SPORTSBIZ -- JOEL HAMMOND
Identifying the current Cleveland Brown with the brightest future
Blog entry: December 13, 2011, 3:20 pm | Author: JOEL HAMMOND
The local blog Waiting For Next Year thoughtfully analyzes what, exactly, remains for Josh Cribbs in Cleveland. The beloved Cribbs enters the last year of his contract next season, and recently has become more vocal about all the losing and negativity in town (but is careful not to lash out at the fans; he's smart). Writes WFNY:
Guys who rely on explosiveness don't tend to get that back in their late 20s though, ya know? Hopefully Josh has one more great year for himself and for the fans. Who knows? Maybe he can continue to contribute on special teams for one more contract cycle on his way to retirement. It's just hard to imagine, when I see a guy who wants to contribute to a winner so much, that this won't turn out to be a mismatch of expectations if and when the next round of contract talks start.
It's funny they write on the topic this week, because I was shopping for a Christmas present over the weekend, and was forced to try to figure out what current Brown might be here the longest.
Colt McCoy? Definitely not. Peyton Hillis? Uh, no.
TJ Ward? Phil Taylor? Maybe.
Joe Haden? Probably.
And all the while, Cribbs remained a possibility, but I just couldn't pull the trigger. First, his production is declining along with his value, as WFNY writes. And by all accounts, he's had enough of the Browns.
It'll be interesting to see what the Browns do with one of the most popular athletes in franchise history.
Stepping stone? So what?
Toledo coach Tim Beckman took the same job at Illinois last week, with respected (Toledo) Blade columnist Dave Hackenberg writing that the Mid-American Conference and other smaller leagues are stepping stones — and there's nothing wrong with that.
Hackenberg writes:
As long as the big BCS programs are waving around Monopoly money — the irresponsibility of that is a ship that long ago left the dock — it's going to be a revolving door for those from the MAC who have success, whether it's fairly immediate as in Beckman's case, or over time, as was the case when Gary Pinkel left UT for Missouri.
He cites one of the last vestiges of a bygone era — Gary Blackney, the former coach at my alma mater, Bowling Green, who stayed there for 10 years. That's an eternity these days, especially for a coach who didn't have a terribly successful run.
Speaking of MAC football coaches, the University of Akron will announce its next coach — Rob Ianello was fired after two seasons and two victories — on social media. Interesting.
Oh, Urban
Urban Meyer's presence is being felt already in Columbus — I wrote a week or so ago about him already rejuvenating the Buckeye fan base, and now it's the on-field product.
Meyer has gotten two top lineman prospects to change their minds and commit to Ohio State, a big coup for the incoming coach.
If you're not following me on Twitter, what are you waiting for? And, I trust you're listening to Crain's podcasts?
And, of course, email me with any news tips you see fit for this space.
|
Subscribe
Print
E-mail
Be the first to comment!
Readers are solely responsible for the content of the comments they post here. Comments are subject to the site's terms and conditions of use and do not necessarily reflect the opinion or approval of Crain's Cleveland Business. Readers whose comments violate the terms of use may have their comments removed or all of their content blocked from viewing by other users without notification. Comments may be used in the print edition at editorial discretion.