Browns receiver Josh Cribbs defends the vicious style of play of Steelers linebacker James Harrison, who knocked Cribbs and receiver Mohamed Massaquoi out of the Steelers game last Sunday with concussions.
Josh Cribbs defended James Harrison's helmet-to-helmet hit that knocked him out with a concussion, and his vicious style of play. In fact, he may have helped talk Harrison -- his good friend and fellow former Kent State Golden Flash -- out of retiring this week by urging him to continue playing his bone-rattling brand of football.
"He plays to knock people out," said Cribbs, who will return to action Sunday in New Orleans after Harrison's helmet- to-helmet hit knocked him out of the game against the Steelers last week with a concussion.
"Wouldn't you want a linebacker like that on your team? Honestly, a guy that you know is going to try to knock the key players out of the game?"
He also said Harrison is "a vicious linebacker, a good linebacker. If he played for our team, we'd be applauding his efforts. You don't want a guy to change his habits. And I'm just trying to be fair. He might come off wrong in the media saying he wants to hurt guys. But it's two different things saying hurt and injure."
Cribbs, who returned to practice Friday, is concerned about the NFL imposing stiffer sanctions for illegal hits and how it will impact the game. Harrison was fined $75,000 for the double-forearm blow to the head on Browns receiver Mohamed Massaquoi that knocked him out the game and will most likely keep him from playing in New Orleans. Massaquoi hasn't practiced and is listed as doubtful.
"Like I stressed to James when I was talking to him, 'Don't change you,' " said Cribbs. "And I try to urge guys on my own team, look at the tape and be aware, but don't change the animal inside you.
"It just was a fluke weekend. A lot of guys got injured last weekend, and that's the cause for everything."
Cribbs declined to comment specifically on the Massaquoi hit "because that's my boy as well. He was injured on that play and I don't really want to comment on his hit."
Likewise, he was diplomatic about remarks made by Browns center Alex Mack, who told the Associated Press that Harrison was spearing Browns players on almost every play. "It's like you're being cheap, you're being dirty," said Mack.
Responded Cribbs: "I respect his opinion. Like I said, [Harrison is] on the opposing team. So I'm gonna roll with Alex. But at the same time, if he played with us -- and I'll just leave it at that."
Cribbs indicated if a player can't take the contact, he shouldn't play the game.
After being fined $75,000 for his hit on Mohamed Massoquoi, Pittsburgh linebacker James Harrison said he was thinking of retiring. That lasted about a day as he returned to practice Thursday, bringing a smile to the face of coach Mike Tomlin."This is the NFL," said Cribbs. "You have to be able to take these hits and get up. That's why we get paid the way we do. It's a tough sport."
Despite coming off the concussion, Cribbs said he's not going to be timid.
"Negative," he said. "I'm looking forward to getting my head back in there and knocking people out myself, given the opportunity, you know, the correct way. I'm looking forward to getting back there in the return game and trying to break something this week."
He said he has no problem with Harrison's hit on him, even though he appeared to lead with his head and aimed at Cribbs' head.
"He had a good hit on me," he said. "I had the ball and was going down and he came in to clean me up. [Me] being a good player on our team, it's his job to try to put me out of the game. If I was a linebacker, you try to knock guys out. That's what linebackers try to do, for the most part."
He said at that moment, Harrison is not thinking about how not to hurt the ball carrier.
"He's like a heat-seeking missile," said Cribbs. "I have the football and he's targeting on me. He's not like, 'I've got to hit him properly. Let me aim at his legs.' He's just trying to get me down by any means possible. And I would do the same. I come at people like that as well -- heat-seeking missiles."
But Cribbs never drills people in the head, even on his crushing special-teams stops.
"Our games are two different games," he said. "He has to hit to pay the bills. I've got to try to score to pay my bills."
Cribbs said Harrison and Harrison's mom talked to him after the game to see how he was doing and then again after he was fined. Cribbs said he talked to Harrison for quite a while about not retiring.
"I think it meant a lot for him to hear me tell him, 'Hey, man. Go out there and play and [be you].' And I told him as well, 'Remember, we play [you] again, so don't think I forgot.' And that's just true. We're boys off the field, but when we step on that field, 'I don't know you, dog.' "
''"Cribbs, who had a mild concussion a couple of years ago but never missed time because of it, said he suffered no memory loss despite being knocked out cold on the field. The medical staff prohibited him from returning.'
"That's all I was thinking about was my team, like, 'Man, I can't come out of the Pittsburgh game, I've got to play,' " he said. "To think about it in retrospect, even if it was any other team, but not this game, I want to play this game."
Cribbs has been cleared to do everything in New Orleans. "But I can't make the call," he said. "It's gonna be up to them."
To reach this Plain Dealer reporter: mcabot@plaind.com,216-999-4670