Droughns about to end drought
BEREA, Ohio – There have been 257 NFL running backs who have rushed for 1,000 yards in a season since 1986.
Not one of them has worn an orange helmet with two brown stripes down the middle. But Reuben Droughns is on the verge of ending the Cleveland Browns’ embarrassing drought.
The Browns, whose rich history was built on the broken tackles and breakaway runs by some of the game’s greatest backs, have gone 0 for 19 since both Earnest Byner and Kevin Mack topped the 1,000-yard barrier in 1985.
Every other team in the league has done it at least once. Fullback Terrelle Smith said it’s time the Browns joined them.
“We’re just getting back to what we used to do,” Smith said.
How true. From 1958-84, the Browns produced a 1,000-yard rusher in 17 seasons, including 10 in a span of 11 years by Hall of Famers Jim Brown (eight times) and Leroy Kelly (twice). Greg Pruitt and Mike Pruitt also went over 1,000 before the ‘85 season, when Mack and Byner combined for 2,106 yards.
Droughns enters Sunday’s game against Jacksonville with 941 yards, 59 shy of the magical milestone. At his current average of 85.6 yards, Droughns, who has already rushed for the most yards by a Browns back since ‘85, probably will hit 1,000 Sunday.
Smith wasn’t ready to make any predictions.
“You never know,” he said with a laugh. “It could be one handoff or five games.”
In his first season with Cleveland, Droughns, who ran for 1,240 yards for Denver a year ago, has been the club’s MVP and the one player coach Romeo Crennel identified on his roster as having Pro Bowl talent.
It hasn’t taken long for Droughns to become a star, although he doesn’t see himself that way.
“I’m not a star at all,” he said. “I’m just an Average Joe Schmoe. In fact, I’m thinking about getting on that show, what is it, the ‘Average Joe?’ “
There was a time when 1,000 yards was considered the benchmark for a great season. However, since the league expanded from a 14- to 16-game schedule in 1978, a 1,000-yard year has been viewed as not such an overwhelming accomplishment.
Droughns doesn’t agree.
“Anything over 1,000 is good, even though you hear about the two extra games, and that with two more games it shouldn’t be that hard,” he said. “Old cats say that, like Jim Brown, ‘Oh, it shouldn’t be that hard to get.’ But it is. It’s a difficult thing to get.
“Obviously, 20 years is a long time. As a running back, you don’t expect to get 100-yard games because of the talent in this league.”
Has Droughns expressed his point to Brown?
“I’m not going to tell Jim Brown that,” he said, cracking up.
Since coming to Cleveland, Droughns has come to know Brown and said he often speaks with the great back before games. Does he ever ask No. 32 for any pointers?
“Nah,” he said. “He just tells me to stay positive in there and keep working hard.”
His work ethic and all-around game have impressed Crennel, who sees Droughns’ only weakness as a lack of game-breaking speed.
“But he does all the other things that you want a back to do,” Crennel said. “He runs hard, breaks tackles, can get the ball outside and he’ll block. He’s not bad.”
Droughns has one year left on his contract, and has already told the Browns he would like a new deal. He had threatened to hold out of training camp last summer before changing his mind.
The 27-year-old back is making $950,000 this season, $1.15 million in 2006 and still wants a long-term contract. Droughns said the Browns have promised to begin talks after the season.
“I would love to be here for a long time,” he said.
But will he play in Cleveland next season without a new deal?
“That’s a bad question,” he said with a hard laugh. “It all depends. I don’t think it will get to that point.”