In order to win the division and not rely on complicated tie breakers to make the playoffs, the Browns need to win divisional games, particularly against Pittsburgh, to whom they have lost nine straight games, several of them in excruciating fashion. The opportunity to beat the Steelers is obviously much greater at home. Therefore, it is more crucial to win in week two against the black and gold, than it is to defeat Dallas in the opener.
With that in mind, if there is any doubt on the health of running back Jamal Lewis, an error should be made on the error of caution, and he should skip the opener on Sunday. A hamstring injury is one that can linger, and if holding Lewis out of this week’s game will increase the strength of the muscle from 75% to 95%, then so be it. Because in many ways, Lewis is the most important person on the offensive unit. The Cleveland Browns simply cannot be without him for a six-week period and still expect to make the playoffs.
Sure, the offensive line was the key to last year’s 10-6 season, particularly tackle Joe Thomas and guard Eric Steinbach handling the left side. However, let me remind you that Lewis’ back ups are Jason Wright and Jerome Harrison, meaning the team is in a heap of trouble if the 1000-yard back misses the bulk of the season. Without the threat of Lewis and the running game, it is more difficult for coordinator Rob Chudzinski and QB Derek Anderson to throw the ball downfield effectively. It is much tougher to play quarterback in the NFL when you are constantly in 2nd and 10 and 3rd and 8 situations.
Therefore, the safe play is to have Jamal Lewis sit out against Dallas if he is anything less than 90%. One only has to go back to the city’s baseball team to see the impact of a bum hamstring. Would the Indians’ season be different if Victor Martinez had gone on the disabled list after opening day? Maybe not, but if the muscle was healthy, Martinez could have shown some power early in the year, instead of going without a homer until last night. He played in four games with a good leg before getting that first dinger.
This is not to say it doesn’t matter if the Browns lose on Sunday afternoon. It would be great to defeat a Super Bowl contender, and open the season with a 1-0 record. It is saying that it is more important to have a healthy Jamal Lewis for a division game. The AFC North should come down to the Browns and Steelers. The Bengals are starting a rebuilding process, and the Ravens are starting a rookie QB in week one. Here’s hoping that Phil Savage and Romeo Crennel look at the big picture if the star running back isn’t 100% this Sunday. The team simply cannot afford to lose #31 for any length of time.
JD
Cleveland Sports Perspective 