Quarterbacks are a typical talking point for most Cleveland Browns fans and it’s not because we’ve had so much success in this department. It’s usually because the organization has run through quarterbacks more then any other NFL franchise in the past 25 years. I lost count of how many quarterbacks have started a Browns game since 1999 but it’s well over 30 at this point.
Despite the plethora of pass throwers rolling through town, the fans have certainly attached themselves to some that we usually always bring up in discussions around the barbecue grill, water cooler, or at the bar.
So here are the top fan favorite quarterbacks of Cleveland sports fans. Do you agree?
- Colt McCoy
His record as the Browns quarterback between 2010-2012 wasn’t great at 6-15, but he beat Pittsburgh, the team’s rival, and that will always be a big deal to Cleveland fans.
- Brian Hoyer
The local kid (attended St. Ignatius High School in Cleveland) came to the Browns for the 2013 and 2014 seasons. He was the primary starter in 2014, despite the team drafting Johnny Manziel (ended up being a huge bust) that offseason. Hoyer got the Browns to a 7-4 season record before the team struggled, and then the organization decided to insert Manziel to end the collapse of the season. It was a crappy way for the team to treat one of the fans favorites. Hoyer moved on to better times and stayed in the league with multiple other teams as a lifetime backup through the 2023 season.
- Kelly Holcomb
Holcomb will be remembered mostly for the grit he showed every time he stepped on the playing field for the Browns between 2001 and 2004. He was also the starting quarterback for the Browns when they played the Pittsburgh Steelers in the playoff game back in 2002. Cleveland lost that battle 36-33 despite Holbomb’s heroic performance where he threw for 429 yards and three touchdowns.
- Tim Couch
The No. 1 draft pick back in 1999, he helped the Browns get off the ground in their team’s reboot. He struggled to find success because his team’s weren’t very talented. He got injured too many times in his tenure in Cleveland and never reached his potential. But he still had several highlights that made him a fan favorite. He helped his team to a playoff berth in 2002.
- Joe Flacco
Flacco was the starting quarterback of the Baltimore Ravens for years and so was thought of as the enemy of Browns fans. However, that all change in 2023 when the team was deperate to find help at the quarterback spot. And boy did Flacco win over the fan base in an instant.
“Flacco Mania” was in full force over a two month period at the end of the season. Flacco won four straight games, throwing for over 300 yards in each game and passing for 13 touchdowns. The run got Cleveland intro the playoffs. The run ended in the playoffs but it was a blast for the craved fan base.
- Frank Ryan
Ryan helped the Browns win their 1964 NFL Championship Game and that by itself makes him an instant fan favorite. He was a very cerebral player who just knew how to win. He collected a 52-22 record as Brown between 1962 and 1968. He had winning record in four straight seasons and led the NFL in touchdown passes in 1966.
Photo via Imagn Images
- Baker Mayfield
In the years since 1999, the team’s reboot, they had searched for a franchise quarterback and finally got a glimpse of one in their No. 1 draft pick of the 2018 NFL in Baker Mayfield. The former Oklahoma Sooner came out of the gates firing bullets and became a fan favorite over night. He would say “he was feeling dangerous” and that aggressive, arrogant and gritty style suited the fan base well. He helped the team get to the playoffs in 2020 by beating the Steelers in the last game of the season and then beat them again a week later in humiliating fashion.
Photo via Imagn Images
- Brian Sipe
Sipe played his entire career in Cleveland from 1974 to 1983. He collected a 57-55 overall record in that time. The highlight of his career was getting the Browns to an 11-5 record and playoff berth in 1980. Unfortunately, the success of that season ended horribly for Sipe and his team as he famously threw an interception in the back of the end zone (The play referred to as “Red Right-88”) that if had instead been caught by Hall of Fame Tight End Ozzie Newsome would propelled the team to the next game in the playoffs.
- Otto Graham
Graham started it all for the Browns as he led the team into the NFL and dominance as a franchise. He played from 1946 through the 1955 season. The Browns won seven championships in that time and the fans of Cleveland football will never forget Graham.
1 Bernie Kosar
Bernie was one of us. He was a local kid from the Youngstown, Ohio area. He was taken by the Browns in the Supplemental Draft back in 1985. The team regained an era of success not seen in these parts much before his arrival and not much since he left in 1993. He had a 53-51 record as a starter for Cleveland. He had a string of memorable seasons where he led the team to the AFC Championship Games. The Browns got that game in 1986, 1987 and 1989. Unfortunately, they lost all three games to a Denver Broncos team led by legendary quarterback John Elway.
Recent Comments