DawgTalkers.net Forums DawgTalk Pure Football Forum They 've got to establish the running game

Especially in A.F.C. north division games the Browns need to rely on running the ball even when it gives little results, because eventually someone will break a big gain.

Just 24 months ago, the board was all a buzz with " feed the Crow" posts, and Isiah Crowell and Duke Johnson are both returning, and healthy, and largely the other players in the running game are back too.

Bitonio, Greco, Joe Thomas, Barnidge, are all returning, and Paztor is better on running plays than on passing. Erving is returning too.

If the Browns can manage to create some variety of outside, and inside running play calls, I think that establishing the running game, will just make them difficult to beat.

History shows, if you give up on the running game, it usually ends bad.

IF the Browns can get a consistent 115-120 yards rushing out of their primary backfield, and some productive pass catching from them too.

Then we may have something.

No doubt about it. The problem is, we've basically said this for 17 straight years. Outside of a few random games/stretches, there are VERY few times I can remember feeling confident in our ground game.

Why the heck doesn't Crow run the ball like he did at the end of the game? He looked like a bucking bronco out there. No one could tackle him. I know it's 'garbage time', but doesn't change the fact he finally wasn't going down with an arm tackle.

The Browns really need to establish a running game in 3 WR sets. Especially with Gordon coming back in 3! games. Crowell is big and fast enough to where he should be able to run over defensive backs and small LBers.

Unbelievable. We finally are throwing long and now you're talking about the run game.

Our QBs get hurt and we've never been able to run the ball.

Why is our offensive line praised again....?

What I don't understand is why not send on a sideline ever other play ?? He will be open or get a PI a bunch ... And as far as running the ball; Much rather see Jackson in the backfield ..

When's the last time we had a 1000 yard back?

I was a FB in high school. That really isn't important, but it has caused me to focus on RB's a lot.

Fact is, some RB's take time to build momentum. The more carries they get, the more effective they run. Crow is exactly like that. The more carries he gets, the stronger he gets.

I look forward to the days when we can have both.

We had both in 2007.

Such a long long time ago.....

It isn't.
Some of our players are, but our OLine isn't.

We've been great at pass blocking in the past, but I can only think of one season where we were decent with run blocking.

It doesn't seem like the Crow can get much of anything but a yard or so per running play. I don't know if it's his fault or the blocking.... or a bit of both?

was Lewis the last 1000 yard back?

We've had four running backs run for 1000+ yards since 1999. The last one was Peyton Hillis in 2010.

http://www.pro-football-reference.com/pl...amp;draft_pos=p

I don't necessarily care if we have a player rushing for a thousand yards, that's just an arbitrary shiny object. I want sustained success in the run game which we have had very rarely over the last decade and a half.

So that was what, when Spurrier won the Heisman in 66 or Haurte won in 64?


People forget the "ole ball coach" was a pretty darn good player.

Definitely establish the run game, and by 2018 it should be ready to go.

Granted, it's only been one game, and we were playing catch up most of the game, but this is something that I thought hue would bring to this team. I'm pretty sure one of his cornerstones is a dominant run game. Of course, with this defense, we're going to be playing catch up all season.

The same time we had a really good fullback, which I know is not a popular argument.

2010 with Peyton Hillis I believe.

So this is all Malcolm Johnson's fault

Ha, no, but I think he is part of the problem...or at least he has been.

Yeah, running the football is also one of my favorites to witness. Kid abuse (or opinion) aside, Adrian Peterson is my favorite tailback. I love watching that man do what he does.

But I'd like to see more Duke Johnson handoffs. Sometimes I wonder if they limit him for fear of him getting hurt? He's usually, seemingly anyway, productive when the ball is in his hands.

Crow is average at best imo.

Watching Jimmy Brown run was (and is to this day) the single greatest thing in sports I've ever witnessed, I lived for it week to week, and told everyone the next day all about it (this was in Buffalo), just to hear Ken Coleman say "Brown" or "Jim Brown" "up the middle", and watch him do something amazing like moving the whole pile and then emerging from it to break free, or see him give that limp leg and take it away, or watch him leap over a pile on a goal line stand with his free arm out straight, and then he'd walk slowly back to the huddle and do it again the next play.

BTW..........Jim finally gets his statue this weekend.

We never should have let Vickers go...

Maybe if they can't any better production, maybe they should just put Cameron Erving on the bench for a while.

I can't believe the Browns can't get the center position right in 20 years.

Alex Mack was just good enough for his too tall frame to overcompensate for his almost never making a play or opening a hole.

They drafted Melvin Fowler, and Jeff Faine, and now they get the current guy who can underperform for half the timespan of an average career and be just good enough to hide the fact he shouldn't be on the field. Just like the others.

It's CENTER! Figure it out@! It's so disturbing!

Just being angry.

Mack was--and still is--an exceptional center.

especially in the ZBS

Hmm .. thinking about the 2 things most teams want to do ..... establish the run, and stop the run ....

I covered the rush defense so far in another thread ... so here is the rushing offense.

Through the 1st 3 games, the Browns are 4th in the NFL, averaging almost 145 yards on the ground per game. We are 2nd in the NFL at 5.7 yards/rush, and are are tied at the top of the NFL with 4 runs of 20+ yards.

Isaiah Crowell is 2nd in the NFL with 274 yards. He is averaging a staggering 6.1 yards/rush. It is amazing what a huge run here or there does for the average. Duke is checking in at 6.4 yards/rush.

It is still very early, but it sure looks like these 2 fit Hue's offense very, very well.

Crow #2, 6 yards a rush? Wow I knew he broke free and had some huge yardage plays like that 80+ yarder, but still those numbers are shocking to me (in a good way.)

Lets hope for consistency and improvement for another 13 games!! #godawgs

I think the difficult thing is finding a balance between Crow and Duke.

Crow seems like the type that gets better the more you use him.

But Duke has shown flashes of not just being a pass catching 3Rd down back, if he gets a little space and can burst through it..

the sucky thing is we're running it well, defending the run well, and are 0-3

horrible taunting call and 3 missed field goals are the only reason we arent 2-1 right now

Getting both backs carries should be a priority ( Nice problem )

That is kinda hard to prove. How do you know we would have scored a TD if the taunting call wasn't made? And who's to say how the game would have changed had our kicker made a couple of the earlier FGs.

You are what your record says you are.

I would add the blocked XP is a 3 point swing in what ended up being a 5 point game.. We wouldn't of needed a TD to win..

Just a FG