Jerome Harrison: The Ghost in Cleveland's Backfield

This is bad. This is very bad! They don't have enough men on the field!

But wait, No. 16 is in at quarterback!

When the Cleveland Browns lined up with wide receiver and former Pro Bowl kick returner Joshua Cribbs in the shotgun at quarterback, you could expect a big play on the ground.

You got one.

The only problem is that the ball wasn't in Cribbs' hands when the play was finally whistled dead 33 yards later.

But he didn't pass the ball either.

Cribbs took off toward the right sideline, causing the New York Giants' defense to bite, giving Cribbs just enough time to execute the reverse.

He handed the ball off to backup running back Jerome Harrison, who proceeded to tear across the field and up the left sideline for a 33-yard gain. It wasn't what you'd have expected from the "Flash" package, a series of plays designed around Cribbs, but it got the job done.

Aside from Cribbs' brilliant execution of the play, the play itself begged one question: Why doesn't Harrison get the ball more?

When Harrison touches the ball, whether he's getting a handoff or catching a pass, he's making plays. His 33-yard run off a reverse in Monday night's big win over the New York Giants is just one of them. He also has a 19-yard touchdown catch, which came against the Pittsburgh Steelers, in addition to long catches of 23 and 18 yards.

On the season, Harrison has 10 carries for 75 yards—a 7.5 yards-per-carry average. He's also caught five passes for 73 yards (a 14.6 yards-per-catch average) with a touchdown.

Harrison is the perfect back to complement the ferocious power running game established by starter Jamal Lewis. Lewis is a power back and uses his strength to break through tackles and pick up tough yards. And the more carries he gets per game, the more yards he's going to pick up in late-game situations.

Harrison, on the other hand, is a finesse back, who relies on quick cuts, jukes and stutter-steps to elude would-be tacklers and stay on his feet.

So, really, why doesn't he see the ball more?

Sure, Jason Wright is a good back. He's been reliable for the Browns for the past three seasons. But he'll never be more than a third back, which is what his role on this Browns team is. Wright should only be seen in late-game situations when the game has either been put away or is completely out of reach.

Harrison shouldn't lose carries to him, especially since he's outperformed him in every aspect this season.

Lewis carries the load for the Browns. He's touched the ball 109 times this season (not counting his 11 catches so far) for 403 yards, a decent 3.7 YPC average. But the Browns need to do more to keep defenses off balance.

Harrison can open things up for the Browns. He's got good hands, so he can line up as a receiver when he's needed out there. And he's good at deceiving defenders as to which way he's going to take the ball.

So let's put Harrison and Lewis in the backfield at the same time and confuse the defense. They won't know which back will get the ball, and by the time one of them is running past them all, it'll be too late for them to decide which one to go after, because they'll have no choice but to go after the one with the ball at that point.

Look at teams like the Carolina Panthers and the Dallas Cowboys. Their offenses are thriving on two-back systems.

The unexpected offensive explosion from Panthers RB DeAngelo Williams, combined with the power running style of rookie Jonathan Stewart, has propelled the Panthers into the forefront of playoff talks this season.

And with Cowboys RB Marion Barber the clear starter in Dallas, he's seized every one of his opportunities to punish defenses, and when rookie Felix Jones touches the ball, he just outruns the defense that Barber ran over.

The Browns need a system like this. They've got the power back in Lewis, who can be compared to Stewart and Barber, and they've got the finesse back in Harrison, who can be compared to Williams and Jones. Why not expand the running game a bit, especially when the passing game is a dud so far this season?

Harrison has been affectionately dubbed "The Ghost" by Cleveland media this season, and for good reason. Every time it looks like the Browns could use him, he disappears, just like a ghost.

Maybe it's time for the Browns to let the ghost out of the trap more often.

It couldn't hurt.