Jamal Lewis

[VaporTrail]

He tip-toed his way to 100 yards. That will not happen against a team that has a defensive line (like, oh, I dunno, the Steelers?). I don't get why Harrison did not get those carries. I think if he got those carries he would've gotten around 150 yards and maybe a TD, just because of the fact that he hits the hole quicker and is wayyyy faster than JL.

[Lumbergh]

nobody in the locker room gets more respect than Jamal Lewis.

 

Yeah there's times I thought he'd lost it. And he tends to tip toe. But he's as strong as a horse. Plus they never lose when he goes for 100.

 

[mopaji]

He tip-toed his way to 100 yards. That will not happen against a team that has a defensive line (like, oh, I dunno, the Steelers?). I don't get why Harrison did not get those carries. I think if he got those carries he would've gotten around 150 yards and maybe a TD, just because of the fact that he hits the hole quicker and is wayyyy faster than JL.

 

 

Assinine. The guy averaged 5.5 against the Vikings, he had 8-9 guys in the box against him against Denver who's ONLY responsability was to STOP THE RUN and now he got 100 yards. On top of all of that, he actually looks good too! I had to hear my father-in-law say all game "Jamal is done" to which I continuasly replied "he's got 60. He's got 75, he's got 100! Yeah, he's done."

 

We had to attack the middle of the defense and Harrison is not the guy to do that. The gameplan was excellent and Jamal did EXACTLY what we needed hiim to do. And guess what? WE WON!

[Guest ATENEARS]

One of the differences in the game yesterday was the experience of Jamal Lewis. Protected the rock and helped control the game and keep us on the field position edge.

 

The Special Teams was huge, and Jamal Lewis and our O-line deserve much recognition for that ugly win.

 

I will call out Jamal and have for two years now, but yesterday is not a day to bitch about him. Do I think Harrison may have broke one or more? Yes, I'd hope so - but Harrison also lost the game for us last week with a horrible fumble-6.

 

Nice game by Jamal.

[BrownIndian]

I saw a few plays where even JH got stuffed out. While JH has all the speed required to be our next greatRB, he will never be the power back that Jamal Lewis was and we need to draft that kind of RB.

[ClevelandFanForLife]

i do love seeing jamal do well. he can still be a factor in this league. however, i still don't want to sign him back after this season. he is getting more and more beat up as the season goes on and we won't have much next season. i hope i'm wrong and would love to see him do well in the years following. with the way mangini is going, there is no way we will sign him back next year.

[Zombo]

I thought he played great.

 

Of all the days to start a "Jamal Lewis sucks" thread...

 

Zombo

--thanks for carrying us on your back yesterday Jamal ... oh, and you suck!

[lemosley01]

Assinine. The guy averaged 5.5 against the Vikings, he had 8-9 guys in the box against him against Denver who's ONLY responsability was to STOP THE RUN and now he got 100 yards. On top of all of that, he actually looks good too! I had to hear my father-in-law say all game "Jamal is done" to which I continuasly replied "he's got 60. He's got 75, he's got 100! Yeah, he's done."

 

We had to attack the middle of the defense and Harrison is not the guy to do that. The gameplan was excellent and Jamal did EXACTLY what we needed hiim to do. And guess what? WE WON!

 

We saw Harrison 'attack' the middle of Cincinatti's line last week - to great effect.

 

Where are you guys getting this 'he can't run between the tackles'. The guy has exhibited that he can do everything that Lewis can (and more) and he STILL gets no respect whatsoever.

 

Jamal Lewis averaged 3.8 ypc against a defense that was giving up 4.7 ypc; and yesterday they were playing 3rd string guys.

 

Jamal Lewis should not be getting 31 carries in a game anymore. No way. No how.

[mopaji]

We saw Harrison 'attack' the middle of Cincinatti's line last week - to great effect.

 

Where are you guys getting this 'he can't run between the tackles'. The guy has exhibited that he can do everything that Lewis can (and more) and he STILL gets no respect whatsoever.

 

Jamal Lewis averaged 3.8 ypc against a defense that was giving up 4.7 ypc; and yesterday they were playing 3rd string guys.

 

Jamal Lewis should not be getting 31 carries in a game anymore. No way. No how.

 

He got a yard less than the average with 8 and 9 in the box the entire second half. I will take that every week.

 

JH ran well against Cincy but yesterday was a completely different set of circumstances. YESTERDAY we had to run up the middle and to do that 30 times you do not call #35 when you have #31 on your team. No way. No how.

JH can run up the middle to a degree but what Jamal does is beat down a defense. The passing game was non-existent (drops, wind, batted balls) so you had to pound it all day. The defense doesn't take a beating when they tackle Jerome and in a game that close when you must run the ball to win, you want that defense beat up late in the game so you can get another 25 yards when you need it late to set up for a field goal to win it.

 

I like Jerome too no doubt, my issue is with the idea that "Jamal is done", He may be after this year but right now, he's our best RB. And Jamal SHOULD be getting 30 carries a game every week. That means the game is in hand and we are controlling the football. Jamal getting 30 a week is a dream scenario for this team. And he is by no means finished.......yet.

[Greythan]

The 8 in the box thing gets played both ways lately.

 

Which was it: they ran well against a team that stacked against the run or they ran well against a team that played an 8-in-the-box-but-really-guarding-against-the-deep-pass strategy?

 

I think it was the former based on the comments from the players (namely DA).

 

So I'm in the camp that felt JL ran with heart and a mean streak yesterday. They wore 'em down.

[damajuki]

I don't think he sucks. I think he's over-rated by the coaches at this point.

 

I've been saying for forever that he needs to become our Bus and be rotated in with the other backs, namely Harrison.

 

I just don't get the 31 carries thing at this point.

 

Seems to me we'd be better off mixing things up. Still don't get why we don't.

[lemosley01]

He got a yard less than the average with 8 and 9 in the box the entire second half. I will take that every week.

 

JH ran well against Cincy but yesterday was a completely different set of circumstances. YESTERDAY we had to run up the middle and to do that 30 times you do not call #35 when you have #31 on your team. No way. No how.

JH can run up the middle to a degree but what Jamal does is beat down a defense. The passing game was non-existent (drops, wind, batted balls) so you had to pound it all day. The defense doesn't take a beating when they tackle Jerome and in a game that close when you must run the ball to win, you want that defense beat up late in the game so you can get another 25 yards when you need it late to set up for a field goal to win it.

 

I like Jerome too no doubt, my issue is with the idea that "Jamal is done", He may be after this year but right now, he's our best RB. And Jamal SHOULD be getting 30 carries a game every week. That means the game is in hand and we are controlling the football. Jamal getting 30 a week is a dream scenario for this team. And he is by no means finished.......yet.

 

Again we saw Harrison run ALL over Cincy last week up the middle around the ends, etc.

 

As DA indicated in the postgame conference yesterday, the OLine did a good job of opening holes. I saw several runs where Jamal simply wasn't fast enough to take full advantage of the holes or got run down after what Harrison would have turned into a long gain because of his speed (note that these weren't plays where Lewis broke tackles, either). There is no reason that Harrison couldn't have done the same thing and what makes you think we had to run 'up the middle' all day? It was windy, not snowing or raining. The field wasn't sloppy.

 

Buffalo's run defense SUCKS and they were down to 3rd stringers. You don't think 1 ypc less is significant? Let me put it into perspective - Jamal underperformed by > 20%. He AVERAGED his average yesterday. Against a worse run defense than we have faced all season. And they weren't healthy.

 

There is no way Lewis should be getting 30 carries unless we have 30 situations with short yardage. Not if this year is about 'the future'. The future may be sitting on the bench.

 

 

[VaporTrail]

Ok, maybe suck is too strong a word. But christ, running him to the outside? That will not work against the Steelers, he's just too slow!!! If Harrison had those carries against a shitty defense he would've gotten more yards. The difference is night and day. Just look at how quickly Harrison hits the hole compared to JL. If Harrison gets into the secondary, he's a threat to score. If JL gets into the secondary, that just means that the defense is slow. Though he did have a really nice power run where he charged through about 4 guys to get 8 yards. But Harrison is just way quicker.

[YtownBrownsBacker]

I think JL is who he is at this point in his career. 31 carries? Is he quick hitting the hole?, but he doesn't go down when first hit, he carries guys.

 

I have no problem featuring him, but I think you do have to work Harrison in more along with Cribbs. Where the hell is the WildDawg? Where the hell is the screen pass? Where the hell is a swing pass? Give me a break, there are a lot of things you can do in the wind and even when teams have 8 in the box.

[sisky fringo]

i do love seeing jamal do well. he can still be a factor in this league. however, i still don't want to sign him back after this season. he is getting more and more beat up as the season goes on and we won't have much next season. i hope i'm wrong and would love to see him do well in the years following. with the way mangini is going, there is no way we will sign him back next year.

this is in no way a prediction but making the guy a team captain and consistently endorsing him every time a question is presented about him obviously shows all the signs of getting the axe.

 

this is not directed at you CFFL, maybe at the OP and others though, if you (or any of us for that matter) had any clue what it really takes and what kind of preparation goes into being successful at this level i'm willing to bet you would change your entire thought process regarding Jamal Lewis.

 

for a 30 year old the guy is an extremely rare talent. why not praise him for still contributing at every opportunity at this point of his career while we focus on more pressing and urgent needs, rather than chastising him nearly every single day?!? i cannot find a single interview from Harrison or Davis where they haven't given Jamal a plug and made it a point to mention how much advice and information he shares with them to help make them better. while he's not a coach, nor is he acting like one, he certainly provides stability to the position.

 

sorry but fickle fans disgust me. he may not be as sexy anymore but this topic doesn't deserve this thread IMO. i feel very fortunate to have the guy on our team.

[sisky fringo]

Ok, maybe suck is too strong a word. But christ, running him to the outside? That will not work against the Steelers, he's just too slow!!! If Harrison had those carries against a shitty defense he would've gotten more yards. The difference is night and day. Just look at how quickly Harrison hits the hole compared to JL. If Harrison gets into the secondary, he's a threat to score. If JL gets into the secondary, that just means that the defense is slow. Though he did have a really nice power run where he charged through about 4 guys to get 8 yards. But Harrison is just way quicker.

yesterday Jamal had 3.77 ypc while Harrison averaged 2.62 ypc on 8 attempts.

 

it's not like Harrison didn't have 8 opportunities to show you. i like Harrison but give it a rest with the me vs you crap.

 

if Harrison was in there the defense may have lined up differently and the opportunity may not have been there at all. they know both backs tendencies, and when a defense chooses to cheat a little to get an edge it's based off of those tendencies. playing "what if" and analyzing in a vacuum is worthless.

 

if you think someone's being underutilized maybe you should fire off an email to the coach and let HIM know how you feel. who knows, he just might entertain your ideas. after all, he claims he's open to communication if there is a sensible thought process behind it.

[WVBrownsfan]

Against a defence like the Steelers you're going to need a tough grind it out back like Jamal. I agree that this is probably his last season here but he can still give you those tough 2-3 yds. for a first down to keep a drive alive. This horse is still running so I'm not going to put him out to pasture yet - Go get 'em Jamal !

[PlayoffsIN09]

Run the ball Jamal, I love ya

[hoorta]

Ok, maybe suck is too strong a word. But christ, running him to the outside? That will not work against the Steelers, he's just too slow!!! If Harrison had those carries against a shitty defense he would've gotten more yards. The difference is night and day. Just look at how quickly Harrison hits the hole compared to JL. If Harrison gets into the secondary, he's a threat to score. If JL gets into the secondary, that just means that the defense is slow. Though he did have a really nice power run where he charged through about 4 guys to get 8 yards. But Harrison is just way quicker.

 

I'll grant Lewis had his best game in a long time. Let's not forget Buffalo was down to their third string linebackers either. Lewis should have looked great.

 

Who knows what would have happened if Harrison had managed to break into the secondary with a bunch of leadfoots trying to catch him?

 

[lemosley01]

yesterday Jamal had 3.77 ypc while Harrison averaged 2.62 ypc on 8 attempts.

 

it's not like Harrison didn't have 8 opportunities to show you. i like Harrison but give it a rest with the me vs you crap.

 

if Harrison was in there the defense may have lined up differently and the opportunity may not have been there at all. they know both backs tendencies, and when a defense chooses to cheat a little to get an edge it's based off of those tendencies. playing "what if" and analyzing in a vacuum is worthless.

 

if you think someone's being underutilized maybe you should fire off an email to the coach and let HIM know how you feel. who knows, he just might entertain your ideas. after all, he claims he's open to communication if there is a sensible thought process behind it.

 

You do realize that Harrison got 3 carries (each in a separate drive) up until the final 1:30 of the first half when they were gracious enough to give him 3 during the 'garbage' time or whatever the hell that was.

 

He didn't touch the ball again the 4th quarter where he got 1 carry in each of the first two posessions then no more.

 

Of those 8 carries, 6 of them were 'up the middle'. He can run up the middle (as he proved in Cincy) but you have to give him a chance to get in playing mode. It's no wonder he had 21 yards.

[mopaji]

Again we saw Harrison run ALL over Cincy last week up the middle around the ends, etc.

 

As DA indicated in the postgame conference yesterday, the OLine did a good job of opening holes. I saw several runs where Jamal simply wasn't fast enough to take full advantage of the holes or got run down after what Harrison would have turned into a long gain because of his speed (note that these weren't plays where Lewis broke tackles, either). There is no reason that Harrison couldn't have done the same thing and what makes you think we had to run 'up the middle' all day? It was windy, not snowing or raining. The field wasn't sloppy.

 

Buffalo's run defense SUCKS and they were down to 3rd stringers. You don't think 1 ypc less is significant? Let me put it into perspective - Jamal underperformed by > 20%. He AVERAGED his average yesterday. Against a worse run defense than we have faced all season. And they weren't healthy.

 

There is no way Lewis should be getting 30 carries unless we have 30 situations with short yardage. Not if this year is about 'the future'. The future may be sitting on the bench.

 

 

Harrison may have broke one or two but who's to say? The reason we had to run up the middle in my opinion is because they were down to there 3rd ILB in a 4-3. The zone blocking scheme works really well against a 4-3 and when the defense is on their 3rd ILB, you have to run it up the gut especially when that's the strength of our O-line. I just think Jamal is the guy for that job.

 

You don't have to explode to the hole you explode through the hole. Jamal is a VERY smart runner with great vision. He is patient to the hole, and quick through it. That's how you get 4-5 yards a pop. Notice once he gets in the open field his strides open up. Fast to the hole is a deceiving phrase.

 

Harrison is faster and quicker, but Jamal is not finished at all. He is still our number 1 guy and he should be. Harrison is Sproles or L. Washington not LT or T. Jones.

[sisky fringo]

You do realize that Harrison got 3 carries (each in a separate drive) up until the final 1:30 of the first half when they were gracious enough to give him 3 during the 'garbage' time or whatever the hell that was.

 

He didn't touch the ball again the 4th quarter where he got 1 carry in each of the first two posessions then no more.

 

Of those 8 carries, 6 of them were 'up the middle'. He can run up the middle (as he proved in Cincy) but you have to give him a chance to get in playing mode. It's no wonder he had 21 yards.

i do realize that and was making the point that numbers don't tell the whole story. my post wasn't a criticism of him, i like JC and also think they should use them both more effectively.

[VaporTrail]

this is in no way a prediction but making the guy a team captain and consistently endorsing him every time a question is presented about him obviously shows all the signs of getting the axe. rolleyes.gif

 

this is not directed at you CFFL, maybe at the OP and others though, if you (or any of us for that matter) had any clue what it really takes and what kind of preparation goes into being successful at this level i'm willing to bet you would change your entire thought process regarding Jamal Lewis.

 

for a 30 year old the guy is an extremely rare talent. why not praise him for still contributing at every opportunity at this point of his career while we focus on more pressing and urgent needs, rather than chastising him nearly every single day?!? i cannot find a single interview from Harrison or Davis where they haven't given Jamal a plug and made it a point to mention how much advice and information he shares with them to help make them better. while he's not a coach, nor is he acting like one, he certainly provides stability to the position.

 

sorry but fickle fans disgust me. he may not be as sexy anymore but this topic doesn't deserve this thread IMO. i feel very fortunate to have the guy on our team.

 

Yes, he's a hard worker. My wording was bad. I don't want him cut from the team, not this year anyways. Let him stay on as a mentor for these younger guys. That's what I think he should be doing. Passing on his wisdom to these guys, and stepping in when we need a yard or two. Harrison would have done much more with all those carries. There were maybe two or three instances the whole game where he really showed that he was still a power runner. Other than those three plays, I didn't see anything that he did that Harrison couldn't do.

 

yesterday Jamal had 3.77 ypc while Harrison averaged 2.62 ypc on 8 attempts.

 

it's not like Harrison didn't have 8 opportunities to show you. i like Harrison but give it a rest with the me vs you crap.

 

Ya know why Harrison didn't do as well? The offensive coaching. I remember at one point in the game, we run a play that has some pre-snap motion. Jamal Lewis gains an easy 11 yards, 8 of them thanks to the line, and maybe he pushed for an extra 3 (against backups). Jamal goes out, Harrison comes in. We line up in the same formation. I'm thinking "umm... I guess?" Then there's the pre-snap motion. And it's the same exact thing as the last play. I'm like, "really?" Then the ball gets snapped, it's the same exact play and it goes for a loss of yards. If he and Jamal had switched roles this game, I'm betting Harrison puts up more yards.

 

if you think someone's being underutilized maybe you should fire off an email to the coach and let HIM know how you feel. who knows, he just might entertain your ideas. after all, he claims he's open to communication if there is a sensible thought process behind it.

 

Or I could post it here, seeing as it's an open forum about the browns. *shrug* But did you not pay any attention to the playcalling? We ran the same frickin run play about 12 times. The only reason Jamal got as many yards as he did is because the defense we were playing was god awful. Have you seen him play against good teams? Look at the Baltimore game last year, or any of the first three games this year. He was a non-factor Look at his longer gains if you get a chance, and look at how slow he goes and how much he is tip-toeing.

 

Also, don't talk down to me, asshole. I haven't seen you back up anything you've said with anything other than the final stat-line. There is more to being a good running back than that. If Steve Heiden was lining up as the running back yesterday, HE could've rushed for a hundred yards too. Praise JL for this game all you want, but IMO, it's nothing to get excited about. JL will not put those numbers up against a good defense, he's too slow, and if you're still going to take what I say with a grain of salt, let's just see how he does against Pittsburgh this weekend.

 

[Earl34]

Ok, maybe suck is too strong a word. But christ, running him to the outside? That will not work against the Steelers, he's just too slow!!! If Harrison had those carries against a shitty defense he would've gotten more yards. The difference is night and day. Just look at how quickly Harrison hits the hole compared to JL. If Harrison gets into the secondary, he's a threat to score. If JL gets into the secondary, that just means that the defense is slow. Though he did have a really nice power run where he charged through about 4 guys to get 8 yards. But Harrison is just way quicker.

 

Vapor....we weren't playing the Steelers yesterday so what do we care if the game plan would have worked against the other 30 teams? The guy gave it his ALL and THIS kind of thread is what we repay him with? Guy played as well as he could play and to my eye,...he left it all out there for you. Give it a rest. Is he the "2,000 yard Jamal Lewis"?? No, of course not. He's an aging veteran who is perhaps the leading lockerroom presence on offense and a guy who is leading by example. If Harrison and his backups can stay healthy you won't see him getting that kind of workload consistently.

Addendum: Sorry...you already retracted your wording so it wasn't meant to be as strong

[VaporTrail]

Vapor....we weren't playing the Steelers yesterday so what do we care if the game plan would have worked against the other 30 teams? The guy gave it his ALL and THIS kind of thread is what we repay him with? Guy played as well as he could play and to my eye,...he left it all out there for you. Give it a rest. Is he the "2,000 yard Jamal Lewis"?? No, of course not. He's an aging veteran who is perhaps the leading lockerroom presence on offense and a guy who is leading by example. If Harrison and his backups can stay healthy you won't see him getting that kind of workload consistently.

 

I shudder at the thought of Lewis getting 30 carries against any team that has a legitimate defense. Though I'll admit, I haven't looked at it that way. If this is the game plan for shitty teams that can't defend the run, I guess I'm okay with it. But if Jamal Lewis gets the bulk of the carries against Pittsburgh, then I don't think it gives us a better chance to win.

 

Addendum Re: Yeah, the I just made the topic like that cuz I figured more people would read it. Guess it worked, lol.

[Next Year?!]

I hope they run harrison against the steelers.. atleast give both backs a even amout of touches...

[dawg08]

He tip-toed his way to 100 yards. That will not happen against a team that has a defensive line (like, oh, I dunno, the Steelers?). I don't get why Harrison did not get those carries. I think if he got those carries he would've gotten around 150 yards and maybe a TD, just because of the fact that he hits the hole quicker and is wayyyy faster than JL.

 

 

Oh yeah, he sucks, Geez your idiot!

 

You have a QB who is 2-17 for what? 34yds?? Worst ever QB passing % in the NFL. I don't care who we were playing! When you can't throw the ball and a RB goes over 100yds, that's pretty good in my book!!

 

He might now be good as he was with Baltimore, but he doesn't suck!

[VaporTrail]

Oh yeah, he sucks, Geez your idiot!

 

You have a QB who is 2-17 for what? 34yds?? Worst ever QB passing % in the NFL. I don't care who we were playing! When you can't throw the ball and a RB goes over 100yds, that's pretty good in my book!!

 

He might now be good as he was with Baltimore, but he doesn't suck!

 

You're an idiot.

 

Please read the whole thread, then comment. kthxbai

[ATENEARS]

I think we need to go back to Harrison tomorrow, Jamal is just too slow for the steelers defense. Put JL in a full back role where he will be quick, get to the edge and let Harrison turn it and go.

[VaporTrail]

Bump for "I told you so."