By JOEY JOHNSTON

Tribune Sports Writer

(c) Tampa Bay Times. Originally published Jan. 4, 1987.

CLEVELAND — Bernie Kosar has a five-year, $5-million contract with the Cleveland Browns.

He’s worth every penny. Just ask Browns owner Art Modell, who laid out the dough.

Seldom does a National Football League owner get such a quick return on a sizable investment. While other top-ranked college quarterbacks are wasting away on the bench, Kosar is one step away from the Super Bowl at age 23 after engineering Saturday’s 23-20 double-overtime win against the New York Jets in the AFC playoffs.

Obviously, he doesn’t believe in wasting time. As a freshman, he took the University of Miami to a national championship.

He doesn’t look like anything special. He doesn’t have the classic style of, say, Vinny Testaverde, his former Hurricane teammate. A Kosas pass can be a sidearm, underhand or even a shot-put type motion.

“They say Bernie doesn’t look good when he’s out there,’’ Browns coach Marty Schottenheimer said. “Well, you don’t get bonus points for looking pretty.’’

When a game is on the line, and 78,106 fans are screaming, you need more than a perfect spiral. Whatever that quality is, Kosar has it.

Late Saturday, the Browns were a beaten team. When Freeman McNeil plowed 25 yards for a touchdown, the Jets led 20-10 with 4:14 remaining in the AFC semifinal playoff game. Around Cleveland Stadium, there were tears. Some fans were leaving.

Kosar had thrown back-to-back interceptions.

His first thought, given the obstacles: “Give me the ball.’’

In the huddle, his words were also to the point.

“Bernie was the way he normally is — determined,’’ offensive tackle Dan Fike said. “It’s hard to explain. He’s very excited, but he’s calm. That tends to rub off on us.’’

“When I think of what Bernie Kosar did today, it almost brings tears to my eyes,’’ wide receiver Brian Brennan said. “He said, ‘Nobody gives up. Nobody. We can win this game.’ He’s such an inspiration to our offense.’’

Some will undoubtedly call it a miracle. Kosar merely referred to the Browns’ comeback as “a challenge.’’ A challenge, that’s all. A 10-foot putt on the 18th green, an all-night study session before the calculus exam. Just dig down a little deeper.

Kosar’s results: 64 pass attempts, 33 completions, 489 yards.

“Oh, it looked pretty bleak and obviously I felt terrible about throwing the interceptions, but you never give up,’’ said Kosar, trying to go incognito with a weird-looking  get up of sunglasses and an ankle-length black overcoat.

“Sixty-four passes? I care barely count that high. Hey, that doesn’t really matter. As long as we win, I’m happy.’’

So is everyone connected with the Browns.

“Bernie is the person who galvanized it all,’’ Modell said. “He has served as the catalyst. In my 26 years, I’ve never seen a quarterback grow in stature game by game, pass by pass, as Bernie has. It gets back to his native intellect.’’

Kosar’s greatest quality is his brain. If Mark Gastineau sees football as a macho battle, Kosar views it as a chess match. He knows where to throw. If his receivers are covered, he throws it away.

Kosar hadn’t thrown an interception since Nov. 30 (133 consecutive attempts) before Saturday, and even those weren’t entirely his fault. Both times, his arm was hit during his throwing motion.

“I feel terrible when there are interceptions,’’ Kosar said. “Just terrible. All I know is I want to stay away from that feeling.’’

Kosar hasn’t had too many terrible feelings this season. Slowly, this clumsy looking passer, who could still be tossing bombs at Miami (he’s two weeks younger than Testaverde) has revitalized the Cleveland franchise.

“We’re not surprised by anything Bernie does,’’ wide receiver Reggie Langhorne said. “That man knows how to win.’’

Because of his presence, so do the Browns.