2000 Cleveland Browns season

The 2000 Cleveland Browns season was the team's 48th season with the National Football League and 52nd overall. It was the second season of the "New Browns", which returned to the NFL in 1999.

2000 Cleveland Browns season
Owner	Al Lerner
General manager	Dwight Clark
Head coach	Chris Palmer
Offensive coordinator	Pete Carmichael
Defensive coordinator	Romeo Crennel
Home stadium	Cleveland Browns Stadium
Results
Record	3–13
Division place	6th AFC Central
Playoffs	Did not qualify
Pro Bowlers	None
← 1999 Browns seasons 2001 →

Kicker Phil Dawson was the Browns’ leading scorer with 59 points.^[1] The Browns total offense ranked 31st (last) in the league, while their total defense ranked 26th in the league.^[2] The 2000 Browns’ 161 points scored (10.06 per game) is the third-fewest ever by a team in a 16-game schedule, tied with the 1998 Eagles and behind the 1992 Seahawks and 1991 Colts.^[3] Additionally, their four games without scoring is the most in the NFL since the 1977 Buccaneers failed to score six times;^[4] by contrast the 2016 and 2017 Browns went a combined 1–31 but never failed to score a point in any game. The 1999 Browns scored 217 points, or 3.50 more per game than in 2000.

Offseason

Additions	Subtractions
QB Doug Pederson (Eagles)	RB Terry Kirby (Raiders)
DT Orpheus Roye (Steelers)	DE John Thierry (Packers)
RB Errict Rhett (Ravens)	T Scott Rehberg (Bengals)
DE Keith McKenzie (Packers)	G Orlando Bobo (Ravens)
G Everett Lindsay (Ravens)	CB Ryan McNeil (Cowboys)
T Roman Oben (Giants)	S Marquez Pope (Raiders)
S Percy Ellsworth (Giants)	T Lomas Brown (Giants)
LB Marty Moore (Patriots)

2000 NFL draft

2000 Cleveland Browns draft
Round	Pick	Player	Position	College	Notes
1	1	Courtney Brown	Defensive end	Penn State
2	32	Dennis Northcutt	Wide receiver	Arizona
3	63	Travis Prentice	Running back	Miami (OH)
3	79	JaJuan Dawson	Wide receiver	Tulane
4	95	Lewis Sanders	Cornerback	Maryland
4	110	Aaron Shea	Tight end/Fullback	Michigan
5	130	Anthony Malbrough	Cornerback	Texas Tech
5	146	Lamar Chapman	Cornerback	Kansas State
6	183	Spergon Wynn	Quarterback	Southwest Texas State
6	206	Brad Bedell	Guard	Colorado
7	207	Manuia Savea	Tackle	Arizona
7	209	Eric Chandler	Defensive end	Jackson State
7	225	Rashidi Barnes	Safety	Colorado
Made roster

Undrafted free agents

2000 undrafted free agents of note

Player	Position	College
Kyle Allamon	Tight end	Texas Tech
Jeff Dyra	Tackle	Northwestern
Dwaune Jones	Wide receiver	Richmond
Jeff Kerr	Linebacker	East Carolina
Noel LaMontagne	Guard	Virginia
Shaun O'Hara	Center	Rutgers
Nate Terry	Defensive back	West Virginia
Kevin Thompson	Quarterback	Penn State

Personnel

Staff

2000 Cleveland Browns staff

Front office Owner and chairman – Alfred Lerner President and chief executive officer – Carmen Policy Executive vice president/director of football operations – Dwight Clark Executive director of player personnel – Joe Collins Director of college personnel – Phil Neri Director of pro personnel – Keith Kidd Head coaches Head coach – Chris Palmer Offensive coaches Offensive coordinator – Pete Carmichael Quarterbacks – John Hufnagel Running backs – Ray Perkins Wide receivers – Jerry Butler Tight Ends/Offensive Assistant – Pete Carmichael Jr. Offensive line – Tony Sparano

Defensive coaches Defensive coordinator/defensive line – Romeo Crennel Linebackers – Keith Butler Defensive backs – Jerry Holmes Defensive assistant – Mike Pitts Special teams coaches Special teams – Mark Michaels Special teams/defensive assistant – Jon Fabris Strength and conditioning Head strength and conditioning – Tim Jorgensen Assistant strength/pass rush consultant – Joe Kim

Final roster

2000 Cleveland Browns roster

Quarterbacks (QB) 11 Jeff Brohm 10 Tony Graziani 18 Doug Pederson Running backs (RB) 44 Marc Edwards FB 34 Chris Floyd 41 Travis Prentice 40 Tarek Saleh FB 30 Jamel White KR Wide receivers (WR) 89 Bobby Brown 84 Darrin Chiaverini 85 Kevin Johnson 86 Dennis Northcutt PR 82 David Patten KR Tight ends (TE) 83 Mark Campbell 87 O. J. Santiago 80 Aaron Shea

Offensive linemen (OL) 63 Brad Bedell G 74 James Brown T 69 Roger Chanoine T 79 Noel LaMontagne T/G 61 Everett Lindsay G 72 Roman Oben T 60 Shaun O'Hara C 64 Dave Wohlabaugh C 75 Steve Zahursky G/T Defensive linemen (DL) 92 Courtney Brown DE 93 Stalin Colinet DT 73 Darius Holland DT 90 Keith McKenzie DE 98 Arnold Miller DE 78 Tyrone Rogers DE 99 Orpheus Roye DT 91 Marcus Spriggs DT

Linebackers (LB) 53 Rahim Abdullah OLB 54 Chester Burnett MLB 50 Michael Hamilton OLB 95 Jamir Miller OLB 55 Marty Moore OLB 58 Wali Rainer MLB Defensive backs (DB) 28 Rashidi Barnes FS 27 Lamar Chapman CB 43 Percy Ellsworth FS 22 Todd Franz FS 24 Corey Fuller CB 31 Raymond Jackson CB 20 Earl Little SS 26 Anthony Malbrough CB 33 Daylon McCutcheon CB 25 Lewis Sanders CB 21 Marquis Smith SS Special teams (ST)  4 Phil Dawson K 17 Chris Gardocki P 97 Ryan Kuehl LS

Practice squad 49 Kyle Allamon TE 70 Steve Estes T 48 Rod Monroe TE 12 Drew O'Connor WR 47 Rashon Spikes RB Reserve 65 Jim Bundren G (IR)  2 Tim Couch QB (IR) 88 JaJuan Dawson WR (IR) -- Ty Detmer QB (IR) -- Madre Hill RB (IR) 81 Lenzie Jackson WR/KR (IR) 56 Lenoy Jones LB (IR) 66 Jeremy McKinney G (IR) 71 Jim Pyne G (IR) 23 Errict Rhett RB (IR) -- Nick Sudano RB (IR) 51 Ryan Taylor LB (IR) 16 Kevin Thompson QB (IR) 96 Mike Thompson DT (IR) 13 Spergon Wynn QB (IR) Rookies in italics 53 active, 15 reserve, 5 practice squad

Preseason

Week	Date	Opponent	Result	Record	Venue
1	July 30	Philadelphia Eagles	W 33–22	1–0	Cleveland Browns Stadium
2	August 12	at Chicago Bears	L 6–19	1–1	Soldier Field
3	August 19	Washington Redskins	L 0–24	1–2	Cleveland Browns Stadium
4	August 26	at Green Bay Packers	L 33–34	1–3	Lambeau Field

Regular season

Schedule

Week	Date	Opponent	Result	Record	Venue	Attendance	Recap
1	September 3	Jacksonville Jaguars	L 7–27	0–1	Cleveland Browns Stadium	72,418	Recap
2	September 10	at Cincinnati Bengals	W 24–7	1–1	Paul Brown Stadium	64,006	Recap
3	September 17	Pittsburgh Steelers	W 23–20	2–1	Cleveland Browns Stadium	73,018	Recap
4	September 24	at Oakland Raiders	L 10–36	2–2	Network Associates Coliseum	45,702	Recap
5	October 1	Baltimore Ravens	L 0–12	2–3	Cleveland Browns Stadium	73,018	Recap
6	October 8	at Arizona Cardinals	L 21–29	2–4	Sun Devil Stadium	39,148	Recap
7	October 15	at Denver Broncos	L 10–44	2–5	Mile High Stadium	75,811	Recap
8	October 22	at Pittsburgh Steelers	L 0–22	2–6	Three Rivers Stadium	57,659	Recap
9	October 29	Cincinnati Bengals	L 3–12	2–7	Cleveland Browns Stadium	73,118	Recap
10	November 5	New York Giants	L 3–24	2–8	Cleveland Browns Stadium	72,718	Recap
11	November 12	New England Patriots	W 19–11	3–8	Cleveland Browns Stadium	72,618	Recap
12	November 19	at Tennessee Titans	L 10–24	3–9	Adelphia Coliseum	68,498	Recap
13	November 26	at Baltimore Ravens	L 7–44	3–10	PSINet Stadium	68,361	Recap
14	December 3	at Jacksonville Jaguars	L 0–48	3–11	Alltel Stadium	51,262	Recap
15	December 10	Philadelphia Eagles	L 24–35	3–12	Cleveland Browns Stadium	72,318	Recap
16	December 17	Tennessee Titans	L 0–24	3–13	Cleveland Browns Stadium	72,318	Recap
17	Bye

Note: Intra-division opponents are in bold text.

Standings

AFC Central
view talk edit	W	L	T	PCT	PF	PA	STK
(1) Tennessee Titans	13	3	0	.813	346	191	W4
(4) Baltimore Ravens	12	4	0	.750	333	165	W7
Pittsburgh Steelers	9	7	0	.563	321	255	W2
Jacksonville Jaguars	7	9	0	.438	367	327	L2
Cincinnati Bengals	4	12	0	.250	185	359	L1
Cleveland Browns	3	13	0	.188	161	419	L5

Game summaries

Week 1: vs. Jacksonville Jaguars

Week 1: Jacksonville Jaguars at Cleveland Browns – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Jaguars	0	10	10	7	27
Browns	0	7	0	0	7

at Cleveland Browns Stadium, Cleveland, Ohio

• Date: September 3
• Game time: 1:00 p.m. EDT
• Game weather: Sunny, 78 °F (26 °C)
• Game attendance: 72,418
• Referee: Bernie Kukar
• TV announcers (CBS): Ian Eagle and Mark May
• Box score

Game information

First quarter No scoring plays. Second quarter JAX – Jimmy Smith 2-yard pass from Mark Brunell (Mike Hollis kick), 11:44. Jaguars 7–0. Drive: 15 plays, 97 yards, 7:53. CLE – JaJuan Dawson 13-yard pass from Tim Couch (Phil Dawson kick), 3:27. Tied 7–7. Drive: 8 plays, 67 yards, 4:08. JAX – Mike Hollis 50-yard field goal, 0:30. Jaguars 10–7. Drive: 12 plays, 40 yards, 2:57. Third quarter JAX – Stacey Mack 3-yard run (Mike Hollis kick), 7:39. Jaguars 17–7. Drive: 9 plays, 86 yards, 4:10. JAX – Mike Hollis 25-yard field goal, 1:20. Jaguars 20–7. Drive: 10 plays, 54 yards, 4:33. Fourth quarter JAX – Chris Howard 9-yard run (Mike Hollis kick), 4:28. Jaguars 27–7. Drive: 17 plays, 68 yards, 10:18. Top passers JAX – Mark Brunell – 24/34, 301 yards, TD CLE – Tim Couch – 19/27, 160 yards, TD Top rushers JAX – Stacey Mack – 23 rushes, 74 yards, TD CLE – Errict Rhett – 14 rushes, 64 yards Top receivers JAX – Keenan McCardell – 9 receptions, 115 yards CLE – JaJuan Dawson – 6 receptions, 83 yards, TD

Week 2: at Cincinnati Bengals

Week 2: Cleveland Browns at Cincinnati Bengals – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Browns	7	7	3	7	24
Bengals	0	7	0	0	7

at Paul Brown Stadium, Cincinnati, Ohio

• Date: September 10
• Game time: 1:00 p.m. EDT
• Game weather: 74 °F (23 °C)
• Game attendance: 64,006
• Referee: Phil Luckett
• Box score

Game information

First quarter CLE – Travis Prentice 16-yard run (Phil Dawson kick), 3:43. Browns 7–0. Drive: 7 plays, 76 yards, 3:41. Second quarter CIN – Ron Dugans 4-yard pass from Akili Smith (Neil Rackers kick), 14:33. Tied 7–7. Drive: 8 plays, 78 yards, 4:10. CLE – Mark Campbell 5-yard pass from Tim Couch (Phil Dawson kick), 11:20. Browns 14–7. Drive: 4 plays, 16 yards, 1:37. Third quarter CLE – Phil Dawson 30-yard field goal, 6:29. Browns 17–7. Drive: 11 plays, 50 yards, 6:54. Fourth quarter CLE – Marc Edwards 5-yard pass from Tim Couch (Phil Dawson kick), 11:47. Browns 24–7. Drive: 9 plays, 80 yards, 5:21. Top passers CLE – Tim Couch – 19/31, 259 yards, 2 TD, INT CIN – Akili Smith – 15/43, 250 yards, TD, 2 INT Top rushers CLE – Errict Rhett – 20 rushes, 53 yards CIN – Corey Dillon – 12 rushes, 41 yards Top receivers CLE – David Patten – 3 receptions, 95 yards CIN – Peter Warrick – 3 receptions, 80 yards

With their first win over the Bengals since 1995, the Browns improved to 1-1 while also securing their first victory since Week 10 of 1999, snapping a 7 game losing streak.

Week 3: vs. Pittsburgh Steelers

Week 3: Pittsburgh Steelers at Cleveland Browns – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Steelers	0	10	10	0	20
Browns	14	0	3	6	23

at Cleveland Browns Stadium, Cleveland, Ohio

• Date: September 17
• Game time: 1:00 p.m. EDT
• Game weather: 67 °F (19 °C)
• Game attendance: 73,018
• Referee: Bob McElwee
• TV announcers (CBS): Gus Johnson and Brent Jones
• Box score

Game information

First quarter CLE – Aaron Shea 2-yard pass from Tim Couch (Phil Dawson kick), 10:34. Browns 7–0. Drive: 7 plays, 62 yards, 4:26. CLE – Marc Edwards 21-yard pass from Tim Couch (Phil Dawson kick), 3:35. Browns 14–0. Drive: 7 plays, 61 yards, 4:00. Second quarter PIT – Richard Huntley 4-yard run (Kris Brown kick), 13:34. Browns 14–7. Drive: 10 plays, 71 yards, 5:01. PIT – Kris Brown 41-yard field goal, 1:44. Browns 14–10. Drive: 8 plays, 14 yards, 3:00. Third quarter PIT – Kris Brown 31-yard field goal, 12:39. Browns 14–13. Drive: 5 plays, 29 yards, 2:21. CLE – Phil Dawson 23-yard field goal, 10:12. Browns 17–13. Drive: 7 plays, 30 yards, 2:27. PIT – Jerome Bettis 10-yard run (Kris Brown kick), 5:47. Steelers 20–17. Drive: 8 plays, 80 yards, 4:25. Fourth quarter CLE – Phil Dawson 28-yard field goal, 10:49. Tied 20–20. Drive: 11 plays, 87 yards, 5:06. CLE – Phil Dawson 19-yard field goal, 2:45. Browns 23–20. Drive: 8 plays, 95 yards, 4:12. Top passers PIT – Kent Graham – 13/27, 172 yards CLE – Tim Couch – 23/31, 316 yards, 2 TD Top rushers PIT – Jerome Bettis – 24 rushes, 133 yards, TD CLE – Errict Rhett – 18 rushes, 55 yards Top receivers PIT – Hines Ward – 5 receptions, 75 yards CLE – Kevin Johnson – 4 receptions, 97 yards

With their first win at home against Pittsburgh since 1993, the Browns improved to 2-1. Their first time above .500 since 1995.

Week 6: at Arizona Cardinals

Week 6: Cleveland Browns at Arizona Cardinals – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Browns	7	7	0	7	21
Cardinals	0	16	10	3	29

at Sun Devil Stadium, Tempe, Arizona

• Date: October 8
• Game time: 4:15 p.m. EDT
• Game weather: 87 °F (30.6 °C), relative humidity 25%, wind 15 miles per hour (24 km/h; 13 kn)
• Game attendance: 44,296
• Referee: Tom White
• TV announcers (CBS): Don Criqui and Steve Tasker
• Box score

Game information

First quarter CLE – Travis Prentice 1-yard run (Phil Dawson kick), 1:51. Browns 7–0. Drive: 11 plays, 59 yards, 6:34. Second quarter CLE – Travis Prentice 1-yard run (Phil Dawson kick), 14:26. Browns 14–0. Drive: 5 plays, 24 yards, 2:14. ARI – Thomas Jones 10-yard run (Cary Blanchard kick), 12:00. Browns 14–7. Drive: 5 plays, 42 yards, 2:26. ARI – Frank Sanders 53-yard pass from Jake Plummer (kick failed), 9:08. Browns 14–13. Drive: 2 plays, 57 yards, 0:51. ARI – Cary Blanchard 36-yard field goal, 1:13. Cardinals 16–14. Drive: 13 plays, 54 yards, 6:18. Third quarter ARI – Cary Blanchard 47-yard field goal, 8:55. Cardinals 19–14. Drive: 9 plays, 58 yards, 3:27. ARI – Frank Sanders 5-yard pass from Jake Plummer (Cary Blanchard kick), 1:55. Cardinals 26–14. Drive: 9 plays, 70 yards, 4:59. Fourth quarter CLE – Travis Prentice 6-yard run (Phil Dawson kick), 12:43. Cardinals 26–21. Drive: 3 plays, 24 yards, 1:29. ARI – Cary Blanchard 28-yard field goal, 3:00. Cardinals 29–21. Drive: 11 plays, 72 yards, 5:59. Top passers CLE – Tim Couch – 16/22, 138 yards ARI – Jake Plummer – 17/30, 171 yards, 2 TD Top rushers CLE – Travis Prentice – 28 rushes, 97 yards, 3 TD ARI – Michael Pittman – 16 rushes, 107 yards Top receivers CLE – Dennis Northcutt – 3 receptions, 67 yards ARI – David Boston – 5 receptions, 63 yards

Week 14: at Jacksonville Jaguars

Week 14: Cleveland Browns at Jacksonville Jaguars – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Browns	0	0	0	0	0
Jaguars	3	17	21	7	48

at Alltel Stadium, Jacksonville, Florida

• Date: December 3
• Game time: 4:15 p.m. EST
• Game weather: Clear, 46 °F (8 °C)
• Game attendance: 51,262
• Referee: Ron Blum
• TV announcers (CBS): Don Criqui and Steve Tasker
• Box score

Game information

First quarter JAX – Mike Hollis 40-yard field goal, 10:44. Jaguars 3–0. Drive: 11 plays, 32 yards, 4:16. Second quarter JAX – Fred Taylor 3-yard run (Mike Hollis kick), 14:56. Jaguars 10–0. Drive: 6 plays, 44 yards, 1:58. JAX – Mike Hollis 24-yard field goal, 3:09. Jaguars 13–0. Drive: 11 plays, 52 yards, 4:59. JAX – Keenan McCardell 14-yard pass from Mark Brunell (Mike Hollis kick), 0:28. Jaguars 20–0. Drive: 8 plays, 64 yards, 1:55. Third quarter JAX – Fred Taylor 2-yard run (Mike Hollis kick), 7:45. Jaguars 27–0. Drive: 6 plays, 48 yards, 2:39. JAX – Mark Brunell 8-yard run (Mike Hollis kick), 7:20. Jaguars 34–0. Drive: 1 play, 8 yards, 0:06. JAX – Fred Taylor 1-yard run (Mike Hollis kick), 1:33. Jaguars 41–0. Drive: 6 plays, 69 yards, 3:31. Fourth quarter JAX – Shyrone Stith 3-yard run (Mike Hollis kick), 5:27. Jaguars 48–0. Drive: 8 plays, 39 yards, 4:50. Top passers CLE – Spergon Wynn – 5/16, 17 yards JAX – Mark Brunell – 15/31, 165 yards, TD Top rushers CLE – Travis Prentice – 10 rushes, 33 yards JAX – Fred Taylor – 30 rushes, 181 yards, 3 TD Top receivers CLE – Jamel White – 2 receptions, 11 yards JAX – Jimmy Smith – 6 receptions, 104 yards

Best performances

• Tim Couch, Week 3, 316 Passing Yards vs. Pittsburgh Steelers^[5]
• Doug Pederson, Week 15, 309 Passing Yards vs. Philadelphia Eagles^[6]

Awards and records

• Led NFL, yards punted, 4,919 yards^[7]