Browns' Controversial MNF Plays Addressed

NFL News - November 18th, 2009 - Written by John

Certainly not lost in the mess of a game that was Monday Night Football last week, was the fact that the ugly offenses of the Baltimore Ravens and Cleveland Browns were outdone by even uglier plays that really had no effect on the game. Both left two of the biggest stars on the field out for an undisclosed amount of time, and their agents hammering the culprits.

Two days later, both plays were addressed, leaving one of the guilty parties out a significant amount of money.

Browns quarterback Brady Quinn did himself no favors when issuing a low cut block to linebacker Terrell Suggs, and was fined what he called a "good amount" of money. He did not humor reporters with the exact amount, but here's thinking it's going to be far more than the $20,000 levied on Cincinnati's Chad Ochocinco for his light-hearted bribe, or the $7,500 on Chicago's Tommie Harris for punching another player. Minnesota Vikings quarterback Brett Favre was fined $10,000 at the end of the preseason for an illegal crack back block on Houston's Eugene Wilson.

Quinn's hit appeared to simply be the result of frustration after he threw his second interception of the game on a ball that should have been caught. Quinn said he wasn't trying to injure Suggs, and was simply going after the interceptor, Chris Carr. But those who are close to the linebacker aren't buying it.

"That's an illegal blow," Ray Lewis told the Associate Press after the game. "I don't care how you want to look at it."

"That cat should be fined as much as anybody is fined that hits the quarterback," Suggs' agent, Gary Wichard, said. "That's ridiculous. I don't understand what he was trying to do. It was blatant. It's absolutely criminal. It's about as nasty as it gets."

The other hit came on the last play of the game when the Browns attempted a hook-and-latter play, which at best would've only resulted in a meaningless touchdown. Josh Cribbs took the initial pass and dumped it off to another player before Dwan Edwards railed him from the blind side. The blow left Cribbs laying on the field as the fans exited the stadium. He was taken to the hospital and diagnosed with a concussion, but on Wednesday, he exonerated Edwards of any wrong-doing. He briefly spoke with Edwards about the hit, and left the conversation with the belief that it was not a cheap shot and needed no punishment from the league.

He is probably right, but the fact remains the silly play should never have happened, and Cribbs' agent took a path similar to Suggs'.

"I can't even put into words how upset I am at them for leaving him in like that,'' agent J.R. Rickert said in a text message to the Cleveland Plain Dealer, via ProFootballTalk.

Cleveland would not have gained anything, either in the standings or approval ratings, if it had scored on the play. Two bad decisions by the Browns, among others on the night, left two Pro Bowlers likely out for a week, and possibly several more.

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