"This is Cleveland"

Has any Browns player ever embodied the spirit of Ohio football more than Josh Cribbs?

Well if you have any doubts, read Tony Grossi's article from today's Plain Dealer.

On November 14th, Josh Cribbs sustained a serious foot injury against the Jets. Most players would have sat. Why does Cribbs keep playing? Read on:

The injury caused soft tissue damage to the plantar plate, or beneath the ball of the foot. He feels pain when putting pressure on that area. It limits his ability to cut and change direction. His kick returns are limited to running straight ahead.

The question is why doesn't Cribbs just sit and let the injury heal? The answer embodies the essence of Cribbs as a football player:

"I could easily sit down and be like, 'Coach, I'm gonna try to take care of myself for next year.' But I love football too much," Cribbs said. "Even one of my teammates said, 'If you're not good, sit down.' I can't sit down.

"This is football. This is what it's all about, pushing through injuries, going to work when you don't have to, and battling. This is Cleveland. What would I be, having a foot injury and not going to work? And make the money I'm supposed to make. People have to work with worse circumstances than me. So the least I can do is push through the injuries and try to do as much as I can for the team."

The Cleveland work ethic is part of what makes this town great. Countless working men and women in this town get up every day and have at it. Josh Cribbs is one of us and deserves this town's support, through good and bad.

Injuries trip up Browns vs Jets

Great game played by the Browns today against the Jets but injuries to Fujita, Cribbs and Brown in the end cost us the game. It's that time of the season where depth is going to begin to play a factor. The Browns have a bit less talent than most NFL teams but the coaching has been great of late, and the team was coming together. That all starts to come apart when the inevitable injuries start to pile up. Here is hoping that Cribbs in particular won't be out long.

Is the NFL going to protect players from head injuries or not?

Conrad Dobler, a guard for the St. Louis Cardinals during the 1970's was openly and proudly a dirty player. It's taken years for somebody to surpass him but yesterday the mantle was passed. Pittsburgh Steeler's linebacker James Harrison is the dirtiest player the NFL has seen in decades.

Harrison used his helmet as a battering ram against the Browns Sunday. His blows to the head of Josh Cribbs and Mohamed Massaquoi resulted in head injuries to both players. Without any doubt Massaquoi was in a vulnerable position and a flag should have been thrown. While by definition, Cribbs as a runner was not a vulnerable player, the blow to Cribbs head was a much dirtier play. The Massaquoi hit took place at full speed and a reasonable person could believe the helmet to helmet blow was accidental. Cribbs on the other hand was practically stopped, and it appears Harrison simply teed him up and hit him with intent to maim. Why wasn't unnecessary roughness flagged??

In the end, Harrison was Pittsburgh's most valuable player yesterday and the NFL refs were his partners in crime. Harrison helped the Steelers immensely by knocking Cribbs out of the game.

Unbelievable. The Brown Log has been consistent on this issue, being critical of TJ Ward on a much lesser violation in which he used his shoulder in a hit on a vulnerable receiver. In Harrison's case, there are no excuses. The zebras didn't bother to throw the flag even once.

Another defeat but all is not lost

...but there were a few positives today:

- Colt McCoy looked good, throwing for 281 yards. One of his two intercepts could have been caught.

- The Browns defense almost managed to keep the Steelers and a rusty Ben Roethelisberger under control. But Big Ben got his bearings in the second half and managed to exploit openings in the Browns pass D.

- Inspite of the fact that gamer Josh Cribbs fought to continue playing, the Browns were smart enough to sit him after he suffered a nasty concussion. The team should be applauded for this.

- The Brown Log almost exactly nailed the final score, missing by 3 total points. Our prediction was Steelers 26, Browns 9 and the final was Steelers 28, Browns 10.


the Browns are now 1-5 on the season and our next loss will be on the road next Sunday against defending Super Bowl champions New Orleans.

BL predicts: Week Three vs Baltimore

The Brown Log have two predictions this week:

- First prediction is that if the Browns arrive to 0-4, Holmgren will fire Mangini and replace him with Rob Ryan

- Second prediction is relative to this Sunday's matchup at Baltimore. Ryan's defense is coming together as a group. TJ Ward gets better every week and Ryan always has a variation up his sleeve that forces opponents to make adjustments.

On the other side of the ball however, our offense will have to face the Ravens who have yet to give up a touchdown all season. Seneca Wallace will likely once again take the reigns but the Browns simply don't have any playmakers that can step up and help Wallace move the ball. Frustratingly, Mangini puts Josh Cribbs on the field with the offense about 5 plays per game while our regular wideouts simply are unable to get open. It's hard to imagine fumble prone Peyton Hillis doing much, while Jerome Harrison is fighting an injury.

I think both teams will struggle to score, but the Ravens in the end, should get past the Browns. The bad news with a loss would be a horrible 0-3 start, the good news would be that we would be one step closer to ending the Mangini era in Cleveland.

In any case, here's hoping Rob Ryan's crew dominate the Ravens and our Browns sneak out of Baltimore with a W.

BL Predicts

Ravens 19
Browns 13

Cribbs deal is done

Hats off to Mike Holgren for getting the Cribbs deal done. It's an important step in the right direction.

We Don't Get Fooled Again

Mangini still the coach? Josh Cribbs demanding a trade? The Who sum it up the best with slightly revised lyrics.

We'll be dancing in the stands
With our beers in our hands
And the stiffs that we worship will be gone
And the men who brought us shame
Now play in UFL games
They really sucked and hated us fans

I'll tip my hat to the new czar of football
Take heed next year, we will surely win ‘em all
Smile and grin at the change all around
Raise my foam finger and cheer
Just like yesteryear
Then I'll get on my knees and pray
We don't get fooled again

The change, it had to come
We knew it all along
We were liberated from 4 wins, that's all
And the standings look the same
And history ain't changed
'Cause Coach Mangini’s still here

I'll tip my hat to the new czar of football
Take heed next year, we will surely win ‘em all
Smile and grin at the change all around
Pick up my beer and drink
Browns in the playoffs, I think
Then I'll get on my knees and pray
We don't get fooled again
No, no!

I hope Josh Cribbs will still be on our side
He gets his cash and smiles at the sky
If the Browns happened not to lie
I know you can pay the man, yes you can
Can’t ya?

There's nothing on the field
Looks any different to me
And the stiffs are replaced, by more stiffs
And the holding on the left
Is now holding on the right
And the future does not look near as bright

I'll tip my hat to the new czar of football
Take heed next year, we will win ‘em all
Smile and grin at the change all around
Raise my foam finger and cheer
Just like yesteryear
Then I'll get on my knees and pray
We don't get fooled again
Don't get fooled again
No, no!

Yeaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!

Meet the new boss
Same as the old boss

The Playmaker: Josh Cribbs

Hats off to Josh Cribbs for an NFL record breaking performance and the Browns for a fantastic show yesterday. It's playmakers that win games in the NFL and rarely has that been more on display than yesterday.

3 wins in 2009 assure that the Browns likely will not finish with the worst record in the NFL this year however the goal of all Browns fans is not to avoid complete humiliation, it is to return Northern Ohio's NFL franchise to a level of football that honors our football tradition. Our expectations are to win our first Super Bowl championship. This won't happen in 2009 but as we march forward, the Browns have to put more playmakers on the field. That logically will require leadership in the front office and on the sideline. The rumors of Mike Holmgren's arrival are a reassuring sign, as he is a proven leader and winner. Let's cross our fingers..