Browns #039;Hail Mary#039; answered

Published 12:00 am Monday, December 9, 2002

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. -- When the clock hits zero, the fun is often just beginning for the Cleveland Browns.

Their latest fantastic finish came Sunday, when Quincy Morgan caught a desperation heave with no time left for a touchdown and a 21-20 victory over the Jacksonville Jaguars.

''Yeah, just another day at the office,'' Browns coach Butch Davis said.

Email newsletter signup

Of the 29 games Davis has coached with the Browns (7-6), 16 have come down to the final minute. Seven of those have been decided on the last play.

This time, it was Morgan fighting off Fernando Bryant in the end zone to cradle the 50-yard pass from Tim Couch into his stomach.

An official's review followed because it looked like the ball might have hit the ground. Referee Ron Winter found no conclusive evidence that it did, however, and Phil Dawson came on for the extra point that gave the Browns the one-point victory.

Davis ran off the field, jubilant, with his son in his arms. Jaguars coach Tom Coughlin fell flat to the turf when he saw the final touchdown.

''I don't have anything to say about this,'' said Coughlin, who insisted the pass hit the ground. ''Comments are beyond me right now.''

The victory was more than just a great show for the Browns. They appeared out of the playoff picture just a week ago after a loss to Carolina, but suddenly find themselves within a half-game of Pittsburgh in the AFC North.

''It's unbelievable when you think about how something like this can basically determine how your season will turn out,'' Couch said.

It was a fitting finish to a rivalry that has served up a number of strange and memorable moments.

Last year in Cleveland, Morgan had a catch overturned by replay on the decisive play in Jacksonville's 15-10 victory. Cleveland fans responded by throwing bottles and debris onto the field.

Unlike the Cleveland fans, Jacksonville fans didn't throw anything onto the field. Instead, they shuffled out of Alltel Stadium in shock.

The Jaguars (5-8) lost their third straight and are guaranteed a non-winning record for the third straight year. Five of their eight losses have been by three points or less, but none have been like this.

While bad luck certainly played a part of it, Coughlin also has some questions to answer about the coaching decisions that led to the loss.

Leading 17-14 with 2:30 left, the Jaguars looked as if they had sealed the game when Akin Ayodele intercepted Couch's pass and returned it to the Cleveland 24.

The Jaguars moved inside the Cleveland 10, but the Browns had all three of their timeouts left and stopped the Jaguars on three plays to force a big decision on fourth down.

Coughlin chose to kick the field goal and take the six-point lead, instead of making the Browns drive about 70 yards for a tying field-goal attempt with 50 seconds left and no timeouts. The decision backfired when kicker Danny Boyd, playing in his first NFL game, squibbed the kickoff off a Cleveland player and gave the Browns the ball on their 47.

The two plays after the kickoff produced a sack and an 8-yard gain. With the clock under 10 seconds and running, Couch lined the team up, dropped back and threw the ball high to Morgan, who had, inexplicably, only one man covering him.

Bryant said he wasn't shocked to be in single coverage on Morgan on the decisive play. Like Coughlin, he thought the ball hit the ground.

''The bottom line is, it was my play,'' Bryant said. ''It doesn't matter what was called. I was there.''

The great finish added another to a series of wild games the Browns have been involved in since they returned to the league in 1999.

In their expansion season, they earned their first victory when Couch hit Johnson for a 56-yard score on the last play against New Orleans.

In the season opener this year, they lost 40-39 to the Chiefs when Dwayne Rudd took his helmet off and threw it to celebrate on what he thought was the game's last play. He was penalized 15 yards and Kansas City kicked the winning field goal with no time left.

In Week 3, Cleveland scored with 12 seconds left to tie a game it had trailed by 14 with 2:30 left. The Browns beat Tennessee 31-28 in overtime.

The list goes on and on.

''They called the old Browns the Kardiac Kids,'' offensive lineman Shaun O'Hara said. ''I think we can use that too.''

Notes: The attendance of 46,267 was the second-lowest in Jaguars history. The only time they drew less was in 2000, when rain from Hurricane Gordon kept fans away. … Browns RB William Green ran for 119 yards. He bruised his right triceps, but the injury did not appear serious. … Couch finished with 264 yards passing. He also hit Morgan for a 60-yard score in the third quarter.