Don’t Believe in the Cleveland Browns
November 18, 2014Cleveland Browns vs. Houston Texans: Behind the Box Score
November 18, 2014It appears that the unhappiness was indeed mutual. Just days after receiving just two carries against his former team, running back Ben Tate has been waived by the Cleveland Browns.
“With all of the transactions we make while constructing our roster, it will always be our intent to do what is best for our football team,” said Browns general manager Ray Farmer via press release. “This move is no different and we wish Ben the best going forward.”
There was much celebration after the team inked the free agent, zone-blocking running back to a two-year deal this past offseason, but the former Houston Texan had seen his carry total drop dramatically over the last few weeks. When asked about the decision to provide carries to a pair of rookies—the drafted Terrance West and the undrafted Isaiah Crowell—Browns head coach Mike Pettine put it bluntly: He’s seeing better explosiveness out of the youngins.
“There’s an explosiveness there with the young backs, just a little bit more pop,” Pettine said on Monday afternoon. “We wanted to see those guys out there. Sometimes it’s not a matter of a negative against a guy, it’s more of a positive with the other ones. We take everything into account.”
Crowell and West have combined for 72 carries the past three weeks while Tate has 22, with just two coming in the team’s Week 11 loss to Houston. Worse, the veteran wasn’t taking advantage of the limited time he’s been given. Since combining for 202 yards in back-to-back wins over the Tennessee Titans and Pittsburgh Steelers (two solid front lines), Tate is averaging 1.7 yards per carry in his last five games (90 yards on 53 carries). On the season, he totaled 333 yards with four touchdowns, adding nine receptions for 60 yards.
Leading into this past Sunday’s contest, Tate had voiced some displeasure about his role with the team. There was some initial thought to having him be a third-down, pass-catching back, but even this has become a rare occurrence.
Tate’s base salary in 2015 was set at $2 million to go along with a $200,000 incentive. For the Browns, only $750,000 of his signing bonus is guaranteed, meaning that the team just freed itself of just under $3 million by releasing the back. It seems like just yesterday that Tate was all about Cleveland. It looks as if those tides may have turned. Maybe being a safety wouldn’t have been a bad idea after all…
43 Comments
I figured they’d let him go at the end of the year, but in the middle of the season like this? Wow.
Kinda sad. He really seemed to like the city and the fans.
Note to self: stop liking anybody.
Crow and West are the future anyway. This saves us cash and a lot of internal headaches, my only surprise is that it happened now instead of the day after the season ended.
More wreckage in Mary Kay Cabot’s rearview mirror? Fellas, Farmer is telling you something: The Josh Cribbs Era is so over and done. Even if you sincerely believe additional contributions from you and only you would help the team, shut your mouth. Don’t imply the coach or GM is a putz and you’re his victim, or you will be.
His First Amendment rights have been violated! Ben Tate speaks of his displeasure and is subsequently dumped. I am outraged!!
http://s3.amazonaws.com/images.hitfix.com/assets/2057/joey_lawrence.gif
In time for Indy to pick him up that way he and Richardson can run against the Browns defense.
I guess Mike Pettine will have to talk about Tate now huh?
Eh he got what was coming. If you don’t like your role while the team is (generally) winning, whilst having two lower priced and higher performing competitors for your non guaranteed paying job, perhaps the best strategy is not to publicly gripe and pout and under perform. But I might be wrong, Ben.
So, the Colts desperately need a RB because Bradshaw is out the year and Trent Richardson is putting up 43yds/game on 3.4YPC. And, we still have to play the Colts this year with a potential playoff spot on the line.
Why did we cut Ben Tate? Man, he must have been a royal pain in the rear to get cut mid-season when we don’t know if he could sign with a team that could hurt us this season (Baltimore another possibility as they run the same running offense and could use a RB).
Then again, his decision making is certainly questionable after he throught he could beat JJ Watt to the outside in the Houston game.
This is going to be a tough stretch for the team these next few weeks. Bad attitudes won’t be tolerated… I’m fine with the move and agree with Pettine’s assessment. I know they also seem to like Glenn Winston on the practice squad too. Go Browns
Surely we could have kept him on the roster long enough to trade later.
Even for a 6th rounder, or a long snapper, or a punt return…ummmm, catcher.
Why can’t Ben Tate catch punts?
The velocity of the ball might cause him to sprain a finger.
perhaps we cut him because he sprained such a finger while wagging it at the coaches
Hoping he doesn’t get past TB on the wire.
Seriously. I really wanted to root for the guy for the same reasons. Every -2 yard run on a 2nd and 9 play made it a little easier not to like him, I guess, but I was hoping he’d be successful here.
Whoa whoa whoa, back up. Are you saying it’s possible to…”catch” punts?
and…it is even possible to hang onto them when the opposing team tackles you
Much will be said about his attitude, but I think this was all about on-field contribution (or lack there of).
I agree. Wait until after Indy game…jeeeesh!
the “official” announcement is that we wanted ST contributions from our RB3 and Tate doesn’t provide such contributions.
Ran his mouth and not the ball
I’m enjoying this “Game of Thrones” season of the browns. Never know who is coming or getting killed off.
You have to more durable than Tiffany crystal to contribute on special teams.
Normally they’d both run for 100 yards and 2 TDs against us because Browns, but I’m somewhat convinced both are terrible and will (hypothetically) running behind a bad Colts offensive line. So I’m not sure what terrible thing to predict for that game.
You may have been referring exactly to this, but if not, this sadly is actually happening at my alma mater Medina High School: http://www.clevescene.com/scene-and-heard/archives/2014/09/15/former-medina-high-school-basketball-player-drops-lawsuit
I actually swore to myself to no longer by jerseys, hats or shirts with player names on them after LeBron left. However, the “stop liking anybody” perspective was officially adopted while watching Game of Thrones…
J.J. Watt and Mitchell Schwartz, right?
The RB FA pool just got a little deeper…
http://espn.go.com/nfl/story/_/id/11897619/legarrette-blount-released-pittsburgh-steelers
I always liked his ability, but his attitude is soooo abysmal.
Whatever else this may be, I love that the FO doesn’t pull punches. It’s a true meritocracy, something we haven’t see in a long time here in Cleveland.
yeah, that outside rush to the right.
i so hope that Cribbs runs one back against the Browns when Indy and Cleveland play.
Swap Tate for Blount! He will be a great role model for Gordon.
as long as it’s called back on a flag, then sure, why not. otherwise, I hope that all the Colt players trip on their shoelaces when they are playing our team.
he can teach him how to get pulled over stoned out of your mind with more weed in the car, and still not be suspended by the NFL. of course, the biggest part of it is being on the Steelers, so I’m not sure we want Gordon to learn that lesson.
I know this was technically Bell and not Blount, but maybe Josh would really benefit from learning the the “I didn’t know you could get pulled over for that” defense?
Also I just really like watching Blount run the ball.
If there’s anything that can make Richardson and Tate look like productive backs in the NFL, it’s a game against the Browns’ run defense.
I’m hoping for a nice, dependable D’Qwell Jackson form tackle after a 15 yard Crowell run up the middle.
Tate was clearly a disappointment, and there was probably no sense in trying to salvage the situation. At the time, I thought the signing of Tate was probably the most important pickup of a pretty successful off season. But now with Dansby hurt, the team is without it’s top two free agent pickups, it’s biggest free agent resigning, and it’s two first round draft picks aren’t playing. Go figure.
I hear ya.
Josh Cribbs signed two year deal with Colts.
Blount clearly still has issues first the Patriots dump him and now the Steelers right after a game in the middle of the season. Oh well.