BEREA, Ohio — The Cleveland Browns will open up the home portion of their schedule Sunday without running back Ben Tate who is out with a knee injury. Head coach Mike Pettine would not give a timeline on how long he will be out.
Terrance West will start in Tate’s place on Sunday; West rushed for 100 yards on Sunday vs. Pittsburgh.
Isaiah Crowell will also see time in the backfield. Crowell scored two touchdowns vs. the Steelers in his NFL debut.
Pettine knows Sunday will be a challenge for both rookies but now he wants to see both Crowell and West take the next step.
“Just be a complete back, make the right read, finish runs,” Pettine said. “I thought Crowell finished some runs better than West did, and I thought that was a good lesson for West to learn. You can’t hit a home run every play in the NFL, that there will be some times where, ‘Hey, put your head down and take three yards. Take four yards. Take five. Know how to finish a run.’”
The Browns continue to await word on if and when wide receiver Josh Gordon will return to the team. The NFL players representatives will spend the next 24 hours reviewing details on the drug policy issues and will vote in the next few days, most likely before Sunday.
According to reports, every 2014 league year suspension will be reviewed, if a deal is approved. Josh Gordon failed his drug test in 2013, so it will be wait and see on him. Josh Gordon did a sit-down interview with OnDeckEr.com and said he will change his living habits moving forward.
“Really, I think it’s just being more careful, you know, more concern with my well-being and my surroundings and before I was very careless to it because nothing really seemed to happen,” Gordon said in the interview. “It seemed like everything was all good all the time and everything seemed to work out.”
The Browns home opener airs on FOX 8.
Our NFL coverage begins at 12 p.m. Sunday with the pregame show.
Then watch the Browns host the Saints at FirstEnergy Stadium at 1:00.
Stay tuned to FOX 8’s post game show after the big game ends and of course complete coverage on FOX 8 News and FOX8.com.
