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Browns hope Harrison can be 'special'
Steve King, Staff Writer
06.12.2008

Romeo Crennel says Browns running back Jerome Harrison is, in effect, a special kind of player.

"He's got a neat set of skills -- a unique set of skills," the head coach, speaking Thursday morning as the team wrapped up its three-day full-squad minicamp, said of Harrison's ability to use his quickness and ability to change directions on a dime to be a threat both as a runner and pass receiver.

But how "special" Harrison really is will determine just how much playing time he'll get in 2008.

"I told him that to get on the field this year he would have to be able to contribute on special teams," Crennel said. "There are only so many players you can take to the game, and last year Jerome got the short end of the stick at times because of not being a special teamer."

If Harrison can find a niche on special teams, be more versatile and thus roster-friendly, then he could be a real weapon for the Browns on passing downs. He displayed that throughout the minicamp, making a one-handed catch down the right sideline on Wednesday, and catching a pass in the left flat on Thursday and bobbing and weaving his way through defenders and into the end zone.

On those two plays and others, he looked like the player he was at Washington State, when he was a running and receiving star for two seasons. The Browns drafted him in the fifth round in 2006, and after not getting many opportunities as rookie, he made strides last year -- when he was able to dress -- by being the team's third-leading rusher with 142 yards on 23 tries (a healthy 6.2 yards-per-carry average).

"The game is slowing down for me a little bit now," Harrison said. "I'm more knowledgeable of the NFL, I know my reads better and I'm more familiar with the scheme.

"I've put in a lot of time on the books and in the classroom making sure I know what I'm doing."

Harrison knows he has to prove himself every day because of the crowded backfield situation that also includes Jamal Lewis, Jason Wright and Lawrence Vickers.

"When I get a chance, I need to make a play," he said. "Then when I make it, I've got to push to make the next one. I've got to press to keep getting better."

Though practices are over until training camp begins in six weeks, Harrison will continue to try to get better when he goes to Atlanta to work out with Lewis. He said it will get him in great shape, plus he plans to add about 12 pounds to get to 212 to be a little stronger and more physical.

MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE: Wide receiver Braylon Edwards, coming off his record-setting 2007 season, looked like a man among boys during the three days. His defensive teammates really struggled to cover him. He seems primed to have an even bigger year this time around.

PLAYS OF THE DAY: Rookie defensive back Darnell Terrell broke up a pass to wide receiver Lance Leggett up the right sideline. ... Quarterback Ken Dorsey showed his arm off twice, hitting rookie wide receiver Nate Hughes for a TD on a post pattern and then threading the needle on a crossing route to tight end Martin Rucker, another rookie. ... Quarterback Brady Quinn was right on target to Efrem Hill down the right sideline ... Quinn and wide receiver Travis Wilson made a nice connection on a quick slant route. ... Rookie outside linebacker Alex Hall showed off his athleticism while taking off with a fumble on a running play.

DETERMINED: Wide receiver Donte' Stallworth was back at practice after missing the first two days because of a death in his family in California. To make it, he took the red-eye to Cleveland, getting in at 6:30 a.m. Thursday.

JUST VISITING: Former Browns head coach Sam Rutigliano took in practice on Thursday. He analyzes the team for two Cleveland TV stations and wanted to get one last look at it before the offseason ended and the players began to scatter for vacations and some rest and relaxation. The first player he sought out was director of player personnel T.J. McCreight, who Rutigliano coached at Liberty University in the late 1980s and early '90s.

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There are a couple of us that have pimped Harrison since college. I still think he is a better player then Bush and should have been drafted a lot higher and I don't think Bush should have been drafted as high.

The kid has been working hard and I hope he gets a chance to show his stuff. He is great between the tackles. I would love to see him add 12lbs to his frame as long as he doens't loose his burst. Hopefully he can climb the charts to #2 because I think he is a lot better back then Wright and he would do better on 3rd down as a weapon if he can grow in his blocking.

It's interesting that they bring up the fact that he wasn't on special teams as to why he didn't play a lot. I thought it was because he had a real hard time with his blitz pick up and was a liability back there.

Very encouraging.... it's sounding like Harrison is developing into a Priest Holmes or Marshal Faulk type player.

It's been so confusing about Harrison. When he has gotten in the games, he has been explosive. It seems he picks up yards in chunks, often 8-12 yards at a time. Then, he's gone for the rest of the game.

I really hope he can develop into a complete back because that would be great to have that kind of weapon back there with Lewis. It's good that he's going to be training with Lewis, too. That's a good mentor to have.

He is explosive but it seemed to me he did his best work outside the tackles working in space. It'll be interesting to see how he's developed.

I remember Bill Parcels last preseason asking how Harrison could be considered a third string back, stating this kids has star written all over him. Based on Bill's credentials I value his opinion and agree 100%. Harrison is woefully underutilized on this team.

So he can't tackle. When did he ever have to in college? Is that why we drafted him? I can't imagine the options we would have in a two back set with Jamal and Jerome: jamal up the middle, quick pitch to the kid in the flats, fakes to jamal, quick out to Jerome, fake the pitch and jamal up the middle, fake to jerome hit jamal in the flats, etc., etc. the options are endless. Couple this with Edwards, and Winslow and I am not sure what the defense anticipates. I know I will get bashed...but Harrison can't block, blah, blah, ...he brings alot to the table (great hands, exposive burst, great vision, can change directions on a dime) and should be on the field as much as possible. Heck if he can receive kickoffs then pair him up on kick returns with Cribbs, that would be a scary duo to kick to!

Unfortunately, I doubt we will ever see what he can really do before his contract runs out or he is released by the team.

This guy needs more touches. I think he is a perfect complimentary back to JL.

"I still think he is a better player then Bush"

If you're referring to George W.,then yes.If however you mean Reggie,then,well,no.
I don't think Reggie is being asked to cover kickoffs and punts.Special teams,that's where Jerome will find his calling in the NFL.

He needs to start volunteering to line up as a kick returner or gunner or something... .he needs to position himself so that we MUST have him active on gameday.

Yeah, and I think that was RAC's point. If he can be active every game, they can design more plays around him and he can get more touches.

As far as lining up with Jamal, he likes running behind a blocker and is most effective when he can get to the second level. He and Vickers are gelling. Get him into and past the linebackers and he's hard to bring down. I'd like to see Jerome more on second and third down and as an outlet. Jamal will be the primary obviously but Jerome should be able to save some wear and tear.

I'm also looking for Wright to have a better year, he had a couple nice runs last year.

One of my pet peeves with RAC .. Who makes up the 45 man game day roster .

If he is special , he will have to show it soon....To designate him as a Holmes or Faulk type player IMHO may be reaching as was the comparison to Bush....IF Harrison Really had this Talent & Potential he would have shined and produced by now and Not just in spurts JMHO ...

Knowing our luck we will release him and he will go to denver.

You bring up good points.

Wright will continue to be our backup, because he runs hard, knows the offense, plays ST, and is by far our best pass blocking RB!

Quote:

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The reason Wright is always active and Harrison is inactive is because Wright has a valuable place on special teams. Now incase anyone gets hurt he can back up JL AND still keep this job as a gunner/wherever on special teams.

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Wright is our third down passing situation back. That is why. He can pick up blitzes and pass blocks very well. At least it seems that way to me.

Harrison is held off our roster because guys like Ali are active. Wright is a decent runner, but it's his ability to pass block on third downs that i'm guessing keeps him lined up.

It's definintely a numbers game. We see Vickers as a third runner and Harrison isn't a necessity to start.

This really dissapoints me because i'm a huge fan of Harrison and I think he's a great change from Jamal. He definitely is a strong option and performs whenever he gets the chance. Unfortunately Wright does pretty well too and has secured the third down blocking back spot.

Yes he does do everything well GM, but watch his blocking. When he is the chip blocker on third downs.

He's the best we got.

I remember Fraley's wife coming on here in a argument about Jerome and asking if we ever thought that it was a roster spot issue because Jason Wright was irreplacable as our 3rd down blocking back.

Last season he did do a lot of that. He was effective.

GM...Wright has been the best I've seen in picking up the blitz not only the HOW TO but in the recognition - Talent? no comparison Harrison wins hands down.

That is why if Lewis goes down for any length of time Jerome will take over most of his duties. But 3rd down back...or in other words "OBVIOUS PASSING DOWNS" I want Wright in there - priority #1 for the 3rd down back is to pick up the blitz. None that I have seen in the NFL does it better. Its all about being a Team and excelling in their roles!

JMHO

I'm not putting down Wright's blocking, as I agree he is the best we have as a third down blocking back and he is damn good at it. However I don't think he gets anough credit for everything else he does.

I guess we disagree on this one EO, I can't say Wright is "The best I have ever seen" However isn't it nice to finally diasgree over a player being good, or great VS both of us agreeing a player sucks like we had to do for years

Your right GM

We could still be having lee suggs vs. william green debates....

or Terry Kirby VS Abdul-Karim al-Jabbar debates

Wright is the prototypical New England Patriot player. Off the charts smart, been told that as well as his background at Northwestern. Knows his role and plays it very well. Never makes mentals.

Bottom line....you win championships with these guys complimenting difference making athletic players.

On to Harrison....

He has superior elusiveness and has good strength for his size. He has average quickness for his size and well below average top end speed.

Harrison needs bigger holes than Lewis initially but can get much more creative once he gets to the next level. The problem is that I'm not sure he's not faster than Lewis...in fact I'm pretty sure Lewis is faster. Strange.

Overall he's a nice complimentary back who can rip 10-15 yards at a time with great blocking...which we have.

ummm... Are u talking about another Harrison?

No.

Watch the next time that he brakes away from the pack....only to see there is no next gear and that safeties run him down.

If there was a 60 yard dash between Lewis and Harrison my money is on Lewis...no kidding. After 20 yards Harrison would be a few yards ahead...then he'd get tracked down and passed at the end.

That's why a 1900 yard Pac-10 runner went in the 5th round. He doesn't have an extra gear and will be caught from behind by all NFL DBs and some NFL LBs.

If he went to USC, I'm sure he would have went faster... Nobody pays attention to Washington St.... well I don't... lol

I looked for 40 times and they were in the 4.4's. That's pretty quick. 4.51 http://www.draftclass.com/prospects/index.php?id=192

another 4.47 http://www.nfldraftscout.com/ratings/profile.php?pyid=33885

Sport Illustrated gave him a 4.51. While it's not super speed, it's Braylon Edwards fast........ Not every guy is gonna have speed in the 4.3s like Peterson and McFadden. Those guys are flat out fast. Harrison is fine in his own right as far as speed goes. I mean how many backs can run much below that number. Not many. And he has above average quickness too. I mean, you say watch the plays, I say watch the plays. he finds the right hole, he's very quick, he makes moves. Most of all he gets substantial yardage. I like Harrison, he's a weapon for our offense.

He has to be active in the Special teams role to be on the team, that has to be the thing. Ali is on the team because of special teams and i don't know of many teams that have two fullbacks that are active. Wright is really underrated in my opinion. I really like the guys overall production on the field and that pass blocking is good and needed. He will probaly get more carries this year which is good but he has not done anything yet that makes him better then wright at the 3rd down spot.

Harrison's build, and Ali's build is a little different. Ali is built for special teams. Harrison is more of a returner, but of course that role is filled. I personally think, that RAC was just talking when he said Harrison had to be better on special teams. He could go make tackles, but he could easily be blocked by the opposing teams. So why risk it?

I was just kinda glancing at this:

http://scores.espn.go.com/nfl/players/profile?playerId=9731

Call me crazy, but it seems that this kid gets the most out of the chances that he's gotten..

Very small sample size but he's had 54 touches in his career with a long of 17 yards. Kind of leads back to that extra gear issue.

I hope he performs well this season. We need him to produce when he's in and yes I think he deserves more touches as well. Just don't expect him to run away from anybody once he gets to the next level.

I don't want to say this... but I have too...

I know someone who was pretty good, who always got caught up with.... ummm... #20... Barry Sanders...

http://www.skylandtrail.org/

The best in the ATL

I agree. I think Harrison will get more carries if he's activated each game through his special teams play. If he can do that, Chud could put him onto the field once or twice per game easy, (especially if they plan on spelling Jamal at times,) if not he has a hard time designing plays around him and giving him any carries at all. They're too busy getting ready with the guys they know will be there, Jamal gets the bulk of the carries and Wright has fulfilled his role well and done nothing to lose the second spot. He's in his fourth year, has been under the system a while, has been working behind Jamal, I see no reason he shouldn't improve this year as well.

Daman - Jerome did make the most of his 23 carries with a nice 6+yds/carry. He wasn't active in eight games so no carries there, and he only carried in four of the games he was active in, so no carries there. He got in for a stretch when Jamal was hurt and Wright became the number 1 for a game and a half.

At the #2 spot, even though Wright was active all sixteen games he only got the ball in twelve of them, getting 1,2 or 3 at the most, 4 carries per game when Jamal was healthy and he actually did get carries. He stepped in when Jamal went down and did everything asked of him the rest of the season, coming through with a respectable 4.6 yds/carry over like 60 carries or something. Jerome's longest was 17yds, Jason's was 18.

When Jamal was healthy, Jerome got two carries the entire rest of the season, not counting the eight garbage time carries in the SF game. If there's a conscientious move to relieve Jamal, (not saying there is,) and he makes it onto special teams, he'll still be lucky to get one or two carries a game consistently. And maybe that's the plan for him; stick him in a couple times and see if he can make something incredible happen because he is a special talent. If he does great, if not, maybe zero carries next time.

JMHO

I've had many discussions about Harrison but not many on this board.

Most of them were in response to those who would belittle RAC (funny how RAC gets all the blame while Chud would not be blamed at all ) for not playing JH more.

In summary of my explanations were as ff:

1. Lewis point blank was our Horse and you don't take reps from him unless he needed a breather.

2. Our #2 was well earned by Jason Wright...a smart kid from Northwestern who did everything well but nothing exceptional. But for our role of #2 meant he was our 3rd down back or for a lack of a better term the RB in on obvious passing downs.

Priority #1 for the 3rd down back would be to pick up the blitz...if none or swallowed up by our OL then he would find the spaces in the flat to serve as a relief valve. Wright perfected this role so that Harrison had no chance for it. And the gap between the two regarding Picking up the blitz (the #1 priority) was like the Grand Canyon.

This left Harrison the Special teams to serve the Browns and be an active player. Harrison - subjected to star status throughout HS and college simply found this activity very, very foreign and couldn't win a ST job. This found him on the Inactive list quite often. Until that is our RBs got a little knicked up.

Still - one thing is assured. JH with the ball in his hands is a very natural thing.

When several fans pull a "The Sky is falling" attitude towards our RB situation as in if Lewis goes down we are done. This is where I pimp Jerome - cause then his role will change. Oh, sure if its just a nick...Wright will probably take over most of Lewis' duties but if something long term should happen we don't need Jones, Alexander or any of these FA RBs out there. Jerome could provide an wow factor that would not miss a beat in case of the loss of Lewis...just different styles thats all.

But Jerome fits in quite nicely with our zone blocking scheme...he has excellent vision and can cut well in congestion. He also has the excellent hands to go into some routes and yet create another mismatch (LB on RB) for our high powered offense.

I'm very comfortable with Jeromes abilities. I do however think that we could possibly invest into a stud RB if the right guy falls onto our laps come draft day. A guy who still has to develop and he did stay in for his Sr. season at Texas A&M is a big bruising RB Javorski Lane. I would hope to pick him up and be a great complimentary RB with Jerome. He'll be a 2-4 round pick pending on his play during the year. The kid played around 300 lbs last season and ran a 4.7-4.8 (Vickers type of speed). I think if he trimmed down to 265-270 his speed would be in the 4.6 range (William Green) and a perfect compliment to the 205-210 RB...the thing I like about Javorski Lane is his feet (very Jamal Lewis like) and his hands (best hands I've seen on a big back - keep in mind Jacobs of the Giants has stone hands )

I'm treating this as a personal thought zone on our RB situation and that could not be complete if I didn't mention Cribbs. Who I have been stating for a year now, we should have made him a RB and not a WR. At 215 he has excellent size and if you all notice last year we used him more n more from the RB position with quick pitches and swing passes. I think Cribbs is a natural and the special series or two that Chud is making for him - I guarantee will situate him more in the backfield than lined up as a WR. Don't forget our only 2 point conversion (and maybe attempt of the season) had Cribbs getting a direct snap from the RB position and then faking a run pulling up to his KW2??? for the conversion. I've been pimping Cribbs for a 2-3 series a game type of RB that Chud will pick when the time is right...Me that time would be when I see the D collectively huddled with their hands on their knees (a clue that they're sucking wind). Go wide open with 3 Wrs and KW2 and Cribbs as the lone back. They go Nickel or dime package we run with Cribbs/ Screen with Cribbs ect. They come in the box we kill them with play action...or even an option pass with Cribbs throwing! If Chud is who I think he is - we are in for a treat

JMHO - but Jerome is just fine as our answer to any Long term loss of Lewis.