With Ben Tate, Dion Lewis and Terrance West at running back, the Browns don’t have any stars in their backfield. But coach Mike Pettine says that’s just fine.
Pettine told the Cleveland Plain Dealer that he’d prefer to use a committee approach at the position, reasoning that it’s better to keep everyone fresh than to give one guy too heavy a workload.
“I think in the AFC North, you have to be running back by committee. You’d like to have a guy that can carry most of the load, but also be able to alternate guys . . . you’ve got to be able to get fresh legs out there,” Pettine said.
Last year just four teams in the NFL had fewer rushing yards than the Browns, who finished the season with 1,383 yards on the ground. And no team had fewer than the Browns’ pathetic total of four rushing touchdowns. Whether it’s a committee approach or whether Tate, Lewis or West is able to emerge as a clear starter, the Browns have to be a lot better in the backfield this year than they were last year.