With their season teetering on the brink with a 2-4 record, the Cleveland Browns should be pulling together to beat the Jacksonville Jaguars this Sunday, thus remaining in the playoff hunt. Instead, the entire week has been spent talking about Kellen Winslow and the fact the team has suspended him for one game. Not exactly the way to prepare for a big game, eh?
First off, let me say that I like Phil Savage. I think he has done a good job bringing talent in to the organization, which was devoid of it after the Butch Davis regime. However, he was wrong in two areas regarding the Winslow situation.
He should have picked up the phone and contacted Winslow in the hospital. It has been reported that the GM did not contact LeCharles Bentley or Joe Jurevicius when each player was suffering from a staph infection, and if that is the case, he is wrong in each instance. This type of infection is very serious and it would be the class thing to do to find out how the player is doing. It certainly isn’t the same as a knee injury that requires arthroscopic surgery.
Savage also should have been the person announcing the decision to the media instead of releasing a statement and letting Romeo Crennel address the press. Savage is the team’s General Manager, and he is in charge of the day-to-day operations of the franchise. He should have been there to answer the questions people have about the decision and the situation.
This is not to take blame away from Winslow, the Browns’ best player. After a tough defeat, and with their season teetering on the brink, the last thing this football team needs is one of its stars being a distraction. Yes, Winslow is an emotional player who wears his heart on his sleeve, but he’s also an adult, and should understand the ramifications of his comments. He put his coach and his teammates in a situation where they had to answer questions about this stuff all week.
By the way, many people have defended Winslow based on the “freedom of speech” argument. This is ridiculous. The citizens of this country have many rights, including free speech, and the government is not supposed to allow punish people for this. However, this protection doesn’t include employers. Try going into your boss’ office and exercising your freedom by telling him what you think is wrong about the company. You likely will not be employed there very long. You can’t criticize the boss!
On the other hand, it did deflect attention on what has happened to the team’s offense. The high-flying attack of last year has all but disappeared, showing itself in only one of the six games played year to date. The deep passing game is a rumor. The pass protection is not nearly what it was in 2007. And the offensive coordinator, Rob Chudzinski, has been slow to adjust. What are defenses doing differently to stop the Browns?
Also, no one is talking about Derek Anderson’s extreme decline from last season, and no one is discussing the fact that Braylon Edwards has more excuses than catches. So, maybe KII’s outburst was well timed. No one is talking about the play of this 2-4 football team.
Regardless of all of the extra stuff, the Cleveland Browns have to win this week if they are to have any chance of making the playoffs. If they win Sunday at Jacksonville, they will say the controversy pulled them together. If they lose, it will be considered a huge distraction.
JD
Cleveland Sports Perspective 