The Cleveland Browns' Running Back Situation Gets More Confusing by the Week

Three is a crowd, especially when you are dealing with dominant personalities. And the Cleveland Browns running back room is certainly filled with a ton of personality but not enough touches of the football. Inevitably, someone is going to be left out, and it seems that someone right now is Isaiah Crowell.

After amassing 28 carries between Week 2 and Week 6, Crowell has carried the ball just eight times in the past three games. In Sunday’s victory over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, he did not receive a single carry.

In that same span, the workload for second-round draft pick Terrance West has increased. He led the team with 15 carries on Sunday, five more than Ben Tate received. As much as the coaching staff tries to sell the public on game flow being the main way they determine carries, it seems as though this week’s strategy was planned.

Tony Grossi of ESPNCleveland.com was tipped off before the game that Week 9 would belong to West.

"

A little birdie told me don't be surprised if RB Terrance West gets the most carries today for #Browns. Just passing it along.

— Tony Grossi (@TonyGrossi) November 2, 2014"

So what happened to Crowell’s carries? For starters, he put the ball on the ground three times against the Pittsburgh Steelers in Week 6. The Browns rolled to an easy victory that week, but the gaffes certainly were not overlooked by the coaching staff.

Even after the fumbles, however, Crowell still received seven carries against the Jacksonville Jaguars. He only managed to gain 18 yards in what was easily his worst performance of his short career.

The problem with the rushing attack is not his fault, however. When center Alex Mack was lost for the year with a broken fibula, it threw the entire running game into a tailspin. The unit that was once ranked third in the NFL in yards per game has rushed for just 148 total yards in the past three games combined. Those games were against the 20th-, 23rd- and 26th-ranked rushing defenses in the league.

They weren’t exactly playing against the 1985 Chicago Bears.

Looking at the problems the line is having blocking for these backs, it would seem as though Crowell is exactly the type of guy who you would want to carry the football. He takes the football and runs straight ahead with power and a full head of steam.

Sure, with the line struggling, he will have stretches like his seven carries for 18 yards. But the possibility of the eighth carry breaking free for a large gain is always there.

"

Not a single carry for Isaiah Crowell and not a single good reason for that. #Browns

— Marc Sessler (@MarcSesslerNFL) November 2, 2014"

West, who rushed for just 48 yards on Sunday, is the type of runner who likes to dance and maneuver his way around the hole looking for the big play. Unfortunately, that often leads to zero- or one-yard gains when a two- or three-yard gain is available.

Perhaps his blocking is the reason he received the lion’s share of the workload. He did have a few punishing blocks on Sunday and helped Brian Hoyer buy time on multiple occasions. Then again, Crowell was trusted with third-down responsibilities almost immediately this season. That is very high praise for a back’s blocking ability so early in his career.

It’s not that West shouldn’t receive carries; it’s more that the coaches don’t seem to have any type of plan with how they are going to distribute those carries week to week. 

"

Browns want to settle into two-RB rotation, and West/Tate "had really earned it" during week," Pettine said.

— Jeremy Fowler (@JFowlerESPN) November 2, 2014 "

Normally this would be a non-issue, but with three alpha dogs in the running back room and the team struggling to move the ball on the ground, whoever is left out will probably be questioning the game plan each week.

Remember, after Week 3, West led the team in rushing. In Week 4 he was inactive, and after that game, Crowell tweeted that he and Tate were working to become the best duo in the NFL. He has since deleted the tweet, but notice he did not say trio.

And finally, what about Tate? Tate wanted out of Houston because he had been in the shadow of Arian Foster for too long. Now that he is in Cleveland, he is once again finding himself sharing the spotlight. He has 13 more carries than West on the year but just six more yards.

The problem is that he has not been productive enough to garner a feature back branding. On Sunday, he ran 10 times for just three yards. That is 0.3 yards per carry. In Week 7 and Week 8, he rushed 31 times for 62 yards. That is just two yards per carry.

According to Pat McManamon of ESPN.com, offensive coordinator Kyle Shanahan said two weeks ago he wished one of the backs would “separate themselves” from the pack. That is obviously not happening. But you have to wonder if any of them will ever be able to do so unless they can count on a consistent workload.

The entire offense revolves around the run game, and this needs to get sorted out sooner rather than later. If not, the Browns might find themselves with headaches on the field because of a lack of production and headaches off the field because of a lack of understanding from their runners.