(Editor's Note: This is the second article in my series for All-Sports Ohio. Link here.)Running Back
44 Lee Suggs | Rushing | Receiving |
|---|
| G | GS | No | Yds | Avg | TD | No | Yds | TD |
|---|
| 2004 (CLE) | 10 | 4 | 199 | 744 | 3.7 | 2 | 20 | 178 | 1 |
| Career (2 yrs) | 17 | 4 | 255 | 1033 | 4.1 | 4 | 22 | 178 | 1 |
Early indications suggest that the job if starting running back is Lee Suggs' to lose. Suggs' short career has been injury-filled, but also full of promise. In only 10 games last year, he was able to lead the Browns in rushing yards, a stat helped by the 379 yards gained in the final three games of the season. Suggs also had one 100-yard receiving game in 2004. In 2005, he will look to improve his skills as a receiver, in an attempt to better himself as an all-around threat out of the backfield.
34 Reuben Droughns | Rushing | Receiving |
|---|
| G | GS | No | Yds | Avg | TD | No | Yds | TD |
|---|
| 2004 (DEN) | 16 | 15 | 275 | 1240 | 4.5 | 6 | 32 | 241 | 2 |
| Career (5 yrs) | 56 | 22 | 315 | 1337 | 4.2 | 7 | 50 | 402 | 6 |
Replacing the ineffective Quentin Griffin as Denver's starting running back in 2004, Reuben Droughns burst onto the scene in week five against the Carolina Panthers. Droughns gained 193 yards on the ground that week, and went on to pick up an additional 723 rushing yards over the following six weeks. He cooled off after that - relatively, of course - but still ended the season with 1240 rushing yards. This year, Droughns will challenge Lee Suggs for the top running back spot for the Browns. Droughns began as a fullback with the Broncos, so Browns Offensive Coordinator Maurice Carthon will have a variety of formation options when it comes to Droughns, Suggs, and the rest of this unit.
31 William Green | Rushing | Receiving |
|---|
| G | GS | No | Yds | Avg | TD | No | Yds | TD |
|---|
| 2004 (CLE) | 15 | 12 | 163 | 585 | 3.6 | 2 | 14 | 84 | 0 |
| Career (3 yrs) | 38 | 29 | 548 | 2031 | 3.7 | 9 | 40 | 247 | 0 |
Life hasn't been easy for any of the "New Browns" six first-round draft picks. William Green is perhaps the epitome of this. After a slow start to his rookie season of 2002, Green exploded for 726 rushing yards in the last seven games of the year, including a 178-yard performance against Atlanta that vaulted the Browns into the playoffs. It looked to be more of the same to start 2003, until an injury, a drug-related suspension, and a stabbing at the hands of his fiancee ended his season nine games short. Green was back for 2004, but ineffectiveness - perhaps his fault, perhaps the fault of a patched-together offensive line - saw him quickly lose playing time to Lee Suggs at the end of the season. Green will go into 2005 as Cleveland's third-stringer, but he may only be around until another team comes calling for him.
20 Sultan McCullough | Rushing | Receiving |
|---|
| G | GS | No | Yds | Avg | TD | No | Yds | TD |
|---|
| 2004 (CLE) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Career (2 yrs) | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Former USC great Sultan McCullough has played only one game in his two-year career. That occurred in 2003 while with the Washington Redskins, where he had one rushing attempt and three receptions. Since then, he has bounced between a few teams' practice squads, before landing on Cleveland's in late 2004. With Lee Suggs' history of injury problems, and the expected exodus of William Green, Sultan McCullough should be able to look forward to some playing time in this upcoming season.
23 Chad Scott | Rushing | Receiving |
|---|
| G | GS | No | Yds | Avg | TD | No | Yds | TD |
|---|
| 2004 (UNC) | 11 | 11 | 143 | 796 | 5.6 | 8 | 13 | 107 | 1 |
| Career (UK/UNC) | | | 348 | 1799 | 5.2 | 16 | 79 | 752 | 2 |
Undrafted rookie Chad Scott comes to the Browns after a college career that was split evenly between the Kentucky Wildcats and North Carolina Tar Heels. Scott led Kentucky in rushing as a freshman and North Carolina in rushing as a senior. His
college bio (courtesy
www.TarHeelBlue.com) references his high school career and a team award for his weight training, and calls him a "good receiver." Those factors indicate that the Browns have signed a very versatile athlete.
Fullback
42 Terrelle Smith | Rushing | Receiving |
|---|
| G | GS | No | Yds | Avg | TD | No | Yds | TD |
|---|
| 2004 (CLE) | 16 | 9 | 4 | 9 | 2.3 | 0 | 7 | 39 | 0 |
| Career (5 yrs) | 75 | 45 | 43 | 159 | 3.7 | 0 | 38 | 192 | 2 |
When the Browns decided that they needed a hard-nosed blocking back, they signed Terrelle Smith. How much of an impact does Smith have on a running game? In 2002 and 2003 with Smith, Saints RB Deuce McAllister averaged 92 and 102 yards per game, respectively. In 2004, that average dropped to 77 yards per game. Now, that is probably a misleading stat, as there are many factors that impact a running back's performance. But that still shouldn't take away from what the unselfish, blue-collar Smith can do for a team. Smith can also be an offensive threat when used properly; he had 29 rushes for 131 yards and 12 catches for 65 yards his rookie season.
40 Ben Miller | Rushing | Receiving |
|---|
| G | GS | No | Yds | Avg | TD | No | Yds | TD |
|---|
| 2004 (Cleveland) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Career (3 years) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Columbia Station, OH native Ben Miller is looking at his best chance in four years to make his hometown team. Miller played offensive line for the Air Force Academy before signing with Cleveland as an undrafted free agent. In 2002 and 2003, he participated in training camp and preseason games as a fullback for the Browns, before returning to the USAFA and Wright-Patterson Air Force Base to complete his required two years of military service. With his military obligation complete, Miller was eligible to join the Browns full-time in 2004, but a preseason ankle injury ended that. This year, Ben Miller is back, hoping to make the team as a reserve fullback and special teamer.
36 Corey McIntyre | Rushing | Receiving |
|---|
| G | GS | No | Yds | Avg | TD | No | Yds | TD |
|---|
| 2004 (CLE) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Career (3 yrs) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
A Defensive End/Linebacker in college at West Virginia, Corey McIntyre has turned into a fullback as a pro. McIntyre has yet to see any game action in the states, spending time on Philadelphia and Cleveland's practice squads. He was however a member of the Frankfurt Galaxy of NFL Europe in 2003, the team that went on to win that year's World Bowl championship. This year, he will look to battle Ben Miller to be the Browns' backup fullback and a special teams contributor.
