3’s A Crowd? Browns Have “Problem” Sharing Carries Among 3 Backs
Terrance West #28 of the Cleveland Browns is stopped by Paul Posluszny #51 of the Jacksonville Jaguars during the second quarter of the game at EverBank Field on October 19, 2014 in Jacksonville, Florida. (Photo by Rob Foldy/Getty Images)
Daryl Ruiter
Browns Central
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CLEVELAND (92.3 The Fan) – They say two’s company and three’s a crowd.
For the Cleveland Browns in the backfield, the cliché couldn’t be more dead on.
Browns coach Mike Pettine and offensive coordinator Kyle Shanahan have 3 capable running backs but only so many carries to go around and for the first time this season, the rotation of the backs has become a problem.
“We’ll have discussion this week as to how to best rotate those guys,” Pettine said Monday. “You could make the argument it’s a good problem to have, but you’re still dealing with the word ‘problem.’”
Starter Ben Tate is sharing carries with rookies Isaiah Crowell and Terrance West but for the first time this season, the Browns potent running game hit a pothole at Jacksonville and was limited to just 69 total yards on 30 carries.
The loss of Pro Bowl center Alex Mack reared its ugly head as John Greco and Paul McQuistan struggled to keep Jacksonville’s front 7 at bay, but the backs refused to use Mack’s absence as an excuse for averaging 2.3 yards per carry on the ground.
“Alex Mack’s a great player,” West said. “I think we probably would’ve had more rushing yards if Alex Mack’s there, but the way the Jaguars played us, they wanted it more. He probably wouldn’t have made a difference.”
Aside from dealing with the adjustments up front, Pettine and his coaching staff now find themselves taking a look at the carries in the backfield and how to divide them moving forward. Tate, who said a few weeks ago that rotating 3 backs might be difficult to pull off, was more diplomatic when asked about the rotation again on Monday.
“The way we’re going now is fine,” Tate said.
Tate missed 2 games before the bye week after sustaining a sprained right knee in the first half at Pittsburgh week 1 and the 2 rookies carried the load in his absence. Now with Tate healthy, the rookies are looking to find their way.
Tate, West and Crowell have combined to rush for 777 yards and average 4.3 yards per carry this season but the rotation seems to vary week to week because of performance, availability or coaching decisions.
“It’s hard to get into rhythm with three guys just because you don’t get warm,” Crowell said. “You kind of come to the sideline and kind of get kind of cold. But it’s been all right. It’s been working so far. We’ve been winning games. So I don’t have a problem with it.”
West worked his was back into the good graces of the coaching staff with a strong week of practice after he was benched as a healthy scratch against the Steelers, but he found himself back on the bench for the second half Sunday after failing to convert a second-and 2 and third-and-1 late in the first half.
“I could’ve gotten the first down, just gotten the first down,” West said. “I missed the cut, but I was trying to go for the big play. It just comes back down to it that I should’ve just gotten the first down.”
On second down at the Jaguars 25, West danced right, then left, then right before stutter-stepping his way to a yard. Then on third-and-1, he bounced it outside and then tried to cut back inside before banging into center John Greco and he was quickly drooped for no gain.
“I know I’ve got limited reps, so I know when I’m in a game, I’m trying to get a big play,” West said. “But I’ve just got to go back to the books and take what the defense gives me.
“I’m a rookie. I’m going to learn from it. Some of the best running backs ever to play the game made the same mistakes before. It’s all about how you react to it.”
After West failed on back to back runs the Browns went for it on fourth down and Brian Hoyer tried to fit a throw into tight end Jordan Cameron’s up the right sideline and everyone knows what happened from there.
“We have three good backs, and Terrance was the guy we had in there,” Pettine said. “We didn’t execute, and I know he was hard on himself about it, knowing that he shouldn’t try to hit the home run there, that he should just, ‘Hey, if it’s blocked for zero get one. If it’s blocked for two get four.’ That’s the decision we went with.”
West learned another hard lesson Sunday – take what you can get and run with it.
“It was a coaches decision,” West said. “I wanted to be out there with my team. Who didn’t? At the same time, you’ve just got to stay focused. I was on the sideline, cheering my team on and doing all the right things that a teammate would do.”
Crowell, who dropped 3 footballs and lost one last week against the Steelers on pitches, was the third back off the bench Sunday after being the second off the bench the previous 4 weeks.
“I was surprised a little, but I really didn’t let it get to me at all,” Crowell said. “Just try to move forward and just control what I can control. Get in there and just make the best of my opportunity.”
Click on the graphic below to see how the snap, carry and individual statistics break down for all 3 backs to date this season.
(Graphic by Daryl Ruiter CBS Cleveland)
Last season circumstances forced the Browns to turn to the likes of Fozzy Whittaker, Bobby Rainey and Edwin Baker to carry the load so griping over having 3 productive running backs is unnecessary.
It appears that Crowell and West are searching for clarity just as much as they are yards when it comes to their roles, but the solution seems pretty simple: with no clear rotation set for the 3, Pettine and Shanahan should pick 2 and keep the third ready to go if needed.
If history is any indicator, the Browns will end up using all three backs anyway but it doesn’t have to be at the same time.
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