Columns

Cribbs, Dawson not worth hassel or money

By Don Delco
NoLogoNeeded.com staff writer

In recent weeks two similar newsy items have emerged, but neither received too much attention.

It is possible that the lack of attention is a result that NFL and the Browns are smack dab in the middle of the NFL calendar’s dead period. Or it could be the two players at the center of these newsy items — Josh Cribbs and Phil Dawson — are not key cogs in a team trying to get out of the basement of the AFC.

Earlier this month, former NFL Network and current ESPN employee Adam Schefter Tweeted, “Prediction based on what I'm hearing: Phil Dawson will not kick for Cleveland this season. He wants a new contract and there's a standoff."

Yesterday, Waiting For Next Year found an NFL.com blog from Steve Wyche that said Josh Cribbs does not plan to play a game for the Browns under his contract’s current terms.

If neither Dawson nor Cribbs would play for the Cleveland Browns this season would it really be a bad thing?

Click Read More to continue reading.

Dawson has made some clutch kicks since coming to Cleveland in 1999. In 2005 he signed a five-year, $7.1 million contract. Simple math says that Dawson will play for the Browns for two more seasons. The problem is he was paid $4.15 million during the first two years followed by $950,000 in year three and $1 million this year and next.

Dawson is 36 years old. He knows there is limited time left in his career so he wants another big payday. Is it worth it to the Browns to throw a lot of money at their kicker?

Last season, Dawson made 83 percent of his field goal attempts, which was down three percent from 2007. He was 20th in the league. Thanks to some math from NoLogoNeeded.com’s Voice of Reason, 62 percent of kickers in the NFL were better than Dawson.

Speaking of the Voice of Reason, he opined on the Dawson situation last month.

“With new contracts come new signing bonuses and Dawson is hoping for one more large payday before he walks off into the Texas sunset. Now, I can’t say that I blame him for trying to (further) line his pockets but when you’re a middling kicker on a struggling franchise with a new head coach, and the de facto minor league spits out 119 new candidates vying for one of 32 jobs, you have to question your expendability.
Being the Voice of Reason I realize that kicking in Cleveland Browns Stadium is a thankless task and Dawson seems to have it down to a science. The fact that he has also been around since the reboot is not lost on me either. But Dawson can’t expect the new front office to consider these things, as their thought process is surely similar to the analytical approach outlined above.
While I would like to see Dawson as a part of the Browns for the next two seasons (and potentially beyond) I do not think management should give in to his demands. He’s not worth it and rewarding an average kicker for holding out will only encourage the more elite talent on the roster to follow his lead.”

As for Cribbs, there is no doubt he is an athletic freak of nature and has done some amazing things for the Browns in recent seasons. Cribbs has four years left on his contract that will play him $620,000 this season followed by $635,000, $650,000 and $790,000.

Kick returners tend to flame out quickly in the NFL. Cribbs looks as if he’s going down that path. After a great 2007, his production dropped to 16th in kickoff returns (25.3-yard average, one touchdown) and he dropped to 17th in punt returns (8.1-yard average).

If the Browns — coming off a 4-12 season — re-do the contract of Dawson and Cribbs, what message does that send to their teammates?

In May, NoLogoNeeded.com staff writer Brandon Rastok tackled the Cribbs’ contract squabble.

“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.”

With so many other areas on a football team vital to winning games — something that has avoided the Browns — is it really in the team’s best interest to give large portion of a salary cap to a kicker and a kick returner? If they are unhappy, so be it. Plenty of players who can kick field goals or fast guys willing to catch punts are available in free agency or coming up in the de-facto minor leagues (college football). Take that money the Browns would save and use it toward a linebacker, run-stuffing safety or yardage collecting running back.

July 13, 2009 at 4:49 PM

Comments

Hester has shown that he is not worth the money. Throw some bones to Cribbs based on future production or get rid of him. He is a self promoter.
Dawson has won games for Clev. in a stadium where you can throw stats out the window. Offer a bit more cash to keep him happy.

July 13, 2009 at 7:13 PM by paulbip

Also regarding Hester - the Bears paid him a kings' ransom and then tried to get their money's worth by using him on offense. By doing this they reduced his effectiveness as a kick returner, which is why they paid him the big money to begin with. The ironic part of the whole situation (and one that should make Cleveland fans nervous) is that if Hester had signed his big money deal on the premise of solely being a return man, and then had great success as a receiver, do you think he would want even more money? Me thinks yes.

July 13, 2009 at 8:40 AM by Voice of Reason

@paulbip

I do agree Dawson has hit some clutch kicks for the Browns. But he is 36? The one thing I respect about the Patriots brass is they'll get rid of a guy a few years too soon rather than keep him a few years too long.

Dawson is 36 years old.

July 13, 2009 at 9:32 AM by Don_NoLogoNeeded.com

Prediction: Cribbs gets a new contract, Dawson doesn't.

July 13, 2009 at 2:58 PM by durangodawg

Cribbs, Dawson not worth hassel or money

Comments

Post a comment

NLN's Blog Roll

NFL Blogs