Can Browns’ Harrison be an every-down back?

CANTON REPOSITORY

BEREA — Little Jerome Harrison carried the big load Sunday, making an NFL season-high 39 carries.

Can a former Round 5 pick who was ignored by his team through much of four years make the big leap to full-time feature back?

Browns left tackle Joe Thomas seems to think so.

“Jerome’s a tough guy,” Thomas said. “Even if he’s a little bit smaller, he’s very durable. Jerome can carry that load. No problem.”

At Kansas City, Harrison ran for 286 yards, 58 more than the second-biggest rushing game in the NFL this year. For an encore, he ran 39 times for 148 yards against the Raiders.

The 286 yards broke Jim Brown’s franchise record by nearly 50 yards. The 148-yard game was less dramatic, but also rare.

The only Browns backs to run for as many as 148 yards in a game in the 11-year expansion era were William Green (178 yards in 2002), Lee Suggs (186 yards in 2003), Reuben Droughns (166 yards in 2005), Jamal Lewis (216 yards and 163 yards in 2007) and Harrison (286 yards and 148 yards in the last two games).

After the Oakland game, Harrison and Brown shared a quiet moment in the locker room. A while later, Brown was asked if Harrison can be a workhorse back.

“You don’t want to have to use him that much every week, obviously,” Brown said. “But on occasion, it’s necessary, and he wouldn’t mind it.

“You want to mix it up and not just let him beat his body to death. but against Oakland, it was necessary, With him getting those shoulders squared and falling forward, getting those four and five yards ... that’s very valuable.”

Coach Romeo Crennel and his offensive coordinators questioned Harrison’s overall value. They used Harrison’s blocking deficiencies and inability to help on special teams as reasons not to play him. In three years, he averaged less than two carries a game.

The maddening part about that: His yards per carry kept going up, to 6.2 in 2007, to 7.2 in 2008.

Coach Eric Mangini increased Harrison’s workload, especially after Jamal Lewis lost time to injury, but after Lewis returned, Harrison fell out of favor, which in retrospect was more madness, because he was playing behind CFL reject Chris Jennings.

Mangini and Harrison had a meeting of the minds. Lewis got hurt again, this time landing on injured reserve. A star was born.

Harrison has risen to 28th place in the NFL with 735 rushing yards (4.6 per carry). That won’t get him to Canton, but consider that future Hall of Famer LaDainian Tomlinson is 29th with 729 yards (3.3).

Incoming president Mike Holmgren has a reputation for liking backs who can catch the ball. Harrison’s hot streak actually began on Dec. 6, when he had 97 rushing-receiving yards, catching seven passes, two for touchdowns.

The San Diego game was the first the Browns played since Lewis went on injured reserve.

“I had to sit behind Jamal, who is a great back and one of my great friends,” Harrison said. “I told myself I would work with Jamal and take as much as I can from him until my time comes.

“Jamal always told me, “‘Your time will come. Just be prepared.’”

Time marches on. Having run 73 times for 434 yards and four touchdowns in the last two games, Harrison is sure to get plenty of work in the season finale against Jacksonville. But what about next year?

“That’s something we’ll have to discuss with Mike,” Mangini said. “He’s shown a lot of good things.”