DawgTalkers.net Forums DawgTalk Pure Football Forum Chris Jennings is the latest option to the Browns' feeble run game

http://www.cleveland.com/brown...veland_chris_je.html

By Tony Grossi
November 20, 2009, 1:54AM

BEREA, Ohio -- Next step in the de-evolution of the Browns' offense: More Chris Jennings at running back and less Jamal Lewis and Jerome Harrison.

We saw Jennings, an undrafted free agent signed in August from the CFL Montreal Alouettes, take precious carries away from Lewis on Monday night against the Baltimore Ravens.

In a game that was scoreless at halftime, Lewis ran 10 times for 36 yards and Jennings seven times for 18 yards. Each had four carries in the second half. Harrison was active for the game but never touched the ball.

"We wanted to take a look at Chris because I think he's earned a look based on the things that he's done and that was something that we did this past week," coach Eric Mangini said. "If he continues to progress in practice, I think that will continue to be the case."

Lewis' 10 carries in his last appearance against his former team were the fewest he's had in a game this year. The share time occurred after Lewis made critical comments about Mangini's practice methods.

Asked if he expected reduced playing time, Lewis said, "You know, I don't really care, honestly. During the week, [Jennings] got more reps. I'm here to help all the backs, really. Doesn't really matter.

"I'm used to going a whole game, playing third down and everything else early in my career. Sometimes you never know what the coach is thinking or what they're trying to do, or whatever. At the same time, it's my job to come in here and work and get the guys around me ready to go."

Harrison, who was supposed to be Mangini's Leon Washington in the Browns' offense, has virtually disappeared from the flow of things. Since carrying 29 times for 121 yards against Cincinnati in Game 4, Harrison has rushed only 21 times for 73 yards over the next five games.

Incredibly, Harrison still is the last Browns back to run for a touchdown. The one-year anniversary of that event was Tuesday. Yes, it's been a full calendar year since a Browns back found the end zone on the ground.

Harrison declined to be interviewed, saying, "I'm not talking because I may say what I really think."

Jennings is respectful of the backs he's been learning from, but he views this as his chance to open eyes and secure a spot on an NFL roster here or elsewhere in 2010. The next seven games are crucial.

"It's not how you start, it's how you finish to get another season next year," he said.

Jennings, 5-10 and 218 pounds, has scratched and clawed for playing time since he walked on at Arizona after a year at an Arizona junior college. In his first start for the Wildcats, he rang up 201 yards against Stephen F. Austin.

Jennings eventually beat out Chris Henry, who went on to be drafted in the second round by Tennessee. Jennings was a nonentity the next season as Arizona sought a scatback for their spread offense. He was not invited to the NFL Combine and fled to the CFL to keep his career alive.

"Athletes that go up to Canada, it's their dream to play here in the NFL," Jennings said. "Sometimes you take detours in life to get where you really want to be. At the same time, it's football. It's an honest living."

One of the NFL teams that initially expressed interest in Jennings was the Baltimore Ravens. When George Kokinis joined the Browns as general manager, he renewed his interest in Jennings and persuaded Montreal GM Jim Popp to release Jennings.

"Basically, Popp did myself and Chris a favor," said agent Josh Arnold. "I just don't think he wanted hold Chris back any longer from getting to the NFL."

So the Browns' connection to Jennings is Kokinis, who wasn't connected to too many players in his nine months as Browns GM before being fired. But when Mangini was asked on two occasions on Thursday to name the person responsible for finding Jennings in the CFL, the coach demurred.

"You don't know necessarily who's going to find out about a player, but we always want people to share their information and then you research it and look into it further," Mangini said.

Kokinis and the Browns are now waging a legal fight for the money owed over the balance of his four-year contract. Wouldn't it be something if Jennings made it into the end zone before Lewis or Harrison this year?

It would be Kokinis' legacy.

Jerome Harrison should be getting more carries...

Mangini is an idiot..

Yes, it's been a full calendar year since a Browns back found the end zone on the ground.



What the heck...The fridge could do it....maybe give the ball to JT.. even Shaun Rodgers......do we have a Forrest Gump in the teams water boy ? Sad Sad Sad.........

That's what I don't get about Mangini. The knock on Harrison is he cannot pick up the blitz. Yet, Mangini usually only inserts him on third down. Which for the Browns is third and long. What happened to putting your players in position to succeed.

IMO Harrison is the most productive back we got, Mangina is a jackahole. For Harrison;s sake, I hope they trade him to a team that recognizes talent.

For as much as Mangini talks, he is a complete tool who can't evaluate talent for chit. The sooner this staff is gone the better. I sick of watching washed up veterans while talent is banished to the bench. Daboll is a freaking joke.

Its just like the rest of this team we need this time to assess the talent we have with Harrison and Jennings. What is gained by not playing them at this point?

i know it wasonly 1 game, but jennings ran very hard, but it could just be that he has a no.34 on his jersey. it just looks good.

j/c...

this could be a reason why we just down right suck...

The guys who deserve opportunities, ie Jerome Harrison, are not in the right mindframe...

The guy is pissed.. some pissed players play well.. while others do not, and play horrible..

Kind of similar to your disfunctional employee.. If he/she is not happy.. you will not get good results...

Jenning, Harrison, whoever!!! Just give one of them some real playing time and see what you have!!! Nobodies going to develop with a run here and there
then sit 3 games and another couple a plays another week. That's team building Eric? That's player developemtn Eric?
I don't think Harrison is going to be stellar, but I can't say that with all confidence, Seeing Jennings so far I'd say the same thing. But you gotta let either work it out!!!

It's a spoiled season and the last games should be for the youngsters to get reps!

Just not sure any back can help this team..

I'm usually more of an optomist.. But Mangini and his comments just leave me itching my head..

What's worse, I keep thinking, no matter who we hire to replace mangini, they have to untangle this mess before they can even think of moving forward..

For the first time in all the years that the Browns have been back, I'm not feeling as if we will see a winner anytime soon.. And I admit to be rather disgusted with myself for even thinking that way.. But I do..

jc... guess I'm the only one who like Jennings... He seems like a tough runner with some strength and speed. I'd like to see Harrison and him split some carries. And have Jamal kick his tippy toes up on the bench.

This is just a damn joke.

Screw the blocking, Harrison makes plays with the ball. Cannot understand why the man never sees the field.

Jennings? There is a reason he was out of the NFL no?

Seems like Mangini is getting advise from our former coach who never gave Harrison, or younger players much of a chance, unless an injury forced his hand. It's strikingly similar how Mangini is handling the younger players like Hall. I think Hall could replace Wimpley myself.

I'll never understand why a man with the physical ability to be an NFL RB can't block. To be a RB, you need strength, speed, vision, athleticism, etc. To be a blocker you need those things to a lesser degree along with the simple desire to block someone. Maybe Harrison does not enjoy the concept of absorbing the hit from a much larger man trying to get to the QB. To that I would suggest he watch film of Walter Payton pass blocking. Payton used to identify the blitz and then explode into the blitzer's grill. Don't take the hit, deliver it.

watch the Ray Lewis sack.....then watch it again and watch Harrison.....watch it a third time because I'm pretty sure you won't even really believe the first 2 views as I couldn't believe a NFL RB would allow his QB to get potentially lit up like that.

that play was a microcosm of why Harrison isn't the starter this week.

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I'll never understand why a man with the physical ability to be an NFL RB can't block. To be a RB, you need strength, speed, vision, athleticism, etc.

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Desire to block and mental ability to recognize where the blitzer is coming from is the two biggest concerns. He has all the rest of the tools.

Without the desire to block a player will whiff. Even with the desire to block, without the ablility to instantly recognize exactly where the blitzer is coming from also results in whiffs as he'll get to the point of contact late.

JMO

What stands out to me is when Harrison got the majority of the carries he delievred against Cinci. He rushed 29 times for 121 yds against a good bengals defense.

He did well in that game. On STO, the show "Browns Red Zone", Mary Kay said he was totally beat up after that game leading some to think he couldn't handle being the feature back.

Well to be fair about it you could say he wasn't used to geting that many carries in a game before.

Uh, you can't blame a running back for feeling beat up after a game, especially after 29 carries.

That's not soft, soft would be if he couldn't finish the game bcause of the pain.

He was good for 29 carries, he was good for the end of the game, I think he woulda been fine for the next game.

Maybe, but for some reason his carries dropped off significantly after that game. I could see starting Lewis in that next game, but Harrison just disappeared.

I want to add too, that just because Mangini makes a decision, like this one for instance, it doesn't mean to me that the decision is based on what is best for the team with the idea of trying to win a game. Personally I think driving a point home is far more important to Mangini than finding a way to win a game. He's claim it's better in the long run. But he's not going to have a long run coaching like that.

J/C

This thread makes me wish we had held onto Jason Wright. He was strictly a journeyman, but he was a good blocker, could catch the ball out of the backfield, ran north-and-south, and hit the hole with authority. Plus, he was a special teams demon. I wish we still had him as a stop-gap until we find our franchise RB.

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....and he has a UDFA RB who can block but not run (no vision and no speed being his 2 biggest problems)

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But, but, but... he's earned some carries because he's practiced really well this week. (translation: I'll teach Jamal Lewis to say bad things about me)



Also, and I did not write this....



"As an example, here is a hypothetical question for you. Let’s say that you have an aging running back without a lot of burst left but with a lot of experience. Also, you have a young runner that really pops when he gets carries but sometimes struggles in blitz pickups. What would you do?

If you answered, use the young guy exclusively in pass protection and then find carries for a third back that you recently signed off your practice squad, well good job, you apparently agree with this coaching staff. Also, you and I cannot be friends."

cle.scout.com

Plus, he had very high character. I miss Wright as well.

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Is Mary Kay trying to tell us that The Ghost is "NFL-soft" ...

...and could that possibly be the reason that Harrison has been used by two completely different coaching regimes in exactly the same (sparing) capacity?

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Any back that carries for 29+ will be sore. To believe otherwise is foolish. I've heard many a RB say that they are sore after a game, this is just another attempt to discredit Harrison.

The main point is not giving him 25+ carries, it is using him to split carries with Lewis. I have to agree with the poster above's feelings that Mangini would rather prove a point than do what's right. Leon Washinton doesn't get 25 carries a game does he?

What kills me is on this board Harrison has to be either a full time back or benched. To me that is just agenda driven BS. The guy is a playmaker and has proved it time and time again, yet some are blind to his production. Just because it takes Jamal 20 carries to get into a rythym, are best producing back squanders on the bench. By the way, how good of a blocker is Jennings? Funny how noone mentions that. Harrison has actually been decent in blitz pick ups this year, but because the one against the Ravens was so visible, the usual suspects cherry pick that play to make a point. But as Django points out, Harrison is almost behind Quinn and Lewis is full speed untouched right past Mack.

WKNR is reporting that Jerome Harrison is inactive today.

Our coach is a dumbass.

Cleveland Browns deactive Brian Robiskie and Jerome Harrison

By Tony Grossi
November 22, 2009, 11:41AM

DETROIT -- Rookie receiver Brian Robiskie and running back Jerome Harrison were designated inactive for today's Browns game against the Detroit Lions.

Returner/receiver Josh Cribbs, who spent Monday night in Cleveland Clinic under observation with a neck injury, is active and will play.

The benching of Robiskie and Harrison means a couple things.

One is that Chris Jennings will split time with Jamal Lewis at running back. Lewis is expected to start, but it's possible the torch will be passed if Jennings makes the most of his increased opportunities.

Harrison is the last Browns running back to score a touchdown. But he has fallen off the face of the Earth the past month. Harrison was upset at his lack of carries Monday night against Baltimore and declined to talk during the week, saying he was "afraid he might say what he thinks."

Also, tight end Michael Gaines will play more. The Browns have three tight ends active for the game -- Robert Royal and Greg Estandia in addition to Gaines -- which means one could be used extensively in blitz pickup.

David Veikune and Coye Francies also inactive. About half of our draft is inactive today. Unbelievable.

But, looking at the bright side, we'll get to see that vaunted 3 TE offense ... should do wonders for Quinn's YPA.

j/c

No sense. Why are we benching rookies who need work?

I can't wait until the fat walrus is fired