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By Marla Ridenour Beacon Journal sportswriter
POSTED: 09:44 p.m. EST, Dec 30, 2007
CLEVELAND: Joshua Cribbs wouldn't accept Lennie Friedman's apology.
Friedman was flagged for holding during Cribbs' 94-yard return for a touchdown on the second-half kickoff, which would have given the Browns' Pro Bowler the rare double of a punt and kickoff return for a score in the same game.
Cribbs said he saw Friedman's block as he was running past and thought it was legal.
''He just gobbled his guy up,'' Cribbs said. ''He came to me and said, 'Sorry,' and I said, 'Sorry? You just crushed your guy. You can't ask for anything more. Keep doing it.' Those guys are so humble. They want to see me succeed to the fullest, and I just love their passion.''
Cribbs had enough passion for his entire team Sunday in Cleveland's 20-7 home victory over the San Francisco 49ers. The former Kent State quarterback returned a first-quarter punt 76 yards for a touchdown, the first of his three-year career.
He recorded a 53-yard return — now the second longest of his career — earlier in the first quarter. He finished with 135 yards on four punt returns, which trails only Eric Metcalf's 166 yards on Oct. 24, 1993, against the Steelers in team history.
Cribbs also led Cleveland with four special-teams tackles and added 57 yards on two kickoff returns.
''That guy is not human,'' tight end Kellen Winslow said. ''He's the best I've ever seen at returning anything. I wouldn't kick it to him.
''Every game he steps up for us and he gives us a chance to win. But it's a team thing. Let's not discount all the other guys who are blocking for him and getting him through the holes. Hats off to the special teams coach (Ted Daisher) and the special teams.''
Winslow admires the fearlessness Cribbs shows.
''He doesn't care about his body, and that's what you want in a returner. You just hit the hole and go,'' Winslow said.
Browns coach Romeo Crennel also gushed about Cribbs.
''I can't say enough about the guy. He's a returning machine as well as a tackling machine,'' Crennel said. ''They couldn't block him. I'm glad he was on my team.
''I stand on the sideline and I'm excited when they kick it to him because I know he has that kind of determination. He wants to make something happen and he wants to help this team win. But just as impressive was the way he covered the kicks today. A lot of times at that gunner spot, they put two or three guys on you, and he's still able to get down the field.''
This was Cribbs' debut season as the full-time punt returner. He took over for the departed Dennis Northcutt. Cribbs' previous long was a 34-yarder against Carolina in 2006. Coming in, he ranked sixth in the NFL in punt returns with a 10.4 average. He felt the touchdown was a major breakthrough.
''It lets me know I finally arrived as a punt returner,'' he said.
Cribbs said he was inspired because San Francisco's special teams were ranked No. 1 in the league. He made the touchdown sound easy.
''Those guys were blocking. It was a wide-open hole up the field and all I had to do was run straight and outrun the kicker,'' he said. ''I'm not going to let the kicker tackle me.
''I saw the end zone and I wasn't looking back.''
Edwards sets mark
Wide receiver Braylon Edwards continued his assault on the Browns record book.
He broke Webster Slaughter's 18-year-old record for receiving yards in a season. With three catches for 67 yards, Edwards finished with 1,289 yards, beating Slaughter's mark of 1,236 yards in 1989. Two weeks ago, Edwards broke Gary Collins' 44-year-old single-season touchdown record of 13; Edwards now has 16.
''I'm pretty proud of myself, if I can say that without being arrogant,'' Edwards said. ''A lot of you guys, be it fans or whoever, lost faith in me and said a lot of things about me in the negative, and I was able to overcome those things. I was able to turn the other cheek and just work on me.''
Mega-matchup
For much of the day, 49ers cornerback Nate Clements, a Shaker Heights native and Ohio State product, covered Edwards. Clements was the highest-paid defender in the NFL when he signed in the offseason.
After his 45-yard touchdown catch in the second quarter, Edwards heaved the ball in Clements' direction, drawing a 15-yard penalty for taunting.
''He's a competitor, and I think the tackle was a bit late. I felt myself tripping up in the end zone,'' Edwards said. ''He's OSU; I'm Michigan. . . .I turned around and saw who it was and I didn't try to hit him. I threw the ball and let him know that, 'Hey, I got you.' ''
On what looked like a touchdown from rookie quarterback Brady Quinn late in the first half, Clements got his arms around Edwards to break it up. Quinn said he thought Clements held Edwards' arm.
Big season for Dawson
Browns kicker Phil Dawson connected on field goals of 23 and 49 yards and on two extra points, giving him a career-high 120 points. That topped the team's single-season mark for a kicker set by hall of famer Lou Groza (115 in 1964). Dawson tied running back Leroy Kelly (120 points in 1968) for second on the all-time scoring list behind Jim Brown (126 in 1965).
''I wasn't really focusing on it, but it was something I was hoping to get,'' Dawson said of Groza's mark, which he bested with the 23-yarder with 1:04 left in the first half. ''When it happened, it sure did feel good. It was nice to share it with my teammates. Some of them knew the situation as well, which surprised me. They all came up and congratulated me.''
Told he had tied Kelly, Dawson said, ''Wow. That's one of those things that kind of sneak up on you.''
Brownies
Jamal Lewis became the 26th running back in NFL history to reach 9,000 career yards. With 1,304 yards, Lewis became only the second player in team history to top 1,300, joining Brown (who did it six times). Lewis averaged 113 yards per game in the last seven games. . . .Defensive lineman Bobby Hamilton, signed Wednesday after Ethan Kelley was placed on injured reserve, started at left end in place of Orpheus Roye. Roye (knee) was inactive, along with linebacker Antwan Peek (ankle). . . .Quarterback Derek Anderson's 29 touchdowns tied Frank Ryan (1966) for second in team history behind Brian Sipe (30 in 1980). . . .Linebackers Leon Williams and Willie McGinest notched two sacks apiece. . . .Cleveland surrendered only 19 sacks for 140 yards, both lows since the franchise returned in 1999.
CLEVELAND: Joshua Cribbs wouldn't accept Lennie Friedman's apology.
Friedman was flagged for holding during Cribbs' 94-yard return for a touchdown on the second-half kickoff, which would have given the Browns' Pro Bowler the rare double of a punt and kickoff return for a score in the same game.
Cribbs said he saw Friedman's block as he was running past and thought it was legal.
''He just gobbled his guy up,'' Cribbs said. ''He came to me and said, 'Sorry,' and I said, 'Sorry? You just crushed your guy. You can't ask for anything more. Keep doing it.' Those guys are so humble. They want to see me succeed to the fullest, and I just love their passion.''
Cribbs had enough passion for his entire team Sunday in Cleveland's 20-7 home victory over the San Francisco 49ers. The former Kent State quarterback returned a first-quarter punt 76 yards for a touchdown, the first of his three-year career.
He recorded a 53-yard return — now the second longest of his career — earlier in the first quarter. He finished with 135 yards on four punt returns, which trails only Eric Metcalf's 166 yards on Oct. 24, 1993, against the Steelers in team history.
Cribbs also led Cleveland with four special-teams tackles and added 57 yards on two kickoff returns.
''That guy is not human,'' tight end Kellen Winslow said. ''He's the best I've ever seen at returning anything. I wouldn't kick it to him.
''Every game he steps up for us and he gives us a chance to win. But it's a team thing. Let's not discount all the other guys who are blocking for him and getting him through the holes. Hats off to the special teams coach (Ted Daisher) and the special teams.''
Winslow admires the fearlessness Cribbs shows.
''He doesn't care about his body, and that's what you want in a returner. You just hit the hole and go,'' Winslow said.
Browns coach Romeo Crennel also gushed about Cribbs.
''I can't say enough about the guy. He's a returning machine as well as a tackling machine,'' Crennel said. ''They couldn't block him. I'm glad he was on my team.
''I stand on the sideline and I'm excited when they kick it to him because I know he has that kind of determination. He wants to make something happen and he wants to help this team win. But just as impressive was the way he covered the kicks today. A lot of times at that gunner spot, they put two or three guys on you, and he's still able to get down the field.''
This was Cribbs' debut season as the full-time punt returner. He took over for the departed Dennis Northcutt. Cribbs' previous long was a 34-yarder against Carolina in 2006. Coming in, he ranked sixth in the NFL in punt returns with a 10.4 average. He felt the touchdown was a major breakthrough.
''It lets me know I finally arrived as a punt returner,'' he said.
Cribbs said he was inspired because San Francisco's special teams were ranked No. 1 in the league. He made the touchdown sound easy.
''Those guys were blocking. It was a wide-open hole up the field and all I had to do was run straight and outrun the kicker,'' he said. ''I'm not going to let the kicker tackle me.
''I saw the end zone and I wasn't looking back.''
Edwards sets mark
Wide receiver Braylon Edwards continued his assault on the Browns record book.
He broke Webster Slaughter's 18-year-old record for receiving yards in a season. With three catches for 67 yards, Edwards finished with 1,289 yards, beating Slaughter's mark of 1,236 yards in 1989. Two weeks ago, Edwards broke Gary Collins' 44-year-old single-season touchdown record of 13; Edwards now has 16.
''I'm pretty proud of myself, if I can say that without being arrogant,'' Edwards said. ''A lot of you guys, be it fans or whoever, lost faith in me and said a lot of things about me in the negative, and I was able to overcome those things. I was able to turn the other cheek and just work on me.''
Mega-matchup
For much of the day, 49ers cornerback Nate Clements, a Shaker Heights native and Ohio State product, covered Edwards. Clements was the highest-paid defender in the NFL when he signed in the offseason.
After his 45-yard touchdown catch in the second quarter, Edwards heaved the ball in Clements' direction, drawing a 15-yard penalty for taunting.
''He's a competitor, and I think the tackle was a bit late. I felt myself tripping up in the end zone,'' Edwards said. ''He's OSU; I'm Michigan. . . .I turned around and saw who it was and I didn't try to hit him. I threw the ball and let him know that, 'Hey, I got you.' ''
On what looked like a touchdown from rookie quarterback Brady Quinn late in the first half, Clements got his arms around Edwards to break it up. Quinn said he thought Clements held Edwards' arm.
Big season for Dawson
Browns kicker Phil Dawson connected on field goals of 23 and 49 yards and on two extra points, giving him a career-high 120 points. That topped the team's single-season mark for a kicker set by hall of famer Lou Groza (115 in 1964). Dawson tied running back Leroy Kelly (120 points in 1968) for second on the all-time scoring list behind Jim Brown (126 in 1965).
''I wasn't really focusing on it, but it was something I was hoping to get,'' Dawson said of Groza's mark, which he bested with the 23-yarder with 1:04 left in the first half. ''When it happened, it sure did feel good. It was nice to share it with my teammates. Some of them knew the situation as well, which surprised me. They all came up and congratulated me.''
Told he had tied Kelly, Dawson said, ''Wow. That's one of those things that kind of sneak up on you.''
Brownies
Jamal Lewis became the 26th running back in NFL history to reach 9,000 career yards. With 1,304 yards, Lewis became only the second player in team history to top 1,300, joining Brown (who did it six times). Lewis averaged 113 yards per game in the last seven games. . . .Defensive lineman Bobby Hamilton, signed Wednesday after Ethan Kelley was placed on injured reserve, started at left end in place of Orpheus Roye. Roye (knee) was inactive, along with linebacker Antwan Peek (ankle). . . .Quarterback Derek Anderson's 29 touchdowns tied Frank Ryan (1966) for second in team history behind Brian Sipe (30 in 1980). . . .Linebackers Leon Williams and Willie McGinest notched two sacks apiece. . . .Cleveland surrendered only 19 sacks for 140 yards, both lows since the franchise returned in 1999.
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