BEREA: Isaiah Crowell thinks it would be fitting if Browns running backs were to flourish Sunday against the Baltimore Ravens after a statue of NFL icon Jim Brown is unveiled outside FirstEnergy Stadium a few hours before the 1 p.m. kickoff.
“That would be great,” Crowell said Friday. “I really expect that to happen.”
The Browns (0-1) are determined to establish their running game this weekend in their home opener against the Ravens (1-0).
The offensive line is vital, and No. 2 running back Duke Johnson has a prominent role. But the rushing attack starts with the starting running back, and Crowell carries the title.
“We’ve just got to hand it to him enough times,” Browns coach Hue Jackson said. “If you have a runner you believe in, you’ve got to give him the ball. He’s got to get a feel for the game and be able to play within the structure of what you’re trying to accomplish with the offensive line. I take responsibility for that. I think he’s off to a good start. We’ve just got to give him opportunities to go show his ability.
“If you have a guy who can wear the defense down a little bit and a guy who knows how to carry the ball, be physical and make those tough yards, there is no substitute for those guys. You have to have them. We have not kind of turned our guy loose yet, but he has some special ability that way. We are going to find out here pretty soon.”
Jackson said the running game didn’t meet his expectations last weekend in a season-opening, 29-10 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles. Crowell finished with 12 carries for 62 yards (5.2 average), but the numbers are deceiving because he had three carries for 40 yards in the final 1:12, when the outcome had already been decided. Subtract the final three plays in garbage time, and Crowell ran nine times for 22 yards (2.4 average).
“When you play behind the chains, it kind of will affect the play-caller and how he wants to call things,” running backs coach and run game coordinator Kirby Wilson said. “We had some foolish penalties early in the ballgame and we kind of got unsettled a little bit, and when we did attempt to run, we didn’t exactly blow them off the ball and we didn’t exactly put the ball in the right spot as runners. So therefore you have to go to another plan or you go to your second thought because it’s not as efficient as you would like it to be.”
Crowell, 23, dominated at times in his first two seasons, but he has yet to become a consistent force. He had 148 carries for 607 yards (4.1 average) and eight touchdowns as an undrafted rookie in 2014 and 185 carries for 706 yards (3.8 average) and four touchdowns last season. Now he’s aiming for 1,000 rushing yards this year, and Jackson expects him to gain even more.
“It feels great just to know my coach is confident in me,” said Crowell, 5-foot-11 and 225 pounds. “That’s what I’ve been wanting the whole time I’ve been here. I felt like I needed a coach that was confident in me because I’m confident in myself. I appreciate that, and it’s important to me to know that he understands that the running game is important.”
Jackson isn’t the only one who believes in Crowell.
“He’s tough, he’s big, he’s physical and he has that ability to go power to speed. He has some breakaway speed. He’s a freak athlete,” left guard Joel Bitonio said. “You might not look at it, his demeanor, but he can run and move, and I think you can get him the ball as many times as he wants it. I know we haven’t gotten a rhythm with him yet where he’s got 20, 25 runs, but I think he’s more than capable.”
Bitonio, left tackle Joe Thomas and right guard John Greco are established starters on the offensive line, but the Browns are still adjusting to two newcomers in the lineup in center Cameron Erving and right tackle Austin Pasztor.
“We’re trying to be the most violent runners in the National Football League. We’re trying to control the line of scrimmage. We’re trying to knock people off the ball, and it takes time,” Wilson said. “It’s a process, and our players have really bought in. We’re trying to become the most physical team in this conference. We’re taking baby steps. We’ve got a young group. They’re trying to do things exactly the way we want them to do it, and we’re getting there.”
When the holes are open, Crowell must have the vision to hit them. It’s something Wilson has helped him focus on this year.
“He’s a lot better [than last season],” Wilson said. “We’re not 100 percent always there, but no running back is. You’ll always have some misreads in a game, but he is much better in terms of understanding what he’s looking at and why he’s looking at it.”
A breakout game Sunday for Crowell would be a nice tribute to Brown, who mentors players in his role as the franchise’s special adviser. When Crowell drew the ire of fans by posting an anti-police illustration on Instagram this past summer, Brown offered support and guidance.
“He was a great player, the GOAT [greatest of all time],” Crowell said. “I respect him a lot, and it’s good to have him around here and I’m grateful to be a part of it.”
Nate Ulrich can be reached at nulrich@thebeaconjournal.com. Read the Browns blog at www.ohio.com/browns. Follow him on Twitter at www.twitter.com/NateUlrichABJ and on Facebook www.facebook.com/abj.sports.