Dejected Browns tagged ‘quitters’

Published 1:20 am Tuesday, November 11, 2008

Back from a rare, football-free weekend, the Cleveland Browns resumed a season that has faded from promising to problematic.

Their record says they’re losers, and upon returning, they had to answer charges that they’re quitters, too.

Following Thursday night’s demoralizing loss to Denver, running back Jamal Lewis accused some unnamed teammates of giving up. Leading by 13 points, the Browns (3-6) allowed three touchdowns in the fourth quarter and lost 34-30, just four days after blowing a 14-point lead in a 37-27 loss to Baltimore.

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Lewis was the only player to take his opinion public. But others agreed that the Browns quit.

‘‘When you have a team like that that comes into our house and we’re capable of beating them, that’s the first thing that comes to your mind, is guys quitting,’’ return specialist Joshua Cribbs said. ‘‘We can’t figure out what’s in everyone’s head or in their minds, but that’s what it looked like — that some guys quit.

‘‘We know if everybody didn’t quit, we would’ve won that ballgame,’’ he said.

Lewis wasn’t available for comment on Monday, but the nine-year veteran’s charge that ‘‘some people need to check their egos at the door and find some heart,’’ was still reverberating inside Cleveland’s locker room.

And because they came from the normally reserved Lewis, the sentiments carry more clout.

‘‘His input is very valuable to this team,’’ linebacker and co-captain Andra Davis said. ‘‘If he says something like that, guys really need to check their egos.’’

Defensive tackle Shaun Smith said Lewis’ comments cut deep.

‘‘He’s an established veteran with a Super Bowl ring so of course everybody is going to listen,’’ Smith said. ‘‘Evidently, he wanted to say something. He doesn’t say too much, so when he does speak up, it’s got to mean something.’’