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Brown Out? Cribbs Says He Is Unlikely to Play Another Game For Cleveland
Published: January 6, 2010
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The Associated Press is reporting that Josh Cribbs has said he is unlikely to play another game with the Cleveland Browns. He came to this conclusion after being “insulted” by the Browns latest contract offer.
After claiming to be hurt by the offer, Cribbs headed to the Browns facility to clean out his locker, and stated that “he don’t want to play for nobody else”.
Josh Cribbs signed a six-year contract worth $6.77 million three years ago, leaving three seasons on his current deal. Cribbs’ frustration is understandable because players in the NFL generally have short “life-spans” in the terms of their careers.
However, Cribbs did sign a six-year contract. This isn’t the NBA; he doesn’t have a player option. His only options are to show up for work, or to not show up for work. If he chooses to not exercise his right to show up for work, he will not be paid. If the Browns want to be the bad guys here, they could technically force him to sit out three years before his return to the NFL.
That said, the Browns need to do the right thing and pay Cribbs his worth in Browns gold. Josh epitomizes everything Cleveland.
He signed as an undrafted free agent out of local Kent State University and has worked hard to transform his game from an athletic quarterback to one of the most dynamic players in the game of football today. He is not Devin Hester. He’s better. Hester was paid for being a kick returner. Shortly after, he transformed to a wide receiver and is attempting to stand out in the Bears’ offense.
Cribbs stands out when you look at the schedule. Teams have to create a separate game plan just to contain the guy. Whether it is angling kicks differently, spying Cribbs when he is in the game on offense, or double covering him when he is behind center; Josh Cribbs changes the way a team has to prepare during the week.
Another thing people have to realize about Josh Cribbs is that he has only one gear; go-hard. This guy hits holes with reckless abandon. He doesn’t care about his body, he plays hard for the team and fans that he loves. So why shouldn’t he feel betrayed about not being given a better contract for himself and his family?
With the injuries that can occur on any given play, it is not hard to understand that Cribbs is just looking out for his future. He plays the game harder than anyone else, whether it’s on the kickoff or in the wildcat formation.
The front office knows this, the fans know this, and Cribbs definitely knows this. This is why he is asking for more money now.
However, one thing he fails to realize is that the Browns DON’T have to pay him. If they pay him, it is because they recognize his value to the team, the city, and to the organization as a whole. They will be showing the rest of the players on the team that they reward hard work, they don’t punish it.
It is sad to see the Josh Cribbs situation come to this. No. 16 in your program, but number one in all Browns’ fans hearts deserves a pay raise. He deserves the opportunity to provide for his family in case something bad happens.
Cribbs means more to this organization than any other player on the roster. His actions inspire teammates to be better. This situation can either send a positive sign to Browns players, or can have a disastrous effect on the entire team.
The Browns have only one chance to get this situation right, even though they don’t have to.
Read more NFL news on BleacherReport.com
Are Running Backs Worth the First Round Price?
Published: December 10, 2009
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If you watch SportsCenter every Sunday, you’ll probably see highlights of Adrian Peterson running over defenders, Chris Johnson blazing through the secondary on his way to the end-zone, and Ladainian Tomlinson celebrating another record-breaking run.
During the regular season, first-round running backs flourish. Just look at the Top 10 in rushing, which features seven first-round picks. However, when it comes to winning a Super Bowl, it seems that first-round selections in the backfield often come up short.
As of today, the 32 teams in the NFL feature 14 starting running backs that were drafted in the opening round. Of these 14 teams, only six have winning records, and New England barely even uses Lawrence Maroney in their offense.
In the NFL, success is measured by Super Bowl championships. Yet, only three first-round running backs have experienced that glory since 1998: Marshall Faulk, Jamal Lewis, and Joseph Addai.
Faulk joined the “Greatest Show on Turf” in St. Louis and won a Super Bowl in 1999, Lewis, as a rookie, teamed up with the stout Baltimore defense the next season to win a ring in 2000, and the Indianapolis Colts won a Super Bowl with Joseph Addai as the starter in 2006.
However, besides those three players, the rest of the Super Bowl champions were led by backs overlooked in the NFL Draft. Which leads me to the question, are running backs really worth a first-round pick?
During a recent conversation, another writer brought up the idea of the Cleveland Browns continuing to perform poorly in order to draft Dion Lewis from Pittsburgh when he enters the NFL draft.
For my part, the idea seemed absolutely absurd, given that winning franchises in the NFL have been able to succeed without a first-round running back.
The Denver Broncos proved this theory under longtime head coach Mike Shanahan, who built his team and won championships behind a stout offensive line and a carousel of running backs that were never drafted earlier than the second round.
The NFL Draft is an inexact science at best. Teams look to acquire the best talent available to fit their team needs, and it’s why the Draft has seen a decline in the number of running backs taken early.
The teams selecting backs in the first round have been at the bottom.
If NFL teams are smart, organizations will continue to find crown jewels in later rounds over the next few years, instead of wasting a first-round pick to fill a need in the backfield. The college football ranks are featuring less and less can’t-miss running back prospects, instead producing depth in rounds two through five.
It also means that fans are going to have to be patient when their team drafts a running back; they cannot write off a third-round pick because of early struggles in the NFL.
The future of the running back in the NFL looks to feature multiple running backs to increase the shelf life of the runner, meaning less backs will be taken early and teams may choose to develop rushers over time.
So keep your fingers crossed NFL fans, a Super Bowl championship is on the way—if your team waits on draft day.
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Cleveland Browns Football: Six Steps To Return To Relevancy
Published: October 21, 2009
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The Browns are six regular season games into the Eric Mangini era and one thing is clear—Mangini forgot to add formidable veterans to the mix.
This may be a little harsh, but it is true. Mangini purged his old stomping grounds for Eric Barton, David Bowens, Kenyon Coleman, C.J. Mosley, Abram Elam, Brett Ratliff, Jason Trusnik, and eventually Chansi Stuckey. Out of that group, Barton is the only one to make any type of impact and Elam has been left surrounded by a cloud of dirt and grass as the receivers fly past him.
The tandem of Eric Mangini and George Kokinis also went out and drowned the 2009 Browns with the acquisitions of right-side of the line flame-outs such as John St. Clair and Floyd Womack. These two have led an atrocious merry-go-round of right-side linemen who have allowed defenders to have permanent homes in the Browns backfield.
Watching the Browns this year may be painful for most fans, but just imagine how much worse off the team will be if they do not address these issues in the offseason. Mangini and Kokinis stress that we have 11 draft picks to build around, but who is there to lead these young players in Cleveland?
Mangini is too busy chasing top players away with his boot camp treatment, dictator mentality, and ridiculous fines to realize that top free agents will not come here because of him.
Taking care of all of these organizational problems and Mangini ego issues will not happen in one offseason. However the Browns can begin their path to success by following these simple six steps:
Step 1: Pick a Quarterback! Brady Quinn, Derek Anderson, or Brett Ratliff, it does not really matter at this point. Just pick one and find out what they can do. Caution: The team already knows what they are getting out of Anderson, a below-average leader with a big arm, and a guy who fades in the clutch. Suggestion: Quinn was worth two first round picks for a reason. The team is 1-5 with no signs of life. Give him the reigns to find out if he has what it takes for a full season. If not, then it is time to draft a quarterback and move on from this headache.
Step 2: Three words: FRANCHISE RIGHT TACKLE. In 2007, we drafted Joe Thomas and paired him with Eric Steinbach. Our left-side of the line has been virtually impenetrable since. This year we drafted our franchise center in Alex Mack. It is time to take a page out of Phil Savage’s playbook and draft the right tackle for the next 10 years. I also suggest a REAL right guard signing, not these one year rent-a-players the Browns have come accustomed to.
Step 3: Clean up the dead weight. By dead weight I mean everyone that is not Shaun Rogers on our defensive line. They cannot penetrate, they cannot tackle, and they cannot start in the NFL. The late-round picks have not worked and the journeymen free-agents have all been busts. It is time to use the team’s wallet, or draft a big name player.
Step 4: If your name isn’t Eric Wright or Brodney Pool, you are not a starter in the secondary. My apologies go out to Brandon Mcdonald here. I know it’s only his third year in the league, but he is a nickel defensive back. He is a great tackler who cannot cover the elite wide receivers. Also, how much does letting Sean Jones walk hurt the team now? The hard-hitting safety would be perfect with Pool’s new found sense of ball-hawking. I suggest Taylor Mays out of USC or Eric Berry out of Tennessee if we do not draft an offensive lineman high in the draft.
Step 5: Jamal Lewis has to go. A young team needs progression at the running back position. Jerome Harrison has shown flashes of being that guy, but he is being held back by tip-toe Lewis. The team also needs to figure out if James Davis can be the man the front office thinks he can be. This situation can be temporarily fixed by assembling a monster offensive line and just letting the guys we have go to work.
Step 6: We need the rush end opposite Kamerion Wimbley. This need is glaring in the eyes of the front office week after week. David Bowens is not a starter; he is barely a special teams player. The Browns have a lot of young linebackers, but Alex Hall is the only one who has shown any promise of playing every day in the NFL. If the Browns draft this player, I suggest Eric Norwood from South Carolina. The kid has a high-motor, quick instincts, and a nose for the quarterback. If that isn’t an outside linebacker then I don’t know what is.
These six steps are just a foundation of what could lead the Browns back to relevancy in the NFL.
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