Browns Must Find a Way to Get the Most out of Three-Headed Rushing Attack

Though the Cleveland Browns run game may never truly regain its dominant output without center Alex Mack, it should not underperform as it has over the past three weeks.

The Browns' last three games have produced rushing outputs of 69, 39 and 50 yards, respectively; prior to Week 7, it had only earned fewer than 100 yards in a game once. 

At 5-3 and with a crucial AFC North matchup looming against the Cincinnati Bengals on Thursday night, the Browns need to find a way to get the run game going again. Even if it doesn't produce 150-plus yards a week, getting closer to 100 would help the offense and the win-loss record. Especially with the trio of backs the team has on its active roster.

Those backs would be Ben Tate and a pair of rookies, third-round draft pick Terrance West and the undrafted Isaiah Crowell. All have seen playing time so far this year, but seemingly without rhyme or reason. One week, Tate is the starter while West and Crowell got complementary touches.

David Richard/Associated Press

Other weeks, West has found himself on the bench, with Crowell getting work alongside Tate. And, most recently, West was the starting running back against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, while Crowell didn't play a single snap.

Tate is the Browns' leading rusher, but not by much. He's had 94 carries for 308 yards—a 3.3 yards-per-carry average—three touchdowns and 14 first downs. West is right behind him, with 81 rushes for 302 yards, an average of 3.7 yards per carry. He has two rushing touchdowns and, like Tate, 14 first downs.

Crowell is the back who has done more with less, carrying the ball 52 times but earning 256 yards, giving him an average of 4.9 yards per carry. He leads the team with four rushing touchdowns and also has 16 first downs this year.

Player	Atts.	Yds.	YPA	TD	Rush 1st D.	Tgts.	Rec.	Rec. Yds.	Rec. Td
Tate	94	308	3.3	3	14	9	7	33	0
West	81	302	3.7	2	14	8	7	39	1
Crowell	52	256	4.9	4	16	4	3	16	0

Heading into the season, Crowell was considered the superior talent to West—Crowell only went undrafted because of off-field concerns. It was even possible that Crowell could eventually supplant anointed starter Tate as the season wore on. 

Instead, Crowell is an afterthought, though he's been the most productive of the three. And West's benching and deactivation earlier this season hints as to why. 

West sat out the team's October victory over the Pittsburgh Steelers—in fact, he was deactivated. When asked why, head coach Mike Pettine said: "[W]hen we have the type of depth and competition, it comes down to practice. We'll be men of our words when we say 'whoever practices best will be up for the game.'"

The deactivation wore on West, who said after the game:"Sometimes I let it get the best of me. Like I said before, going back to me, I wish I could get the ball every play. I wish I could, but this is the NFL. It's not college anymore."

The following week wasn't much better for West, who struggled on 2nd- and 3rd-and-short against the Jacksonville Jaguars defense and found himself benched again.

However, at some point West must have turned that frustration into motivation. In the week leading up to Sunday's win over the Buccaneers, West had what Pettine called his "best week of practice," earning him the starting job over Tate. West had 15 carries for 48 yards in the game, while Tate had three for 10.

Meanwhile, Crowell has been the one faltering in practice. Pettine said to the Cleveland Plain-Dealer's Mary Kay Cabot on Tuesday:

"

[Crowell's] in good standing with the team. We evaluate everything from A to Z – how they're practicing, just a lot of factors that go into their play. I don't want to get into projecting forward, but we assess each week who gives us the best chance to be successful and that's who we roll with.

"

While Pettine's system does have some logic to it—there must be a way to evaluate all three backs to determine who gets the biggest workload and the start on a weekly basis—it also doesn't do much to maximize the talent the Browns have at running back.

A week of bad practices should help influence Pettine and the coaching staff. So should a back's particular prowess on the other aspects of the position beyond running with the ball—blocking, play fakes, pass protection, receiving. If Crowell is still learning, it's understandable why he'd have a reduced role.

What doesn't make sense, however, is a full benching with zero snaps played. Though Crowell has the smallest sample size of all three backs, what he's done in his limited carries is more than what Tate or West have with starting reps. 

David Richard/Associated Press

Crowell has the most touchdowns. He has the highest rushing average of the three. He's produced two more first downs than either Tate or West, though he's had 30 to 40 fewer rushing attempts. Practice is one thing, but when Crowell gets the football in live-game situations, he's proven he can move the chains and score points. Shouldn't that weigh more?

The Browns' once-flourishing run game has become stuck in the mud. Perhaps it's time Pettine and the coaching staff get a little more creative with their approach to the rotation of backs to maximize the talents of all three. 

Three backs getting touches can muddy the offensive game plan some, but letting down-and-distance and situation and circumstance dictate who is on the field and who isn't would be smarter. In other words, Pettine should approach the run game as though all three backs can contribute and ultimately roll with that week's hot hand.

For some teams, three backs in a game could be too many cooks in the kitchen. But it's something offensive coordinator Kyle Shanahan is familiar with—see his time in Washington as an example. Washington repeatedly experimented with its backs before settling on Alfred Morris as the starter.

The Browns should do the same, in games, rather than rely simply on practice performance to determine the depth chart. All three backs bring something unique to the table, be it power, speed, elusiveness or ability to locate the running lane. 

Having all three backs active and participating every week will make the offense better and take the Browns one step closer to breaking the 100-yard mark that has eluded them in their last three games. With West, Crowell and Tate involved, more is more—and that's the point.