When Ben Tate went down against the Steelers, the Cleveland Browns were prepared. They already had two running backs prepped for relief work. Tate has an injury history, but admittedly, no one was expecting the two rookies Terrance West and Isaiah Crowell to get so much work.
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“It was encouraging but they need to be able to take the next step,” coach Mike Pettine said, via ESPN.com. “This will be another challenge for them, to go against this type of defense, nothing that probably either one of those guys has seen before.”
West and Crowell will play the New Orleans Saints on Sunday. If they can match their production, the Browns will be fine in the running game.
“If you’d have told me on the first day he was here, that Crowell would line up against Pittsburgh and score two TDs, I’d have bet the mortgage payment that wasn’t going to happen,” Pettine said.
West is the expected lead back for the weekend. Crowell may continue to have a place as a goal line back, but while his impact of two touchdowns was huge, his carry total of five was not. His production might have been a mirage. Then again, he did average 6.5 yards per carry. The Browns are seemingly in very capable hands when they host the Saints.
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