Posted by Josh Katzowitz

During his Monday news conference, Browns coach Pat Shurmur said there would be no excuses why the Browns are 3-4 while scoring a combined 16 points in the past two games. But who could blame him if he started feeling sorry for himself just a little bit?

Especially after the news he brought today when he said, via the Cleveland Plain Dealer, that running back Montario Hardesty will miss time with a moderate calf tear.

Though it doesn’t sound like a major injury, the loss of Hardesty leaves Cleveland with a bare cupboard at the running back spot. After rushing 33 times in Week 7 vs. the Seahawks, Hardesty missed the final three quarters of Sunday’s loss to the 49ers because of the injury.

Considering Peyton Hillis is still day to day with a bum hamstring and Brandon Jackson has been affected by a toe injury, the only healthy tailback on the roster is Chris Ogbonnaya, who was on the Texans practice squad a few weeks ago. Cleveland also has Armond Smith on the practice squad, and, if the team was desperate, the Browns could use Josh Cribbs as a running back.

Shurmur also said the team would try out free agent running backs on Tuesday (though I’m pretty sure Terrell Owens couldn’t pass as a running back).

As for how long Hardesty could be out? “It's going to take some time to heal,” Shurmur said.

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