A three-time Pro Bowler during eight seasons returning kicks for the Browns Jack Doyle Jersey , Cribbs is joining Cleveland’s coaching staff as a special teams intern.
Cribbs was a threat to score any time he lined up deep for a kickoff or punt, and he’ll now give some of his expertise to young, impressionable Cleveland players.
”I’ve earned their respect already as a player. Now I get to earn their respect as a coach,” Cribbs said. ”I pour into them all the knowledge I have to make them successful and make them do the things I did. I have this burning desire to be around football, to get back in the game. This is the closest way I can be around football, to still make an impact in the NFL. What better team for me to make an impact than the Cleveland Browns?”
Cribbs accepted the internship about a month ago from coach Hue Jackson. He’s working under new Browns special teams coordinator Amos Jones, who is showing him the coaching ropes.
He has quickly learned that coaching is as demanding as playing.
”It’s a lot of time involved, a lot of hours and not everyone is cut out for it,” Cribbs said. ”Not that they can’t coach, but everybody is not cut out for the hours and the time it takes to put into coaching. That was one of the main important things in my discussion with Hue. He said, `Hey, look down in three months and you figure it’s not for you Adam Vinatieri Jersey , no hard feelings, we still love you. Coaching’s not for everybody.”
An undrafted quarterback out of Kent State, Cribbs became one of the NFL’s most dynamic and dangerous returners. He also played one season each for the New York Jets and Indianapolis Colts. Cribbs last played in 2014 and had considered a comeback before officially retiring last year.
Cribbs shares the league record with eight kickoff return touchdowns.
He had hoped to land an assistant’s job on Jackson’s staff, but when that opening was filled, he accepted the internship – starting from the bottom, just as he did as a player.
”I wanted to do everything I could to put him in position where he could be successful,” said Jackson, who is 1-31 in two seasons with the Browns. ”He was very open to it and we made a decision of, `Let’s start on the ground floor and work our way up.’ His reputation precedes itself. He was one of the best return guys in pro football. Plus he’s a Cleveland Brown. He’s one of our own. He told me over a phone call that he had a tremendous passion to get the organization back to winning and that means something to me.
”We’ve had several other (former players) reach out, but this ended up being the right fit at the right time for us.”
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Robinson, who?
At least that’s what some in Seattle are asking as the Mariners return to Safeco Field on Friday night to face the Kansas City Royals in the opener of a nine-game homestand.
The Mariners have gone a surprising 29-14, taking hold of the American League’s second wild card without eight-time All-Star second baseman Robinson Cano Marvin Harrison Jersey , who was suspended 80 games by Major League Baseball in mid-May for using performance-enhancing drugs.
On that day, Mariners manager Scott Servais brought together his team and delivered a simple message.
“He just said, ‘We’re a good team. We can still do this,'” left-hander James Paxton told The Washington Post. “Losing Robbie was a blow to the team. But we knew at the time everyone would have to step up to fill the void. No one guy could replace Robinson Cano.”
The results have surprised even Servais.
“Quite frankly, I couldn’t have predicted we’d go on the run we did without having your three-hole, All-Star second baseman,” the manager told The Post.
After 10 straight games against the Boston Red Sox and New York Yankees, a span in which they went 3-7, the Mariners swept a four-game series at the Baltimore Orioles, who are in last place in the American League East.
Next up are the Royals, the AL Central cellar-dwellers.
“We’re (20) games over .500 — that bad stretch (against the Red Sox and Yankees) didn’t do anything to our confidence,” the Mariners’ Dee Gordon told The Post earlier this week. “It’s just — sometimes you lose. Every team goes through a low stretch. We’ll be fine.”
Seattle designated hitter Nelson Cruz Le'Raven Clark Jersey , the reigning AL Player of the Week, returned to the cleanup spot in the lineup Thursday after missing two games with lower back tightness. He went 3-for-5 with a home run and three RBIs as the Mariners beat the Orioles 4-2 in 10 innings.
Royals right-hander Ian Kennedy (1-7, 5.09 ERA) is scheduled to start the series opener Friday against Mariners left-hander Marco Gonzales (7-5, 4.04).
Kennedy, who is winless in 14 starts since a 1-0 victory on April 7 at Cleveland, has allowed two or fewer runs in nine of his 16 starts this season. He’s 2-2 with a 3.38 ERA in four career starts against the Mariners.
Gonzales is 0-1 with a 12.79 ERA in two career starts against the Royals. He suffered a 10-0 defeat on April 9 at Kansas City, allowing four runs and eight hits in 2 1/3 innings.
The Royals are coming off a 5-4 victory Wednesday at Milwaukee. It was the first time they’ve scored five runs since June 2. They’ll be seeking their first back-to-back wins since May 29-30.
“It’s not frustration,” Royals manager Ned Yost told MLB.com of his team’s month. “Well, that’s a lie. We’re all frustrated. I’ve never seen anything like it. I’ve never seen an offensive drought like we’ve had all month long. It’s pretty puzzling. There’s no answer for it.”
Kansas City outfielder Jorge Bonifacio was recalled from Triple-A Omaha on Thursday. Bonifacio, who hit .255 with 17 home runs as a rookie last season, had been serving his own 80-game MLB suspension for a failed drug test.
