Cleveland Browns Midseason Review: Running Back

by Chris Pokorny on Nov 11, 2011 10:54 PM EST

My expectations at the running back position were extremely high for the Cleveland Browns prior to the start of the regular season. We had what I believed to be one of the deepest running back groups in the league. At the top of the depth chart, we had Peyton Hillis -- a very physical back that fans loved who was finally getting some help this year. That helped would be split up between Montario Hardesty and Brandon Jackson. It's unclear as to how exactly both men would be used, but based on what I saw in training camp, at least Hillis and Jackson were basically the two most important components of our West Coast Offense (not including the offensive line).

I can't tell you how many wheel routes the Browns would throw to Jackson during training camp. Every other play seemed like a wheel route down the sideline, and every time Jackson showed great hands and McCoy would hit him right on target. He was also a great blocking back, one who would have been a huge asset in third down situations.

Now, let's flash forward to the half-way point of the regular season (today). Our top two running backs are Chris Ogbonnaya and Thomas Clayton. These are guys who weren't even accepted as third-stringers on any team in the NFL; for all intents and purposes, the coaching staff was forced to pick up two practice squad players and quickly teach them the offense that everyone else has struggled to master.

To say that the running backs unit has fallen short of expectations would be an understatement. It's not a talent issue, it is an injury issue. Hillis has basically only played in three games, and two of those games involves questionable usage of his abilities. Hardesty stepped in fairly well for two games before suffering an injury. Jackson never made it past the preseason with a turf toe.

If the Browns end up re-signing Hillis, all three backs will be back next year. I still have confidence in Hillis and Jackson, but it's tougher to say with Hardesty given his injury history. Either way, the Browns can definitely improve at this position during the second half of the season: both Hillis and Hardesty could be back in a couple of weeks, right when the big division games are about to commence.

I don't think I even need to ask -- the running back position has been a huge letdown this year, agreed? We don't even need to bring up Hillis' off-the-field issues; I'm just referring to productivity over eight games.

Tweet Comment 25 comments | 0 recs |

Do you like this story?

Comments

Still can’t understand why they put Jackson on IR with turf toe. That’s only about a 6 week or less injury. Hindsight is 20/20 I suppose.

In Golan we trust.

by SpecialBrownie on Nov 11, 2011 11:51 PM EST reply actions

Yeah, that was a head -scratcher with Jackson. Sure would be nice to have him right now. Oh well, this is a talent evaluation year, anyway, I suppose. Huge sigh!!! Ironic also is the fact that the o-line is the weakest link on the team right now, even ahead of the WR’s imo.

by OldTimeDawg on Nov 11, 2011 11:57 PM EST reply actions

I’d still ask the question why the browns seems to be so injury prone. Cleveland clinic seems to have an excellent reputation, football aside.

I also just read an interesting article on Yahoo NFL about how the broncos are adapting their O to a college style option O to suit Tebows skills. I think if you don’t have that elite, established NFL QB there’s some value to playing to what skills you do have.

....just need a guy called Byner to play RT...

by LondonBrown on Nov 12, 2011 9:29 AM EST reply actions

I really don’t think the Browns are any more injury prone than anyone else, we just never have the depth to overcome injuries to our starters.

by Legoman0721 on Nov 12, 2011 12:12 PM EST up reply actions

Football Outsiders has a new AGL (adjusted Games Lost stat) which takes into account positional importance, but I can’t seem to find one league table of AGL by team.

You’re right on the lack of depth but I still have the feeling we suffer more than most.

....just need a guy called Byner to play RT...

by LondonBrown on Nov 12, 2011 1:42 PM EST up reply actions

One of the wackiest seasons at a position I can remember in awhile.

With or Without the H

by johnf34 on Nov 12, 2011 10:35 AM EST reply actions

Our QB situation last year?

by Brownie's Year on Nov 12, 2011 2:08 PM EST up reply actions

That was odd, but this is much more odd.

With or Without the H

by johnf34 on Nov 12, 2011 4:45 PM EST up reply actions

No way. We didn’t even get to a fourth QB last year.

"Men occasionally stumble over the truth, but most of them pick themselves up and hurry off as if nothing ever happened."
— Winston S. Churchill
"Whether he really means 'more' or 'Carlton Mitchell more' remains to be seen."
-C. Pokorny

by JustBob on Nov 12, 2011 9:50 PM EST via iPhone app up reply actions

One season we played Quinn, Anderson, Dorsey, and Gradkowski. I think it was 2008. I just remember we played the Bengals at home in late December and my beer froze. Also, so many fans left the stadium at halftime I was able to get a front row seat around the 20 yard line.

Mangini apologist by default.

I’m speaking about his innate accuracy, not how well that innate accuracy is translating on the field.

by Villeslgr on Nov 13, 2011 8:20 AM EST up reply actions

Exactly. Two street free agents were signed and are getting all the reps. That’s far more bizarre than the 2010 QB situation.

With or Without the H

by johnf34 on Nov 13, 2011 9:57 AM EST up reply actions

So little depth for the Browns…. Bombing on draft day, combined with the constant turnover at head coach/FO = where we are today.

It’s a long ways away, but the direction this FO goes in the draft is so murky right now (position needs are obvious, but where/when do you spend the picks?). They need so much.

I feel it will be a disappointed no matter who we pick in the first couple of rounds because of how easy it is to say that we need depth at one position more than another. Pick a WR and say “oh, well we missed this RT”, or pick a LB and say “oh, but we could have had this RB here.” I suppose this is nothing new, though. Just bitching.

WR, OT, LB, G, RB, DB, S, WR, WR, WR, WR, ect……

"That’s the reality of it and I live in that reality." Shurmur

by LocalMan on Nov 12, 2011 10:43 AM EST reply actions

Exactly, no matter what we pick on Draft Day, all of us will do that little routine of “should have picked __” because there’s really not much on the team where you can stay there is true depth.

With or Without the H

by johnf34 on Nov 12, 2011 11:46 AM EST up reply actions

On the other hand, because we need so much, we can’t say that any particular pick was a wasted pick (unless we draft a LT). The high picks will probably start early in their careers and hopefully keep starting for a long time. That’s all you can ask from a draft.

by Legoman0721 on Nov 12, 2011 12:15 PM EST up reply actions

Couldn’t the new LT just play RT? Or even LG if the size was right? Couldn’t a center play guard? I don’t think position matters. If they are good, we’ll find a spot for them.

Even Doug Dieken admits Joe Thomas is the real #73

by Doc's Kid on Nov 13, 2011 11:18 AM EST up reply actions

Completely agree. Guys rotate around on the OL quite often.

With or Without the H

by johnf34 on Nov 13, 2011 11:20 AM EST up reply actions

I’m still pretty happy with our 2011 draft- Phil Taylor + Greg Little and more Heckert picks next year >> Julio Jones on our team.

Big difference is our GM. No point stockpiling picks if you don’t have some sort of genius back there to turn them into players.

....just need a guy called Byner to play RT...

by LondonBrown on Nov 12, 2011 1:48 PM EST reply actions

I think we’ve drafted pretty well the last two seasons. I think all of our draftees still have NFL jobs.

Hillis’ injury history is pretty bad too. I’m skeptical about putting all of our eggs into that basket too. One healthy season compared to three injury riddled seasons.

by Uwe Blog on Nov 12, 2011 4:18 PM EST via mobile up reply actions

The issue with this team isn’t really depth by itself. Past and present coaches fail to build the offensive and defensive schemes with the players available. Shurmur did it with no name WR’s last year in STL, no reason he can’t here. Cribbs finally going to the backfield is way overdue…plus he can throw from back there. Defensively it’s tough to be on the field that much each game and be successful. Hopefully, McCoy doesn’t get injured before the coaching staff realizes this is our biggest issue to overcome. On a different note…we as the fans need to request the team wear orange pants for the remainder of the season…maybe a different look could add some lift for the team too!!!

by hwarang96 on Nov 12, 2011 7:52 PM EST reply actions

No one is sure at this point if Cribbs will play in the backfield. That is pure speculation at this point.

by SBP on Nov 13, 2011 8:57 AM EST up reply actions

We clearly now have the worst RB situation in the NFL. OB was a practice squad player for the Texans 3 weeks ago. But it is hard to be critical – injuries dictated this situation.

Change isn't good or bad it just "is". Don Draper of Madmen

by realmccoy on Nov 12, 2011 11:47 PM EST reply actions

Worst RB situation, arguably worst WR situation, bottom 10 QB situation.

With or Without the H

by johnf34 on Nov 13, 2011 9:57 AM EST up reply actions

Pretty bleak right now on the O.

Change isn't good or bad it just "is". Don Draper of Madmen

by realmccoy on Nov 13, 2011 11:24 AM EST up reply actions

Games Lost

I’ll probably do a fanshot on this (just using a subject line for now) but I’ve found the AGL (Adjusted Games Lost) stat in FO. It’s listed per team, there’s no league wide table.

AGL adjusts for importance of player, so starters are valued highly (especially QB) but so are players replacing a lost starter (ie Wallace for us last year when he replaced Delhomme and went down), and also key substitutions (Reggie Bush). How they assess this I don’t know. It’s also split Off-Def.

OK last five years rankings for us 2006-2010:

Offense: 27th, 5th, 26th, 25th, 31st
Defense: 32nd, 25th, 23rd, 27th, 32nd

So our D is generally worse than our O, when our offense was 5th best we went 10=6, and overall we are notably bad.

....just need a guy called Byner to play RT...

by LondonBrown on Nov 13, 2011 9:25 AM EST reply actions