Posts tagged KellenWinslow at FanHouse - AOL Sports Blog

It's practice-optional this time of year in the NFL, which is why most coaches and players don't get too caught up in who shows up and who doesn't. Voluntary workouts, in addition to serving their intended purpose, are also something of a testing ground for guys interested in holding out for more money.

Marion Barber and Kellen Winslow are two such players, still on their rookie deals looking for a sizable pay raise. Chad Johnson is an old hand at this, however.

He's made it clear since the day the 2007 season ended that he wanted out of Cincinnati, even though he's currently very well paid and has several years left on his existing contract. For him, it's not about the money (even though, you know, it's about the money).

He, along with the Bengals' No. 2 receiver, T.J. Houshmandzadeh, are no-shows at OTAs, but the real pissing match between employer and employee begins in a month:

Josh Cribbs should write the team press releases. Here's his response to a question about tight end Kellen Winslow's absence from the Browns' voluntary workouts:

"It's not a big deal," Josh Cribbs said. "If he was here, he'd be hurt... It's not a question of his character because he plays like a soldier. When he gets here, he's going to work his butt off."

That's rich. I mentioned earlier that missing OTAs is hardly a reason to declare the upcoming season doomed. And unlike the Cowboys' Marion Barber, who wants more money, Winslow is rehabbing a knee injury (and while doing so, he's also hinted at wanting more money).

Even still, players have an uncanny knack for separating the game from the business. While opinions differ on whether Winslow should at least be on the property, everybody agrees that his contract won't have an affect on his on-field performance.

Of course, Winslow didn't let the team know he wouldn't show up, and according to the Plain Dealer's Mary Kay Cabot, the Browns are interpreting the absence "as a statement about his contract." Whatever, head coach Romeo Crennel was unfazed by all of it: "There's something that happens every year with somebody," he said. "We've just got to get this team ready."

I don't think anyone construed the Browns giving up a 2009 third-rounder to move up in the fourth round of yesterday's draft to take tight end Martin Rucker as an indictment on Pro Bowler Kellen Winslow.

The 2007 Pro Bowler has hinted that he wants a new deal, but such proclamations have become part of the off-season ritual: free agency, the Combine, player asks for more dough, NFL Draft, minicamp, training camp, so on and so forth.

Instead, the Browns have added another pass-catching threat. Just as there is a shift to running back by committee, many teams are featuring more multiple-tight end formations, which, oddly enough, require more tight ends. The Colts, Patriots and Steelers are the most obvious examples, but Cleveland may have other motives for selecting Rucker:

The fact Savage did not hesitate to pay the third-round price for Rucker speaks to concerns about Winslow's recurring knee problems and his stated desire for a new contract. "We really like Martin Rucker, but I think that always has to be in the backdrop," Savage said of the Winslow issues.

The Browns won't make their first pick until the fourth round of this April's NFL Draft. Last year, they sent their 2008 first-rounder to the Cowboys for the opportunity to take Brady Quinn. And on Friday, they got Packers defensive lineman Corey Williams for a second-rounder, and a day later, they acquired nose tackle Shaun Rogers for Leigh Bodden and a third-rounder.

And today, the team continued to use free agency to upgrade the roster since things will be pretty quiet come the last weekend in April: according to ESPN's Michael Smith, Donte' Stallworth is now a Brown.

This must make Derek Anderson very happy (Quinn could give a crap -- barring an injury or alien abduction, he won't be playing in 2008 either), and Cleveland is quietly becoming one of the most potent offenses in the AFC. In addition to Stallworth, a deep threat, there's Braylon Edwards and Kellen Winslow -- both Pro Bowlers -- as well as Joe Jurevicius. And then there's running back Jamal Lewis and a very competent offensive line.

For some perspective on how quickly perceptions change in the NFL, consider the first two comments on the Mike Reiss' Pats blog on the Boston Globe:

We've previously noted that Browns tight end Kellen Winslow is seeking a new contract and explained why we don't think the Browns should give him one, but this was a major subject of conversation last week as the NFL world gathered in Indianapolis, so let's take a closer look.

Here's Winslow's statistical production in each of the four years of his NFL career, as well as the total compensation the Browns paid him, according to the USA Today salary database:

2007: 82 catches, 1106 yards, $2,150,000
2006: 89 catches, 875 yards, $547,450
2005: zero catches, zero yards, $4,722,560
2004: five catches, 50 yards, $6,950,000

Does Winslow have a point when he says he's been underpaid the last two years? Sure, if you look at those two years in a vacuum, he's been one of the top tight ends in the league and hasn't been paid like it. But for his first two years, thanks to a broken leg and a motorcycle accident, Winslow was the NFL's highest-paid tight end and didn't even come close to performing like it, averaging more than $2 million a catch.

All things considered, Winslow has probably been a little bit overpaid over the entire four years of his career, relative to what you would expect a tight end with his level of production to earn. He certainly hasn't been underpaid to such an extent that the Browns should tear up his contract and give him a new deal. So while he and agent Drew Rosenhaus can talk all they want about a new deal, it simply isn't going to happen, unless the Browns are fools.

Cleveland Browns tight end Kellen Winslow said during a radio appearance on Thursday that he thinks he has out-played his contract and that he deserves a raise.

"When I got hurt [in 2005], the contract got renegotiated, so some things changed, but I think I've proven these past two years that I'm one of the elite tight ends," Winslow said from the Pro Bowl in Hawaii.

"My value on the field, they put in an extra DB in the game, and that really changes the whole game. They have to guard me kind of like a wide receiver so, you know, yeah, gotta to get that new money."

[When asked if he'll seek a new contract] "Yeah. Hope so. Hope so,"

Although it's true that Winslow renegotiated his contract in 2005, frankly, the Browns seemed pretty generous at the time -- Winslow missed a full year after he got hurt riding a motorcycle, an activity his contract prohibited, and the Browns could have gone after more of his bonus money than they did.

Furthermore, Winslow is under contract for three more seasons, and he's scheduled to make a total of $13.25 million in those seasons. Although Winslow has developed into a very good tight end, it's hard to see where he has a lot of leverage here.

Winslow's agent, Drew Rosenhaus, has taken a less adversarial approach in the last couple of years than he took when he famously engineered Terrell Owens' departure from Philadelphia. That means that although Winslow and Rosenhaus want a new deal, they're probably not going to stage a holdout to get it.

Another cautionary tale for the kids: motorcycles are very, very bad. Browns tight end Kellen Winslow, who got jacked up in a parking lot while trying to do wheelies on his crotch rocket a few years back, will have to have off-season knee surgery.

He's undergone multiple knee surgeries after the 2005 accident, including having his ACL repaired, a staph infection surgically removed, and microfracture surgery. Additionally, Winslow also dislocated his shoulder earlier this season.

I'm definitely going to have a surgery done on my knee," Winslow said in an interview on WKNR-AM, according to The (Cleveland) Plain Dealer. "My shoulder might be strong enough ... I'm just really worried about my knee. Your legs are your life. I need my knee."

True that. Winslow caught a lot of crap early in his career because he did more talking than playing. He missed large chunks of two seasons recovering from on- and off-field injuries, but finally started to put things together in 2006. And last season he was one of quarterback Derek Anderson's favorite targets.

Winslow finished the year with 82 receptions for 1,106 yards and five touchdowns. At 24, he still has a long career ahead of him, but you have to wonder how much longer it could've been if he didn't go all "Ben Roethlisberger" on his bike. (To Winslow's credit, he was wearing a helmet. So there's that.)

When the Pro Bowl rosters were announced last month, some subset of Browns' fans felt the team was underrepresented. Only wide receiver Braylon Edwards and special teams ace Joshua Cribbs made the team while quarterback Derek Anderson, tight end Kellen Winslow, and left tackle Joe Thomas got shafted.

Well, there's not much anybody can do about that Week 17 Titans-Colts game, but Thomas, the Browns' 2007 first first-round pick, will be going to Hawaii next month, all expenses paid. As FanHouse's Dan Benton wrote earlier, a spot opened up on the AFC roster after Bills' tackle Jason Peters withdrew because of a groin injury. Whatever, it still counts. And it's been a long time coming for a Cleveland offensive lineman ... and rookie:

[Thomas] is the first Browns lineman to be named to the Pro Bowl since tackle Cody Risien following the 1987 season. The last Browns rookie to make the Pro Bowl was linebacker Chip Banks following the 1982 season.

Good Lord, that's a drought. Anderson, Winslow and guard Eric Steinbach are all first alternates, which means that depending on how the rest of the postseason plays out, there could be more changes to the AFC team. And let's be honest, who doesn't want to see Pro Bowl chock full of Browns players?

It took a few possessions longer than expected (what with Derek Anderson throwing interceptions like he was Tim Couch), but Braylon Edwards finally sets the Browns single-season receiving yards record with his second-quarter touchdown grab against the 49ers this afternoon.

The Browns' first drive resulted in a Derek Anderson red-zone interception (which complements nicely the two he threw last week), but after a Joshua Cribbs punt return for six, the Browns starting quarterback found Edwards for a 45-yard touchdown strike.

Edwards now sits atop the Browns single-season receiving yards list. His 1,267 yards is 31 more than Webster Slaughter (1,236), followed by Kevin Johnson (1,097), Paul Warfield (1,067) and Antonio Bryant (1,009).

For all the talk that Edwards wasn't living up to his 2005 No. 3 overall draft status (I may have been guilty of such transgressions), he's certainly come on strong in 2007. In addition to the record, he's making his first trip to Hawaii, and he has a lot to do with Anderson's emergence. The fact that Edwards, Kellen Winslow and Joe Jurevicius couldn't save Charlie Frye's career tells you all you need to know about Charlie Frye's career.

This ain't the Cleveland Browns we're all used to seeing. The same team that averaged fewer than five wins a season since 2003 is now 9-5, tied atop the AFC North, and headed for the postseason. And people outside of Cleveland are finally taking notice.

Yesterday, the NFL announced that wide receiver Braylon Edwards and return demon Joshua Cribbs had been named the AFC Pro Bowl roster. According to the News-Herald's Jeff Schudel: "They are the first Browns selected to play in the NFL's version of an all-star game since linebacker Jamir Miller made the Pro Bowl after the 2001 season." Ah, yes, good ol' Jamir Miller.

Two noticeable omissions are tight end Kellen Winslow and quarterback Derek Anderson (and, I suppose, at least one member of the offensive line). Given that Winslow plays in the same conference as Antonio Gates and Tony Gonzalez, it's easy to understand why he won't be traveling to Hawaii on the NFL's dime.

And nobody's willing to argue that Anderson had a better season than Tom Brady or Peyton Manning. But what about Ben Roethlisberger?

The past few seasons there would be the occasional story about the Browns, and how head coach Romeo Crennel and general manager Phil Savage were putting together a young, talented team, just a player or two away from turning the corner.

And inevitably, the Browns would win a handful of games, finish last in the division, and end up with a top-10 pick in the April draft.

Not this year, though; Cleveland is off to a 7-5 start -- currently a wild-card team -- and it's all because Crennel and Savage were right: the young players are finally making a difference. Quarterback Derek Anderson has been the story for most of this season, coming on in Week 2 and putting up Pro Bowl numbers since. But there are plenty of other guys who deserve mention.

Special teams ace Josh Cribbs has been a vital cog in Cleveland's success, so much so that the organization is lobbying hard for his Pro Bowl chances (and deservedly so).

To get you ready for week 14, FanHouse is previewing all 16 NFL games. Here is the Cleveland Browns/New York Jets preview.

2007 Records:

Cleveland Browns: 7-5 (2nd in AFC North)
New York Jets: 3-9 (3rd in AFC East)

Last Week:

Cardinals 27, Browns 21
Jets 40, Dolphins 13

When the Browns have the ball: Derek Anderson has been the story in Cleveland all season but for the Browns to hold off the Jets they'll need to give Jamal Lewis a heavy dose of action. The Jets pass defense has taken a step in the right direction since the bye. They are pressuring quarterbacks, creating turnovers and watching Darrelle Revis blossom into a good NFL cornerback. Anderson has made some poor decisions of late, four interceptions in his last three games, and sometimes throws balls he shouldn't because he's got such a strong arm. The Jets defense hasn't seen the same level of improvement against the run so it would behoove the Browns to get Lewis established early to control the ball and the clock. If they do it will open things up for Braylon Edwards and Kellen Winslow and take away some of the Jet aggressiveness.

The day after Cleveland lost to Arizona on a last-second probably-shoulda-been-a- touchdown, some Browns players feel the team was robbed:

"[The officials] should've called it a force-out on the field," said cornerback Leigh Bodden. "I guess the ref just didn't have the guts to do it. That was an amazing catch. From the replay it looked like even the guy hit him a little bit early, before he even caught it."

That's a good point, Leigh. Of course, if you weren't drop-kicking balls all over the yard, the Cardinals wouldn't have scored their second touchdown. And then, you wouldn't have to rely on gutless officials to determine the outcome of a game that probably shouldn't have been that close.

You can see the play in question here, and to Kellen Winslow's credit, he admitted that the call could've gone either way. That's not to say it wasn't a catch under the rules, but at least he's not making excuses.

I mentioned it earlier, but I have no idea why the NFL thinks it's a good idea to let officials use their judgment on force-outs. All that does is create more on-field chaos, and perpetuates the stereotype that officials are incompetent. I'm sure this issue -- with a host of others -- will be revisited this off-season when the Rules Committee gets together, but until then, don't be surprised to see more bungled force-out calls.

FanHouser Dan Benton touched on it in his Browns-Cards preview, but Arizona will host a hot Browns team without the NFC's best safety, Adrian Wilson, in addition to starting cornerback Eric Green.

Both players have been placed on injured reserve, meaning they're restricted to sideline duty for the rest of the year. Not good news for a defense that was just average to begin with.

It's hard to quantify exactly what losing two starters in the secondary means, but according to Football Outsiders' stats, it looks like Wilson not only dominated against the run, but was no slouch in coverage either. The Cards ranked third in the NFL against opposing tight ends, which is sure to drop with Wilson out of action.

Green, who played opposite Antrel Rolle, seemingly had less success. Arizona ranks 28th against No. 1 receivers, and 20th against No. 2 receivers. This has to make Derek Anderson, Braylon Edwards and Joe Jurevicius very happy. And hell, Kellen Winslow has to be excited about the opportunity to go up against not-Adrian Wilson.

Obviously, this is a big game for the Browns, who are just one game back of the division-leading Steelers. But the Cards, at 5-6, are just two games behind the Seahawks in the NFC West.

The Texans and Browns play similar games. They like to sling the ball downfield and hope that their defenses don't embarrass too much, especially their young secondaries.

In yesterday's Browns win over the Texans, Cleveland played the more physical game. Both defenses were hitting hard, but the Browns were able to hold onto the ball after the hard hits, and often the Texans couldn't.

Houston has problems against talented tight ends, and Kellen Winslow predictably had a huge game against the Texans with 107 yards and 1 TD. In contrast, against the Browns typically struggling secondary, the Texans best wide receiver Andre Johnson couldn't get any balls thrown his way. He ended up with 3 receptions for 37 yards.