Posts tagged JoshuaCribbs at FanHouse - AOL Sports Blog

Now that Joe Jurevicius might not be ready for the start of training camp, thanks to knee surgery No. 4 this offseason, the discussion turns to who will man the No. 3 wide receiver position in his absence. Pro Football Weekly writes that Joshua Cribbs could be one alternative, although they admit that he struggled with drop passes during minicamp.

There are also rumors that the Browns are interested in trading for Chargers wideout Eric Parker, and some fans wonder if Eddie Kennison or Joe Horn are viable options (yes, no and no). Perhaps the most intriguing alternative is the suggestion that the Browns could move tight end Kellen Winslow to receiver in certain passing situations. The Orange and Brown Report's Lane Adkins quickly nixes the thought:

Winslow does line-up wide often as part of the offensive scheme, but there is absolutely no desire on part of the Browns to move him to the WR spot and basically rip some of the fabric from the scheme.

Joe Jurevicius has said this will be his final NFL season, and the Browns' No. 3 receiver might miss the start of '08 while he recovers from a knee injury. The Browns have Braylon Edwards, Donte' Stallworth and tight end Kellen Winslow, but have very little experience after that.

The team has given J.O.A.T.s Joshua Cribbs some work at wide receiver, and are pleasantly surprised with Travis Wilson's progress, but the front office could still make some moves prior to training camp.

The Chargers' Eric Parker could be that guy. San Diego signed return dude Mark Jones yesterday, which, as the San Diego Union-Tribune's Kevin Acee notes, "isn't a big deal in and of itself," but it could spell the end of Parker's career in San Diego. Apparently, the Chargers are willing to deal the 29-year-old wideout, and if the can't, they'll release him before training camp.

Enter Cleveland:

The Cleveland Browns, whose offensive coordinator is former Chargers tight ends coach Rob Chudzinksi, are among the teams that have shown interest in Parker. The Chargers are believed to be asking for a draft pick somewhere in the final three rounds.

Eh, something less than a third-round pick seems kinda steep, but the Dolphins got a second-rounder from the Chargers for Chris Chambers, so who knows sounds about right. Plus, if Parker is completely healthy and can contribute as the No. 3 receiver for three or four seasons, then maybe it's worth it.

That would be good news for Derek Anderson (scrub!) and the Chargers' Malcom Floyd. Kassim Osgood, however, is still bummed.

When the Pro Bowl rosters were announced last month, some subset of Browns' fans felt the team was underrepresented. Only wide receiver Braylon Edwards and special teams ace Joshua Cribbs made the team while quarterback Derek Anderson, tight end Kellen Winslow, and left tackle Joe Thomas got shafted.

Well, there's not much anybody can do about that Week 17 Titans-Colts game, but Thomas, the Browns' 2007 first first-round pick, will be going to Hawaii next month, all expenses paid. As FanHouse's Dan Benton wrote earlier, a spot opened up on the AFC roster after Bills' tackle Jason Peters withdrew because of a groin injury. Whatever, it still counts. And it's been a long time coming for a Cleveland offensive lineman ... and rookie:

[Thomas] is the first Browns lineman to be named to the Pro Bowl since tackle Cody Risien following the 1987 season. The last Browns rookie to make the Pro Bowl was linebacker Chip Banks following the 1982 season.

Good Lord, that's a drought. Anderson, Winslow and guard Eric Steinbach are all first alternates, which means that depending on how the rest of the postseason plays out, there could be more changes to the AFC team. And let's be honest, who doesn't want to see Pro Bowl chock full of Browns players?

This ain't the Cleveland Browns we're all used to seeing. The same team that averaged fewer than five wins a season since 2003 is now 9-5, tied atop the AFC North, and headed for the postseason. And people outside of Cleveland are finally taking notice.

Yesterday, the NFL announced that wide receiver Braylon Edwards and return demon Joshua Cribbs had been named the AFC Pro Bowl roster. According to the News-Herald's Jeff Schudel: "They are the first Browns selected to play in the NFL's version of an all-star game since linebacker Jamir Miller made the Pro Bowl after the 2001 season." Ah, yes, good ol' Jamir Miller.

Two noticeable omissions are tight end Kellen Winslow and quarterback Derek Anderson (and, I suppose, at least one member of the offensive line). Given that Winslow plays in the same conference as Antonio Gates and Tony Gonzalez, it's easy to understand why he won't be traveling to Hawaii on the NFL's dime.

And nobody's willing to argue that Anderson had a better season than Tom Brady or Peyton Manning. But what about Ben Roethlisberger?

If you're looking for a last-minute holiday gift and you live in the Cleveland area, might I suggest you make your way to the Browns Team Shop. There's just one remaining "Carrot Top-orange No. 5 'Garcia' jersey" on the discount rack, joined by a "handful of No. 9 'Frye' jerseys." Clearly two pieces of Browns' history any discerning fan would want in his collection.

Back on earth, Cleveland-area retailers are finally reaping the benefits that go along with a winning Browns team -- a roster full of big-named players that translates into more jersey sales. Interestingly, heading into Week 1, the only way to get your hands on a Derek Anderson jersey was to be Derek Anderson. Now he joins Braylon Edwards, Joe Jurevicius, Kamerion Wimbley, Kellen Winslow, Jamal Lewis, Andra Davis and Joe Thomas as fan favorites.

So who's currently the most popular?

To get you ready for week 14, FanHouse is previewing all 16 NFL games. Here is the Cleveland Browns/New York Jets preview.

2007 Records:

Cleveland Browns: 7-5 (2nd in AFC North)
New York Jets: 3-9 (3rd in AFC East)

Last Week:

Cardinals 27, Browns 21
Jets 40, Dolphins 13

When the Browns have the ball: Derek Anderson has been the story in Cleveland all season but for the Browns to hold off the Jets they'll need to give Jamal Lewis a heavy dose of action. The Jets pass defense has taken a step in the right direction since the bye. They are pressuring quarterbacks, creating turnovers and watching Darrelle Revis blossom into a good NFL cornerback. Anderson has made some poor decisions of late, four interceptions in his last three games, and sometimes throws balls he shouldn't because he's got such a strong arm. The Jets defense hasn't seen the same level of improvement against the run so it would behoove the Browns to get Lewis established early to control the ball and the clock. If they do it will open things up for Braylon Edwards and Kellen Winslow and take away some of the Jet aggressiveness.

You won't see many kicks like Phil Dawson's as the clock ran out in regulation. It hit one upright, ricocheted off the back of the crossbar and back out. The crowd went wild, the Ravens went wild and Baltimore's playoff hopes were jolted back to life. But just for a second. The kick hit a part of the crossbar that was through the uprights and the Browns protested that the call was wrong. The officials conferred and ruled that the kick was good. That sent the game to overtime where Dawson plugged another kick, in more conventional style, and won the game 33-30 for the Browns.

Here's the rub. Field goals aren't reviewable plays and the kick was ruled no good by one official in the end zone while the other one saw it good. Referee Pete Morelli brought them together and, after much deliberation, called the kick good. Morelli termed it a discussion between the officials, as opposed to a review (it appeared that he did give the play a look on replay but NFL Head of Officiating Mike Periera said he didn't, according to Bill Cowher on CBS), and they ended up getting the call right. I doubt Brian Billick takes much comfort from that, however.

The confusion was fitting on an afternoon overflowing with miscues by both teams and the officiating crew.

To get you ready for week 11, FanHouse is previewing all 16 NFL games. Here is the Cleveland Browns/Baltimore Ravens preview.

2007 Records:

Cleveland Browns: 5-4 (2nd in AFC North)
Baltimore Ravens: 4-5 (3rd in AFC North)

Last Week:

Steelers 31, Browns 28
Bengals 21, Ravens 7

When the Browns have the ball: The Ravens are going to get an eyeful of a quarterback they couldn't find a place for after they drafted him in the sixth round in 2005. Derek Anderson has been a revelation this season. He gets the ball out quickly, maximizes the talents of Braylon Edwards and Kellen Winslow and keeps the Browns offense moving. The Ravens have been playing with a patchwork secondary for weeks and will be without Samari Rolle once again on Sunday. Chris McAlister may return but their trademark aggressiveness has been blunted by the inability to lock up receivers. A more conservative approach kept the Bengals from scoring touchdowns last week but didn't stop them from moving the ball through the air. The Browns hit several big plays in their 27-13 win against Baltimore earlier this season and, with the Ravens still stingy against the run, will look to do the same against the depleted secondary this time.

The Buffalo Bills have not been a very good football team In the J.P. Losman era. All of that doesn't fall on the quarterback -- he can't block, or play defense -- but one unit that has excelled the last few seasons is special teams. Since 2004, the Bills have twice finished with the league's best special teams, according to Football Outsiders (though, oddly, Buffalo ranks 17th in '07).

Despite slipping in the rankings, the Bills have one of the most dangerous punt returners nobody is talking about: Roscoe Parrish. The team's 2005 second-round pick out of the U, Parrish had trouble getting on the field as a rookie because of various injuries, but played in every game last season, and through nine games in '07 he is emerging as a legit to-the-house threat every time he fields a punt.

Although Parrish has taken only one punt back for a touchdown, he is having one of the best seasons ever for a punt returner.

He leads the NFL with a 19.4- yard average, which would shatter the Bills' single- season record of 13.1 set by Keith Moody in 1977. Parrish also has an outside shot at the NFL mark held by Herb Rich, who averaged 23 yards on 12 punt returns for the Baltimore Colts in 1950.

By comparison, Devin Hester is fourth with a 15.9-yard average, and Joshua Cribbs, another emerging star, is 20th at 9.8. The Bills could use some of that 19.4 action this week against the Pats.

It's easy to get caught up in all the Devin Hester hysteria -- and rightly so, the guy's amazing -- but the Browns have somebody just as explosive returning kicks: Joshua Cribbs. Here he is embarrassing 11 Steelers special teamers on his way to the house:



That touchdown put the Browns up 28-24 in the fourth quarter, just seconds after Ben Roethlisberger had given the Steelers the lead for the first time all day. Cribbs also busted out a 90-yard return in the first half that set up Cleveland's second touchdown. It wasn't enough to overcome Cleveland's putrid defense -- the Steelers would win 31-28 -- but Cribbs is making a strong case for the NFL's best returner.