While talking about the multi-year contract extension Jon Gruden signed earlier this week with ESPN (a deal that theoretically eliminated him as a 2010 coaching candidate) the football analyst addressed Michael Silver of Yahoo! Sports about the perception that he’s reticent to rip teams and players in his current role.¶
   "I’ll be honest with you, I’ve been criticized by some for being too positive, for loving everybody because I’m trying to get this job or that job," Gruden told Silver Thursday. "That’s a crock. I love the game, OK? And I’m enthusiastic because of it. There are positives about everybody, and I try to find them.¶
   "There’s a lot of negativity out there…And I am truly sorry for not adding to the negativity and for seeing the bright side of the world here. Because, you know, I think negativity is what the world needs. They need some more guys to sit up there and ridicule the Cleveland Browns for four hours."¶

Browns defensive coordinator Rob Ryan took full blame for his defense not having enough men on the field in the third quarter when Ravens running back  Ray Rice's sprinted 13 yards into the endzone untouched for the game's first touchdown in Monday nights 16-0 loss to Baltimore at Cleveland Browns Stadium.

"(Baltimore) hurried up and I was (mad) at the guy for giving up a completion in double coverage and your emotions get the better of you then," Ryan said. "Then some jerk runs me over with the chain. "(Heck), I should of just called time out  there, but I looked up and saw Mike Adams (midway between the sideline and the formation when the ball was snapped)…I couldn't get the people out there fast enough. That one's squarely on my shoulders."

Then jokingly Ryan added: "Mathematically there was 11 out there, we just didn't have him (out there where he should have been)."

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Browns coach Eric Mangini expects receiver/returner Joshua Cribbs to play Sunday at Detroit despite suffering a neck injury on the final play of Monday night's 16-0 loss to the Baltimore Ravens.

Asked if he would get someone else to return kicks and punts, Mangini said, "I anticipate Josh playing all the roles he normally plays this week."

Cribbs wouldn't have it any other way.

"It's going to take a lot to keep me out of the game," he said. "I love it too much. They would have to litteraly take my gear away from me for me not to play…When I was younger, my parents used to ground me from football as a punishment, I just love the game that much."¶

Cribbs, who practiced on a limited basis Thursday after sitting out Wednesday, was hurt on a hook-and-lateral on the final play of the game, when Ravens defensive end Dwan Edwards hit Cribbs with a forearm under the chin. Cribbs was immobilized as a precautionary measure and spent the night in the Cleveland Clinic.

Edwards, who  was reportedly fined $5,000 by the league, was not penalized in the game.

"I don't think it was intentional," Cribbs said of Edwards' hit. "I don't think he should have been fined for it."

Browns coach Eric Mangini said surgery is "definitely a possibility" for punter Dave Zastudil, who was placed on injured reserve Wednesday with right knee injury.

"I don't think that's been ruled out," Mangini said.

Zastudil, from Bay Village, was having a Pro Bowl-caliber season. Besides his 44.7 average (39.1 net), Zastudil ranked second in the league this week with 25 punts inside the 20 after leading in that category for much of the year. He's surpassed 25 inside the 20 only three times in his eight-year career, two of those coming when he played in all 16 games.

"He was having a tremendous season," kicker Phil Dawson said. "To have a 44-yard average and to be leading the league in punts inside the 20, you don't see that very often. To lose a guy who performs at such a high level, that's a blow. He's going to be sorely missed, I can't overstate that enough. But we don't have the luxury or the time to dwell on it. We've got to keep moving forward, just like an injury at any other position."

Dawson said punter Reggie Hodges, signed on Sunday, will be his holder, replacing Zastudil.

Both Zastudil and Dawson could have paid the price this season for being the only punter and kicker on the roster in training camp. Dawson missed Games 3-7 with a right calf injury, while Zastudil kicked in the first eight games before landing on the inactive list Monday night.

But Browns coach Eric Mangini doesn't think wear and tear played a part in either Zastudil's or Dawson's injuries.

"No, I don't think that's the case at all," Mangini said. "I've been in a lot of training camps where you've only had the two kickers that you go into the season with.

"We had Mike Nugent last year (with the New York Jets) where he just stepped wrong in the first game and ended up hurting himself. Sometimes it's just how the plant foot comes down or a little bit of a twist. It's such a specific skill set that sometimes those things happen."

Browns receiver/returner Joshua Cribbs was back at practice Thursday after suffering a neck injury Monday night against the Baltimore Ravens.

On a hook-and-lateral play on the final snap of the game, Cribbs was upended by defensive end Dwan Edwards, who gave Cribbs a forearm under the chin, which will likely draw a fine when the league releases that information Friday. Cribbs had to be immobilized and spent the night in the Cleveland Clinic.

The Browns face the Detroit Lions Sunday in Ford Field.

Ravens and Lions

Third-string running back Chris Jennings saw extended action for the first time this season in Monday night's game against visiting Baltimore.

The undrafted rookie from Arizona ran the ball seven times for 18 yards and caught one pass for 10 yards.

"I've liked what Chris has done in practice," Mangini said. "I wanted to be able to get him active, to give him a chance to see what he can do, give him some chances for carries."

Jennings spent the first three weeks on the practice squad before being signed and playing against Cincinnati, when he rushed once for 8 yards and caught one pass for 2 yards. But the next four weeks he landed on the inactive list.
previous four weeks

"I thought he did well," Mangini said of Jennings. "I thought he had a couple runs that were good… One one there really wasn't a lot of space for him to work."

Mangini disputed the idea that there was any connection with Jennings getting more time and 10-year veteran Jamal Lewis announcing he is retiring after the season.

"It's more here's a guy who's shown day in and day out that he deserves an opportunity," Mangini said. "(Jennings) has improved on special teams, now let's give him a chance."

Browns starting tight end Steve Heiden and punter Dave Zastudil were placed on injured reserve Wednesday, ending their seasons.

"Steve and Dave worked extremely hard this year and you don't like to see anyone's season end prematurely because of an injury," Browns coach Eric Mangini said in a statement. "They both provided a veteran presence that will not be easy to replace."

The Browns were awarded two players off waivers — receiver Jake Allen from Green Bay and linebacker Arnold Harrison from Pittsburgh.

An 11-year veteran, Heiden suffered an ankle injury in Monday night's 16-0 home loss to Baltimore. He also underwent major knee surgery last December and may have rushed back too soon, landing on the inactive list for two games. In seven games (six starts), Heiden caught 10 passes for 73 yards and a touchdown.

Arriving in a trade with San Diego in 2002 and the second-longest tenured Brown behind kicker Phil Dawson, Heiden could be facing the end of his career.

Zastudil, an eight-year veteran, sat out against the Ravens with a sore right knee. He ranks second in the league in punts inside the 20 with 25. He averaged 44.7 yards on 49 punts with a 39.1 net.

The Browns signed punter Reggie Hodges Sunday and he averaged 38.6 yards on nine punts against Baltimore.

Allen, 6-foot-4 and 196 pounds, entered the league as an undrafted free agent with the Packers and spent most of his time on their practice squad over the past two seasons. Harrison, 6-3 and 241 pounds, appeared in 28 regular-season games and started two for the Steelers in four seasons, with 12 tackles on defense and 22 on special teams.

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