Lewis and Cribbs say Browns teammates are quitters

[jjflr]

ESPN's James Walker reports that the Browns locker room is starting to divide. Jamal Lewis was the first one to speak about the character of a team, which writers like me and many others have been questioning all season.

Lewis stated, "Some people need to check their egos at the door and find some heart to come out here and play hard, this is a man's game. The way we went out and played two weeks in a row, finishing the same kind of way, it's just not there. Some men around here need to check themselves. Straight up. That's it."

He goes on to say, "This is as frustrated as I've been in however many years I've been playing. I've never seen anything like it. I'm not cut from this kind of cloth. I play physical football. I come out here and give it my all. I give it my all all week. This is the NFL. You can't call it quits until the game is over."

Lewis' teammate Josh Cribbs resonated the same idea, " It hurts when people don't do the same and don't show the same will and same fire and desire for winning." Regarding how some of the Browns played during the Broncos game.

Cleveland Browns Examiner: Lewis and Cribbs say Browns teammates are quitters

[jjflr]

ok, enough is enough. Crennel should not be fired tomorrow. He should be fired TODAY!

This whole thing is out of control. A head coach's #1 priority is the cohesiveness of the team and this team is completely dysfunctional right now.

This is REALLY bad ..............

[Azazel]

yeah....see ya Romeo.....too bad, I was rooting for him!

[O Doyle]

You know what, i'll listen to this kind of talk from Jamal Lewis. He's a great player and the epitomy of everything this team is missing. Toughness, heart, leadership, accountability, etc.

....... Josh Cribbs though?.............. seriously?

2 catches, 18 yards, 1 TD.
7 carries, 67 yards, 0 TD.

Those are Cribbs' stats on the season. Now granted the guy is an absolute assassin as a kick returner, but does a kick returner really command enough respect to be opening his mouth like this? I mean if it's ok for him to come out here and call out his teammates then I want to hear what the kicker has to say.......... and the punter............ and maybe the long snapper after that.

Cribbs is ridiculous.

-O Doyle Rules!

[Texecutioner]

Originally Posted by O Doyle

You know what, i'll listen to this kind of talk from Jamal Lewis. He's a great player and the epitomy of everything this team is missing. Toughness, heart, leadership, accountability, etc.

....... Josh Cribbs though?.............. seriously?

2 catches, 18 yards, 1 TD.
7 carries, 67 yards, 0 TD.

Those are Cribbs' stats on the season. Now granted the guy is an absolute assassin as a kick returner, but does a kick returner really command enough respect to be opening his mouth like this? I mean if it's ok for him to come out here and call out his teammates then I want to hear what the kicker has to say.......... and the punter............ and maybe the long snapper after that.

Cribbs is ridiculous.

-O Doyle Rules!

I disagree. Cribbs is more to the Browns team than your average KR. And in that game, he was used on quite a few plays where he was effective and got a first down or two. Hell the guy was getting them at or near mid field on just about every return. If he sees a bunch of whiners and quitters running around that locker room, then I've got no problem hearing him call a few people out. I'd say that it must have been really bad then, if the KR of all other team mates got that frustrated to go to that level. Browns players need to get it together.

Anyone have any ideas who he might have been talking about?

[O Doyle]

Originally Posted by Texecutioner

I disagree. Cribbs is more to the Browns team than your average KR. And in that game, he was used on quite a few plays where he was effective and got a first down or two. Hell the guy was getting them at or near mid field on just about every return. If he sees a bunch of whiners and quitters running around that locker room, then I've got no problem hearing him call a few people out. I'd say that it must have been really bad then, if the KR of all other team mates got that frustrated to go to that level. Browns players need to get it together.

Anyone have any ideas who he might have been talking about?

Do you know why most kick returners return kicks?

Its because they aren't good enough to contribute significantly anywhere else on the field. Even the great returners are usually lousy football players. And on the occasion that a returner develops into a great football player and contributor elsewhere on the field do you know what happens to him? HE STOPS RETURNING KICKS!!!!!

A kick returner, no matter how good, is not a large enough contributor to a team to be able to go out there and make divisive comments. If this guy were half the receiver that Braylon Edwards is he wouldn't be returning kicks anymore. If he were half the runner that Jamal Lewis is he wouldn't be returning kicks anymore yet hes goign to go out there and talk down on players who contribute way more than he does.

-O Doyle Rules!

[Texecutioner]

Originally Posted by O Doyle

Do you know why most kick returners return kicks?

Its because they aren't good enough to contribute significantly anywhere else on the field. Even the great returners are usually lousy football players. And on the occasion that a returner develops into a great football player and contributor elsewhere on the field do you know what happens to him? HE STOPS RETURNING KICKS!!!!!

A kick returner, no matter how good, is not a large enough contributor to a team to be able to go out there and make divisive comments. If this guy were half the receiver that Braylon Edwards is he wouldn't be returning kicks anymore. If he were half the runner that Jamal Lewis is he wouldn't be returning kicks anymore yet hes goign to go out there and talk down on players who are twice as good as him.

-O Doyle Rules!

[b]
I wouldn't argue any of that. That is all true.

I'm just saying that Cribbs has been a pretty impactful player at getting them great field position on the regular going back to last season. He isn't just one of those KR's that gets a few KR's and in a 16 game season. He gets a few KR TD's and what he does is constantly get them great field position. He did all year last year and I think that helped them to score a lot more last year because they had such a shorter field to work with and to get at least into FG position. And the Browns have been under achieving all season long.

IN that game on Thursday, he played really well on all KR's and made plays when he had other opportunities. If he sees other players sulking it up and playing like quitters, I don't have a problem with him or even THE KICKER as you say to speak out. Hey, the punter works hard throughout the weak to punt the ball in the right places. He should be able to walk up to a LB if he wants and slap him on the back of the helmet and tell him to get his ass in gear and ready to play. He might want to find another locker room after the game though when he gets shoved in a toilet.

[O Doyle]

Hey I feel you man, I really do, hes a great returner and that ability of his does contribute to the offense.

But offense, defense, and special teams are 3 entirely different beasts. We see alot of teams where one phase holds up another, but rarely if ever did you see the Ravens defenders the past 10 years openly criticising the offense. Even they had enough respect to keep their mouths shut.

And Cribbs, as lousy as hs is on offense, is simultaneously a contributing factor to the very problem he's complaining about. Maybe if HE showed up with more heart on offense, maybe if HE put forth more effort they'd be better.

-O Doyle Rules!

[jjflr]

geez, guys, you 2 are arguing about whether kick returners are important to a team or not ??............. go start a different thread for that fascinating convo.

the Browns are imploding right before our very eyes .............. I don't think they or their fans are real concerned with Cribbs or Lewis's contributions .............. actually, I'm sure they wish they had 53 guys just like them ................

this is a really bad situation in Cleveland .......... I think we could 'guess' at some of the names of guys who aren't trying, but, ultimately it doesn't matter because it is Crennel's job to have all 53 of his guys ready to play and wanting to win and apparently he hasn't done his job ......................

[O Doyle]

Its the Browns, I expect them to implode before my very eyes. Remember, I was one of the few who questioned this offseason why the media and everybody was crowning the Browns as the next upstart team in the NFL. Their failure doesn't suprise me in the least because I never felt they were that good to begin with.

But when you've got a kick returner openly criticizing the team, thats a story to me because he really isn't in a position to do so. If the coach wants to get this ship righted and discipline these players, he can start with shutting the kick returner up. Jamal Lewis is a respected player whose words may inspire some of these lazy teammates, but Cribbs is just creating division.

-O Doyle Rules!