BEREA, Ohio — Browns running back Montario Hardesty knows what you’re thinking.

He knows you think his latest injury, the torn calf muscle, means he really is injury prone and that he’ll never be able to stay healthy.

But he’s out to prove you wrong, beginning with Sunday’s game against the Baltimore Ravens at Cleveland Browns Stadium.

“I’ve got five games left this year and then 16 next year and 16 the year after that,” Hardesty said. “I know I can stay healthy because I played my last three years in college without missing a game. I’ve just got to keep fighting through this.”

Hardesty will return against the Ravens after missing four games because of an injured calf muscle, which he hurt early in the San Francisco game Oct. 30. The injury came on the heels of Hardesty’s return from the torn left anterior cruciate ligament that kept him out all last season.

“I know what it seems like, but this is football,” he said. “I’ve had some big injuries, but a lot of people have, including a lot of running backs. I’ve played 40 to 50 games in a row, and I know I can do it. I just have to take care of my body and hope that these things don’t come up anymore.”

Hardesty, who also tore the ACL in his right knee as a freshman at Tennessee, is aware that secondary injuries often occur after major knee surgeries. The calf injury is to the right leg, opposite last year’s ACL.

“Sometimes they say you overcompensate and do things with the other leg you normally wouldn’t do,” he said. “I don’t know if that was the case.”

“I just have to make sure I’m ready.”

That’s why Hardesty determined last week during warm-ups in Cincinnati that the calf wasn’t ready.

“It felt good all week, but I didn’t really get to that point where I was really just bursting and exploding like I have to in a game,” he said. “I was staying around the 80, 85 percent mark. I really wanted to play.”

This week, Hardesty sat out drills until Thursday and then was limited for his two days of work. But resting early in the week seemed to do the trick.

“On Friday of last week going into the game, I was a little sore, but now I feel great,” he said. “I felt good running around, and I had burst and all of that stuff.”

Hardesty is listed as questionable for the game but fully expects to play.

“Yeah, I’m ready,” he said. “I’m confident and excited to get back out there. I’ve got five games left, and I plan on going out there and having my best five games.”

Hardesty said he thinks he can handle a full load if called upon.

“When I’m in there, I’ll be ready to play,” he said.

Coach Pat Shurmur was impressed with how good Hardesty looked cutting and running in team drills Friday.

“He did a little more than we thought, so we’re hopeful that he’ll be more of a factor than he would’ve been last week,” Shurmur said.

Hardesty will join fellow backs Peyton Hillis and Chris Ogbonnaya, giving the Browns a full complement of healthy backs for the first time in eight games (Oct. 2 against the Titans). Hillis returned from his pulled hamstring last week against the Bengals and looked a lot like the 2010 Hillis, with 65 yards on 19 carries. Hardesty and Hillis have appeared in only three full games together this season.

“It’s going to be fun,” said Hardesty, who most likely will receive a limited amount of reps. “I know Peyton was very excited about getting back out there last week, and I’m just as excited about getting out there this week. In our room with me, Peyton and Ogbonnaya, we all want to play well, and we all want to win, so it’s like a mini-competition amongst ourselves. You want to do well and you want everyone else to do well. It’s going to be fun just getting everybody back out there in the same game.”

Hardesty will make his return against the league’s third-ranked run defense (91.5 yards per game). The Ravens are No. 1 in the NFL in allowing 3.4 yards per rush, and limited Frank Gore of the 49ers to 39 yards on 14 carries (2.8 average) in the Ravens’ 16-6 victory on Thanksgiving Day. The Browns have averaged 4.6 yards per carry the past three games after averaging 3.2 the first eight games.

“We just have to be ready to face the challenge and go out there and play ball,” Hardesty said. “We have to match the intensity of the Ravens. I think it’s kind of fun to come back and play against a team that’s so good against the run. Coming out, we can’t let them dictate the game, we’ve got to dictate our own game and just let our run game go that way.”

Hardesty was just starting to round back into shape when he felt the twinge in his calf on a pivot route in San Francisco. The week before, he plugged away for 95 yards on 33 carries in a victory over the Seahawks, and for one game he was the workhorse back the Browns envisioned when they drafted him in the second round in 2010.

“Before I got hurt, I was starting to fit into the offense,” he said. “Hopefully I’ll have my five best games and we’ll get five wins. I really want to finish strong.”

To reach this Plain Dealer reporter: mcabot@plaind.com, 216-999-4670

On Twitter: @marykaycabot

I am starting early to mentally prepare myself for the Sunday, December 4 game between the Cleveland Browns and the Baltimore Ravens. It will perhaps be the most difficult challenge of the season as the “Old Browns” take on the current expansion version of the Cleveland Browns franchise.

It is always difficult for me when the Ravens come to town. I can still remember that dreadful day back on November 6, 1995 when Art Modell announced he was moving the franchise to Baltimore to begin play in 1996. 16 years later, I am still agitated at least twice a year.

I am fearful for quarterback Colt McCoy(notes) this week. McCoy has been sacked 26 times this season largely due to a weak offensive line and will face off against a rabid Baltimore defense led by Ray Lewis(notes), Terrell Suggs(notes), and Ed Reed(notes). In their last game against the San Francisco 49ers, Alex Smith was sacked nine times. I am just hoping McCoy can come out alive, especially facing the Pittsburgh Steelers next week.

McCoy’s best target this week is rookie WR Greg Little(notes) who leads the team with 47 receptions and 495 yards. My concern here is that he may have inherited Braylon Edwards(notes) Syndrome having dropped a total of four passes last week against the Cincinnati Bengals.

Known for ego issues during his college years at North Carolina, Little has shown maturity in his time with the Cleveland Browns making no excuses for his performance.

“Obviously, I was definitely upset at my performance,” Little said. “I took the time to cool off. I play with a high passion and high emotion. I got dressed and figured everybody would come up to me at once. Nobody showed up. I kind of left a little earlier than I usually do.”

He will need to be able to catch the quick throw this week as the Ravens’ will be coming at McCoy hard this week.

With Peyton Hillis(notes) back in action and Chris Ogbonnaya(notes) having a great season since joining the Browns, the running game will play a key role in protecting McCoy. One, if not both will need to step up and be able to move the ball.

On the defensive side of the ball LB Titus Brown(notes) will need to step up against Raven’s RB Ray Rice(notes). Scott Fujita’s(notes) injury could not have come at a worse time.

CB Joe Haden(notes) should be able to handle Anquan Boldin(notes).

As optimistic as I try to be regarding my beloved Cleveland Browns, all I am asking for this week is competitive football. Mistakes happen every game, but with the Browns already grossly overmatched in this contest, flawless execution will be the only thing able to keep the game competitive. Perhaps they will even surprise the world and pull off a win. That may be asking too much.

More Cleveland Browns Commentary from this Contributor:

Cleveland Browns release Pro Bowl veteran Pontbriand in favor of rookie Yount: A fan’s reaction

Fan’s look: Who is Peyton Hillis anyway?

Cleveland Browns’ fans deserve better: A fan’s take

Browns fall to Rams, hit an all-new low: A fan’s reaction

Browns must win against Rams or face fan exile: A fan’s take

Sources:

All data provided by NFL.com

Yahoo! Sports – Cleveland Browns Team Report

Up until the final quarter it really looked like the Browns may pull off another win. They had a first quarter touchdown and even had a 10-point lead at one point in the game. Then, there was the touchdown right before halftime. They were looking pretty good.

Then, the second half came. The third quarter was like looking into a crystal ball of what the fourth would bring: sheer heartbreak. The Browns just could not keep up the pace in the second half.

Greg Little(notes) is getting a lot of the blame for today’s loss to the Bengals. In the first half, he grabbed his first touchdown pass [of his career]. On the other hand, he had four drops, one of which was in the fourth quarter and caused the Browns to have to kick that 55-yard attempt that ultimately failed due to a bad snap. If this field goal would have been shorter, the Browns would have likely had 23 points and the game would have turned out differently, given the snap was good too. We cannot completely blame Little, but his drop did play a major role.

The Browns had Peyton Hillis(notes) back this week. He did modestly for his first week playing in weeks.

“It’s tough when you don’t know how things are going to go until you get in the rhythm of things,” said Hillis. “Things started going well toward the middle of the game and toward the end. I expect big things. I expect to progress and I’m looking forward to next week.”

I am sure Hillis will continue to progress as long as he stays healthy and on the field practicing and playing. The Browns really need everyone healthy with the schedule they have coming up. They cannot afford the mistakes like they made in this game. We face the Baltimore Ravens next week and then the Pittsburgh Steelers the week after that. Then, the Arizona Cardinals and then the Ravens and Steelers again. The next five weeks are going to be challenging for the Browns and fans alike. The Bengals game was a really important game, if for nothing else than to instill confidence in the team. Let’s hope that this loss will be nothing more than a learning experience and that the Browns will win at home next week against the Ravens.

R. Elizabeth C. Kitchen is a lifelong Browns fan who grew up in a household of Browns’ fans. She was born and raised in Cleveland, Ohio and still lives there. Regardless of the trials and tribulations the Browns have been through, she remains loyal, albeit honest about her home team.

Note: This article was written by a Yahoo! contributor. Sign up here to start publishing your own sports content.

BEREA, Ohio — Browns receiver Mohamed Massaquoi made it through practice this week with no concussion symptoms and will return Sunday against the Jaguars.

“I would anticipate he plays, for sure,” said coach Pat Shurmur. “I think that’s fair to say.”

“I’m real optimistic right now,” said Massaquoi, who’s listed as probable. “I’ve had no setbacks and I feel really good. I’m just looking forward to Sunday.”

Massaquoi, who received plenty of reps in practice, said he won’t be concerned about a recurrence because the team medical staff has been so careful. He also said he’s ready for a full load if called upon to start.

“If I’m active, I’m going to feel comfortable,” he said. “I’m not going to play restricted. I’m not going to play cautious.”

He said he won’t worry about going over the middle or taking a big hit.

“No, because whenever you start playing timid and you start worrying about other things then you leave yourself vulnerable for other things that may pop up that wouldn’t have happened if you had just gone out there and played normally,” he said.

Massaquoi, who’s missed most of the last three games with his concussion, has 18 catches for 239 yards and two touchdowns this season.

No drills for Hardesty: Running back Montario Hardesty (calf) ran on his own for the third straight day but didn’t participate in drills. Hardesty is listed as questionable and will be a game-time decision, but it looks as if he might need another week. “He’s increasing his workload and we’ll see on Sunday,” Shurmur said.

Ward in boot: Safety T.J. Ward had his cast removed Friday and is now in a walking boot. The Browns are confident Ward, who has a sprained foot, will play again this season. Meanwhile, Usama Young, coming off a good game against the Rams, will start again in his place.

Lauvao fined: It took the NFL a week to announce the fine, but guard Shaun Lauvao was fined $7,500 for head-butting linebacker Brian Cushing in Houston on Nov. 6.

Mitchell back: Starting defensive end Jayme Mitchell was back on the field Friday after missing Thursday’s practice for a personal reason, and is expected to play Sunday. He sat out last week with chest and ankle injuries and was replaced by Emmanuel Stephens, who had four tackles. “He’s back out here and he’s doing great,” said Shurmur of Mitchell.

Read More: Peyton Hillis (RB – CLE), Montario Hardesty (RB – CLE), Cleveland Browns

Cleveland Browns running back Montario Hardesty did not participate in practice with teammates indoors on Wednesday, but he did test his injured calf during a supervised outdoor workout, as reported by Tom Withers of the AP. 

“I want to play, but right now we’re still working to get there,” he said. “So we’re just gonna keep on progressing. I’ve been running, just keep on progressing and see how I feel.”

Hardesty has missed two straight games after tearing a muscle in his right calf in a loss to the San Francisco 49ers on Oct. 30, as the Browns have been hit hard at running back with both Hardesty and Peyton Hillis missing time with injuries.

But while Hillis has already been ruled out for this week, Coach Pat Shurmur expects Hardesty to practice this week and hopes he can play on Sunday when the Browns take on the Jacksonville Jaguars.