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Yes, he's done it five times before, but doing it for Browns to be special
By Marla Ridenour
Beacon Journal sportswriter
Published on Friday, Dec 14, 2007
BEREA: Because he rushed for 1,000 yards in five of his previous six active seasons and led the league with 2,066 yards in 2003, Jamal Lewis could take a ''been there, done that'' attitude to his approaching milestone.
That's not the case for the 28-year-old Browns running back. Released after seven years with the Baltimore Ravens, he came to the Browns to dispel the notion that his best days were behind him.
So even though he's closing in on a familiar number, Lewis said reaching it will mean something.
''Just being on another team, it will,'' he said. ''This is a new beginning for me, a fresh start for me.''
Lewis has gained 921 yards going into Sunday's crucial showdown against the Buffalo Bills with an AFC wild-card playoff berth at stake. If he maintains his current 4.2 yards per carry, it would be his best average since 2004. He punished the Cincinnati Bengals with 216 yards in on Sept. 16 and has totaled 406 yards and averaged 4.6 yards per carry in the past four games, twice going over 100 yards.
Lewis considers 1,000 yards the dividing line between personal success and failure.
''As a running back, you want to accomplish 1,000 yards or you really haven't had a good season,'' he said. ''I don't really think about it. I just wanted to go out, run hard and
let the numbers add up.''
If Lewis gets the 79 yards he needs in the final three games, he will become the Browns' second 1,000-yard rusher since 1985. Reuben Droughns broke a 20-year drought with 1,232 yards in 2005. Droughns had only two rushing touchdowns that season; Lewis has nine.
Fullback Lawrence Vickers takes pride in what Lewis is accomplishing.
''Knowing we're getting closer to that point is a good feeling,'' Vickers said, referring to 1,000 yards. ''The O-line and I succeed when he succeeds. You feel happy for a guy to reach some of his individual goals, to get back to being great, to doing some of the things he's used to doing.
''New team, new start . . . if he comes out with 1,000 or 1,200, that's a great building point for your first season with a new system and when a team's turning around.''
Lewis, 5-foot-11 and 245 pounds, seems as imposing as ever to Bills coach Dick Jauron.
''He's not what you normally see, a man that big, that fast and has been that productive over a length of time,'' Jauron said. ''He's got good vision and tremendous power. He's very hard to get hold of because he's big, has good balance and has the great speed. He's hard to knock off his feet. He has had a great career to this point.''
Vickers saw just how hard Lewis was to tackle on Lewis' 31-yard game-clinching touchdown with 1:22 remaining last week against the New York Jets.
''It should be one of those SportsCenter 'Whoop!' (plays),'' Vickers said. Asked how many Jets touched Lewis, Vickers said, ''At least six. He's got four of them on him in the (newspaper) picture.
''My wife TiVo-ed it and I watched it a couple times. When I got to the locker room, I looked at my text messages and she said, 'J-Lew is a beast.' ''
Hall of Fame running back Jim Brown, the team's executive adviser, probably wasn't whooping it up after Lewis' touchdown, but he was impressed.
''He said, 'Great run,' and shook his head,'' Lewis said. ''That's when you know it really was.
''I hope to have many more like that.''
Playing on a one-year contract, Lewis likes the Browns' organization, his teammates' will to win and their camaraderie. But he also has enjoyed the chance to converse with Brown, whom he met in Baltimore.
''I talk to him pretty much all the time,'' Lewis said. ''He's one of the best who has ever done it at my position, so it motivates myself to see him on the sidelines or at practice or around the building, period.''
Browns General Manager Phil Savage has said all year that ''a hungry Jamal is a good Jamal,'' and coach Romeo Crennel still sees that.
''I think Jamal understands the position this team is in because he has been on teams that have been there,'' Crennel said of the playoff chase. ''I think if you take a look at his touchdown run last week, his desire, effort and want to get that ball into the end zone says a lot about him as a runner and who he is as a football player.''
Browns Backers Day
The Pro Football Hall of Fame will celebrate Browns Backers Day from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday.
Attending from noon to 2 p.m. will be several alumni, including Don Cockroft, Bob Gain, Ken Konz and former coach Sam Rutigliano. Browns films will be shown and there will be a drawing for a helmet autographed by the team's rookies.
Browns Backers members will be admitted free with a membership card. Fans are encouraged to wear their best Dawg Pound gear. For information, visit http://www.ProFootballHOF.com or call 330-456-8207.
Brownies . . .
Missing practice Thursday were wide receiver Joe Jurevicius (knee) and linebacker Antwan Peek (ankle). . . . Right guard Seth McKinney said orthopedist James Andrews surgically repaired the torn labrum in his left shoulder a month ago and estimated he would need four to six months of rehab. ''I'm shooting for four,'' said McKinney, who is signed to a one-year contract. ''It's tough for me, especially how good we're doing. I watched the last game at home because I was still hurting. It's fun watching on HD, I know that.'' . . . Guard Eric Steinbach and kickoff returner Joshua Cribbs were the AFC's leading vote-getters for the Pro Bowl in fan balloting on NFL.com. The results, which also include the players' and coaches' votes, which account for the other two-thirds, will be announced at 4 p.m. Tuesday.
Marla Ridenour can be reached at mridenour@thebeaconjournal.com. Read her Browns blog at http://www.ohiomm.com/blogs/browns/.
BEREA: Because he rushed for 1,000 yards in five of his previous six active seasons and led the league with 2,066 yards in 2003, Jamal Lewis could take a ''been there, done that'' attitude to his approaching milestone.
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