Comments on: From Fans’ Perspective, Is Joshua Cribbs the Second Most Untradable Cleveland Athlete?

By: DevonMSF

DevonMSF — Sun, 18 Oct 2009 16:27:46 +0000

Guys…LeBron?

By: Denny

Denny — Sun, 18 Oct 2009 01:22:23 +0000

Hey sorry I fell off a bit here – I actually live in DC and write for WFNY from elsewhere.

But from what I've gathered, I'd say Grady is more popular than Cribbs. That being said, I have no idea as I don't follow the Browns as much as the Tribe. A lot of my friends live elsewhere as well nowadays. I would say though that for most people Grady is a bigger deal because he's an all-around player, whereas Cribbs is mainly a special teamer.

By: JerodMSF

JerodMSF — Sat, 17 Oct 2009 16:44:48 +0000

Rick,

Great perspective. And honestly I forgot about Thomas. You are absolutely right. I would place Thomas above Cribbs on my own list for sure.

And you're right regarding the amount to pay a special teams player. However, I think the fact that Lerner supposedly promised him a redone contract changes things a bit. Has there been confirmation that this actually happened? If so, I have no gripe with Cribbs wanting a new deal. And to be honest, I don't have a big problem with it anyway. Players rarely have leverage when it comes to their contract. Mangini would cut Cribbs in a second if he got hurt, struggled for a long period of time, etc. If he has a chance to angle for a new contract because he's outperformed what he signed, I'm not going to look down upon him, especially since he's continued to play hard throughout. That is much different than bitching AND holding out.

But you are right about Thomas, He is so quiet and unassuming that he can be forgotten about, but he is clearly our most important building block for the future.

By: rickwfny

rickwfny — Sat, 17 Oct 2009 13:47:15 +0000

You aren't entirely correct about Cribbs. He is popular, but there are still a number of football fans here that would say Cribbs isn't a WR or a QB, and there is a limit to how much you can pay even premium special teams players. Not to mention the fact that Cribbs signed a long term contract, and immediately began complaining that it wasn't enough. I realize that he is underpaid, but it seems like he was willing to give up $ for length of contract. You can't change your mind after the deal is done and expect fans to support you.

Personally, I think fans would be more outraged if they traded Joe Thomas away. He is the only decent first round draft pick we've had for years.

By: Kurt Fraschetti

Kurt Fraschetti — Sat, 17 Oct 2009 13:43:26 +0000

As a fan of both Basketball and Football, again, I can not remember having a presence like Shaq coming to Cleveland. In football terms, that would be like having Ray Lewis or Tom Brady come to the Browns. Sure, Shaq is past his prime, but a past his prime Shaq is still a top 5 center in the NBA, and will plug up the key, which stopped the Cavs from a championship last year. Cribbs is electrifying, but the Browns have had a Cribbs before, just with different names… Eric Metcalf, Gerald "the icecube" McNeil. Click link for 1986 Browns History. http://www.cleveland.com/datacentral/index.ssf/20…

I am a huge U of M fan and was happy about the Braylon trade. Not to lose Braylon, but to gain something we will not recover from if he left as a free agent. I would hate to see him go, and it would kill me to see another unproductive Buckeye on the Browns roster, but I value Shaq this year more than Cribbs. That's just my opinion!

By: JerodMSF

JerodMSF — Sat, 17 Oct 2009 13:02:00 +0000

Kurt, I appreciate your opinion — and you live in Ohio, unlike me — but I can't believe that more people in Cleveland would be upset if Shaq was traded than if Cribbs were traded. A lot of Cleveland people still aren't even sure if bringing in Shaq was the right move! No one doubts that keeping Cribbs is in the Browns' best interests.

By: While We’re Waiting… Cavs v Spurs, More Josh Cribbs Talk and Juan Lara Returns | WaitingForNextYear

Sat, 17 Oct 2009 13:01:59 +0000

[...] This post was based off a tweet from Scott and led to an intriguing analysis of the second most popular Cleveland athlete. Take your pick on the site: “Who knows how legitimate the Cribbs-to-Miami or Cribbs-to-whomever talk is, but there is nothing fun or exciting at all about the Browns’ clear fan favorite being mentioned in the same sentence as the word ‘trade.’ All the rumors about Cribbs got me to thinking: is he the second most untradable sports figure in Cleveland? (I think we all know who the first is.) Let’s think about it for a second.” [Jerod/Midwest Sports Fans] [...]

By: Kurt Fraschetti

Kurt Fraschetti — Fri, 16 Oct 2009 22:06:02 +0000

Jerod….

LeBron is definitely number 1. Cribbs is number 3. Although Cribbs on special teams is currently the Cleveland Browns only source of offense, the Browns are not going to bring a championship to Cleveland. My number 2 as a Clevelander is Shaq. Growing up, never would a player of his caliber or magnitude ever, EVER come to Cleveland. LeBron landed this kind of star power to the mistake on the lake… And the Daddy is here for one reason, "A ring for the king!" I would place Shaq and the opportunity for a championship to Cleveland at my #2!

By: JerodMSF

JerodMSF — Fri, 16 Oct 2009 14:03:48 +0000

Haha…agreed.

Serious question for you though Denny. You live in Cleveland, unlike me. How would you assess/compare the popularity of Cribbs to Sizemore? And is there anyone else (other than LeBron of course) who compares to those two?

By: Denny

Denny — Fri, 16 Oct 2009 13:58:44 +0000

Solid piece. Just wanted to say that Grady's shirt might be the most horrendous thing I've ever seen. It's like a tie-dye version of Skeletor.