This is a bit scary. ESPN.com blogger James Walker reports that Browns special teams ace and budding wide receiver Joshua Cribbs wants to reconstruct his contract. Prior to last season, Cribbs signed a six-year, $6 million contract.

However, this came before Cribbs became arguably the most exciting special teams player in the league and Bears return specialist Devin Hester received a four-year extension worth up $40 million with $15 million guaranteed.

So what are the Browns to do? In June, general manager Phil Savage said the team was pretty much at its budget when tight end Kellen Winslow wanted more money.

It is my (likely stupid) opinion that contracts should be year-to-year performance based (this would probably come with some kind of minimum set by the league).

So, was Cribbs' performance last season worth more than the $997,000 he is scheduled to make this year? Probably.

Is Cribbs worth the possible $5.5 million Hester is expected to receive this year? Absolutely not.

Cribbs' value is probably somewhere in between. Hopefully he, his agent and the Browns front office realize as much.

Notes…
I don't know why this was in the fantasy sports section, but Matt Williamson of ESPN.com ranks the Browns' offensive line as tops in the NFL. This is absolutely crazy to me, given past o-line rankings. That's what having Joe "future president" Thomas and Eric Steinbach on the left side can do for you.

More scrutiny and praise dished about the team's secondary.

Coming Thursday morning will be a preview of the first preseason game against the Jets. Probably no post tomorrow, unless something major comes up or I get bored. Previous circumstances mean I won't be watching the game live Thursday night, so no live blogging. I'll be at the Akron Art Museum seeing my favorite live band, Houseguest. It will be fun (free) times. Nothing from Luke, either. He's in Las Vegas. Upon his return to Ohio, he and I plan on attending training camp Saturday. Come out. Say hello. I'm like 9-foot-12, so I'm not hard to spot.

The season begins Thursday. That is crazy. If you're interested in seeing the first-team offense or defense, make sure to tune in on time because Romeo Crennel plans to play the starters a quarter.

The game is on NBC at 7:30 p.m. You can also listen on WMMS (100.7-FM), though hearing games on radio just isn't the same without Casey Coleman on the sideline. That's not to say anything bad about Andre Knott, who does a great job. Speaking of Andre, make sure to check out his blog. He updates it frequently and really has his ear inside the locker room at all times.

But anyway. With the starters playing a quarter (which is the usual for the first preseason game), it's possible the offense and defense could both get two series. It will be interesting to see the Browns' new defensive line against the Jets, who added left guard Alan Faneca in the offseason.

The game is in Cleveland. If you go, pass along anything you want to me and I'll make sure to get it up on the blog.

Notes…
You may have noticed, but ESPN just brought in NFL divisional bloggers. They got a real steal with James Walker on the AFC North. He had a story last week on the team's cornerbacks. Good, quick read.

Is Braylon Edwards really poised to have the greatest season ever for a wide receiver?

Terry Pluto did a great in depth analysis of Jamal Lewis, and what he meant to the Browns ground game in 2007.  Some of the impressive stats throughout that article:

• Lewis averaged 5.2 yards per carry from his fifteenth carry of the game forward, against 4.1 yards per carry with his first fifteen carries.
• When the Browns had a lead of a touchdown or less, he averaged 6.1 yards per carry.
• Running to his left, behind Joe Thomas and Eric Steinbach, Lewis averaged 5.2 yards per carry.

Plain and simple, Lewis carried the offense last season, despite the acrobatics of Winslow and Edwards.  Lewis is 28 years old, but an old 28.  For his eight year career (including one missed season, 2001, due to injury), he has totaled 2120 carries.  While Lewis had a great renaissance last year, the team has to temper expectations on his long term productivity.

That's what makes their interest in former Lion Kevin Jones all the more interesting.  According to the AP Wire, the Browns requested a tape of the workout Jones recently conducted. Jones was cut in the offseason after tearing a ACL late in 2007, a season in which he was coming back from a Lisfranc injury.    Jones may have once been an explosive, slashing back, but to consider him for more than the veterans minimum is silly.

In more important news, IGN has released individual player rankings for Madden 09.  If you're more of a visual learner, you can see the Browns offensive depth chart and then the defensive depth chart. Interesting things that Madden 09's rankings have taught me about the Browns:

• Gary Baxter and his two torn Patella tendons make him an equal with Brodney Pool.
• Leon Williams will apparently be starting over Andra Davis.
• Davis has the second lowest morale on the team, despite being a Captain last year.
• Kellen Winslow blows him away though, with a whopping 45 on morale.
• LeCharles Bentley has a 0 rating for Celebration…guess two years of war with Phil Savage on proper rehab did steal him of his smile.
• Most important though, Bentley has a morale rating of 90.  Madden's staff will never claim to be Nostradamus, just darn close.

Since the real fun is Madden is never to win with your team's roster as it was intended, check out the free agents listed.   The answer there to the Browns cornerback issues are much more interesting than seeing a training camp feud between A.J. Davis and Jereme Perry.   Just go get Ty Law for a few million and go win the Super Bowl!

Lost yesterday in the LeCharles Bentley fiasco was defensive back Gary Baxter's return to the field after he too missed almost two seasons.

Baxter even one-upped Bentley: He tore both of his patellar tendons in 2006. No player has ever returned from tearing both patellas. Baxter participated in team drills on Wednesday, but is challenging for a spot on the roster at safety.

It's probably safe to assume that Baxter has lost some athleticism, but if healthy, he could help as a backup to Brodney Pool and Sean Jones.

Notes…
Speaking of Jones, Zac Jackson of Cleveland Browns.com just wrote about the safety. Jackson writes that Jones is the team's best-kept secret, but he's still trying to establish himself.

ESPN.com senior writer John Clayton has been in Berea watching the Browns. He filed a story on how Shaun Rogers will help Cleveland's run defense, one of the worst in the league the past few seasons.

The Browns secondary has been all over the news since Daven Holly's knee injury last week.a Proving that Northeast Ohio's luck is always just a bit short, the crop of available cornerbacks is a bit bare. General manager Phil Savage has proven he can work miracles with a disaster position, as shown by the trade to acquire Hank Fraley in 2006 after LeCharles Bentley's knee exploded on the first day of training camp. So can Savage find a gem in this group?

Ty Law, UFA, Kansas City Chiefs: This one seems to be the most logical fit, but truly isn't. Law is the best corner left on the market after his release from the Chiefs, and he has a history with Romeo Crennel heading back to their time together in New England. The problem is that Law hasn't been a lockdown corner since 2003, and he's coming up on his 14th season in the league. Law still has the smarts and ball skills, but not the quickness to make breaks on the ball. Plus, he's likely much too expensive.

Ashton Youboty, Buffalo Bills: Terry Pluto reported on Sunday that the Browns had interest in the third year corner from Buffalo. Youboty has not been a popular guy in Buffalo, after two injury riddled and low production seasons. He was knocked in 2006 for declaring early for the NFL Draft, and slid to the third round despite being labeled as having first round upside. He's a solid man to man corner with fluid hips and athleticism. Since he's so raw, it's hard to predict what could happen with him. Youboty is a favorite of defensive coordinator Mel Tucker, who was his defensive backs coach while at Ohio State. This trade seems most likely, but don't expect this to be a rush. Savage would be wise to late till cuts start rolling in training camp, and he can steal Youboty just like he did Fraley in 2006.

Lito Sheppard, Philadelphia Eagles: Another one to file in the unlikely column, Sheppard is talented but the Eagles are asking a lot for him (multiple picks), and more than that he's always hurt or playing at less than 100 percent. Why trade for an injury riddled player when you are trying to boost a position riddled by injuries?

Dominique Foxworth, Denver Broncos: The most likely trade candidate, after Youboty, is gearing up to be Foxworth. He is an experienced nickel back who plays well in man-to-man coverage. He has great recovery speed, though he isn't the most physical corner. The Broncos have listened to offers for him this offseason, so he could be had.

Mil'von James, UDFA, UNLV: James made the roster being a favorite of Savage. He caught Savage's eye in 2007 when the team was scouting eventual second round pick Eric Wright. James is a project, as he only played one season there after transferring from UCLA. James is thick, well-built and aggressive at the line. If you can get your hands on it, catch his September 2007 game against Utah where he broke up four passes.

Damon Jenkins, UDFA, Fresno State: If one of the two undrafted free agents make the team, it'll be James. Jenkins is more of a special teams ace, as he's pretty raw in coverage. He runs hot and cold, and gambles a bit too much. One other problem was that Jenkins struggled academically while at Fresno State.

Given the way the market has been, and with Terry Cousin being the last quality cornerback left on the market, the Browns have little wiggle room. Savage has had misses in the past on corners (Antonio Perkins), and the position was not addressed in the draft. The cornerback position was already a spot of need before Holly's injury, now it's a top priority. Let's hope a little luck comes Cleveland's way.

Browns cornerback Daven Holly sustained what is being referred to as a "serious" knee injury at practice Tuesday. While the coaches said Holly was competing with Brandon McDonald for the second starting cornerback spot, I imagine it was his job to lose in camp.

This is the one position where the Browns can't afford to get hit at. More on this as it develops, but hopefully nothing is torn.

UPDATE: Well, shucks. Holly is out for the year. Not good. The spin: Hey, if you like high-scoring games, watch the Browns this year!

There's a good bit of information in the link directly above this paragraph. A few things of note:

-The injury to Holly took place in a collision with Braylon Edwards, who is now suffering from a hip pointer as a result.

-Rex Hadnot has assumed Ryan Tucker's starting spot at right guard and backup Isaac Sowells will shift from guard to tackle to be the third stringer (a spot held by Tucker).

As I kind of suspected, the Browns released cornerback Kenny Wright yesterday. Wright had two brushes with the law this offseason, and that's too much to bear, no matter the severity. After all, the Browns don't play in Cincinnati.

To fill Wright's spot on the roster, the team re-signed cornerback Jeremy Perry. The Eastern Michigan product played in 12 games for the Browns in 2006. He'll get a one-year deal. He was fairly impressive in a limited role. He'll never be more than a fourth cornerback, but he does a solid job and can play on special teams.

Personally, I'd rather have Perry anyway. He seems like a good guy. In fact, he and I were friends on social-networking site Facebook.com, which makes me seem incredibly lame. Wait, I am incredibly lame, who I am kidding?

Back to Perry… He played in just four games last season for the Miami Dolphins. Don't look into that too much. Last season the Dolphins had absolutely no idea what they were doing.

Notes…
John Czarnecki of Fox Sports writes that the Browns have improved enough to be a serious Super Bowl contender.

Mike McLain of the Tribune Chronicle writes about high confidence during OTAs this year. As a fan, you can't help but get excited about all the positive vibes this offseason. This kind of speculation really hasn't happened in more than a dozen years.

Mike Reiss of the Boston Globe wrote in his notes that the Browns could be simplifying their defense. Read the full article here.

The Browns added considerable bulk in the form of defensive linemen Shaun Rogers and Corey Williams this offseason, but they're trimming down in other areas. Coach Romeo Crennel is considering simplifying the defense as the club transitions to a new coordinator in Mel Tucker. The Browns gave up more first downs than every team but the Lions and were one of the league's worst units against the run. Crennel apparently thinks it might have been a result of players being overloaded, so look for the Browns to get back to basics.

Unless this is about simplifying thing for the group of young defensive backs, I'm not sure this is a wise decision with the addition of veterans on the line. In theory, they should be able to handle whatever Crennel and Tucker throw at them.

Not having NFL Network kind of stinks. Fortunately, Canton Repository Browns writer Steve Doerschuk was able to tune in to catch an interview with quarterback Derek Anderson. Read Doerschuk's story here.

Anderson mostly talked about training camp last season when he had to beat out Charlie Frye and battle for snaps in camp with Brady Quinn. It's a good read, but nothing really new.

Notes…

Anyone worried about whether or not new defensive tackle Shaun Rogers will maintain a solid weight, realize he's not too fat to play basketball. He hooped it up for a charity event run by Michael Huff of the Oakland Raiders. Prior to the game he even managed to dunk the ball.

Sadly, Browns defensive back Kenny Wright has yet to make the Smoking Gun's mugshot index for his hilarious post-arrest head shot. If you haven't seen it, it is after the jump.

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