Browns Running Backs Since 1999? They've Been Mostly Mediocre!
It’s that time again for me to chronicle some of my favorite Cleveland Browns. The running backs are up next and there are some wild names on this list. This list’s Top 3 was easy to put together, but everything else was pretty tough to complete.
A few guys got left off this list, including Travis Prentice, Jason Wright, Jamel White and James Jackson. I also had to cut Willis McGahee even though his dominant season with two rushing touchdowns was pretty funny. There have been some busts throughout the years, the oft-injured Mario Hardesty being one of those players.
Anyway, it’s time for my Top 10 Favorite Cleveland Browns Running Backs Since 1999. By the way, the NFL is such a pain in the ass about posting YouTube highlights. This was such a struggle to find clips that don’t get blocked when I post them.
Also, make sure to buy a Cleveland Browns Jarvis Landry Bless’m shirt in the Barstool Sports store.
Okay, yes, Reggie Hodges is a punter, but he has my second favorite rush by any Cleveland Browns player since 1999.
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That was a thing of beauty. I wish he had scored because that would have lived on as an iconic clip in the Browns’ mediocre-to-poor recent history. Hodges had a pretty decent year if I recall correctly, and I think this fake punt was a big reason as to why. The Browns are actually 4-1 against the Saints since their return in 1999. They’ve won the last two games against the Saints, one being a great finish in Week 2 of the decent 2014-2015 season (they play the Saints in Week 2 again this year). The Saints are also responsible for the first win of the Browns expansion era back in 1999 with a Tim Couch Hail Mary.
Reggie Hodges, you may not be a running back, but you, sir, are a legend in my eyes.
The Trent Richardson era was a pretty sad time for the Cleveland Browns. Despite some pretty bad memories and getting roasted by fans and the media, Richardson always seemed to take everything in stride. His first year wasn’t all that bad, as he racked up 950 yards and 11 touchdowns. But those nice numbers masked the fact that he had poor vision and a pretty below-average yard per carry number for a premier running back. He did have an awesome moment in his first game with the Browns, though.
It seemed, at the time, that we were in for something special. Unfortunately, Richardson would only last just over a season in Cleveland before being dumped for a 1st round pick in a wild trade with the Colts. In a league where trading for a 1st round pick requires a stone-cold superstar, the fact that the Browns got that value was wild. The pick the Browns got from the Colts turned into Johnny Manziel.
A forgotten Cleveland Brown, Reuben Droughns had two somewhat productive seasons with the team. In his first season he gained 1,232 yards but somehow only managed to score two touchdowns. How is that even possible? Nevertheless, he was productive and, at times, enjoyable to watch.
One of Droughns’ touchdowns in 2005 came against the Steelers on Sunday Night Football. That’s legendary status worthy. Scoring a touchdown to give the Browns a lead against the Steelers? Retire his damn number! Also, remember the ESPN Sunday Night Football theme song?
Yikes. Terrible.
Lee Suggs is a fantastic running back and football name. I always loved obscure Browns players and Lee Suggs fit the bill for me. During his time in Cleveland, Suggs never played a full season but did have an okay year in 2004. He rushed for 744 yards and two touchdowns in 10 games of action.
The most memorable Lee Suggs moment came in 2003 against the Bengals. At the time, this was the rookie’s breakout game, where he rushed for 186 yards on 26 carries for two touchdowns. His big moment came on a 78-yard touchdown scamper that knocked the Bengals out of the Playoffs.
For Browns fans, it’s the little things that make us happy and Lee Suggs was able to at least supply one fun moment.
Let the random list of Browns running backs continue with the one and only Jerome Harrison! The last three weeks of the regular season defined the career of Jerome Harrison. He rushed for 127 yards against the Jaguars, 148 yards against the Raiders and, wait for it, 286 yards against the Chiefs.
That’s right, Jerome Harrison rushed for 286 yards, which is 10 off the most in NFL history for one game. He has the third most single-game rushing yards in NFL history. That’s just insanity. The Browns rattled off three wins to end the season and dropped in the NFL Draft, causing them to miss out on Sam Bradford, Ndamukong Suh and Eric Berry. While Joe Haden ended up being a nice player, I’ll never forgive Jerome Harrison for not allowing the Browns to tank.
Jerome Harrison was traded the next season to the Eagles after a certain Madden cover boy, who we will get to later, pushed him out of the starting role.
I know, this is cheating, but I always viewed Terrance West and Isaiah Crowell as a lethal two-headed attack for the Browns. In the 2014-2015 season when the Browns were 7-4 at one point before five straight losses, West & Crowell combined for over 1,500 yards and 12 touchdowns.
One of the big reasons the Browns fell apart and lost their run game was because of Alex Mack’s injury. The Browns were cruising, and the rushing attack helped Brian Hoyer establish himself as a pretty serviceable quarterback. Unfortunately, when the Pro Bowl center went down, the Browns struggled to recover and lost their spark.
The Browns shipped Terrance West off to the Titans the following season and he then moved on to the Baltimore Ravens, before recently getting cut. There were some maturity issues from West, so the two-headed monster potential would be no more following the trade. Isaiah Crowell, meanwhile, stayed with the Browns through this offseason and is responsible for the Browns’ first every international rushing touchdown.
I’ll never forget this tandem, mostly because it came during a season when the Browns didn’t totally suck. They set the tone early in the 2014-2015 season with 132 yards rushing and two touchdowns combined and a near 24-point comeback in Week 1. This game is most known for when Antonio Brown kicked.
Ah, those were the days. Going 7-9 was a lot better than 1-31 in two years, that’s for sure.
Duke Johnson Jr. does not get the respect he deserves. He’s flashy, electric and a crazy versatile running back. He is essentially a running back-wide receiver hybrid and would be a key piece on a good team.
I am curious how he will fit into the team this year, with Carlos Hyde and Nick Chubb leading the charge at the running back position. You have to figure we will see Johnson Jr. out of the slot a bunch and used as a jack-of-all-trades weapon. If used correctly, with a good quarterback, Johnson Jr. can show the league that he has crazy potential as a playmaker.
By now you know I have a bias towards any Browns player who was involved with a winning team. As the Browns’ running back in their weird 2007-2008 season, Lewis had a great season and was a huge reason they were tied for a Wild Card spot (they didn’t win the tiebreaker). Two games for Jamal Lewis stuck out, the first being the Browns’ first win of the year where he rushed for 216 yards and a touchdown.
That might’ve been one of my favorite Browns win ever, a 51-45 score is wild and a blast, especially over a division rival in the Bengals. The second memorable game from Jamal Lewis was a wild four touchdown effort in overtime over the Seahawks.
Four rushing touchdowns from one Brown in one game is just insane. Jamal Lewis only rushed for four total touchdowns in all of 2008-2009 and the team as a whole only scored four rushing touchdowns in the combined 2011-2012 and 2013-2014 seasons. Despite the fact that Jamal Lewis once did this to the Browns…
…I’ll always give him credit for doing his job in Cleveland.
Is Peyton Hillis one of the more bizarre success stories in NFL history? The running back came into his first season with the Browns as a bit of an afterthought. He was supposed to back up Jerome Harrison but opened the season with 220 yards rushing and three touchdowns on only 39 attempts.
After Harrison was traded, Hillis rattled off a few more big games despite dealing with injuries. His coming out party, though, was in a 34-14 demolition of the New England Patriots.
Not many people remember this, probably because Bill Belichick found a way to brainwash NFL fans from remembering he lost to the Eric Mangini-led Browns. But this was an awesome moment for the Browns and launched them into a bit of relevancy. They went into their next game with 3-5 record and some hype, before losing to the Jets in overtime.
The wildest thing about Peyton Hillis is still the fact that he ended up on the cover of Madden. He’s the only Cleveland Browns player to grace the cover, after defeating Philadelphia Eagle Michael Vick in a fan vote.
There are tons of Browns fans, despite what some people may think, so the passion was there to dominate the vote. EA Sports changed the voting process following Hillis’ victory. The viral sensation never really found much more success and left the Browns after his second season. While his time was short on Lake Erie, Peyton Hillis is still one of the more memorable Browns for average NFL fans since their return in 1999.
You knew it was coming. You had to know I was going to pick the Browns’ best running back from their 2002-2003 Playoffs season. It would be off brand for me to do anything else.
William Green holds a special place in the hearts of all Cleveland Browns fans. The rookie year for Green was okay, not great, but his 65-yard run against the Atlanta Falcons in Week 17 of the 2002-2003 season essentially locked up their spot in the Playoffs.
“Run William run!” is probably the most iconic Browns’ radio call since their return in 1999. This run was supposed to be the breakout run for the then-rookie running back out of Boston College. His Playoffs appearance was a huge bust, rushing for only 30 yards on 25 attempts, but he did manage to get into the end zone.
While the Playoffs stats weren’t great, the next season was even worse for William Green. He was suspended for four games after being arrested for drunk driving and marijuana possession. To top it off, during his suspension, he was fucking stabbed by his fiancée. Somehow, Green came back for the 2004 season and played 15 games. His final memorable moment with the Browns had nothing to do with football, however.
The spit heard round the world. Green was never really able to find himself again and was out of the league after the 2005 season. The former Browns running back does get to claim the title as the only Browns starting running back to win a season-opening game (they are 1-18 in Week 1 since 1999, I will be discussing this in a future post) since 1999. While Green ended up being a bust and fizzled out, his run against the Falcons will always be enough for me to put him in the number one spot.
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Okay, that’s my list. The Browns play tonight at home against the Eagles and the starters (minus Josh Gordon) are expected to play for a while. I will have a recap in the morning and will likely blog my favorite Browns defensive players next week.
