1967 game - Browns at Giants

[Saban1]

I watched that game in 1967. In it, both Leroy Kelly and Ernie Green were injured on different plays, and they both looked like they may have been knocked out. I wondered for years what happened to them, but did not find out until much later (BD mentioned it). It seems that former Browns middle linebacker Vince Costello knocked both Kelly and Green out of the game with clothesline hits.

Costello had been traded from the Browns to the Giants about 6 days before the start of the regular season, and I guess that the parting between Art Modell and Vince was not friendly. Later, Costello said that Cleveland started off the game by running straight at him over and over and he found that annoying. Maybe Modell had it in for Vince and decided to punish him some and had it put into the Browns game plan, or maybe it was because Vince was 35 years old and was thought to maybe not be up to the task of tackling Kelly and Green a few times early on.

Here is another thing. Up to that game, Cleveland had beaten the Giants in 6 straight games. The Browns would kill New York with sweeps and screen passes. Going into that game, the Giants expected Cleveland to run sweeps and screens and were not sure that they could stop them. New York's defense was not very good at that time. What better way to stop the Browns offense than to knock both Leroy Kelly and Ernie Green out of the game.

The Giants did win the game, 38 to 34, as Green did return to the game, but Kelly didn't. Of course, Cleveland had 4 turnovers in that game and also had a punt blocked which resulted in an easy 6 points for the Giants, so maybe New York would have won anyway, even if Kelly and Green did not get knocked out of the game.

[RRMarshall]

Interesting note to the game is the injury didn't seem to deter Leroy Kelly at all. He was back in the line up the next week against the Steelers and went on to lead the league in rushing in 1967 with 1205 yards. It that had happened today with the NFL's concussion protocols Kelley probably wouldn't have played the week after that hit.

[Saban1]

Good point. Of course, we don't know the extent of Kelly's injury. We just know that he did not return to the game. Maybe he was not hurt that badly, but Cleveland just did not want to risk further injury to their star running back, or maybe Leroy did suffer a concussion. All I remember is that Leroy Kelly and Ernie Green were both lying down on the field after different plays. I remember wondering what was going on there.

The Browns could have used Leroy on their last drive. On their last series starting on the Giants 29 yard line, quarterback Frank Ryan tried to throw a long pass on 4 straight plays. Ryan was sacked twice, including the final play by Jim Katcavage, and the other two plays resulted in incomplete passes. After one of the plays, Cleveland sent in a play from the sidelines, probably a sweep or a screen pass to Green or rookie Larry Conjar, but Frank waved it off and opted to try another long pass

Final score was Giants 38, Browns 34.

[Brian wolf]

Didnt Kelly take a vicious hit from Harold Wells of the Eagles that season on a screen pass ?

[Saban1]

Didnt Kelly take a vicious hit from Harold Wells of the Eagles that season on a screen pass ?

It could be, but I don't remember. I remember an Eagles player tackled Kelly in the end zone after it was obvious that Leroy had already scored.

That was a throwaway game for Cleveland in their final regular season game as the Browns had clinched the Century Division title and were set to play Dallas the following week. Cleveland played all of their reserves that day against the Eagles, and some of their starters sat the game out, like Frank Ryan, Ernie Green, and Monte Clark. Philadelphia won the game.

I thought it was a good idea to rest some of their key players that day and that it could help them the next week in their playoff game against Dallas. It didn't. Cleveland lost that game, 52 to 14 as Dallas went on to play Green Bay in the famous "Ice Bowl" game.

[Brian wolf]

The next season after a loss to the Cowboys, HC Collier decided to replace Frank Ryan with newly acquired Bill Nelson. Maybe he felt Ryan was too immobile or couldnt handle the Cowboys rush and decided to see what Nelson could do with the offense, though Nelson had bad knees himself. While Ryan liked to gamble more and targeted Gary Collins, Nelson liked throwing to Paul Warfield, as the two became a deadly combo, especially on slant passes over the middle. The Browns could probably throw deep better with Ryan but Nelson also used his backs along with Morin his TE, who emerged in their offense as well ... Could Ryan had kept winning with the team in 68 and 69 like Nelson ?
I believe so, but Nelson got revenge on the Cowboys for the 67 postseason defeat, beating them in the 68 postseason and twice more during the 69 season ...

[Saban1]

I believe that Cleveland had lost confidence in quarterback Frank Ryan, and did not protect him as well as they did Nelson in 1968. In 1967, Browns quarterbacks, mostly Ryan, were sacked 44 times, which was probably a team record at the time. Ryan was battered with injuries in 1967 with shoulder, arm, and leg injuries, and Cleveland no longer had Jim Ninowski backing him up. Frank had a terrible game against Green Bay when the Browns were humiliated 55 to 7, among having an otherwise below average year.

Ryan could not scramble like usual that year, and that hurt Cleveland's offense as well. So, in 1968, after losing 2 of their first 3 games, Coach Collier decided to go with Nelson at quarterback. The Browns protected Nelson like it was their own children playing quarterback for Cleveland. If you look at the stats, you can see the difference in sacks after Nelson took over at quarterback.

[Brian wolf]

Good call Saban ...

Nelson may have had the quicker release. Too bad the team couldnt play better in the 68-69 NFL Championship games.

[Saban1]

The Browns were always up for the Cowboys during the late 60's. Trouble is, they always seemed to suffer a letdown in their next game. I believe that is what happened to Cleveland in the 1968 and 1969 NFL Championships. Too bad that they had to play Dallas in the first round. Maybe they would have gone farther otherwise.

Other games after their Dallas games during the late 60's:

In 1967, they laid an egg after losing to Dallas, 21 to 14 in the opener, losing 31 to 14 to a losing Detroit team in their 2nd game despite leading 14 to 3 at one point.

Losing 30 to 6 in the so-called Playoff Bowl to the Rams in 1967 after being blown out by the Cowboys, 52 to 14 in the first round of the regular playoffs. That game, also known as the runner up bowl, was really just a glorified exhibition game. Frank Ryan only played in the first half and some other starters played sparingly as Cleveland decided to look at some of their reserves. So maybe we shouldn't count that one.

Losing 24 to 6 to the Rams in 1968 after losing to Dallas in their second game, 28 to 7. That turned out to be Frank Ryan's last time as a starter.

Losing 51 to 3 to Minnesota in 1969 after beating Dallas 42 to 10.

The 1968 and 1969 NFL Championship Games.

[SixtiesFan]

The Browns were always up for the Cowboys during the late 60's. Trouble is, they always seemed to suffer a letdown in their next game. I believe that is what happened to Cleveland in the 1968 and 1969 NFL Championships. Too bad that they had to play Dallas in the first round. Maybe they would have gone farther otherwise.

Other games after their Dallas games during the late 60's:

In 1967, they laid an egg after losing to Dallas, 21 to 14 in the opener, losing 31 to 14 to a losing Detroit team in their 2nd game despite leading 14 to 3 at one point.

Losing 30 to 6 in the so-called Playoff Bowl to the Rams in 1967 after being blown out by the Cowboys, 52 to 14 in the first round of the regular playoffs. That game, also known as the runner up bowl, was really just a glorified exhibition game. Frank Ryan only played in the first half and some other starters played sparingly as Cleveland decided to look at some of their reserves. So maybe we shouldn't count that one.

Losing 24 to 6 to the Rams in 1968 after losing to Dallas in their second game, 28 to 7. That turned out to be Frank Ryan's last time as a starter.

Losing 51 to 3 to Minnesota in 1969 after beating Dallas 42 to 10.

The 1968 and 1969 NFL Championship Games.

The Browns in the 60s under Blanton Collier had at last one, sometimes more than one game every year they would lose in a blowout.