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Home > Blogs > Dawging the Browns > Archives > 2009 > August > 24 > Entry
Finally a 1-2 running back punch?
Yes, yes, it was against the awful Detroit Lions. More precisely, the awful Detroit Lions’ second-string defense.
Still, rookie running back James Davis looked awfully good carrying the football in Saturday night’s 27-10 exhibition win at Cleveland Browns Stadium.
And that brings up an interesting question: Could this be the first year in a long time that the Browns actually have a 1-2 punch in the backfield? You know, like good teams have. You know, like the Browns haven’t had since Mack and Byner.
Jerome Harrison at this moment remains the backup to Jamal Lewis, but he’s been out with an injury and did not play Saturday.
Davis, a sixth-round draft pick from Clemson, scored on an 81-yard run in the third quarter and totaled 116 yards on 12 carries.
“He looked like he had his head down and his legs moving and that was good,” head coach Eric Mangini said after the game. “I’m looking for his play at the running back position, but the other thing that is real important to me is his contribution to the special teams.”
Solid play on special teams would assure Davis of being active each week, which would be a good first step toward actually getting some carries.
This much is clear: Lewis’s days as the ultimate workhorse are likely over, so the urgency to develop other backs (or at least one) is growing.
Harrison has revealed glimpses of his prolific college self (1,800-plus yards as a senior at Washington State), but durability issues and an inability to pick up blitzes have limited his contributions the past couple of seasons and he figures as more of a change-of-pace/third-down back anyway.
Davis, of course, would not be the first running back to star in a preseason game for the Browns and never be heard from again. Remember Madre Hill? Sedrick Shaw? That said, I thought his explosive performance was the most interesting development to come out of the latest game that doesn’t count.
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By Jack
August 25, 2009 1:14 PM | Link to this
Preseason games mean zilch, he has to show it during the regular season, but will say, I was hoping the Browns would draft Davis. He certainly has potential. Lewis is looking really old. He should gain 30 pounds and go the Bettis route.