...The wrong emphassis on the wrong sylabble.  Credit Mike Myers from "View From The Top" for that line (misspellings intentional - save the comments).  While I quote borderline comedies, I'm reminded of Jamie Pressly in "Bring It On" when she declares "Oh it's already been broughten."  Mark Viviano of Baltimore's ESPN 1300 just made one of them statements that I take as a challenge.  In relation to Cleveland's Josh Cribbs (who constantly put the Browns in advantageous positions yesterday), had Viviano said "..likely the best returner in the game." I would not have have batted an eyelash.  But his cohost was the one to say that, to which he replied, "OH he IS the best returner in the game."  That's a pretty bold statement to make, so I decided to put Mark Viv to the test.

Is this an accurate assertion?  Or is this another case of a local commentator extrapolating a player's performance based upon what he sees against the local team (check out the White Sox TV commentators if you want the most egregious cases of this phenomenon)?

Cribbs ranks 2nd in the NFL in kickoff return average (among players with ten or more returns).  Let's take a quick peak at a head-to-head between Cribbs, and Leon Washington - the man who ranks 1st in this category.

KO Return Avg

Washington = 33.5; Cribbs = 32.4

KO TDs

Washington = 3; Cribbs = 2

20 Yard Return Rate

Washington 25/25 = 100%; Cribbs 35/38 = 93%

Fumbles (Critical since the kicking team has just scored)

Neither man has fumbled

So I'm nitpicking a bit by comparing numbers one and two in kickoff returns, correct?  Well that's only half of the equation.  Let's take a look at the punt return side of the ledger.  Now, punts are tough to gauge.  Field position, the rush on the kicker, and the other teams jammers all play into the success of a punt return.  But it is what it is.  I was told "THE best" and the highest Cribbs gets to thus far is second, so I'm giving him a shot to overtake the top slot.

Among those returners with ten or more punt returns, Cribbs ranks 14th in return average.  Let's go tete-a-tete-a-tete with Cribbs and the top two guys in average (Sorry Dante Hall, Patrick Crayton, Darren Sproles, et al - Noone pays me to write this).

PR Avg

Roscoe Parrish = 19.4; Devin Hester = 15.9; Josh Cribbs = 9.8

Notice the disparity between first and second place.  Pretty good considering the disparity between second and fourteenth is six YPR.

PR TDs

Hester = 2; Parrish = 1; Cribbs = 0

In fairness, each has as many fumbles as TDs.  You could claim an offset here.

20 Yard Return Rate

Parrish 7/17 = 41%; Hester 10/28 = 36%; Cribbs 1/12 = 8%

Fielding %

To my knowledge, I pretty much made this up.  Perhaps not.  I never see it quoted in a broadcast.  Basically, I try to account for yards a returner saves his team simply by fielding the ball instead of letting roll toward their goal line.

Parrish 19/36 =  53%; Hester 32/60 = 53%; Cribbs 16/34 = 47%

As far as team nets go, Chicago/Buffalo/Cleveland rank 1/2/5 respectively.  The Browns may be yielding a lot of midfield punts.

So Cribbs is a great kick returner, and an average punt returner.  Sure the Ravens could have gambled with an illegal procedure penalty, squibbed, or ensured that the clock would run out on Matt Stover's go ahead field goal.  All of those options are better than kicking to Cribbs.  But come on Mark Viv!  THE best?

For the record, who do I think is the best returner in the game?  I would point to Darren Sproles.