As we take a moment to look back into 2003, coming off their first playoff appearance. The Browns were mixed up in a major QB controversy between Tim Couch and Kelly Holcomb. Holcomb would win the job at the start of the season.
Early on that year he would struggle as the Browns dropped their first two games, faced with a 0-3 start the Browns follow the San Francisco 49ers 12-0 midway through the 4th Quarter. Holcomb would lead the Browns on two long scoring drives to give the Browns a thrilling 13-12 win.
During the comeback Holcomb was injured which trusted Couch back into the starting lineup. Couch went in as starter, the Browns won two of their next three, but in his fourth start, he would struggle badly and was replaced in the middle of the game by Holcomb.
The Browns lost to the San Diego Chargers at home 26-20. The Browns unpredictability not knowing what would come next with them. QB would continue through out the season with Holcomb going in and out with injuries while Tim Couch struggled and lost favors with the fans and management. The running game also struggled as William Green struggled with off the field demons and had a disappointing season with 559 yards rushing.
It would all prove too much to overcome as the Browns finished in last place with a unsatisfactory 5-11 record. Following the season, the Browns would end their QB controversy by cutting Tim Couch and signing Free Agent Jeff Garcia from the 49ers, while Kelly Holcomb stayed on as the back up.
In 2004, the addition of QB Jeff Garcia and the selection of Kellen Winslow II in the NFL draft there was an air of excitement surrounding the Browns at the start of the season, with many forecasting K2 as he was called the son of a NFL Hall of Famer the next big thing at Tight End.
The Browns would start the season on a strong note beating the Baltimore Ravens 20-3. However, in Week 2 the Browns season began to crumble, as a series of injuries, including a season ending injury to Winslow during a 19-12 loss to the Dallas Cowboys, would leave the Browns limping the rest of the season. Despite the injuries, the Browns played solid football for the first half of the season holding a 3-3 loss before a heartbreaking 34-31 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles in overtime. The loss would begin a losing streak, which would not end until the final game of the season.
Along the way, Coach Butch Davis would resign following a tantalizing 58-48 loss to the Cincinnati Bengals in Week 12. As the season wound down the Browns led by interim Coach Terry Robiske would begin assessing the future trying out third string QB Luke McNown as they finished with a terrible 4-12 record.
Following the season the Browns would hire Romeo Crennel off the Super Bowl Champion New England Patriots to lead the team in the future while making a major roster shake up and focusing toward the future.
Now in 2005, now in 2005, the fans are not too happy because they are starting from square one, with an old QB Trent Dilfer who has not started regularly in 5 years, while the rest of the team is a mix of rookies and rejects from other teams as the Browns struggle just to win three games.
