster Slaughter with 14 seconds to play.