Montario Hardesty Injury: Browns' Running Game in Shambles Due to Injuries

It is hazardous to be a running back for the Cleveland Browns right now.

First Peyton Hillis, now Montario Hardesty.

The backup that was filling in for Hillis had two carries for six yards against the San Francisco 49ers before leaving the game with a hamstring injury according to ESPN’s John Clayton:

This is the worst-case scenario for the Browns.

As QB Colt McCoy continues to regress in his second season under center, the Cleveland running game had to perform well for the offense to even think about scoring points.

Chris Ogbonnaya, who was acquired in Week 6 from the Texans, is now the featured back. He registered 19 yards on seven carries in the first half, a mere 2.7 yards per rush average.

Going into Week 8, the Browns averaged 91.2 yards per game, fourth-worst in the NFL after having much higher expectations going into the season. Montario was supposed to be the speedy change-of-pace back that would perfectly complement the workhorse Hillis.

Instead, Hillis as been dealing with a nagging hamstring injury, the flu and a contract dispute that is starting to become a major distraction in Cleveland. A year after rushing for over 1,100 yards and earning the cover of Madden 2012, Hillis has a paltry 211 yards with two touchdowns. After such a magical season, this is a complete nightmare for Hillis.

Hardesty hasn’t been much better, collecting 238 yards in 13 more attempts than Hillis.

It’s a catastrophe for the Browns, and something that isn’t going to be fixed this season. Hardesty, a 24-year-old from Tennessee, is likely out for the game and potentially even longer. Problem is, even when healthy, Hardesty showed no signs of being a star in this league.

He is a very poor blocker and seems to go down on the first hit more often than not. Now that he’s dealing with a calf injury, his production certainly won’t magically get better any time soon.

Some consider the Browns to be the worst 3-3 team in the history of the league. With their current running back situation—it’s not an outlandish statement to make.