Braylon Edwards WANTS TO BE HERE!!!

[WPB Dawg Fan]

I thought the stuff was a little out of context before...now I know it was:

 

Cleveland Browns receiver Braylon Edwards doesn't back off statements

Friday, December 19, 2008

Tony Grossi

Plain Dealer Reporter

 

Receiver Braylon Edwards doesn't regret a word he said. And he said more on Thursday.

 

But he's not dissing Browns fans as a strategy to talk his way out of here.

 

"I've made that very clear," said Edwards, who is under contract through 2009. "I don't want to be traded. I want to be here. I want to be a part of this team when it's successful."

 

Edwards continued to rant Thursday about feeling unappreciated by fans whom he believes hold his Michigan Wolverines roots against him.

 

"I never used me being from Michigan as a cop-out [for his bad season]," he said. "All season I've owned up to my play. I said I'm not playing well, I'm dropping passes, I need to be catching these passes. I never blamed it on the quarterback, never blamed it on the coordinator, never on anything but me not concentrating and focusing."

 

Edwards said he understands the anger of long-suffering Browns fans, but said they shouldn't hold him responsible for the franchise's failings.

 

"I can't apologize for what happened before I got here," he said. "I wasn't a part of 'The Drive.' I didn't fumble at the 1. That wasn't me. I think if fans are still disgruntled about that, they have every right to be. But I'm just Braylon Edwards.

 

"I don't want to have to live in Paul Warfield's shadow or Gary Collins'. I really just want to be me. I'm a guy that's young. It's a new day and age. I love the game, just as much as a Paul Warfield. I give everything I have, just as much as Paul Warfield. I'm trying to make plays.

 

"Being human, I went into a rut this year. I caught a slump. I'm human. People do that. Like basketball, I can't just shoot myself out of it. All I can do now is finish out strong in these last two games and work hard in the off-season."

 

Edwards was asked if the fans here live too much in the past.

 

"I'm not trying to be a psychologist for the city of Cleveland. I'm really not trying to play Dr. Phil," he said. "There's been a lot of bad things happen here. Everybody knows it. We can't ever get over that hump in any sport. And this happens to be the city's favorite sport. We're the ones that really can't get over it. The Indians almost turned the corner a couple of times. The Cavs have gotten to the NBA Finals. But we can't even get to the playoffs. So I understand their frustration, I really do. That's why I do everything I can do to work hard and be the guy on Sunday."

 

Edwards knows he's in for an earful from the Browns faithful at the team's final home game Sunday against Cincinnati.

 

"They've been booing me all year," he said, adding, "It is what it is."

 

So, he is just saying don't blame him for all the crap that has come before him...and I agree. He can only take care of his business...and I do remember him taking the blame for his drops....and NOT throwing anyone under the bus.

 

He is a keeper in my mind.

[JewDago]

it's good to see that his quotes have been taken out of context and that he's not shitting all over cleveland in general. it's also good to see that he, to a point, understands the fans' frustration.

 

this makes it even worse that people have gone after his family. he's a decent, upstanding guy who doesn't deserve such shabby treatment at the hands of the people who are supposed to support him.

 

booing him inside the stadium is all well and good. hell, i verbally abuse players when they don't play well (not that i can afford tickets where i'm ever close enough for them to hear me, but going after someone's family is inexcusable unless the player is jared allen or leonard little and you're asking their mother why she didn't teach her son any better.

 

i'll be very upset if braylon isn't with the team long-term. he's a good guy who can play well. he just needs to get his mind right, something training camp and a new regime will go a long way towards doing.

[Kosarfan]

He's right too, Browns fans DO live too much in the past.

Need a big couple of seasons out of this club to get over that, but it's not his doing as he says.

He also had a good game against Philly, so keep it up. He's not the sole reason for a bad season.

If he can finish strong, I say the same, he's a keeper.

[585Dawg]

Edwards is a MUST stay. Especially since next year will be a contract year for him. He will definitely have something to prove. When he is on, he is almost unstoppable. Trading him would be a huge mistake.

[BrownIndian]

Trading BE is a big NO

[DawgTracker]

Many Browns fans are looking for some way to pull defeat out of the jaws of victory. Sometimes I think many people on the boards would be very disappointed if the browns won the superbown, what could they complain about now. I guess then the wrath would fall on Lebron and the Indians.

 

Each season is different, what happened this year will have nothing to do with next year. I remember Phil saying that a lot of people had a bad attitude.

 

I visited Boston a lot before they started winning championships. Every year the fans were disappointed and the following year they returned. Probably the biggest deflator was when the ball went through the first basemen's legs in the world series to help them lose the series, again. But, the fans were finally provided with many championships.

[Legacy Fan]

I'm glad BE put some more context with this latest______. I've personally been down on him this season because I know what he is capable of. It's frustration definitely. When he's on, he's one of the best. The size, the speed, the freak-show catches (remember those last year??? ), the work ethic. Plus, by all accounts, he's a super nice guy.

 

If he gets his head back on, and finishes out his career with consistency and some #'s near 2007's, he's a HOF'er. I'd like to have another Brownie in Canton, so I'd like him to stay here.

[Guest 88fingerslewy]

WR's and catching the ball is no different than; baseball players hitting the ball, golfers and their putters or snipers on a hockey team failing to bury the puck.

 

Once you get snake bit and establish a slump, the harder you try the worse it gets. They'll fail before they even get started. I'm sure nobody wanted to catch the ball more than BE this year. Ya just gotta put that crap outta yer mind. Ya gotta play loose. Ya gotta have the things in your head you had when you were a kid....i.e. nothing....just play, don't think too much. It's not complicated but it is hard. Sometimes a sports psychologist could help.

 

I agree he's definitely a keeper.

 

 

[TheBestPlayersPlay]

WR's and catching the ball is no different than; baseball players hitting the ball, golfers and their putters or snipers on a hockey team failing to bury the puck.

 

Once you get snake bit and establish a slump, the harder you try the worse it gets. They'll fail before they even get started. I'm sure nobody wanted to catch the ball more than BE this year. Ya just gotta put that crap outta yer mind. Ya gotta play loose. Ya gotta have the things in your head you had when you were a kid....i.e. nothing....just play, don't think too much. It's not complicated but it is hard. Sometimes a sports psychologist could help.

 

I agree he's definitely a keeper.

 

 

 

He is obviously a keeper. I want to see him give 100% in all routes, even those that do not involve him as the primary weapon. I want to see him stop whining about his Michigan connection, and understand that if he puts up the #'s he is capable of, everyone will love him. He is right about a growing percentage of Cleveland fans. I'm not sure if these are idiot bandwagon fans, or if insanity has simply settled in on the old-schoolers. It's hard to take as many let downs as the Browns have offered us. Just be a good guy, give it your all, and stop talking about that shit school up north ...and it will be smooth sailing.