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RB Jamal Lewis, Cleveland Browns

HT: 6-0, WT: 240, Born: 8-29-1979, College: Tennessee, Drafted: Round 1, Pick 5

2008 Projections

2007 Game Summaries

Week 1 - With just eleven carries on the afternoon, Lewis failed to get untracked, and in addition to averaging just 3.2 yards per carry, and having a long carry on the day of seven yards, also lost a fumble with the score 10-0 in the first quarter. The fumble set up a forty yard touchdown reception by Santonio Holmes on the next play. On the Browns' touchdown drive, Lewis was given two carries inside the four yard line, failing to convert on either play.

Week 2 - Lewis had a huge day running the ball for 215 yards on 28 carries. While Lewis did have big runs of 66 and 31 yards, he was effective pounding the ball between the tackles and running off tackle to use up the game clock while the Browns had the lead. Lewis proved difficult for the Bengals defense to tackle as he often shed the first person to hit him and worked his way into second level of defenders. He may have lost a step or two over the last few seasons, and he was not a threat in the pass game, but during this game Lewis was certainly every bit of the power back the Browns were expecting.

Week 3 - Lewis was unable to get untracked in this game as the Browns trailed by scores of 16-0 and 26-17 throughout the game and were committed to throwing the ball. Lewis broke off a fifteen yard run early in the game when he was able to get outside, but failed to show a great deal when trying to run up the middle in this game. This included a carry from the two yard line in the fourth quarter where he failed to score, and subsequently the Browns followed up with a Derek Anderson bootleg.

Week 4 - Lewis ran the ball a lot, but was largely ineffective. He found no rushing lanes open between the guards and did not have the speed to turn the corner on the Ravens linebackers. He was a non-factor in the passing game, and was spelled by Jason Wright on passing downs.

Week 5 - Lewis was injured on his first carry of the game and was x-rayed in the locker room. He returned to the sideline, had his ankle taped, but did not return to the game.

Week 8 - Lewis had a relatively quiet day, running up the middle and not being used in the pass game. His job was to pound the ball up the middle, and outside of two ten yard runs in the second quarter, he did not make much noise. Despite the modest stat line, Lewis' running helped control the clock for the Browns and helped set up the passing game all game long.

Week 9 - Though he averaged just 1.9 yards per carry, Lewis found paydirt four times in this game and showed he was healthy, carrying the ball twenty times and receiving over 85% of the Browns carries. Lewis was more involved in the passing game then most weeks, with his 34 yard reception in overtime taking the ball into field goal territory and sealing the victory.

Week 10 - For the second straight week, Lewis averaged just over two yards per carry and couldn't get anything going for the Browns. Lewis showed good power early on rolling over Steelers defenders on the opening drive, but got stopped at or behind the goal line through most of the rest of the game.

Week 11 - Lewis had one of his strongest performances of the season running for 92 yards and one touchdown. He ran with authority, often taking two or three tacklers with him before falling to the ground. Late in the third quarter, on a Browns scoring drive, Lewis had a key ten yard run to set up a first and goal. On the run, Lewis shed two tackles, drove up the center of the field and took another three Ravens defenders to finally pull him down. Runs like this one typified Lewis' day.

Week 12 - Lewis had an excellent game, running with power up the middle of the field on most of his carries. His longest carry of the day, a 17 yard run off the right side, typified his day. The run was a simple off guard run up the middle. Lewis forced his way through the line, made one defender miss a tackle and proceeded to hit three more defenders before being brought to the ground. On the run, Lewis not only looked strong but he had a quickness to his step that allowed him to gain a head of steam as he ran downfield. Houston was unable to defend this kind of physical running game, and the result was an excellent day for Lewis.

Week 13 - Lewis played a strong game, having success rushing the ball up the center of the field. He was largely a non-factor in the second half as the Browns were forced to play from behind and largely abandoned the rushing game in favor of the passing attack. Lewis did flash some presence in the passing game, catching a swing pass from Anderson, leaping over a diving defender and plowing his way into the end zone at the end of the first half. He did take a big hit after getting into the endzone but came out to play the second half and showed no effects from the play.

Week 14 - Lewis averaged 5.6 yards per carry in this game, and added his eight and ninth scores in the last six games beyond a vastly improved Browns offensive line. Lewis' defining play came on third and four from the Jets 31 yard line in the final two minutes, with the Browns leading 17-15, where he broke a couple of tackles and bulled his way to the end zone to help put the Browns ahead by two scores.

Week 15 - Lewis was the focal point and star of the Cleveland offense. The entire Browns game plan focused around driving Lewis up the middle of the field and he responded very well. Most of his runs were straight up the middle or just off the guard. But the real key to Lewis' performance was the head of steam he built up as he ran down the field. His momentum made it seem like he was running downhill all game long and it would take two and three defenders to bring him down. Furthermore, as Lewis would get past the first layer of defenders, the defensive secondary would be slow in getting over toward him and as a result, Lewis could stiff-arm and even cut away from would-be tacklers. Perhaps the best example of this type of play came in the fourth quarter when Lewis took a handoff off the guard, bowled his way past the linemen and came into the secondary with a full head of steam. It would take four defenders to pull him down and he picked up five yards after the first contact was made.

Week 16 - Lewis had some nice runs up into the middle of the Cincinnati defense, again taking two and three defenders with him for extra yardage. His longest run was a 15 yard gain in the third quarter where, after running off the right side of the line, he was able to make a nice cut toward the center of the field and it took two Cincinnati defenders to bring him down. Despite his effectiveness, the Browns were forced to play from behind for the entire game and it necessitated an emphasis on the passing game. Lewis' role in Cleveland's passing game is next to nothing as he has been, and was today, used primarily as an emergency drop off target.

Week 17 - Lewis was asked to simply pound the ball all game long, a task for which he was well-suited. The Browns ran Lewis right into the middle of the 49ers defense for the entire game. Lewis' longest run was 23 yards, but it wasn't so much one play as it was the whole of his body of work that defined his role in this game. He was nothing less than a battering ram that simply wore down the defense with his punishing rushing style.