2004 Regular Season
Not going to profile this season week by week -- as I know what’s ahead. We ought to fall badly this first season, and anything but the first draft pick next year will come as a surprise to me.
I am stunned when we open the season with a 10-0 shutout of Baltimore. My offense was pathetic – but how did we manage to stop anyone? We get an equally improbable fourth-quarter rally to beat Washington in week two, and are now an undefeated titan! Whoa!
However, order is soon restored, and we crash to earth and end up with a 4-12 record, about what I would have expected (maybe a game or two better, really). Regrettably, safety Nicky Gonzalez was hurt for most of the year – so we lost a good season of development from him, and his shot at perhaps getting a rookie award.
Code:
Front Office Football 2004
2004 Summary for Cleveland Browns
Record: 4-12
Winning Pct.: .250
Cleveland Browns Team Rank
Rushes 433 16
Rushing Yards 1812 21
Yards Per Carry 4.18 24
Pass Attempts 533 18
Completions 319 15
Passing Yards 2808 31
Yards Per Attempt 5.26 32
3rd Down Conversions 33.8 31
Points Per Game 12.5 32
Turnovers 35 28 (T)
Turnover Margin -11 28
Opponents Team Rank
Rushes 478 28
Rushing Yards 2290 29
Yards Per Carry 4.79 28 (T)
Pass Attempts 476 2 (T)
Completions 268 1
Passing Yards 2896 1
Yards Per Attempt 6.08 3
3rd Down Conversions 37.5 5 (T)
Points Per Game 25.1 32
Turnovers 24 24 (T)
Week Team Versus Oppnt
1 10 BAL 0
2 23 WAS 20
3 7 at KCY 35
4 16 at BUF 14
5 16 PIT 24
6 10 MIA 24
7 17 NYJ 27
8 3 at NED 28
9 6 at BAL 30
11 6 at CIN 41
12 16 PHI 21
13 10 HOU 9
14 20 at NYG 34
15 17 CIN 24
16 13 at DAL 48
17 10 at PIT 24
Passing Pos Att Comp Yards Y/Att TD Int
16 Silvers QB 493 294 2659 5.39 9 25
**Team --- 533 319 2808 5.26 9 27
Rushing Pos Att Yards Y/Att TD
44 Shea RB 139 525 3.77 1
25 Hoffman RB 132 375 2.84 2
40 Newman RB 62 319 5.14 1
16 Silvers QB 59 432 7.32 3
**Team --- 433 1812 4.18 7
Receiving Pos Targ Catch Yards Y/Ctc YAC TD
81 Ivory WR 90 58 687 11.8 66 2
88 O'Rourke WR 93 53 598 11.2 46 2
80 Horner WR 96 52 528 10.1 61 2
84 Gaylord TE 54 38 346 9.1 98 2
86 McConnell WR 75 33 265 8.0 19 1
38 McCarthy FB 43 31 119 3.8 39 0
32 Okeafor FB 23 17 71 4.1 22 0
**Team --- 531 319 2808 8.8 462 9
Defense Pos Tack Asst Sack Hurr Ints Defn
92 Goodwin ILB 121 41 1.0 4 3 3
34 Richmond S 57 26 0.0 1 1 5
35 Sims CB 56 17 0.0 0 0 7
37 Dotson CB 54 15 0.0 1 3 5
23 Craig S 52 23 1.0 1 2 5
96 Walker OLB 51 23 2.0 6 0 5
28 Dawson S 50 12 2.5 0 1 6
73 Ogden DT 48 18 2.5 10 0 0
72 Rutter DT 47 17 4.0 12 0 1
98 Clanton OLB 45 22 2.0 6 1 7
57 Davidson OLB 38 12 0.0 1 0 2
76 Floyd DE 27 12 4.5 10 0 0
91 Caldwell DE 26 13 5.0 5 0 1
22 Lofton CB 16 4 0.0 0 0 1
**Team --- 815 282 28.0 66 13 52
Well, MLB Cedric Goodwin, an undrafted rookie, grabbed the MLB job and ended up being probably our most effective player in this season. I would have expected to see a LB rack up huge tackle numbers, and he filled the job nicely – he’s pretty solid against the run, actually. Our pass defense, overall, was pretty good – and I can’t figure out why. In total, I understand that teams would just easily run against us, but why did we hold teams to only 6.08 yards per pass attempt? That’s pretty impressive, but I have to consider it a fluke.
Season Wrap-up
Code:
2004 Awards List
Award Player Team
Player of the Year Don Daniel DEN
Front Office Bowl MVP Brenton Reece DAL
Coach of the Year Not Yet Awarded
Legend of the Game Not Yet Awarded
Offensive Player of the Year Don Daniel DEN
Defensive Player of the Year Brent Helwig BUF
Offensive Rookie of the Year Roderick Arsenault HOU
**Defensive Rookie of the Year Cedric Goodwin CLE
All-League First-String Quarterback Mark Holm SEA
All-League First-String Running Back Don Daniel DEN
All-League First-String Fullback Barry Johnson DAL
All-League First-String Tight End Clark Hardy NOS
All-League First-String Wide Receiver Robert Berndt TEN
All-League First-String Wide Receiver Clifford Larocca DAL
All-League First-String Center Bennett Beverly DAL
All-League First-String Offensive Guard Larry Coronado MIA
All-League First-String Offensive Guard Chris Benford NYJ
All-League First-String Offensive Tackle Dennis Rameriz BAL
All-League First-String Offensive Tackle Joseph Clack IND
All-League First-String Punter Leif Schnell BUF
All-League First-String Kicker Aaron Justice PIT
All-League First-String Defensive End Tony Case NYG
All-League First-String Defensive End George Kellum ATL
All-League First-String Defensive Tackle John McManus DET
All-League First-String Defensive Tackle Byron Franck NOS
All-League First-String Inside Linebacker Brent Helwig BUF
All-League First-String Outside Linebacker Nelson Borders WAS
All-League First-String Outside Linebacker Jermaine Mack PHI
All-League First-String Cornerback Ronald Shell TEN
All-League First-String Cornerback George Weldon CHI
All-League First-String Safety Rashad Taliaferro CHI
All-League First-String Safety Tyrell Boone SFO
All-League Second-String Quarterback Brenton Reece DAL
All-League Second-String Running Back Jeffrey Willingham NED
All-League Second-String Fullback Myron Peterson TBY
All-League Second-String Tight End James Kearney KCY
All-League Second-String Wide Receiver Clarence Theodore JAX
All-League Second-String Wide Receiver King Brame BUF
All-League Second-String Center Kenny Calvo CHI
All-League Second-String Offensive Guard Abram Crawford IND
All-League Second-String Offensive Guard Arlen Martin ARI
All-League Second-String Offensive Tackle James Lawlor NYG
All-League Second-String Offensive Tackle Ned Ford NED
All-League Second-String Punter Vicente Hodgson KCY
All-League Second-String Kicker David Tobias NYJ
All-League Second-String Defensive End Reggie Hewlett HOU
All-League Second-String Defensive End Herschel Waldon MIA
All-League Second-String Defensive Tackle Ron Elliott TEN
All-League Second-String Defensive Tackle William Koontz ATL
All-League Second-String Inside Linebacker Ronald Rabb JAX
All-League Second-String Outside Linebacker Andrew Colston BUF
All-League Second-String Outside Linebacker Gerald Payne SFO
All-League Second-String Cornerback James Burnell NYJ
All-League Second-String Cornerback Brad Teter SFO
All-League Second-String Safety Mark Meyer TBY
All-League Second-String Safety Major Hargett MIA
League's Fastest Man William Ramer OAK
League's Strongest Man Desmond Shirk ATL
The list of players above are strangers to me, for the most part – but some will become familiar in time. QB Mark Holm was Cleveland’s starter last season, before he was cut along with everyone else to make way for the new brass.
LB Cedric Goodwin gets the DROY award – which I thought might be heading our way somehow.
Regardless – a season to tuck away as a building and learning experience, as predicted.
Nothing much more to add. We’ll look forward to next year, and will hope to keep up the building process.