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December 11, 2009, 12:21AM
CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Number 16, Joshua Cribbs.
Now there's a jersey that Browns fans can wear proudly.
Cribbs could have played for Paul Brown, for Blanton Collier, for Sam Rutigliano or any other Browns coach. They all would have loved the guy.
He runs back kicks. He runs back punts. He runs out of the Wildcat formation, taking a long snap for center, then sprinting and daring the defense to stop him.
He also covers kicks. And punts. And he would play safety, if they'd let him.
Best of all, he hates the Pittsburgh Steelers and the undrafted free agent from Kent State plays like it.
Didn't he bring you out of your seat during the Browns' stunning 13-6 victory over the Steelers at Browns Stadium Thursday night?
CLEVELAND - DECEMBER 10: Josh Cribbs #16 of the Cleveland Browns stiff-arms Daniel Sepulveda #9 of the Pittsburgh Steelers at Cleveland Browns Stadium on December 10, 2009 in Cleveland, Ohio. (Photo by Greg Shamus/Getty Images)"For our fans, [beating Pittsburgh] would be the season for us," said Cribbs. "They would be like, 'OK, we forgive you.' We were the team that imposed our will on this game. I am so happy for the fans."
Across the dressing room for Cribbs was Hall of Famer Jim Brown. He smiled, watching No. 16 be interviewed.
"He is a spiritual force," said Brown. "What he does is so pure, it's running the ball, then going down to make a tackle. It playing the game with the right attitude, giving himself all the way."
Where do we begin to praise Cribbs for what he did to the Steelers?
There was the 55-yard punt return, setting up a field goal. There was a 37-yard run out of the Wildcat formation. Another one for 18 yards. Yet another for 14 yards.
All on a frozen field against a defense ranked No. 1 against the run, a defense determined to stop Cribbs.
But there was Cribbs with 87 yards in eight carries. There was the entire Steelers team with only 74 yards rushing. There were Browns fans standing and stomping and screaming -- so proud of this young man who plays every game as if it were the Super Bowl.
There also was a nine-yard pass reception, and a tackle on special teams.
There was linebacker David Bowens saying, "Cribbs got some huge first downs for us. He is big. He is tough."
Keep in mind that Cribbs is not happy with his contract, that he wanted the Browns to rework his current deal. The team told him to wait until after the season. It would be easy for him to pout, but Cribbs not only plays hard, he has played when hurt, when the temptation would be to sit out practices or even games in this dreadful season.
But that's not how Cribbs thinks. It's what Brown meant when he said Cribbs is pure. It's why Brown added, "Other guys should watch him play and look in the mirror."
After the game, Eric Mangini gushed about Cribbs: "It's not just how he plays, but it's his preparation. He has no ego, he just wants to help us win. He is a great guy, a great teammate, a guy who makes you excited [when you can coach him]."
As for Cribbs, after the game, he kept saying that he waited "five years" for a chance to beat the Steelers.
He went out and made it happen as only No. 16 can.
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