BEREA, Ohio -- Offensive coordinator Kyle Shanahan has the perfect solution for the Browns' running backs struggling to find their groove in the three-man rotation.

"If they want to be out there more, they need to separate themselves and show that they're obviously better than the other guy and we'll keep them out there more,'' Shanahan said Thursday.

What's more, Shanahan doesn't buy the notion that the three backs can't get into the flow because of their limited reps. Both rookie running backs, Isaiah Crowell and Terrance West, attributed their sub-par outings in Jacksonville to going cold on the bench, and even starter Ben Tate has alluded to his flow being interrupted.

"I don't ever worry about running backs getting into a rhythm,'' said Shanahan. "They're not quarterbacks. When you hand them the ball they better run hard and do as good as they can.''

Shanahan acknowledged that he's never had to rotate a bunch of backs before. In Washington, Alfred Morris was the workhorse (1,613 yards in 2012 and 1,275 in 2013); and in Houston it was Steve Slaton, who rushed for a then franchise-high 1,282 yards as a rookie in 2008.

"I've always had a running back who really separates himself from the others,'' Shanahan said. "I think we've got three solid guys. We've even got a fourth guy (Glenn Winston) who I think does a good job who you guys haven't seen yet. But for one of those guys to just get the bulk of the carries and to take off, then that's up to them. They've got to show us that they're ahead of the other guys.''

Shanahan acknowledged that he'd prefer one of them leapfrog the others. Tate was supposed to be that guy, but he sprained his knee in the opener and missed the next two games. He rebounded with a big game in Tennessee (22 for 124, 5.6-yard average), but in the past two games, he's averaged 3.1 yards and 2.3. In Jacksonville, he carried the ball 16 times for 36 yards (2.3 average), with Crowell getting seven chances for 18 yards and West five carries for 8 yards.

"When one guy does a lot better than the other guys, it means you've got one guy who's the man and you're going to ride that guy,'' said Shanahan. "I'd love for one of them to step it up and separate themselves from the others. In the meantime, they're all doing a good job though.''

West said Shanahan hasn't specifically told the backs that he wants one to emerge, but that that's been his mindset since they drafted him in the third round out of Towson. Still, he maintained that the three-man rotation is killing their vibe.

"Being a running back, you've got to feel a defense out,'' he said. "You've got to get a rhythm. That's just all running backs. You've got to feel a whole defense out. If they rotate three backs, it's hard to get a good rhythm."

Tate, signed an unrestricted free agent to carry the load, understands where the rookies are coming from.

"I had to do that for four years,'' he said. "You just have to be ready at all times. You just have to watch and pay close attention to what's going on and ask. When I was doing that, I would ask Arian (Foster) how the 'backers are flowing. You have to be very in-tune with the game and understand what's going on so when you're out there you don't miss a beat. I understand what they're saying. Trust me. I've been there. If anybody knows, I know.

"Even now, sometimes you feel like your rhythm gets interrupted but you just have to deal with it,'' he said. "You have to do whatever's best for the team.''

West, who was benched two weeks ago and again in the second half in Jacksonville, acknowledged that the three-headed monster is "a little bit'' of a culture shock. At Towson, he rushed for 2,509 yards and 41 TDs last year.

"Yeah, I'm coming from college getting about 25 carries a game and just being the guy and putting the team on my shoulders,'' he said. "Then coming here and just getting limited reps, it's hard, but I can transition to anything, overcome anything."

West winced when he watched the tape of himself failing to convert on two short-yardage chances at the end of the half.

"It was awful, awful, man,'' he said. "That's why I just can't wait to get back on the field and redeem myself 'cause I know what I can do and everybody in this locker room knows what I can do.''

He said he expects to play a lot this week despite the miscues.

"They've been proud of me how I carry myself when I was inactive, so, yeah, I've got a good feeling,'' he said.

He said all the backs feels the same way about the rotation, but they also understand that Shanahan wants someone to see someone pop.

"That's what you've got to do,'' he said. "That's how they want it, and that's how it's got to happen."