BEREA — As the game got away in a seven-minute flurry of interceptions, incompletions and Baltimore touchdowns, Jamal Lewis steamed.
After averaging 4.4 yards on nine first-half carries as the Browns took a lead against his former team, Lewis had been relegated to bystander in the pivotal third quarter. So when the 28-10 Week 3 loss was complete, Lewis lashed out to reporters, calling the fact he got 12 carries “pathetic.”
His message may not have been well-received in the coaches’ offices, but it was received nonetheless. In the Browns’ 3-1 stretch since the loss to the Ravens, Lewis has carried at least 19 times each game, averaging 21 carries and 82 yards.
“I regret saying it to the media,” Lewis said Thursday. “I just should have went up there and told the offensive coaches.
“I spoke out on it, and I shouldn’t have. But at the same time, it was something that the coaches heard, we talked about it and it was something to build on.”
Lewis isn’t anymore selfish than his peers. He’s just played long enough to believe strongly that a commitment to a power running attack is the only way to compete against Baltimore and Pittsburgh in the rugged AFC North.
So when he sees offensive coordinator Rob Chudzinski abandon the run early, he can’t hide his frustration.
“With Baltimore you have to stay on track,” Lewis said. “You’ve got to be able to go toe to toe with them. It’s a heavyweight match, it’s not a finesse game, and that’s how you’ve got to approach it because I bet you that’s how they’re approaching it.”
Lewis will get another crack at the Ravens on Sunday as they visit Cleveland Browns Stadium. He said it’s always special and fun to play his former teammates, but said adding them to his 100-yard victim list isn’t a priority.
“I’d like to just get 100, period,” Lewis said.
He has 35 100-yard rushing games in his career, but hasn’t recorded one this season. He was slowed early by leg injuries and Browns deficits and lately has been stuck around 80 yards. The seven-game stretch without 100 yards matches a drought in the middle of last season and is surpassed in Lewis’ nine-year career only by a 10-game span in 2005.
“It’s really not my concern going into a game,” said Lewis, who has 484 yards, three touchdowns and a 3.8 average this year. “I really want to go in and beat up a defense. That’s my goal going into a game, just to be respected by the defense that we’re playing.”
Lewis has evidence to support his claim that giving him the ball is the right thing for the team. A commitment to the running game opens up the passing attack, energizes the offensive line and wears down a defense. And the Browns are 11-1 in the last two years when Lewis gets 20 carries, including 3-0 this year.
“He’s running hard as he always does and we’re calling his number more,” coach Romeo Crennel said. “We’ve seen that the offense works better if we have balance.
“But if it were as simple as give it to Jamal 20 times, the first 20 plays in the game would be handoffs to Jamal.”
The 11-1 stat can be misleading, because the number of rushes often goes hand in hand with a late lead. But guard Eric Steinbach said the number has relevance.
“He is the type of back if he can get up to 20-25 carries, you see him outrunning and outworking defenses,” he said. “The more you give him, the more he’s going to get amped up.
“If we can establish the run early on Baltimore, I feel we’ll keep that running game going.”
Lewis didn’t practice Thursday to rest his 29-year-old body. It’s the second straight week Crennel has given him Thursday off.
“It’s not like anything’s wrong,” Lewis said. “I’m just trying to get some rest and get ready for this run we’re trying to make.”
Lewis said a mandated “sick” day took some getting used to.
“I’m not going to lie, it’s very hard for me,” he said. “I’m a hard worker and that’s what I thrive on. When I’m not out there at practice I feel like I’m letting the team down. At the same time I know what’s at hand and the coaches know what’s at hand. I just want to be fresh for this run because I take a big beating out there.”
And come Sunday, he’ll be looking to administer one to Ray Lewis and the Ravens defense — provided he gets enough chances.
“It’s not about the carries, it’s not about the throws, it’s just about executing,” he said. “We’re growing as a team as a whole and that’s a good thing to see.”
Contact Scott Petrak at 329-7253 or spetrak@chroniclet.com.

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