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2013 Year in Review: The Cleveland Browns

A look back at the Top 50+ most memorable moments or stories during the year 2013, in relation to the Cleveland Browns.

By Chris Pokorny
  • January 2013 The previous year ended with the firing of Pat Shurmur, so the front office needed to find a new head coach. Chip Kelly was their No. 1 target, but after meeting with him for seven hours, the Browns reportedly 'walked away from him' after believing that he wasn't fully committed to returning to the NFL. (Kirby Lee/Image of Sport-USA TODAY Sports)
  • January 2013 Out of no where, the Browns hired Rob Chudzinski as their next head coach. Fans knew of Chudzinski from his previous years as the team's tight ends coach and offensive coordinator, but it was largely believed that he received the job because he had an impressive staff of assistant coaches that he was able to bring along. (David Richard-USA TODAY Sports)
  • January 2013 A press conference was held to officially announce that Jimmy Haslam had sold the naming rights to the stadium. From now on, 'Cleveland Browns Stadium' would now be known as 'FirstEnergy Stadium.' (FirstEnergy Corp)
  • January 2013 A lot of fans were initially excited about Chip Kelly, but upon hearing that he ended up choosing the Philadelphia Eagles after leaving the Browns hanging in the dark about whether he was returning to Oregon or not, the reaction quickly turned to hate. (Howard Smith-USA TODAY Sports)
  • January 2013 After serving as the head coach for the San Diego Chargers, Norv Turner was named the new offensive coordinator for the Browns, where he would be the team's playcaller. Norv's son, Scott Turner, would also be coming over as the team's wide receivers coach. (Ron Schwane-USA TODAY Sports)
  • January 2013 The biggest charade that this front office has tried to hide, even to this day, was that Michael Lombardi was not basically already working as the general manager before he was hired. I don't know if you can find a single fan or NFL front office person who was happy with this move, except maybe Bill Belichick or Jim Nantz.
  • January 2013 The Chudzinski hiring looked even better when he was able to score Ray Horton as his new defensive coordinator. Horton would be switching the Browns to an attacking 3-4/multi-front defense. He accepted the job after previously having been interviewed for the team's head coaching position. (Ron Schwane-USA TODAY Sports)
  • February 2013 In what undoubtedly left a sour taste in the mouths of Cleveland Browns fans, the Baltimore Ravens won their second Super Bowl in franchise history, defeating the San Francisco 49ers by a score of 34-31. It also marked the final game of Ray Lewis' career. (Evan Habeeb-USA TODAY Sports)
  • March 2013 In March, the Ravens made QB Joe Flacco the highest-paid player in the NFL with a six-year contract extension worth $120.6 million. This news was relevant to the Browns because Flacco's contract would hurt the Ravens in cap space in future years. On top of that, he's not even an elite quarterback, and he failed to even lead Baltimore to a playoff spot in 2013. (Evan Habeeb-USA TODAY Sports)
  • March 2013 It was announced that the movie 'Draft Day' would be filmed in Cleveland, starring Kevin Costner as the general manager of the Cleveland Browns. The movie is scheduled to be released on April 11, 2014. (ComingSoon.net)
  • March 2013 The Browns reached a five-year, $41 million deal with OLB Paul Kruger, who was coming over from the Baltimore Ravens. The move seemed like a risk, but it was also the start of the front office showing that they wanted to focus on improving the team's front seven in the offseason, as they also soon signed OLB Quentin Groves. (Ron Schwane-USA TODAY Sports)
  • March 2013 Mugshot aside, another solid move in free agency saw the Browns sign DE Desmond Bryant to a five-year deal worth $35 million. The team's other free agent signings included TE Gary Barnidge and CB Chris Owens. (Ken Blaze-USA TODAY Sports)
  • March 2013 I called it 'The Apocalypse' when it happened. Phil Dawson said his goodbye to Cleveland fans via Twitter, and then announced that he would be joining the San Francisco 49ers after 14 years with the team. Cleveland fans missed Dawson's presence this season, but at least he's headed to the postseason. (Andrew Weber-USA TODAY Sports)
  • March 2013 The Browns signed Jason Campbell to a two-year deal, a move that seemed to spell the end for QB Colt McCoy. I don't think anyone imagined that Campbell would end up starting as many games as he did; otherwise, this signing wouldn't have even made this list. (Ron Schwane-USA TODAY Sports)
  • March 2013 The team announced they would no longer be featured on WTAM 1100 or WMMS 100.7. The stations, which are owned by Clear Channel, have served Browns games since the 1999 season. The new radio agreement had two rival stations airing the broadcasts during the season: WKNR ESPN 850 on AM and WKRK 92.3 The Fan on FM.
  • April 2013 After being a third-round pick a couple years earlier, many Browns fans were crushed when QB Colt McCoy was traded to the San Francisco 49ers. The Browns sent a sixth-round pick to the 49ers for a fifth- and seventh-round pick. (Kelley L Cox-USA TODAY Sports)
  • April 2013 'Hey Jimmy -- you might be in a little bit of trouble.' The first stunning news of the year came when the FBI locked down Pilot Flying J and began an investigation into Jimmy Haslam's company. Matt Wood also published the widely cited report, 'Jimmy Haslam, the FBI & the 158 Pages That Will Cost Him The Browns.' It remains to be seen whether Haslam will lose the Browns, but to this day, the investigation is still ongoing. (Andrew Weber-USA TODAY Sports)
  • April 2013 After the Dolphins snatched OLB Dion Jordan, with the No. 6 overall pick in the 2013 NFL Draft, the Browns selected OLB Barkevious Mingo. Mingo was picked for his potential as a pass rusher off the edge. (Jerry Lai-USA TODAY Sports)
  • April 2013 Billed as a reliable third-down receiver, the Browns acquired WR Davone Bess from the Miami Dolphins for an exchange of draft picks during the draft. Bess was also given a three-year contract extension from the Browns as part of the deal. Little would we know that Bess would go on to lead the NFL in drops and start posting pictures of himself smoking something on Instagram. (Ken Blaze-USA TODAY Sports)
  • April 2013 After Mingo, the Browns didn't have a very eventful draft. They took CB Leon McFadden in the third-round, and then stockpiled on a couple of mid-round picks for next year, even drawing controversy for trading a pick to the Pittsburgh Steelers so they could draft a safety. The Browns' other draft picks included OG Garrett Gilkey, DL Armonty Bryant, and S Jamoris Slaughter. (Mike DiNovo-USA TODAY Sports)
  • May 2013 In early May, the Arizona Cardinals waived QB Brian Hoyer. Rumors had said that Michael Lombardi was really interested in Hoyer throughout the offseason, and about a week later, the team signed him to a two-year deal. (Ken Blaze-USA TODAY Sports)
  • May 2013 Prior to 2010, Jim Brown held the title of 'Executive Adviser' with the Cleveland Browns. When former team president Mike Holmgren came in, everything between Brown and the organization went to hell. After Holmgren's departure, Jimmy Haslam patched things up with Brown, officially naming him the team's new 'Special Adviser.' (Ron Schwane-USA TODAY Sports)
  • June 2013 The month of June typically isn't very noteworthy for NFL teams, but it was for the Browns as the NFL announced that WR Josh Gordon was being suspended the first two games of the regular season. Gordon said he had strep throat during the offseason and took a substance that contained codeine, which is banned by the NFL. (Ron Schwane-USA TODAY Sports)
  • July 2013 The Browns spent the offseason renovating the headquarters in Berea to a state-of-the-art facility. In addition, the Browns made several other hires, including Kevin Griffin as the VP of Fan Experience and Zak Gilbert as the new head of public relations.
  • August 2013 For a couple of days, Bernie Kosar was the talk of the NFL for, believe it or not, his critical commentary of the St. Louis Rams during a preseason game. Jeff Fisher took offense, and then Peter King made people irate when he insinuated that Kosar was drunk. The Browns reprimanded Kosar in a PR statement, King gave a half-hearted apology, and Kosar was allowed to continue commentating. (Andrew Weber-USA TODAY Sports)
  • August 2013 The preseason game against the Lions was a crushing one. RB Dion Lewis, the star of training camp, broke his leg and was later placed on IR. OLB Barkevious Mingo also suffered a bruised lung (WTF?), and Jason Pinkston hurt his ankle, which killed the team's offensive guard situation to begin the season. (Andrew Weber-USA TODAY Sports)
  • September 2013 Another opening day loss. Cleveland fell to the Miami Dolphins by a score of 23-10, as QB Brandon Weeden was sacked six times and threw three interceptions. It was a 13-10 game mid-way through the fourth quarter, but Miami finished the game strong. (Ron Schwane-USA TODAY Sports)
  • September 2013 The Browns held a 6-0 lead at the half and the defense played well, but WR Greg Little had several key drops in the fourth quarter that could have got Cleveland back into the game. QB Brandon Weeden had to leave late in the game with a thumb injury, as the Browns lost 14-6 and fell to 0-2. (Brad Mills-USA TODAY Sports)
  • September 2013 Bang. With Weeden injured, QB Brian Hoyer was named the team's starting quarterback heading into the Vikings game, as he leapfrogged veteran QB Jason Campbell on the depth chart. To everyone's surprise, this wouldn't even end up being the biggest news of the day. (Raj Mehta-USA TODAY Sports)
  • September 2013 I called it, 'A Day That Will Go Down in History for the Cleveland Browns.' RB Trent Richardson was traded to the Indianapolis Colts for a first-round pick in the 2014 NFL Draft. The instant reaction from many people was that the team was already planning on tanking the 2013 season. Browns fans actually loved the deal -- how did we possibly get a first-round pick for Richardson after how bad he had been running? After leaving Cleveland, Richardson averaged just 2.92 YPC with the Colts, and is not even the team's starter as they enter the playoffs. (Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports)
  • September 2013 Holy crap -- we have a quarterback. Brian Hoyer stunned the Minnesota Vikings 31-27, behind a breakout three-touchdown game from TE Jordan Cameron, including the game-winner with under a minute to go. (Bruce Kluckhohn-USA TODAY Sports)
  • September 2013 Hello, Brownie! The team unveiled a new mascot to go along with Chomps (the dog).
  • September 2013 Confidence. The Browns defeated the Bengals 17-6, improving the team to 2-2 and giving Hoyer his second straight win. Hoyer had another game-sealing touchdown drive in the fourth quarter, and the defense held Andy Dalton and the Bengals without a touchdown. (Ken Blaze-USA TODAY Sports)
  • October 2013 The Browns had one prime time game in 2013, and it was a wild one as the Browns defeated the Bills 37-24, led by a record-breaking day from WR Travis Benjamin on punt returns. Fans were nervous during and after the game, though, because QB Brian Hoyer left in the first quarter with an injury, while QB Brandon Weeden returned and managed to lead a comeback. (Ron Schwane-USA TODAY Sports)
  • October 2013 The life was sucked out of the 2013 season when it was announced that QB Brian Hoyer tore his ACL. In hindsight, I absolutely regret not being more excited about Hoyer than I was. He was 100 times better than the Weeden-Campbell carousel we saw the rest of the year. (Andrew Weber-USA TODAY Sports)
  • October 2013 If QB Brandon Weeden wasn't already done in Cleveland, then it was 'The Flip' that did him in. Down 24-17 in the fourth quarter to the Lions, Weeden inexplicably tried to do a flip pass probably 20 yards to the sideline, and it was intercepted by the Lions as Cleveland ended up losing 31-17.
  • October 2013 Despite missing their top receivers and a lot of defenders, the Green Bay Packers ripped the Browns apart, 31-13, proving in the process that all you really need to be successful in the NFL is a good quarterback (i.e. Aaron Rodgers). (Benny Sieu-USA TODAY Sports)
  • October 2013 QB Brandon Weeden had plenty of chances to start, but he didn't capitalize. Heading into a game against the undefeated Chiefs, Rob Chudzinski announced that Weeden had been benched and that QB Jason Campbell would be the new starter. (Denny Medley-USA TODAY Sports)
  • October 2013 The biggest goat performance of the season came in the Browns' 23-17 loss to the Chiefs at the hands of WR Davone Bess. WR Travis Benjamin tore his ACL earlier in the game, so Bess had to go in as the punt returner. Bess muffed a punt mid-way through the fourth quarter, and then later dropped a fourth-down pass from Campbell. Both miscues cost Cleveland a chance at a game-winning score. (Ken Blaze-USA TODAY Sports)
  • October 2013 Thank god. The Browns had been rumored for weeks to be strongly looking to trade WR Josh Gordon. Although I found it ridiculous that he could be traded, Gordon was aware of the rumors, and after the Richardson deal, who knows? Once the trade deadline passed, Gordon and fans were able to calm down and focus on the successful season he was having. (Ken Blaze-USA TODAY Sports)
  • November 2013 Heading into the Ravens game, I called it the most important game of the season. Cleveland prevailed by a score of 24-18, beating QB Joe Flacco for the first time. Campbell had a near-perfect day, and WR Davone Bess got redemption (temporarily) with two highlight-worthy touchdown grabs. Cleveland improved to 4-5 on the season and were headed into a bye week. (Ken Blaze-USA TODAY Sports)
  • November 2013 The Browns announced stadium upgrade plans for 2014 and 2015, including new scoreboards, more escalators, and other constructural changes (none of which include a dome, though). (http://www.firstenergystadiumproject.com/)
  • November 2013 We're going to win the AFC North. How could you not think that after seeing CB Joe Haden intercept QB Andy Dalton twice, the latter one for a pick six, for a 13-0 lead in the first quarter? Coming off of a bye week, the Browns looked pumped up to take the next step forward in the Chudzinski area. (Mark Zerof-USA TODAY Sports)
  • November 2013 Almost two months later, I am still floored -- what the hell just happened? After a 13-0 start, interceptions and blocked punts led to a historic 31-point second quarter for the Bengals, as they ultimately ended up defeating the Browns 41-20, crushing any hopes of winning the AFC North. (Kevin Jairaj-USA TODAY Sports)
  • November 2013 If we can't win the division, we can at least contend for a wildcard, right? Nope. The Steelers started the season at 0-4, but they surpassed the Browns after a 27-11 win that saw QB Jason Campbell leave with a concussion. WR Josh Gordon did have a huge day, though, with 14 catches for 237 yards and 1 touchdown. (Ken Blaze-USA TODAY Sports)
  • December 2013 Against the worst team in the NFL and QB Brandon Weeden back under center, the Browns had a 28-25 lead after an incredible 95-yard touchdown catch-and-run by WR Josh Gordon in the fourth quarter. Inexplicably, though, with under a minute to play, CB Joe Haden bit on a short route, allowing WR Cecil Shorts to catch a game-winning touchdown in a 32-28 loss. Gordon set more records with 10 catches for 261 yards and 2 touchdowns in defeat. (Andrew Weber-USA TODAY Sports)
  • December 2013 Josh Gordon could not be stopped, with another highlight-reel 80-yard touchdown catch-and-run. Another touchdown pass from QB Jason Campbell to TE Jordan Cameron gave the Browns a 26-14 lead. With 1:01 to go, the Patriots scored a touchdown to make it 26-21. Then they recovered the onside kick, and the officials later threw a pass interference flag on CB Leon McFadden in the end zone, despite the fact that he never touched a receiver. The refs screwed the Browns as the Patriots had an improbable comeback win, 27-26.
  • December 2013 If you just want to block everything else out this season, remember the emergence of WR Josh Gordon. Despite only playing in 14 games, he led the entire NFL in receiving with 1,646 yards. I hope we never seriously considered trading this guy. Gordon also set numerous receiving records during the season, both in the NFL and franchise records. (Stew Milne-USA TODAY Sports)
  • December 2013 The Browns blew another lead and lost to the Chicago Bears by a score of 38-31, falling to 4-10 on the year. The 'of course' moment came when QB Jay Cutler heaved up a prayer for WR Alshon Jeffery, which FS Tashaun Gipson misjudged despite being in position for an interception. (Ron Schwane-USA TODAY Sports)
  • December 2013 We can't even beat the Jets, and our defense actually made QB Geno Smith look good in a 24-13 loss. WR David Nelson, who was cut by the Browns after training camp, caught two touchdowns against his former team. (Ed Mulholland-USA TODAY Sports)
  • December 2013 The season is over. After a 20-7 loss to the Steelers, it was time to start looking forward to who the team would draft in 2014, right? Wrong. (Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports)
  • December 2013 Nobody saw this coming. The year began with the hiring of Rob Chudzinski, and it ends with him being relieved of his duties. Jimmy Haslam and Joe Banner were then grilled by the Cleveland media, with one media member even getting a 'Three Stooges' comment in there. Now, the search for a new head coach begins again, with the early rumors being that Josh McDaniels is the favorite, due to his ties to Michael Lombardi. Only in Cleveland, eh? (David Richard-USA TODAY Sports)

In celebration of the year ending, I present to you, "2013 in Review: The Cleveland Browns." Please go through the photo gallery above, and make sure you hover over the pictures. I have put custom descriptions for each picture's caption.

If you don't feel like going through the whole list, listed below is the draft I came up with when conceiving this gallery. From the draft to collecting the pictures and writing the captions, this probably took me 5-6 hours of work, so please share your comments below on some of your favorite moments of the year, or if you feel I left any moments out.

January 2013
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-Browns walk away from Chip Kelly after meeting for seven hours
-Rob Chudzinski hired as the Browns' head coach
-FirstEnergy purchases naming rights to Cleveland Browns Stadium
-Chip Kelly hired by the Philadelphia Eagles
-Norv Turner hired as the Browns' offensive coordinator
-Browns hire Michael Lombardi as VP of Player Personnel [Part 2] (later GM)
-Ray Horton hired as the Browns' defensive coordinator

February 2013
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-Ravens hold off 49ers to win the Super Bowl

March 2013
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-Joe Flacco becomes the NFL's highest-paid player
-Cleveland beats out Buffalo for Kevin Costner's Draft Day
-Browns sign OLB Paul Kruger to 5-year, $41 million deal (Groves too)
-Desmond Bryant comes aboard as well, Gary Barnidge, Chris Owens
-Phil Dawson says goodbye to Browns, signs with the 49ers
-Jason Campbell signs with the Browns
-Browns radio broadcasts moving to ESPN 850 and 92.3 The Fan

April 2013
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-Colt McCoy traded to the 49ers for draft picks
-FBI Locks Down Jimmy Haslam's Headquarters at Pilot Flying J
-Cleveland Browns Pick Barkevious Mingo at No. 6 Overall
-Dolphins trade WR Davone Bess to the Browns
-CB Leon McFadden, trade, and lower-round picks round out draft

May 2013
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-Brian Hoyer joins the Cleveland Browns
-Jim Brown Named a Special Adviser to the Cleveland Browns' Organization

June 2013
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-Josh Gordon suspended for the first two games of 2013

July 2013
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-Browns revamp Berea, Twitter engagement, Kevin Griffin, Zak Gilbert

August 2013
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-The epic battle between Bernie Kosar, Jeff Fisher, and Peter King
-RB Dion Lewis, star of training camp, fractures his leg

September 2013
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-Browns lose another home opener to the Dolphins, 23-10
-Cleveland falls to 0-2 with 14-6 loss to Ravens, Weeden leaves with thumb injury
-Brian Hoyer named the starting QB over Jason Campbell
-Trent Richardson traded to the Colts for a 1st-round draft pick in 2014 [Part 2]
-Browns shock Vikings 31-27 as Hoyer leads game-winning drive
-Brownie the Elf debuts
-Cleveland holds Bengals to without a touchdown in 17-6 victory

October 2013
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-Hoyer hurt, but Browns still beat Bills 37-24 behind Travis Benjamin's record day
-ACL surgery required for Brian Hoyer
-"The Flip" in Browns' 31-17 collapse to the Lions
-Depleted Packers rip apart Browns 31-13
-Brandon Weeden benched in favor of Jason Campbell
-Bess' fumble, drops costs Browns in 23-17 loss to Chiefs; Benjamin torn ACL
-Josh Gordon remains a member of the Browns

November 2013
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-Cleveland finally beats Ravens and Joe Flacco, 24-18
-Stadium upgrade plans revealed for 2014, 2015
-Browns start off hot with 13-0 lead over Bengals
-Bengals score 31 second quarter points in 41-20 win over Browns
-Steelers finish off Browns' realistic hopes, 27-11

December 2013
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-Jaguars stun Joe Haden late in 32-28 win over Browns
-Refs screw over Browns as Patriots rally to win 27-26
-Josh Gordon sets NFL record
-Browns melt down again, lose 38-31 to Bears as Cutler returns
-Jets take out Browns 24-13 with the help of former teammates
-Browns lose finale to Steelers, 20-7
-Rob Chudzinski fired by the Browns; new head coaching search begins

Have a Happy New Year, everybody!

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