DawgTalkers.net Forums DawgTalk Pure Football Forum Cribbs

I was reading an interview with Cribbs the other day and it got me thinking.What will be his role? While I do feel he has grown a little as a WR, I still don't see him as a legit WR. With the WC offense being implemented, IMO he would be best suited as a RB in this offense.

Him lining up in the backfield, not as a starter, but as a rotational type guy, would cause some problems for defenses. He catches fairly well, and in a WC offense, the backs are thrown to quite a bit. He could also be motioned into the slot, where if the ball is gotten to him in space, he could be pretty effective.

As a WR, he doesn't stretch the field as a true speed guy, and his route running is not all that. But lining up in the backfield, in a two back set, he could be trouble. Pitch outs, screens , and even some half back passes could be exciting. I got a feeling that the wildcat, is going by the wayside, I personally won't miss it. I also believe if called upon to be a lead blocker on a sweep, he could be effective.

I'm not suggesting him over Hillis, Hardesty, or our fullback, but as a compliment player. My personal preference for him is to be put back full time on STs as a returner and a gunner. Using him on offense would be a limited thing, and I feel the team would benefit from him more in this way.

First, I would suppose a lot of this hinges on how well he heals from his toe dislocations,...

Liked the idea of the "halfback pass,..." Funny, nobody refers to a RB anymore this way, unless you're talking about that particular play.

I would dig having him back to his old self of two seasons ago too.

Also at the hinge on this door,....depends on who the Browns bring in/draft to spark the offense, no ?

I think that he is a player in the model of Reggie Bush.

Hear me out before you laugh it off.

I'm not saying that the two are alike, have the same abilities, roles, intangibles, etc. What I am saying is that they are football players before they fall into a specific role. Reggie isn't a traditional running back, but he can add 5 carries a game, 5 catches a game, could be used as a dump off in the flats and as a safety valve underneath. And he doubles up as a returner.

Same with Cribbs. He is more "Athlete" than anything else. And, If we try to make him a better receiver than he could improve, but if we focus him in just one area and limit his role to only receiver, we lose what he is best at ... kick and punt coverage ... kick and punt returns ... end around / screen / "dumpoffs" ... he's more of a player that needs to be accounted for in not any one way, but all of the ways that he could be used.

I think that if he his role is only as a traditional wide receiver, he is a below average player in the NFL. When you account for his special teams ability and his playmaking ability whether thats as a running back, wildcat quarterback, or even as a real wideout ... he is one of the best players on our team.

Yeah, if you was playing backyard 2-hand touch like in the old days, he'd be the first guy picked every time.

IMHO Cribbs has had to much on his plate. It never allowed him the chance to live up to his true potential as a receiver. The play in which he injured his toes last year, is the one play that will have the offensive staff drooling with the possibilities. It is also the reason that I did not expect to see Stuckey back.

Cribbs isn't a #1. Hell, he isn't a #2 but I think he can be a monster threat as your 3rd or 4th guy out there. If you can get him the ball in open space, he is much like a Terrel Owens, maybe not as fast but incredibly strong and difficult to bring down.

I believe it is a serious mistake putting him in the backfield. If you want to get it to him run, use the reverse or double reverse with throwing options. Just let him be a receiver and a returner on kickoffs.

You need a good rotation at receiver and a true #1. This will allow Cribbs, Mo and Robo to live up to their true potential.

j/c

They need to pick one thing for him to do, let him do that, learn that, and focus on that, and only that. Just because he can do a lot of things well doesn't mean they should play him at every position every week. How is the guy supposed to focus and grow his skills. Just give him one thing to do and if they want to use him in a gimmick play once in a while, ok. But really quit confusing his brain.

You should go out and get a job and leave the thinking t us men....


Okay, now that just about everyone who read my previous statement is in shock I'll tell you what I really think...You are absolutely right, They did take him off kick coverage last year that was a good start. Trying him to be a two down receiver plus kickoff and punt returns didn't work last year. I would like to see him just return kickoffs, punts and the Flash package. If they want him to be a receiver they need to take him off punt returns.

You just said what I essentially said.

And I still think that it's better to have him on the field to be a threat every play ... even if he only gets 5 touches a game ... he is still on the field the other 40 or 50 offensive snaps and is a threat. Compared to the ... what ... 2 maybe 3 punt returns he gets per game?

I guess it's all how we actually use him.

It limits his effectiveness if he has to play every position.

Think about it.

Every other player on the team has one thing they have to do and do it well. They watch film on things relating to that one position. And learn their opponent with regards to that one position. They train in that one position and try to excel at it. It's hard enough getting one thing right.

How is he supposed to watch film on every position and learn tactics for every position. And train for every position. It makes him less effective not more effective.

Not so much every position but I see your point. The route tree is the same (for most teams) at the X spot then it is for the Y spot as for the tight end as it is for the backs when they motion out into the slot. The hardest transition would be knowing the "keys" for certain plays where a certain word corresponds to a certain action at a position. While difficult, it's no more difficult than to learn the plays and making reads as a flash package quarterback... and shouldn't be hard for a guy in his 6th season as a pro.

It could be difficult however if we dont have an offseason to learn the playbook though.

Other than that .. return coverage and kick/punt returns themselves are a lot of film study and scheme ... not a lot of "technique" can be gained on returns ... maybe on blockers... but not for the returner themselves. It's just athleticism and making reads.

I mean I can get what you guys are saying as far as not overloading him .. but if a guy like mike furrey could line up in the slot and know the entire offense in one offseason .. and then still know the entire defense as well and line up at db whether nickel / dime / safety ... I don't think it's that hard knowing you are the slot in certain plays .. in the backfield in others .. and still return kicks and punts and are a gunner on special teams.

I just don't feel that it's worth it with Cribbs to only have him on the field 5 times a game ... but it goes back to the baseball mentality ... I'd rather have him contribute half a dozen singles per game than swing for the fences and get a home run... because who knows how often he will actually break one now that teams account for him and kick away from him.

Get him the ball on the run. WCO is good for Cribbs. Stuckey's gone... slot anyone?

I had a couple with a good Bengal friend last night. He thinks Palmer is bluffing and they're going to take Green. I told him I didn't think so.

I see your point, and it has merit, but my question about the viability of putting him in the backfield is, with the WCO being a pass happy offense, with Hillis and a healthy Hardesty, will there be enough reps in a game for Cribbs to see time back there? I'm not saying he'll move to the slot, but I'd like to see them at least try him there to see if he can produce. Let him stick with a single position long enough to learn it. He's proven he's willing to take punishment, and he's productive in the open field, seems like it would be a good fit. Otherwise, he likely falls to the #4 WR spot. I'm not crazy about him out on the edge.

One point I would like to make is, that I believe he is best used as a ST ace. As for taking time from the other RBs, I say very little. 4 or 5 touches on offense should do it. Let him concentrate on the thing he does best....special teams.

It is a point well taken, and I would LOVE to see him return to his former glory on STs. My questions are, has he lost a step, or perhaps his edge, on special teams, or has injury just slowed him down? If so, can and will he recover, and will he be willing to continue to sacrifice his body on STs? If he is not, or is simply unable, is he better suited to a defined role on the offense, (like in the slot,) to best maximize his value?

I believe with his athleticism, he shouldn't have a real role as much as he has designed plays or packages for him. We need to get the ball in his hands, and we can't just worry about fitting him as a peg into a specific hole. We can draw up plays that will work for him, and see how he fits into the Shurminator's offense.

If you want to give him the ball on screens, end arounds, hand-offs, throw backs, out of the wildcat, on slants, going across the middle, flying down the field when he's matched up on a linebacker or safety, on a dump off where he can bull over the smaller corners ...

He's a mismatch machine, but the problem is we didn't really play to his strengths. Don't get me wrong, none of the wideouts seemed like they were even on our team last season ... but how did we get him involed in the game last year? 23 catches .. he had 50+ yards receiving in only two games? He had over 3 catches in only 1 game? The only game he had over 5 touches on offense was against baltimore, and he only had 43 touches all year (slightly more than 2.5 a game) ...

I said it before, Reggie Bush doesn't add value by touching the ball every game, he adds value because you need to account for him and it keeps the defense honest. By letting Cribbs get a few touches it not only lets him touch it 5 to 10 times for maybe 50 to 75 yards and maybe break one ... it shows he can be a threat and keep other teams honest. fake it to him on an end around and watch linebackers chase ... only to have the middle of the field open up ... fake it to him on a quick bubble screen and watch the corner and safety buzz down to try and break on the pass ... only to have the coverage over the top blown for a streaking robiskie or momass ... but in order for him to act like a threat we can't just give him 2 or 3 snaps a game in a wildcat especially if the only play he runs is a glorified dive out of it

Quote:

---

but in order for him to act like a threat we can't just give him 2 or 3 snaps a game in a wildcat especially if the only play he runs is a glorified dive out of it

---

What he said

Quote:

---

I believe with his athleticism,

---

Let me first say this. I love Cribbs. I love that he gave us everything he had in him these last few years.
But to compare him to Reggie Bush is ludicrous. Bush has talent that Cribbs can only dream of. And even with that speed and elusiveness Bush is only worth a little bit of trickery here or there a few times a season.
Seneca Wallace is a better receiver than Cribbs. And yes Im serious in case anyone hasnt seen Seneca play receiver with the Hawks.
Cribbs real football talent is getting through a crowd with the ball. We should have made him a RB or a Safety. Instead we squandered the last couple of years trying to make him a receiver. He is the stiffest receiver I have ever seen outside of playground football. And I wish we could just stop wasting precious time on offense trying to work Cribbs into the passing game. There is no magic to be had there. At least IMO.

Haha I never compared him to Bush in terms of talent. I actually stated this twice in both of the posts I believe. I am saying that if you only look at Reggie as a running back, then you will only get a 500 yard guy. He is more dangerous because he can be a threat in any type of play. Same with Cribbs, if you look at him like he is only a receiver .. he will never be that. He is best served because he doesn't fit into a specific role, but can be a threat doing multiple things. In the same way that Bush isn't a "true" running back, Cribbs isn't a "true" or prototype receiver.

If you use them right then they are a great piece of the puzzle though.

I think that if no other reason as a decoy, he is worth working into the scenery.

Not fully integreated as a WR ? I can buy into that. But in an interesting twist in conjunction with the possibility of drafting Patrick Peterson, "Mike & Mike" this morning pointed out that whoever drafts him is also getting a KR in the package,...That could at least "spell" some leverage relief for Josh in the punt return aspect of his game.

It seems to me that Cribbs suffered just what many player on this team have over the past decade. He was good at something, so the staff tried to use him elsewhere. We ran a 3-4 defense for years, and kept drafting and signing FAs that fit better in a 4-3. When we had a mobile QB like Garcia, we tried to make him a pocket passer. Wright did well covering recievers on the outside, so they moved him to covering the slot guy.

Cribbs is a ST demon. He's the best kick returner ever. Absolutely a beast as a gunner. Yet, they try to make him a WR, when clearly running the ball in traffic is his forte. He struggles at punt returns, but yet they left him there. Many said he couldn't be a RB, but yet in the wildcat, that's exactly what he was and he did well.

The past is gone, and both of the last two regimes had trouble utilizing the talents of particular players. Hopefully, the present staff will use players at their strong suit.

Cribbs became a hero as a ST ace, let him return to his glory.

ehh, Just play football!

( that means, put whoever, whererever, for whatever works in that game situation, and hope it works)