SPECIAL TEAMS: KR-WR JOSHUA CRIBBS, CLEVELAND BROWNS Boosting the Browns with a jolt of electricity to jump-start a comeback victory after trailing by 18 points, Cribbs ran through the Raiders for kick returns of 65 and 53 yards, respectively, in a 24-21 win at Oakland. Down 14-0 in the second quarter, Cribbs fielded a kick on his own 3-yard line and ran it back to the Oakland 32 where Phil Dawson ultimately split the uprights from 28 yards for the team's first points. After the Raiders answered with another touchdown for a 21-3 advantage, Cribbs again charged the Browns with a 53-yard return to Oakland's 43. Seven plays later, Cleveland quarterback Charlie Frye tossed his first of three career-high touchdown passes to narrow the score to 21-10. The 6-1 Cribbs stands fifth in the NFL with a 27.8-yard kick return average while teammate Dennis Northcutt tops the NFL with a 15.1-yard average in punt returns. The Browns (1-3) travel east this week to face Carolina. Other nominees for AFC Special Teams Player of Week 4 were: ? New England punt returner-running back Kevin Faulk, who recorded a 43-yard punt return for the team's longest in five years. Faulk also returned three kickoffs for 62 yards (20.7 average). ? Kansas City kick returner-punt returner Dante Hall, who registered a 60-yard punt return for a touchdown, marking his 11th career score on a kick or punt return for the third-most such scores in NFL history. He totaled three punt returns for 82 yards and returned a kickoff for 22 yards. ? Baltimore kick returner-punt returner B.J. Sams, who averaged 24.3 yards on four kick returns and had one punt return for 17 yards. How is it that Justin Miller doesn't even get a nomination for his KO return? Doesn't make any sense to me.
That's whats messed up about it though, he put us in a position to win. It was the defenses fault we lost (yes he is on defense but the defense blowing it shouldn't discredit his ST play).
I can't believe anyone cares who wins ST player of the week. Maybe we can overpay Miller like the Skins overpaid Chad Morton. For NOTHING.
I don't care who wins it although it is nice to see a Jet having won it 2 out of 4 weeks in one category. Look at the people who were nominated. Miller had more return yards in the 4th Q than the guy who won it all. Kevin Faulk gets nominated for a 40 yard punt return that didn't go for a TD, but Miller can't get nominated for a 103 KOR for TD. I'm not even saying he should have won the award, but where is the nomination?
The same thing happened in 2002. IIRC, There were a couple of instances where Coles and maybe Craig Morton didn't win the award because the Jets had a losing record at the time and/or the Jets had lost. TBTF
Why would anything that happens on offense or defense affect who wins ST player of the week? It's the NFL breaking it down into three categories in the first place. The guy ran back a kick 103 yards to put his team ahead with 2 and a half minutes remaining in the game. It doesn't make sense...and A/F/A the 'who cares' thing, I don't care, but it's the league giving out the award and based on the criteria he was the ST player of the week easily. To not even get nominated is weird. Maybe Mangini made a call after watching the film of his shoddy CB play.
