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July 16, 2009Five Things I’m Looking Forward To
July 16, 2009As you may have already seen, the Browns signed 6th round draft picks Don Carey, Coye Francis and James Davis. According to the OBR, all three signed 4 year contracts. With the earlier signing of Maiava, that makes 4 draft picks left to sign deals. Of course, they are Cleveland’s top picks- center Alex Mack (1st rd.) wide outs Brian Robiskie and Mohamed Massaquoi (2nd rd.) and linebacker David Veikune (2nd rd.).
Here are some other stories making the rounds as time crawls towards training camp-
-Martin Rucker hopes that he will get his chance to play with the departure of Kellen Winslow. I can assure you Mr. Rucker, that depends upon your ability to read the defense and improve your blocking.
-The Detroit Lions and their fans are getting geared up for their meeting with the Browns. It appears that new Lions coach Jim Schwartz was undefeated last year against the AFC North while he was the defensive coordinator for the Titans. Um, how can I put this? You are not the Titans.
-A different take on the Stallworth situation from Dawg Pound Daily. I don’t really agree with it, but everyone gets an opinion.
-Chris Pokorny at Dawgs By Nature continues his look at position battles heading to camp. Today the OLBs.
-No Logo Needed asks an interesting question: If neither Dawson nor Cribbs would play for the Cleveland Browns this season would it really be a bad thing?
-Finally, Rich Passan sorts through the bloated roster looking for difference making talent. His results are bleak.
12 Comments
Regarding Dawson, it wouldn’t be a bad thing until the first blown field goal.
Cribbs needs to get paid. Plain and simple. I know that he’s a “situational” guy, but he’s an amazingly talented situational guy that can single-handedly change a game’s momentum…
Passan has some good points. I think at least mentioning Braylon as a potential playmaker and stating that Thomas is one of the best young tackles in the league would have made the article more complete.
Scott,
Remember, you are talking about Cribbs from years gone by. The Browns have to think about what he will do from here. The article states that punt/kicker returns don’t have longevity on their side, that’s why Josh signed the 6 year deal in the first place. I think THAT contract was the leap of faith by the Browns and he should respect it.
I’m putting my money on the Lions in that meeting!!!
some old news up on here….
I stand by the fact that I think J Cribbs needs to establish a role worthy of a payday before he gets the payday. If he is going to play defense then do it. If he is going to play offense then do it. I would promise to renegotiate after that process is complete. Maybe re-do his deal a bit, but not like Devin Hester.
I’m with you Craig.
Agreed, Craig. I dont think he needs Hester money. But making less than a million a year, even for services rendered, is a steal for the Browns.
Interesting points about Dawson and Cribbs. I’ve always liked both a lot, but if you look at the numbers from last year, neither really is vital to team success. I was surprised Cribbs kick return level dropped that low, I didn’t even realize it. I wouldn’t mind the Browns paying Cribbs more, but I agree with Craig I’d rather have him establish something to pay him on, instead of just hypothesising about what position he might or could play.
some of you may not want to pay cribbs much more (i would be fine with a raise for him, but not hester style), but i will never fault an nfl player for asking for, and exerting some leverage in pursuit of, a pay raise. given the fleeting nature of an nfl career, and the ease with which teams can cut players, these guys need to maximize their earning potential at every juncture.
rick, you say that rucker’s playing time depends on reading the defense and “improve[d]” blocking. reading the defense is clearly a requirement, but considering romeo buried the guy all season (behind darnell dinkins! in the last few weeks of the year), i don’t think you (or anyone) know enough about his blocking to say it needs to improve.
I’m not telling the Browns to break the bank for either, but I do find it funny that so many Browns fans say good riddance to Cribbs and Dawson when they have probably been the two most consistent players on the Browns roster over the past two seasons. Yes, that is sad….but true.
I also agree with Gordo; there’s no way you can make any definitive statements about Martin Rucker because he hasn’t played!!! We shouldn’t be making ANY judgments on the kid until he gets a chance to show what he can do. Hopefully, that’s sometime soon. We shall see..
what happened to Cribbs? didnt he not too long ago say that he was going to play without any issues?? i seem to remember him saying that he was all about being a Brown etc etc…sure hes not a millionare, but if he wants to get paid, he needs to do it in the right manner…not by holding out…is he a great talent? yes…will he change outcomes of games? sure…but I dont think being on the field for punt returns and kickoff returns necessarily dictates a raise…if he was a solid WR, then yah, I’m all for it…if hes a good 3rd down back…fantastic, pay him…but as of right now, I wouldnt mind just getting some kid whos running a 4.4-4.5 40 and send him back there…i think he will be good for a td or two just based on speed…
just my opinion…