The Cleveland Browns own eight pro football championships, but the last one was back in 1964. Even though the franchise had some really good rosters in the late 1960s and all of the 1980s, they have come close with appearances in several AFC Championship Games. However, getting back to the NFL’s title game has eluded them.
Ever since the franchise re-entered the NFL back in 1999, years of futility have ensued. During this stretch, the Browns have only gone to the playoffs three times and have been 1-4 in playoff games. The roster has been run by 10 head coaches and two interim head coaches. They have drafted 11 quarterbacks and have had 40 different signal-callers start a game under center.
RELATED: SHOULD THE BROWNS TURN BACK THE CLOCK ON OFFENSE?
The issues at quarterback for the Browns are well-known as every talk show host has used Cleveland as the butt of jokes in this regard.
But before the Browns relocated to Baltimore in 1996, the quarterback position wasn’t the disheveled mess that it has been plagued with post-expansion. Numerous talented players suited up for Cleveland at quarterback who were valued athletes and remained roster members for years and years.
Rarely was the starting QB position the issue with any year’s roster. Or their backups, for that matter.
Houston Oilers v Cleveland Browns Photo by Focus on Sport/Getty Images
Todd Philcox played for the Browns from 1991 to 1993. Standing 6’-4” and weighing 218 pounds, he had the prototypical physique that coaches loved. In 1991, the Browns hired defensive coordinator Bill Belichick away from the New York Football Giants to be their next head coach after the Giants won Super Bowl 25. The following year, Belichick was not satisfied with his backup quarterback situation in Cleveland behind Bernie Kosar and pursued Philcox in Plan “B,” then signed him away from the Cincinnati Bengals.
Philcox played in the NFL from 1989 - 1998 with seven different clubs. For his career, he had 85 completions on 173 attempts for 1,138 yards with seven touchdowns, 11 interceptions, was sacked 18 times, and had a 57.4 QB rating.
His stats with Cleveland: 11 games played, five starts, 69 completions on 143 attempts for 965 yards, seven TDs, nine picks, sacked eight times, and a 60.5 QB rating. While with the Browns, he broke his thumb in 1992, which gave him gripping issues for the remainder of his career.
His best game was in Week 3 of the 1992 season against the Los Angeles Raiders.
In the game before, starter Bernie Kosar broke his ankle, and Belichick chose Philcox as his starter going forward. Philcox responded with 10 completions on 20 attempts for 200 yards, tossing three touchdowns without any interceptions, and wasn’t sacked a single time. Plus, it was Cleveland’s first victory of the season as the Browns won 28-16 in front of 48,102 patrons in Los Angeles.
He broke that thumb in the second quarter, yet finished the game.
Philcox grew up in Norwalk, Connecticut, and attended Norwalk High School. He had a famous grandmother who was involved heavily in women’s swimming and was a member of the 1964 United States Olympic team.
Although he played four sports, Philcox was especially talented in football. After his senior year, he was voted to the FCIAC All-County Team.
After being recruited by several college programs, he chose Syracuse University. In his final college season, he threw for 2,076 yards with 16 touchdowns and a QB rating of 147.9.
After he hung up his cleats from his NFL career, Philcox moved back to Connecticut and worked as a marketing consultant for five years before he realized that he couldn’t work inside any longer. So, he wanted to be outdoors. He then relocated to Jacksonville, Florida, to begin a business in the fishing industry. During his time with the Jacksonville Jaguars, he discovered he really enjoyed the area and the moderate climate, where the winters are mild and the summers are long with great weather.
Editor’s note: Philcox appears at 3:53
In 2015, Philcox was inducted into the Norwalk High School Wall of Honor.
Today, Philcox lives just outside Jacksonville with his wife Kathrine. The couple has five children. He owns and operates “Salty Charters of Jacksonville,” a charter boat service that allows people the experience of fishing in the St. John’s River and other assorted creeks on shallow water fishing trips or even sightseeing tours. He is a USCG licensed captain. For more information or to book a group fishing charter, click the link below.
Captain Todd has 45 years of fishing experience. His fishing business uses a Tidewater Baymax 2110 vessel with a 150HP Mercury ProXS engine, which is excellent for shallow flats, creeks, the river, and jetties looking for species such as seatrout and flounder, and other fish that inhabit local waters.
LINK: SALTY CHARTERS
Dawgs By Nature’s Barry Shuck caught up with Captain Todd between excursions to discuss his Syracuse playing days, life with the Browns, and after tossing three touchdowns in a win, why he wasn’t named the starting QB in 1992.
DBN: Captain Todd, growing up, it seemed you were always the tallest kid. What sports did you play at Norwalk High School?
Philcox: Growing up, I pretty much played everything: baseball, basketball, and started football last. I started in my seventh-grade year. When I got to high school, I started playing lacrosse to go along with football. Lacrosse wasn’t played at every school. I enjoyed basketball, but started to focus on just a few sports, and thought that would be better. I had an injury in my right arm after my freshman year, and when I came back, I wasn’t the same pitcher that I was, and gave up that sport.
DBN: In 2015, you were inducted into the “Norwalk High School Wall of Honor.” But you weren’t the first in your family. Your late grandmother, Betty Philcox Voss, was previously installed on the Wall for her role as a premier YMCA women’s swimming coach who was later chosen manager of the U.S. Women’s Olympic team. Did you know about her achievement growing up, or just when you were going to be inducted?
Philcox: Oh, yeah. My grandparents lived across the street. I was swimming at a very early age, and she coached my sisters in high school. She coached into her 80s. She traveled to places like Russia, Germany, and Australia. She was with the 1964 Olympics in Japan and was the swimming manager.
Editor’s note: Betty Philcox Voss passed away in 2003 at the age of 95. In 2001, she was named as a Grand Dame of the International Swimming Hall of Fame and was the first woman president of an AAU association.
Syracuse Historical Images/Photo by Mike Waters
DBN: Why did you choose Syracuse?
Philcox: I was fortunate enough to be recruited by a number of schools. My high school coach had a pretty good knowledge of the recruiting process when he was active in recruiting at the University of Pittsburgh. He opened up a lot of opportunities for me. Under him, I was able to throw the ball pretty well and put up good numbers. His knowledge of the recruiting process and connections with colleges and individuals were really beneficial. Syracuse was closer to home, even though I had an opportunity to get farther away, but I liked that my parents could attend games. A combination of factors brought me there.
DBN: You were the backup QB in 1987 when Syracuse went 11-0-0, then tied Auburn in the Sugar Bowl. With the current playoff system in college football, back in the day, bowl games were perceived as the pinnacle of the season. What is your opinion of how college football has taken away the importance of the bowl games?
Philcox: With the playoff system, that has taken away the degree of tranquility of players. I like the idea of a playoff, but with college, it makes it more like the professional leagues. It has always been a highly profitable endeavor, but that money wasn’t getting shared, and it should be shared with the players. Not sure the current way they do it is the best way, but it is what it is for now. I like to see people enjoy the bowl games, and there should be importance placed on being in those games. You have to understand that it has become a business aspect where players can choose to participate or not, and look at the next opportunity.
DBN: All college playoff teams are determined in the board room. The NFL has all decisions determined on the field. Which system is better?
Philcox: College football isn’t just 32 teams. There are 100-plus teams and all the different conferences, so their system has to be different. It’s not apples-to-apples. Somebody has to be there to choose those participants. There is controversy every year, and it will be because some teams are left out who believe they should have been included.
DBN: You became Syracuse’s starter in 1988. One of the highlights was a 24-10 victory over a tough Penn State team on the road. Penn State didn’t lose many games at home. What do you remember about that game?
Philcox: Yeah, that was a fun one. We hadn’t beaten them in, I believe 16 years, and I got to play them in my senior year. It was tougher playing in that stadium in front of a packed crowd. If you won in front of that many fans in their house, you really accomplished something that not many teams could say they did.
DBN: That season, you led the conference in “yards gained per pass attempt” with 8.9 yards. Did you consider your offense to be balanced?
Philcox: We had an offense that ran an option scheme. Which I wasn’t a very good athletic quarterback. They installed it in my sophomore year, and I considered transferring because I didn’t think it was the right offense for me. I didn’t have many opportunities to transfer, so I had to stick it out at Syracuse and get my education and see how it worked out in football. We had a great offensive coordinator who recognized that, with my lack of speed, he made an option offense work. We had great opportunities with play action that became a balanced offense that was tough to defend.
DBN: In your junior year, Syracuse was ranked #4, and as a senior, you guided the Orange to a #12 ranking while completing both undergraduate and graduate degrees. What were the keys to success for both those years?
Philcox: I put a lot of success on George DeLeone, the offensive coordinator. When he came in, it made us a lot more competitive on the offensive side of the ball, something that was needed. He took a team that was blue-collar and coached guys who weren’t really highly recruited. From the time I arrived at Syracuse to the time I left, his coaching style elevated all of us, although slow and painstaking. But once we learned his offense, it really took off in 1987 and was able to sustain itself for a number of years.
DBN: Despite having a very good senior season, the NFL draft came and went. Why did you choose the Cincinnati Bengals to sign a free agent contract with?
Philcox: At that point, they were the only team that called me. It was in May, and I was getting ready to take a trip up to Massachusetts when I got the call to come in and work out. I signed a free-agent contract. There weren’t all the different camps back then, so it was a matter of reporting to training camp. That year, the Bengals had drafted two quarterbacks in Erik Wilhelm in the third round and Bobby Jean in the later rounds. So, they had three rookie quarterbacks to go along with a veteran in camp behind Boomer Esiason. Fortunately, the league had started up the practice squad again and kept me there as the fourth quarterback. That is where I was able to put my foot in the door and keep my head down and nose to the grindstone, work, and do what I had to do. It was here that I learned how to be a success in the NFL.
Editor’s note: Browns head coach Paul Brown invented the “taxi squad” in 1946. When the Browns merged into the NFL in 1950, that league did not have players who only practiced. In 1965, the league began a “futures list” which contained seven players, but that was disbanded in 1974. The “practice squad” was revised in 1988.
DBN: What was your first NFL training camp like?
Philcox: It was such a different experience than in college. For me, it was such a bonus because I had gone through Memorial Day weekend not knowing if I would get any more opportunities to continue to play and compete. For me, training camp was the icing on the cake. I didn’t care how hot it was or how tough it was. I was in a uniform again and playing.
DBN: Paul Brown was the Bengals’ GM. What was he like?
Philcox: He wasn’t around a lot, and Mike Brown was seldom on the lot. This was just two years before Paul passed. I can’t recall him being around a lot. Even in dealing with my contract, that was Mike who negotiated it.
DBN: The following year, you made the Bengals roster as a backup to Boomer Esiason, jumping past Erik Wilhelm, and you played in two games. Excluding preseason, tell me about when you went into your first actual game against the Patriots in Week 3.
Houston Oilers v Cleveland Browns Photo by Focus on Sport/Getty Images
Philcox: I had continued to progress in the NFL. And Boomer continued to get banged up a little, so I was able to get into some games for a series or two. I didn’t set anything on fire. We rotated quarterbacks, and it just so happened that it was my time to be the first to go in. We were up by quite a bit, and I went in against the Patriots in the fourth quarter. I just tried to get something going and move the offense. I remember getting sacked on one series. I was prepared and ready, and when I went in, the outcome of the game was already set.
DBN: In 1991, you signed with the Browns through Plan “B.” How did you find out you had been claimed?
Philcox: I had an agent at that point, and he had been in contact with several teams. I was in Connecticut with family at the time, and he kept in contact with me with back-and-forth conversations. He told me the Browns were expressing some interest and wanted to get things worked out. I was excited to move and, hopefully, move in an upward trajectory. I wasn’t getting much playing time with the Bengals, and I could tell if I stayed, I would have been a career backup, and I wanted an opportunity to compete.
30 years ago today...
Bill Belichick cut Bernie Kosar and and named Todd Philcox the starter.
SIX days later, Kosar led the Cowboys to a 20-15 win over the Phoenix Cardinals.
(like Josh Dobbs, but different) pic.twitter.com/UXAweqMupE
— Andrew Siciliano (@AndrewSiciliano) November 8, 2023
DBN: That was Bill Belichick’s second season as head coach of the Browns. What type of coach was he?
Philcox: Bill was a very good player’s coach. A guy whom I enjoyed playing for. You always knew where you stood with Bill. Very straightforward. In games, he had high expectations of everyone. He was very different, and there wasn’t any BS. Do your job.
DBN: In the Week 2 loss to the Miami Dolphins in 1992, Bernie Kosar broke an ankle. You started Week 3 against the Los Angeles Raiders and threw three touchdowns to Eric Metcalf in a 28-16 victory, the Browns’ first of the year after starting 0-2. Did you feel that you had finally gotten the opportunity to shine?
Philcox: I felt good going into that game, especially knowing all week in practice that the reps meant something more. I was ready and had been ready all season to play and get a chance to win. Eric just kept getting open in that game. He was an amazing player for us. The fact that we won our first game of the year gave playing that game a lot more meaning.
DBN: The following week, Mike Tomczak was named the starter, and Cleveland lost 12-0. Tomczak only gained 75 yards and threw two interceptions. Why did Belichick go with Tomczak after you had killed it the week before?
Philcox: In the second quarter of the Raiders game, I broke my thumb. The following week I was in a cast. While throwing a pass, my hand hit the helmet of a defender. I felt pain at the time but thought I had jammed my thumb. There was a lot of discomfort for the remainder of the game, but I just tried to keep it loose. As the game went along, it started to be difficult to grip the ball. I was still able to throw passes, although a few came off a bit ugly. I was able to continue and finish the game, but I knew something wasn’t right. I didn’t know it was broken, but I mentioned it to the trainers that I had jammed my thumb. I had X-rays the next day, which confirmed there was a break. They had to put a pin in it to repair it. So, I played three quarters with a broken thumb and on the sidelines just kept it moving to try to keep some flexibility in it. It wasn’t crazy hurting, but I knew something wasn’t right.
Editor’s note: In the second half, Philcox threw two TD passes and had another called back – all with a broken thumb
DBN: The following season, Kosar was benched, and Belichick started you in the next four games. How did Belichick inform you that you would be starting in Week 11 against Seattle?
Philcox: He was matter-of-fact. Which Bill always was. He said I would be starting and get out there and do your job and keep this thing going. At that point, we had a decent record (Editor’s note: 5-3-0). It was certainly a surprise to me, and to the world. But I was always prepared and knew I would be ready to play.
DBN: At the end of your career, you played with the San Diego Chargers and were teammates with LB Junior Seau. Where were you when you heard of his death?
Philcox: I was down here in Florida. I was shocked to hear the news. Unfortunately, there have been several players who experienced dramatic brain injuries. I had a close friend, Bob Dahl, take his own life about a year ago now. He was a good friend and played for the Browns. That is an experience that you weren’t sure this disease existed, then here are two examples of players who were upbeat, positive, never had any anger issues, and just couldn’t go on. These are guys for whom something like this would never have happened. Both were a pleasure to play with.
DBN: You grew up fishing and played for the Jaguars in 1996. Is that how you found out about the city with all the surrounding water resources, and then after football landed there permanently?
Philcox: Yeah, I played here in 1996 and 1997 and enjoyed the area. The outdoors and fishing were enjoyable. I like being outdoors, whether fishing or playing some golf, or just hang out at the beach. It gives me peace. After football, I went back to Connecticut and worked in the financial services industry for about five years. I had to get up early and catch a train every morning. After a while, I realized it wasn’t something I wanted to do for my entire life. I made the decision to move back to Jacksonville.
Houston Oilers v Cleveland Browns Photo by Focus on Sport/Getty Images
DBN: What steps did you have to take to become a boat captain?
Philcox: I always had the idea to be a fishing guide in the back of my mind, and I inquired about how to pursue getting my Coast Guard license. It was harder to do some of the technical stuff. There are a lot of steps to get licensed by the Coast Guard. They don’t just give it out to anyone. For one, you have to have documentation of being on a vessel for 360 days. They do drug testing and ask for character references. And you must have a commercial designation.
RELATED: WHO NEEDS A FISHING LICENSE IN FLORIDA?
DBN: How did you get into the charter boat business?
Philcox: I was able to complete the requirements and started this business initially, which has been about 10-plus years now. I bought my boat down here from a dealer and decided which type was best for what I wanted to offer. In our rivers and inlets, you need a shallower bottom than those that go out deep in the Atlantic Ocean.
DBN: When you take clients, are they requesting to catch a certain breed of fish, or anything they can catch?
Philcox: There are those who have a favorite fish to eat, and there are areas where those types of fish are seen and caught more often, but nothing is ever a guarantee. I fish for flounder, seatrout, redfish, tarpon. Redfish and seatrout are the most available fish throughout the year. We have a tarpon tournament in the summer. You can catch bull sharks or black-tipped sharks near the St. John’s River mouth to the Atlantic. I don’t go offshore to catch any deeper saltwater species. I spend my time fishing in two feet of water.
DBN: Artificial lures, or live bait?
Philcox: Live bait, like white shrimp, minnows, mullet. That kind of bait.
DBN: You also offer sightseeing tours. What areas of North Florida does this entail?
Philcox: Most people who come to Jacksonville think it is strictly a beach area, where the Atlantic Ocean is a great way to spend the day. There are plenty of beaches besides Jacksonville Beach, like Ponte Vedra and Neptune Beach. But the St. John’s River is a large river that ends up near Orlando and has thousands of tributaries to explore. Our sightseeing tours are family-oriented and take people to places where there aren’t any crowds, with nature all around.
Cleveland Browns v Pittsburgh Steelers Photo by Mitchell Layton/Getty Images
Editor’s note: The St. John’s River is the largest in the State of Florida, flowing 310 miles long, which has a slow speed of 0.3 MPH. Its widest point is nearly 3 miles.
DBN: What is your fondest moment of being a Cleveland Brown?
Philcox: I would have to say my first start was when we played the Raiders. Although I did break my thumb, it was a great game and a great start for me. It was a big win and was memorable for me. A very positive thought for the rest of my life. It was a great team effort. The offensive line gave me good pockets that day, and the defense controlled the game. And Eric Metcalf caught a couple of short passes that he broke for touchdowns that other players would have been a 10-15 yard gain. A player like that helps the quarterback.