So the Cleveland Browns are back in the playoffs for the first time in 18 years and their fans are thrilled, as well they should be after the NFL’s longest playoff drought.
The Browns problem is that their long-awaited Wild Card game happens to be at the same place they played their most recent post-season game – Heinz Field – January 5, 2003. The other problem is that game should not have been their most recent one. The Browns should have played another game since they had the Steelers beaten that day.
That come-from-ahead 36-33 loss has stuck in the craw of Browns fans, players and coaches ever since and one of those Cleveland coaches will be on the other sideline when they meet again Sunday night.
Steelers defensive coordinator Keith Butler was the Browns linebackers coach that day and that game still sticks in his craw, not just because of the result, but because of who was unfairly blamed and took the fall.
“Foge Fazio was out defensive coordinator, really good guy, really good football coach, really good coach,” Butler says, “Tommy Maddox was the quarterback and we put some pressure on him and blitzed him a couple times; we got up on ‘em, 16-17 points.”
The Browns sacked Maddox twice, intercepted two passes and led 17-7 at the half (the TD was an Antwan Randle El punt return) then when Cleveland’s Kelly Holcomb threw a second TD pass to Dennis Northcutt it was 24-7 early in the third quarter.
But after Maddox finally engineered a touchdown drive, Browns coach Butch Davis called off the dawgs.
“The head coach got mad about it,” Butler remembers, “and told Foge Fazio to get into ‘Drop 3 Cloud’ which is rushing 3 guys and dropping 8. We played that for the rest of the game. So what happened was, they came back and beat us.”
You may remember the Steelers scored 22 fourth quarter points (sandwiched around the infamous Northcutt drop) for the stunning victory. However, it wasn’t just the loss that sticks with Butler. It’s what happened next.
“Right after the game, Foge gets fired for doing what he’s told!” Butler exclaims. “So that dadgummit, that was really, really tough. It was tough for me because Foge was a good coach, good guy to work with and you hope good guys like that in this league come out ahead. It didn’t happen for us that day.”
Butler also left the Browns after that game - for the winning side. He joined Bill Cowher’s staff in Pittsburgh and has been here ever since, helping the Steelers win two Super Bowls.
On the road to his third, all Butler has to do is help make sure the Browns lose again.