Professor

Browns counting on the Jamal Lewis of old - USATODAY.com

Jamal Lewis seems reinvigorated and motivated to show his detractors he hasn't slowed down.

A leaner, healthier Lewis appears to be a faster, happier Lewis, which could lead to positive results for his new Cleveland Browns teammates.

He has shed 12 pounds from his 5-11 frame this offseason and now weighs in at 238 pounds. His sleeker build should prove useful, since Lewis will be asked to attack the perimeter and catch the ball more in Cleveland, a change from the bulldozing, power style he typically used with the Baltimore Ravens, his former club.

He also is three years removed from major left ankle surgery. Lewis had painful bone spurs removed from the same joint this offseason and will need the added burst and mobility to thrive in his expanded role.

"I'm happy playing football again," says Lewis, who turns 28 on Aug. 26. "They're building this thing around me to the point where I feel comfortable and happy again playing football."

Lewis, who has 48 yards on 11 carries (an average of 4.4 yards) in two preseason games, signed a one-year, $3.5 million deal on the heels of a 2006 campaign in Baltimore during which he rushed for 1,132 yards and nine touchdowns; the deal could be worth $5 million if all bonus incentives are reached.

Behind a revamped offensive line that boasts No. 3 overall draft pick Joe Thomas at left tackle and free agent acquisition Eric Steinbach at left guard, Lewis is expected to ease pressure on whichever young quarterback Cleveland head coach Romeo Crennel anoints as starter: Charlie Frye, Derek Anderson or Brady Quinn.

The biggest question Lewis will have to answer is how much gas he has left in his tank. In his first four seasons in Baltimore, he never averaged fewer than 4.3 yards a carry.

He racked up 5.3 yards a rush in 2003, when he ran for 2,066 yards, the second-highest single-season total in league history and a performance that earned him Offensive Player of the Year honors.

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gruntbygod

I still say he's done

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BeastJacobs

I say he'll have some mediocre seasons.

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RoyWilliams

They still have no qb right now, so i dont think he will amount to much.

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Professor

I knew grunt would be the first to respond, and I don't disagree, im just saying that other's have revived their careers after people thought they were done (thomas jones)

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Dawardoe

I think with there being a few offensive weapons around him (Edwards and Winslow), and if Quinn/Frye get them the ball, then Lewis will have a 900-1000 yard season which imo isn't to bad for the syle of runner he is.

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gruntbygod

I think Jones was different. He was one of Zona's "busts". He, like Arrington, was allegedly "too soft" when they were in Zona. Its funny, he didnt seem "too soft" in TB and Chicago. Make's me wonder about Arrington

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ball in the baskett

i dont think he can have good season with the browns

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