Waiting for Josh Cribbs to Get Hurt

I don't blame Josh Cribbs for running out of patience with the Browns' foot-dragging. He plays the most dangerous position in sports, with the possible exception of Alpine skiing.

Kick, returners don't last long because they are involved in the most violent collisions in the game -- ball carrier and tackler running head-on at full speed. Only on kick returns do you see this.

The secret to Cribbs' success is his start. He doesn't hesitate as some kick returners do, looking for an opening, cautiously dancing. His first step is straight ahead at full speed. It's a game of chicken. The faint-hearted need not apply.

This is what I think. The Browns expected him to get hurt, which is the reason they misled him, deceived him, lied to him, until that time came. After that, he wouldn't matter. Cart him off and cancel the remaining years of his contract. They had no intention of sweetening his contract. For Pete's sake, they had 18 months to re-work his deal. The organization is insenstive. It is non-caring.

So they sucked out of him everything they could. They added to his duties. He became a ball carrier in the Wildcat formation. He ran, he passed, he received. It wasn't necessary to persuade him. He asked for the opportunity and he evolved into the single most valuable player on this team since Bernie Kosar.

To be fair, he should get a new contract with a signing bonus of $5 million at the very least. They should reward him for what he has done in the past as much as for what he might do in the future. The rest of it doesn't matter -- the annual salary or the years are irrelevant because when he gets hurt, his contract will be canceled. That's the NFL's little trick. Give a guy a bunch of years with the big salaries at the far end. He'll never see those years. His contract will be canceled at the moment it becomes more favorable to him than to the team.

I've always abhorred the expression, "Contracts are made to be broken." Some contracts, however, are patently unfair. Broadcasting contracts for example. Baseball and basketball contracts are unfair to owners. NFL contracts are unfair to some players (not that idiot Gerard Warren). The Browns took advantage of Cribbs when he signed his current deal. He should be angry.

(That's it for now. If you're over 60, don't shovel snow.)

This article reprinted from CoughlinUnplugged.com, through a partnership between Dan Coughlin and The Cleveland Leader. To read more of his writing, visit his website.