CLEVELAND BROWNS Safety Little says he doesn't deserve to be benched

Using weekly grading reports, he said the demotion is undeserved and unfair.
BEREA (AP) -- Browns safety Earl Little had the entire bye week to accept being dropped from Cleveland's starting lineup and replaced by Chris Crocker.
Obviously, it wasn't nearly enough time.
Using the weekly grading reports he got from Cleveland's secondary coach to prove his point, Little said Monday that the demotion is undeserved and unfair.
"I'm hearing all this junk," Little said. "But the truth is I've been playing good football. The evidence is right here."
With that, Little thumbed through handwritten reports that were given to him by assistant coach Chuck Pagano. Little said they show he hasn't made mental mistakes and verify that he's doing a good job for the Browns (3-4).
"Baltimore," Little said peeling back the page from Cleveland's season-opening win. "No mental mistakes. The Giants. No mental. Cincinnati Bengals, I graded out 100 percent."
Sure enough, in the top right hand corner of the sheets, "No ME" was written and circled.
Told he was being benched
The likable Little, never afraid to speak his mind on any subject, was told early last week by Browns coach Butch Davis that he was being benched in favor of Crocker.
Afterward, Little had heated conversations with Davis and defensive coordinator Dave Campo. He wanted to know why he was the one being singled out on Cleveland's defense, which has been prone to giving up big plays this season.
Little still doesn't get it.
"When you've worked so hard and had something taken away from you, you're hurt," said Little, third on the Browns with 50 tackles. "But I ain't going to cry about it and throw a tantrum. When they told me about it, I was really hot because I know what I've worked for. I've been playing consistent football since I've been here. Look at my numbers. I just can't accept it."
Davis lamented mental mistakes following Cleveland's overtime loss to Philadelphia on Oct. 24, saying the club had its most mental breakdowns in two years.
Claims he's not guilty
Little, though, said he wasn't guilty of a single one, making his benching even more puzzling. The reasons he has gotten have run from a flawed coverage technique to teams targeting him.
At this point, he doesn't know what -- or whom -- to believe.
"I've been told so many things," he said. "But everything that comes at me, I got the evidence to back it up."
Besides being upset with his demotion, Little was bothered by a comment Crocker made last week when he was asked why he moved into the starting lineup.
"I think I might be a little more athletic than Earl," Crocker said.
Crocker, who has been playing on the Browns' nickel packages and special teams, said he wasn't trying to demean his teammate.
"It was taken out of context," said Crocker. "It's not like I'm saying Earl can't play. I'm sorry if he took it like that. But I'm not sorry about the way I feel."