Browns receiver and return man Josh Cribbs becomes a free agent this offseason, and he sounds like he could use a fresh start.
Although Cribbs says he’d like to remain in Cleveland, he also lashed out at Browns fans on Twitter after Sunday’s loss to the Broncos, and he told reporters this week that he finds it frustrating being with a franchise that is constantly making changes.
“I hate that we rebuild every year,” he said. “You gotta teach guys how to play special teams because, in college, you don’t take special teams to heart. Guys don’t pay a lot of attention to it. They don’t know how important it is. Every year is a constant rebuilding process, every year. Coupled with that and the turnover and the regime [change] constantly happening, you know I’m not on the field by myself. . . . It’s not a good recipe for successful football.”
Cribbs is still a solid returner on both punts and kickoffs, but he’s not having his best year on special teams, and he has been largely phased out of the Browns’ offense. And while Cribbs has said he now thinks he went too far with tweets ripping the fans on Twitter, he still seems to have issues with some of the criticism he takes from some fans.
“A lot of people don’t know nothing about football and keep calling this just a game. But this is our life, this is my life. It’s more than a game to me,” Cribbs said.
Until we know who will be calling the shots in Cleveland next season, it’s impossible to know how high a priority the Browns will make re-signing Cribbs. But he sounds like a man who could benefit from getting a fresh start somewhere else.