Interesting take - I agree the hester deal is a bad one for chi. I think we are all on the same page regarding the fact that his contract is barely relevant here:
http://www.nologoneeded.com/no_logo_needed...r-trade-me.html
Pay Me or Trade Me?
By Brandon Rastok
NoLogoNeeded.com staff writer
Pay me or trade me.
So that is the stance Josh Cribbs has taken?
Before we begin, a few things about Josh Cribbs:
•Cribbs was one of only a handful of players that never gave up during the debacle that was the 2008 season.
•Every time he has the ball in his hands, there is the potential for a big play.
•He is probably the only player in the league that is as skilled at covering kicks as he is returning them.
•In 2007, he led the league with his 30.7 yards per kickoff return average and was third in average punt return yards.
•Cribbs also is one of the most exciting players to watch in a Browns uniform.
•He is a versatile player and can run the Flash package the Browns have installed.
Now, with four years to go on his contract at $620,000, $635,000, $650,000, and $790,000, is he under paid? Yes.
But, there are a few things to take into consideration.
First, kick returners typically have a very short shelf life. Andre Davis, who was second to Cribbs in average kickoff return yards at 30.3 in 2007, fell to 27th in 2008 with a 23.1-yard average. In 2007, Davis had three touchdowns, but in 2008 he had zero. Since 2003, only 10 players have been in the top 10 in average return yards more than once — Miles Austin, Dante Hall, Devin Hester, Bethel Johnson, Jerome Mathis, Terrence McGee, Willie Ponder, Adam “Pacman” Jones, Maurice Jones-Drew and Leon Washington have all been in the top ten twice during that 6 year span. Only one player, McGee, has done it three times. No player has statistically been in the top 10 in more than half of those six seasons.
Players tend to flame out after one to two years of solid return production. The human joystick, Dante Hall, is the perfect example. In 2003, Hall was all the rage with four returns for touchdowns. He was fourth in kickoff return average and was first in punt return average. The next season, he dropped to fifth in kickoff average, had only two touchdowns, and dropped to eighth in punt return average. He has not been back in the top 10 in kickoff return average since.
After Cribbs’ stellar 2007, his production fell off last season as he dropped to 16th in kick off returns with a 25.3 yard average and only scored one touchdown. He dropped to 17th in punt returns with an 8.1-yard average.
With his decline in production last season, is Cribbs already past his kick returner prime? Should the Browns throw large sums of money at a player whose return specialist production has already maxed out? I tend to think not.
Second, Cribbs and his agent want to use the Devin Hester contract as leverage and sign a similar deal. Hester is no longer the Bears’ top return man. That role belongs to Daniel Manning who led the league in kickoff returns last season. Hester’s deal is based on him being one of the team’s top wide receivers while also returning some kicks. The depth chart at ESPN.com lists Hester as the No. 2 receiver.
In 2007, Cribbs’ best year as a returner, he had three kicks returned for touchdowns. That same year, Hester returned six kicks for touchdowns. Last season, Hester had 51 receptions for 665 yards and three touchdowns. He added another six rushes for 61 yards. In 2007, Hester managed 20 receptions for 299 yards and two touchdowns. By comparison, Cribbs had 2 receptions for 18 yards with one touchdown in 2008. He added 167 yards rushing on 29 attempts. Looking back at 2007, Cribbs added another 3 receptions for 31 yards and nine rushes for 61 yards to his resume. This is hardly having an impact on the offense. With all the new additions the Browns have at receiver, will Cribbs even manage to get his 2-3 receptions this coming season? It is clear that Cribbs is not the same type of player as Devin Hester, and that contract should not be used in negotiations.
Third, even if Devin Hester signed a $40 million contract and other teams believe the Bears signed a bad contract, does that mean that the Browns automatically have to lock themselves into a bad contract? The Browns should not be forced into following poor decisions by other teams. Likewise, if Cribbs and his agent agreed to a deal that was a poor deal for him, is that the Browns’ fault? Would Cribbs return some of the money if he had not played up to his contract? The answer is clearly no. In the real world, especially in today's economy, workers are not guaranteed a job. If they have a successful project that makes the company a bunch of money, how many of the workers actually run to their boss and say, "Pay me.”?
Fourth, Cribbs has four years left on his current contract. If the Browns redo this contract, what kind of message does that send to the rest of the team?
The front office might as well shout through a mega phone during training camp:
“HAVE ONE PRODUCTIVE SEASON AND WE’LL OPEN OUR CHECKBOOK!”
If things were difficult last season with Winslow, Edwards, Cribbs, and Dawson wanting new deals, wait until the Browns open their wallet for Cribbs whose production dropped as the team suffered through a 4-12 season. Actions like this breed the “player before team” and “pay me” attitudes.
Fifth, Cribbs is holding out from minicamp and asking for a trade if the Browns don’t get serious about a new deal. Cribbs is not a starter on offense or defense. He is a situational player. There has been mention of him playing safety with a slight chance to start. Wouldn’t he have a better argument for more money if he were actually participating and putting himself in the best position for more playing time? Meanwhile, there are players like D’Qwell Jackson who is a free agent at the end of the season. He is a full-time starter. He led the NFL in tackles last season. He makes the fourth-year minimum of $640,000. Jackson still reports to minicamp to get better and help the team. Which player should have a renegotiated contract first?
The bottom line is Cribbs should be helping the team this offseason and he is not. The Browns would be wise to give him an added bonus and slightly restructure his deal. However, it should not be anywhere near what he is asking for.
The Browns should offer to double his current pay and give him roughly $1.2 to $2 million per season. The last thing this team needs is to throw its salary cap structure out of whack and make a kick returner one of its highest paid players.
I leave you with one thought. Would the Buffalo Bills have given perennial Pro Bowl special teams player Steve Tasker $10 million a year like Hester is receiving? He was the best at what he did, but also was only a situational player.
P
