1964 Cleveland Browns Season - The Regular Season

The Regular Season

The regular season was a success with The Browns finishing with a regular season record of 10-3-1.They were coached by Blanton Collier who had replaced the historic Paul Brown the previous Season. The team had a tremendous amount of heart, which was demonstrated by the fact that they had key commanding wins throughout the season. For instance, they swept their arch rival New York Giants, who the previous year had edged them out as the eastern conference champion. Not only did they win both times they played the Giant but both wins were very convincing, the first being a 42-20 home victory and the second being a 52-20 away victory. The Second Victory over the Giants was a clutch, season ending game that clinched the eastern conference title. Many of the Browns' wins during the regular season were in a very commanding manner, with a 37-21 win over the Detroit Lions being a prime example. The win over the lions carried extra significance due to the fact that the lions had been the team that knocked them out of the conference champion hunt the previous season by beating them 38-10 in the second to last regular season game. The Browns were led by legendary running back Jim Brown who had a stellar regular season, rushing for 1,446 yards with a 5.2 yards/carry average. Although they had a great rushing game, the Browns had a very balanced offense, choosing not to just hand the ball to Brown on every play. The Quarterback of the team was Frank Ryan who had a decent season throwing for 2,404 yards and 25 touchdowns while throwing 19 interceptions. The top receivers of the team were Paul Warfield and Gary Collins, the second of whom would become a legend by catching three touchdowns in the championship game against the heavily favored Baltimore Colts.