Uncle Drew returns with a new commercial featuring Nate Robinson as ‘Lights’
October 28, 2013
While We’re Waiting… Gordon and Bynum talk rule the day
October 29, 2013Former Cleveland punt returner/wide receiver and fan favorite Josh Cribbs has embraced his new team, the New York Jets. After a 49-9 loss to the Cincinnati Bengals, Cribbs was playing the part of team cheerleader, and took a shot at his former team in the process.
“We’re not the Browns,” the kick returner/wide receiver told Newsday on Sunday. “We’re not the team that gives up. We have fight in this team. They’re a motivated bunch of young guys. I’m just happy to be here and be able to contribute . . . Love it here.
We lost. It’s going to be a lesson for us and we’re going to play harder. It’s good that it comes now because we’re still in the mix of this. We’re halfway through the season.”
It wasn’t just a one timer that slipped from Cribbs’ mouth.
“The GM [John Idzik] takes that to the heart. Like Braylon Edwards. He could’ve played here, but they said ‘he didn’t play like a Jet. Get him out of here,’ ” Cribbs said of his former teammate in Cleveland. “So last week [against the Patriots] proved to me that this is not the Browns. If we were, we would’ve lost those games.”
Kimberly Martin of the Long Island Newsday is the reporter that gathered those quotes.
[Related: Travis Benjamin out for the season]
115 Comments
To critique any Cleveland team in any way tends to get internalized by Clevelanders. They’re a prickly, fragile bunch.
My criticism isn’t that he’s insulting the Browns, but complimenting the Jets. They’re kind of the poster children of underachievement.
That player will be seeing you in the Browns Ring of Honor in years to come…
I could certainly agree that the statement was inelegant in its phrasing, and I think he would’ve been better off not saying it. But I disagree that the comments were “non-specific”. He literally names Braylon Edwards as an example of the type of player who dogged on his team, which is empirically true.
His comments have absolutely nothing to do with fans or the current organization – they were entirely referential to past rosters Cribbs had played on.
I’m not internalizing it as a slight against me. I’m taking it as a slight against my favorite football team and a verbal perpetuation of the myth that the Browns are a doormat because of x,y,z. Especially coming from a guy that flew the orange and brown proudly. THAT is what irks me.
How about how the Jets are so much more full of fight than the Browns… while losing by 40.
Well I’m certainly not going to defend Edwards. He’s prob right on that. But I don’t know man, I think you’re being kind in your reading: “We’re not the Browns. We’re not the team that gives up. We have fight in this team.” I get that verb tense usage may not be his specialty, but sounds pretty present to me. Then again, we’re two reasonably intelligent people trying to analyze thoughtless, emotionally charged athlete speak. Hard to say what he really meant.
That’s not his point though. His point is the Browns didn’t give up. Whether Cribbs is here or not isn’t relevant to his point. Don’t get mr wrong I think Cribbs has a point too. But this has nothing to do w/ his point
haha, well said. I’m happy to leave it at that
While I don’t disagree with his point, I do question the motive of making that statement. Josh, can you not say that the Jets will bounce back and not give up w/o bashing your old team? Why is it that just to make a point about yourselves you have to talk down about someone esle? Loved Josh when he was here, and he was the lone bright spot a lot of the time. But use your brain Cribbs. The fans here love you. Don’t say dumb crap like this
Not sure its fair to say he got “fired because he got injured at work” The Raiders cut him as well because he wasn’t performing. This is professional sports my friend. I didn’t want them to let him go either, but in the end they made the decision to let him go because they thought he could no longer perform at the desired level. And they must not be the only team to feel that way because it did take him a long time to find a job after the fact
Trading Little will say nothing. Trading Gordon or Cameron though will be an obvious tanking decision
It can’t be “more” exciting if it was never exciting in the first place. But point well taken. I guess the real question is will he even still be there in week 16?
I think it does. He took a relatively high road on his way out of town. And now that he’s out of town he decided to lob a (admittedly, relatively unimportant) bomb at the organization. To me, in my personal view, it does cheapen the “Love you guys”-ness of his exit.
I’m not sure if that was a facetious attempt to imply I am not a good enough athlete to be inducted into the Browns ring of honor (which, duh) or if it was to imply Josh Cribbs will be inducted into the Browns ring of honor and I will somehow be inside of it?
Anyway, poor syntax aside, I doubt either one of us will get into the Browns ring of honor.
I get your point, but even that “love you guys” tribute was all about him, not about “us.” It was just a self-glorifying display of his own personal awesomeness, with an obligatory “love you” at the end (so that we would be sure to know that his awesomeness included love for the masses). To me, the former and latter statements are pretty much the same sentiment: “Look here!”
I don’t see a big deal either. He’s a special teams player who isn’t here anymore. In any other city, where special teams were not the only thing worth a darn over the last 15 years, this wouldn’t even be a blip on the radar.
Without a doubt, it’s all PR on his part. But, the underlying sentiment (self-serving or not) is tainted. Too bad.
And again, lest I be misunderstood, I’m completely fine with all of it. He was awesome. I looked. I’m still looking.
regarding your first sentence, the quote begs the question: why is Cleveland being mentioned at all in a victorious locker room hundreds of miles away by a just-signed special teamer? Poor Josh, all that untapped potential and contract dollars lost with bad teammates and coaching. At least guys like Winslow, Braylon and DA taught you how to air your grievances.
Because Cleveland is the only other pro team he’s taken snaps for? When you’ve only worked two jobs, you’re undoubtedly going to compare your old place with your new place.
But, if an organization is dysfunctional, and one player claimed to have been a leader of that organization, then it’s absolutely appropriate to point to him when he criticizes that which he once (presumably) led.
So if Josh was a better leader, Owen Marecic would have not sucked?
No, he shouldn’t. This is not the movies. It’s reality, where “wanting it more” only goes so far. It’s hard and nasty out here.
There was no other way he could motivate his team or make his point about “not giving up” then to mention the Browns because that was his only other point of reference?
When asked about his conditioning after considerable time off, Cribbs referenced the overweight lady who sat in D3, seat 20, saying, “I’m in great shape. I’m not a fat pig like she is. Or the Browns. They’re fat pigs.”
I don’t see how the question is all that relevant after getting ran out of the stadium by the other team. It sounds like she was taking a chance on some hot drama and Josh just decided to serve it up to her.
No. Bad, bad syllogism. If Josh was a better leader, his team wouldn’t have quit. There’s no power on Earth that could keep Marecic from sucking – but Josh didn’t claim that the Browns “sucked.” He only claimed that the Browns quit (while he was a team leader).
I’d submit: If Josh was a better leader, he probably would have kept his mouth shut about the team he presumably led.
But honestly, I think it’s fair (and right) to conclude both: (1) that the Browns quit; and (2) that Josh was never a leader. That’s okay.
So it’s – what have you done for us lately?
Josh played harder than any Cleveland Brown in the last ten years. On some of the worst teams too. He took multiple concussions. Mangini said by the end of the ’10 (?) season his toes were curled up. Yet he still found a way on the field. He was a local college star. He did a lot of community work. He always made it clear that he wanted to be here, a rarity amongst players. He had a local tv show.
And now he’s just “a special teams player who isn’t here anymore”? Cause he said something true but quasi-disrespectful about what has been a horrible organization?
That is cold.
As I said above, it’s nice to pretend that one guy can give a rah-rah speech and make disbelievers get on board to win the day. But that’s not reality. At least not what I’ve seen.
Josh played harder than any Brown I have watched. I have little doubt he either took years off his life or, at the very least, ensured that he would live a large portion of his life in physical pain. If watching your teammate basically kill himself on the field doesn’t inspire you to do your best, what will?
Seriously. Exactly how was Josh suppose to be “a better leader”? More speeches? Suffer more concussions? Play defense as well as offense and special teams?
If Josh was asked a question about being fat and being on a plane and the only person he had ever known who was fat and on a plane was the lady who sat in D3, that would be a completely acceptable answer.
Instead, he was asked about pro football and provided an answer related to his experience in pro football. Sorry that it hurt your feelings.
no, you misunderstood. My comment has more to do with the sorry state of the Browns over the last 15 years and that all the people getting all upset about Josh Cribbs comments (of which, I am not one of those people upset by his comments) wouldn’t have even noticed it had we had anything resembling a real competitive football team for any period of time over the last 15 years. i was denigrating the organization, not the man.
For the record, in the WFNY archives, there are probably 100 posts of mine saying “PAY THE MAN” in regards to Josh Cribbs
Did I say it hurt my feelings? Because it doesn’t. It hurts my sensibilities, however, when poor arguments are made in attempt to “explain” why Cribbs went out of his way to take a shot at the Browns in a Jets v Bengals post game–and the Browns fans don’t have a right to be upset. Cribbs did not have to slam the Browns to answer any questions. That was the point of the fat lady analogy–one going out their way to slam a harmless third person when it wasn’t necessary. Sorry you’re not picking up on any of this….you and Cribbs both apparently.
Hey, I agree with you; but I also agree with the general principle that someone that claims to be a leader can appropriately be held accountable for the failure of an organization to display qualities that are the responsibility of a leader to instill in the organization. That’s all.
To summarize my position:
1) Josh Cribbs was awesome and the hardest playing Cleveland Browns player. Maybe ever.
2) Josh was no leader.
3) That’s okay.
4) Josh could not have been a better leader, because he was not a leader.
5) Josh probably never should have been named as a leader nor claimed to be one.
6) Josh spoke the truth about the Browns quitting.
7) His statement demonstrates that he wasn’t (and isn’t) a leader.
8) #6 is not a statement about his character. It is a statement about his supposed “leadership.”
9) Browns fans are absolutely, completely, and totally nuts (bordering on $%&*ing batsh*t crazy) for taking this personally.
That is all.
Ah. Understood. Sorry if I came off too strongly.
This one bothers me especially because it hits me in two of weak spots: 1.) overly sensitive Cleveland fans who take any criticism of their sports teams as personal attacks, 2.) general fan entitlement over men who quite literally sacrifice years off the life to play the game.
I don’t see how my argument is poor. He was asked about football and related it back directly to an experience he had in football, namely that the Browns teams he played on gave up. I disagree with Harv’s original assertion that bringing this up is in some way unrelated.
Granted, you may not like the answer. You may think he could have answered it in a better way. You may think it unnecessary. Fine. But I think his point is completely valid – Browns teams of the past did give up. And related to the topic at hand.
JimKanicki doesn’t need anyone to white knight for him, but commenters like him are half the reason why blogs like this are good (the other half being the writers). I also read his blog regularly and I think he’s usually on the money.
That said, I disagree with both of you here, though I lean closer to Thenoclist. Cribbs doesn’t owe the Browns team anything, but he owes the city something. The Browns are entirely a business to the people running it, and ought to be more of a business to the players as well vis a vis management (see the recent report that Haynesworth planned all along to take his bonus and go home.) But the city and the fans have an emotional investment in players, and some players have an emotional connection to the city and fans. That’s the engine that makes professional sports go. Cribbs should have taken that into account before he made comments general enough to implicate the city and fans.
(Also the WFNY guidelines for commenting)
Maybe I missed it, but nowhere in the quote did he speak about being a leader.
When did he claim to be a leader when he was here? I’m sure he gave some general blah blah leadership in the locker room type sound bites, but I don’t remember him ever saying he was the man who’d be taking the locker room under his wing. I fully accept that I could be wrong on this.
comparing teams in his head or verbalizing it to a reporter holding a mic when Cleveland has absolutely nothing to do with the game he just played? Yes, he’s an athlete but it’s patronizing to justify behavior resembling that of a 3 year old.
Does this mean we can go ahead and throw D’Qwell under the bus now?
word
I wish we were winning, so no one would care about this.
I get what you’re saying, but I am convinced that fans of any city and any team would react in the same negative way towards a former beloved player saying these types of things about his/her former team.
Ah hell, I neither know nor care. I’m just swimming in the pool that was filled for me.
Get over it. Cavs got coached out of series.vs Celtics. Might as well be ancient history now. Cribbs had no reason to say anything like this.
You asked why he’d bring it up. I explained – because it is a directly related experience to the topic at hand. If you find that explanation patronizing, there is nothing I can do about that.
Agreed. Question I must always ask myself before replying here: why am I wasting my time on this again?
Yeah, I mean, I definitely “care;” but I’m also not sure I really “care.”
omg, heading toward 100 comments for a former special teamer when there’s a fresh rumor out: “Browns Ponder Trading Gordon as Deadline Looms.”
Go.
Browns, Ponder, and trade all in the same headline is just trolling.