First, let me say that I like Kellen Winslow and his toughness. He might have been a high maintenance player, but he usually was thinking of the team with his comments after games. He didn’t complain that the quarterbacks were not getting him the ball, just that he should have been on the field. And by most accounts, he went through a great deal of pain to get himself on the field each week.
Of course, critics will say had he not gotten in that motorcycle accident following his rookie year, he wouldn’t have had to go through the pain. To me, the shame of the accident was that the last time Browns’ fans got to see the real Winslow was Miami’s loss in the national championship game to Ohio State. He was a beast in that game.
Still, the Browns made the correct move in moving the tight end to Tampa Bay for a couple of draft picks yesterday. It has been reported Cleveland will get a 2nd round pick this year and a 5th rounder in 2010. With the physical problems mounting for KII, GM George Kokinis probably maxed Winslow’s trade value with the deal. And it is no secret the brown and orange need as many draft picks as they can get their hands on.
Winslow was not a good fit with the new regime. Kokinis and Eric Mangini was restyling the Browns into a defensive team, that offensively will rely on the ground game. Since Winslow is not a particularly good blocker, he doesn’t fit in with that style of offense. That’s not to say he won’t be a good fit with a team that runs a west coast style offense, but that is not what the Browns are going to employ this season.
There will be more moves to follow, and probably will be made to garner more draft choices. Some have speculated that this deal means Derek Anderson is the frontrunner at QB, but I don’t think it means that at all. I don’t think the Browns will enter training camp with both Brady Quinn and Anderson on the roster, and that means Anderson will likely be dealt for more picks, perhaps a low first round pick or another second round choice.
Mangini and Kokinis want to use these picks to build the defense, which needs a big infusion of talent. They obviously feel the tight end spot is in good hands with veteran Steve Heiden and 2nd year man Martin Rucker, and that made Winslow expendable. Moving Anderson and picking up a solid veteran signal caller to back up and mentor Quinn would also be taking advantage of a strength. That’s good management, dealing from a position of strength to shore up weaknesses.
The move itself was surprising because there was no inkling the team was looking to move the former All Pro TE, but with the cloak of secrecy the Brown operate under, it’s not a shock there were no rumors. This is a 4-12 football team, nobody on the roster should be looking in the mirror thinking they are irreplaceable.
MW
Cleveland Sports Perspective 