Position Recap: Running backs

01.07.2008

The following is the first in a series of position-by-position season recaps by ClevelandBrowns.com.

Overview: Heading into the 2007 season the big questions along the Browns' running back corps were simple: 1) Did newly signed free agent Jamal Lewis have anything left in the tank, and 2) Would there be anyone available to step up if Lewis missed any significant time due to injury?

Luckily for the Browns, question No. 2 never really needed to be answered. Lewis played in and started 15 of 16 games. As for question No. 1, Lewis forcefully proved he has plenty left, rushing for 1,304 yards -- the most rushing yards in team history by someone besides Jim Brown -- and 9 touchdowns for a 4.4-yard average.

Lewis came up especially big during the second half of the season, when the passing game slowed and the Browns rode their veteran running back to several victories in inclement weather.

Bulldozing the way for Lewis was breakout star Lawrence Vickers, who was voted a Pro Bowl second alternate for his effort blocking. Vickers also proved to be a solid pass catcher and running back on short yardage situations, catching 13 passes for 91 yards and 2 touchdowns and rushing 15 times for 43 yards.

On the backup front, Jason Wright had his most productive season to date as the team's No. 2 back, rushing for 277 yards on 60 carries for a 4.6-yard average, while Jerome Harrison looked good in spot duty, averaging 6.2 yards per carry on 23 attempts throughout the season.

Rookie fullback Charles Ali appeared in 13 games on special teams and in limited scrimmage situations after making the team as an undrafted free agent.

MVP: The MVP was unquestionably Lewis, who was big early (he had a season-high 216 yards on 27 carries against the Bengals on Sept. 16) and late (he had four 100-yard games in the team's final six contests) and scored the most touchdowns by a Browns running back since Kevin Mack in 1986.

Key Stat: Lewis turned it on late in the season and averaged 116.2 yards per game during the team's final six games. The club was 5-0 when he rushed for 100 yards and 6-0 when he scored a touchdown.

High point: While Lewis' 216 yards against the Bengals and 4 touchdowns against the Seahawks were nothing less than spectacular, Lewis peeked in the latter portions of the season and proved his worth most with a bruising 163 yards on 33 carries during an 8-0 win over the Bills in a blizzard on Dec. 16.

Areas of concern: A big question mark heading into the offseason will be if the team can get a deal done to bring Lewis back to the Browns. The 28-year-old back will be a free agent come March. Meanwhile, the club is still in need of a young back to groom under the veteran.

What's ahead: What's ahead depends largely if not entirely on whether or not Lewis returns. If so, then the club can feel comfortable with their running back situation and try to find a young player to begin nurturing behind him. If not, then there'll be a scramble to find a back to take Lewis' place.