Goodbye Jamal

The Cleveland Browns lost another player on the road to the top of the draft as Jamal Lewis was placed on injured reserve after suffering a concussion in the loss to the Bengals.

The Browns will likely pick a running back off the waiver wire or someone's practice squad as Cleveland has just two runners remaining after losing Lewis in Jerome Harrison and Chris Jennings.
The Tennessee product was very productive in his first season in Cleveland,but nothing to rave (pun intended) about over the last two seasons.
Lewis finishes his career (if his retirement talk is to be believed) with over 10,000 yards and 21st on the all time rushing list.
The loss for the Browns is negligible after all,he has struggled for two years now and his best days are behind him,but I wonder if Lewis is in for a surprise down the road.
His comments to the Baltimore media about "going into the HOF as a Raven" made me think that he might have made an leap of faith on the issue.
Looking at the career rushing list makes me think that not only is he not a Hall of Famer on the first ballot,but perhaps not at all.
Lewis is ranked 21st,but only 37 yards behind Ricky Watters for the top 20.
Nine of the top twenty are not in the Hall,but all have yet to be on the ballot or are still playing.
4th place Curtis Martin and 5th place Jerome Bettis are in on numbers,although I don't think either is a slam dunk on my ballot,but both were better than Lewis.
9th place Marshall Faulk and 10th place LaDanian Tomlinson were easily better backs.
The next bunch could tell the tale on Lewis and a trip to Canton.
Edgerrin James (11),Fred Taylor (15),Corey Dillon (17),Warrick Dunn (19,really?) and Ricky Watters (20) are comparable to Lewis in numbers and ability,but yet on my ballot,the only one that might get my vote is James and even then,that is a might.

So,I suppose I am saying,I wouldn't get those reservations quite yet,Jamal.

I will try to be back later with a look at the Devils absolutely pancake flat loss to the Vancouver Canucks last night...

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