As Browns coach Eric Mangini continues to face criticism for the Stanford-band clusterfudge that concluded Monday night's 16-0 loss to the Ravens, he's getting support from an unlikely source.
The guy who was hurt during the play.
Receiver Josh Cribbs said Wednesday that the play wasn't called by coach Eric Mangini, but by quarterback Brady Quinn.
"It was a call at the line,'' Cribbs said, per Mary Kay Cabot of the Cleveland Plain Dealer. "It wasn't a call that came in from the coaches. Brady had let us know to keep the ball alive, that he was going to throw the slant to me at the line and to keep the ball alive. He gave the signal to keep it alive, but it wasn't a call that came in from the sideline.''
Unlike his agent, Cribbs wasn't upset about the fact that he was on the field during the final, futile drive.
"They put me in position to make plays and to play well in the football game and I wouldn't want to come out of the game,'' Cribbs said. "A lot of people say 'why are you still out when you have no chance to win the game?' but I wanted to be out there, so I can't put no blame on anyone.''
Still, the Browns never even should have had the ball at the end of the game. With their three time outs exhausted, Mangini called -- and was awarded -- a fourth time out after the two-minute warning. Absent the extra time out, the Ravens would have been able to run out the clock without giving possession back to the Browns.
Good start. Now make a video.
Bravo, Cribbs. Now will somebody please PAY THE MAN!
"They put me in position to make plays and to play well in the football game and I wouldn't want to come out of the game,'' Cribbs said. "A lot of people say 'why are you still out when you have no chance to win the game?' but I wanted to be out there, so I can't put no blame on anyone.''
Well done.
Wow, bad careerrrrrrr, game for Brady Quinn.
Hey Florio, some of my "sources" tell me that Mangini is responsible for Global Warming, World Hunger, and the spread of the H1N1 virus. Maybe you can write some articles on that tomorrow? Or maybe you want to write an article faulting him for his inability to solve the last digit of Pi???
JetGreeeen
Wow. Brady Quinn is good. Two players hurt on the same QT by his acts, and a 23% QB rating? I didn't think it could get worse than we have it with Russell, but I guess anything is possible. :)
Gee Florio, how are you gonna spin this into a blame Mangini report? Ohh wait, you did...
"Still, the Browns never even should have had the ball at the end of the game".
Oh sh1t. Quinn's reputation and football career is screwed up now.
If his play hasn't earned him a new contract, this should. Give the doggone guy a new deal and keep the only stinkin' playmaker on the team. He seems to be the only one sticking up for Mangini right now. Do the right thing, Coach.
Cribbs is a class act and the best overall talent on that team. Give the guy a new contract and don't let him get away!!!
sounds like cribbs just wants some wet mangina
Now the truth comes out. The whole time that Mangini was accepting blame for this fiasco of a play he was trying to protect Brady Quinn.
Good for Mangini.
That said, the only thing wrong with the Browns is that they have one righteously terrible quarterback (Brady Quinn), and one quarterback who is terrible in this system and has had his confidence completely blown out of the water due to mismanagement over the years, but would be decent in a system that fit him better (Derek Anderson).
Get a quarterback that fits the offense like a Matt Cassell and the Browns would move the ball effectively through the air and win some games.
The Browns have a nice nucleus of young talent. The problem is the black hole at quarterback.
Kudos to Mangini for taking the blame and not ratting out Brady Quinn. Between that and the Suggs play, I wonder what percentage of the league hates Quinn right now.
So this just proves, all Brown players are stupid. The coach, QB, and the best player on the team. Sad, Cribbs deserves better than this.
They should fine Quinn another $10,000 for hurting Cribbs
I have another example. Mike Shanahan was getting clobbered by the New York Jets by a score of like 21 to 0 and Brian Griese was tossing interceptions galore and Terrell Davis suffered the first of what was to be a series of knee injuries that was to de-rail his Canton-bound career. I remember the play Davis was hurt on was an interception and on the return as the play was ending near the sidelines a big oaf offensive lineman (I believe it was Leypsis) came flying toward the play late and wound up rolling up on Davis's knee from the blind side as TD was fighting a defensive back to make a tackle. It disgusted me that Shanahan had Terrell Davis in the game in such an obvious blowout loss. I am not a Broncos fan but I did admire Davis's ability. I hate Mike Shanahan and those coaches with a slave-driver mentality that fail to protect their stars and call off the dogs in blowout defeats. Yas, miracle comebacks can happen, but still. Trailing 16 to 0 with less than a minute to play. Get real.
What a stand up guy. Wish my Ravens had him.
Mangina still sucks.
Since when did Joshua Cribbs become an elite player that anyone can question why he was in on a meaningless play? I mean I know he does play for the Brown and is their best player but seriously. It isn't like they can't win without him, they couldn't win with three Cribbs, two Quinn's and a whole heap of Mangini's.
Well I guess you have to give props to Mangini for not throwing Quinn under the bus in his press conference. And you have to give props to Cribbs who plays the game to final whistle. And I guess you have to give props to Quinn who also played to the last whistle and tried to come up with something to get some points. But I guess you can't give any props to Mr. Button Down Collar, Hair Perfectly Coffed Florio who plays the game from his Lazy Boy recliner.
First bright spot for a Browns fan since the story about Josh walking the son of his former coach out for senior night.
Brady Quinn sucks in more ways than I can count- and I can count to infinity.
Josh Cribbs one standup guy, PAY HIM
@ RaiderMight,
Due to the lack of decent QB play you have had the last few seasons i wouldn't expect you to know this, but QB ratings aren't percentages dumba$s. Its just a formula.
Oh yea, get ready for a palmer rating well over 100 this week.
Who-Dey
Mangini is evil enough to make Cribbs say this before paying him. That way, Mangini saves his own ass and makes Quinn the scapegoat.
And even if that's not the case, Florio, feel free to run with it.
@ SayersButkus Crew :
you mis-remember the Terrell Davis injury...that play happened in the FIRST quarter of that game (final score was 21-13 )
props to Josh Cribbs...a class act
I saw it coming. Brady Quinn sucked at sucky Notre Dame and he sucks even more big time in the NFL. It was so great watching him at the draft go undrafted until late in the 1st round. They had to get him a private room because it was getting so pathetic. Haha!
Oh well, at least he got some first round money out of it. Time to move on Cleveland.
I swear, if they scr3w Cribbs, its all over.
Ive been watching and rooting for the Browns since I was a pup, but if they scr3w him or even TRADE him, I will never come back. Even if they become the next New England.
The guy is so real and humble, I personally dont think he should be in the NFL with all the big buck, play for me first then many be the fan second personnel. I love hearing how he wants to be out there and you have to "PRY the ball from MY COLD DEAD HANDS before you will get it back" attitude. I personal believe the rest of the team should catch his attitude like its H1N1. (Ya I went there). Like the movie The Replacement, everyone but Cribbs I believe are missing "Heart".
My the way Cribbs in the only jersey I have every bought and own 2.
I had the game on DVR. Quinn wasn't the problem or least all of it. Time to throw, no running game and no one open most of the time were problems. The Browns have talent issues, no coaching, and need someone who knows what they're doing to take over. Defense wise, they have played well enough to keep a standard offense in the game recently. Keep in mind their two starting inside linebackers are out injured.
Regardless of who made the call, the only "play" that should've been called was to take a knee and get the hell out of there.
But as bad as mangini is.....I bet he doesn't go for it on 4th down at his own 28 with the other team's crowd going nuts and Peyton Manning salivating on the other sideline for a chance at a very short game-winning drive.
Why was Cribbs on the field in the first place?
Unless MangIdiot had a 16 point play planned that Quinn simply failed to call there was no reason for him to be there.
Whenever you watch the Browns, Cribbs talent just about jumps off the tv screen. He's a huge playmaker ablolutely wasted in a bad organization. They screwed the people of Northeast Ohio when they gave this franchise to the guys from Youngstown. Don Shula was in an ownership group that should have gotten this team. Can the Browns cut Randy Lerner? Maybe the league could put him an waivers and if nobody claims him he's put on an ownership taxi squad. What a maroon!
Next season Cribbs will play and be OC ... so two pay checks. He couldn't be a worse OC than Dumboll.
jibfest says:
November 18, 2009 7:56 PM
Since when did Joshua Cribbs become an elite player that anyone can question why he was in on a meaningless play? I mean I know he does play for the Brown and is their best player but seriously. It isn't like they can't win without him, they couldn't win with three Cribbs, two Quinn's and a whole heap of Mangini's.
Ha Ha Ha! You're a funny guy. Now go get your shinebox!
tobago says: "Oh yea, get ready for a palmer rating well over 100 this week.
Who-Dey"
Dey is idiots, apparently.
Brady Quinn couldn't pull a 100 rating if you spotted him 50 points, and if he COULD, that Cleveland offense would mire him down like a mule stuck in mud.
Rob Ryan has some coooooooool hair.
Cribbs showed class in explaining the call & for all the negatives on Mangini he didnt throw his player under the bus & took the heat..
which kind of begs the question...why didnt Quinn say anything?
so then why did mangina say he wish he could have a do-over....or that, that play wouldn't have been called if he could go back in time? crock.
@richm2256 you just don't make sense.
1. Who said Quin would have a 100 rating?? I said Palmer would.
2. Who-Idiots? that just sounds retarded. Doesn't even make sense.
good day dumb shit
We are supposed to believe that a QB who Mangini would not let audible out of a called QB scramble on 4th and 10 in his first start of the season, calls that audible?
Sorry Cribbs but that playcalling is VERY consistant with Mangini's playcalling this year, and Quinn wears that green sticker for a reason. At the very least it was an audible on coaches orders.
Im not saying Cribbs is lying, im just saying it wasn't Quinn, who has shown in his career that he protects his teamates whenever he can.
Wow, as if I needed another reason to have a ton of respect for Cribbs...
Mangina is an idiot, but he did really lay it all out there to defend his terrible QB... Good work
Cribbs deserves better - get him off that team.
mangini is still an idiot, even if he didn't call that play.