Each NFL team's greatest play of all-time and why
By Nick Villano
Cleveland Browns - Jim Brown catch and run vs. Bears
December 10, 1961
Jim Brown is often considered the greatest player in the history of the sport. He was impossible to stop. The Cleveland Browns have a long and stories history, but there’s nothing that compares to what Jim Brown brought to Cleveland. Ironically, the one play that embodies what he brought to the table was actually a reception.
Against the Chicago Bears and backed up around their own 20-yard line, quarterback Milt Plum was on the run with nowhere to go, and he just tossed the ball to Brown as an outlet. He was literally covered. That didn’t matter. Brown immediately made a man miss, and he was off to the races. He broke four tackles right up on the sideline, avoided stepping out of bounds, and raced to a touchdown.
This is why it’s considered one of the best plays in Browns history and one of the best plays in NFL history. Brown deserves praise for everything he did on the football field. He was a marvel for a sport that hadn’t yet established itself as “must-see” like baseball. However, players like Brown put people in the seats, and it was plays like this that solidified his spot as the best in the sport.