Here is the full article. THis is just priceless.
Winslow throws down
Tight end upset about offense's play calling, being pulled on third down
Tuesday, September 19, 2006
Mary Kay Cabot
Tight end Kellen Winslow Jr. vented his frustration in the Browns locker room Monday about being taken off the field on third down and about the team's conservative offense.
"Some of the coaches might just be holding us back a little bit," Winslow said. "I don't mean to try to go behind their backs or whatever, but let's go, let's air it out, let's run the ball, let's make plays, let's be exciting."
He said the offensive coaches are failing to get the ball in the hands of the playmakers.
"I think we're being a little too conservative right now and we just need to unleash it," he said. "Why wait? We're 0-2. We've got nothing to lose."
He said he's tried talking to the coaching staff, to no avail.
"There's so much talking -- it doesn't even matter anymore sometimes," he said. "It's just up to them."
Winslow was especially frustrated during the 34-17 loss to the Bengals because he was removed from the field on several key third downs. After one of those, late in the third quarter, he stalked over to the sidelines and waved his hands in anger. The Browns converted only 2-of-10 third downs.
"It's very frustrating," Winslow said. "We're losing and I'm not on the field. And I just don't get it. I don't really say anything; I just show my frustration."
Winslow said he's tried talking to his position coach, Ben Coates, and offensive coordinator Maurice Carthon, but nothing's changed.
"The Giants run the same system as we do, the Cowboys run the same system as we do and [Jeremy] Shockey and [Jason] Witten are on the field on third down," he said. "I just don't understand why I'm not on the field sometimes."
Does he expect it to change? "It has to if we want to win," he said. "Not just myself, but we need our playmakers on the field."
When his frustration finally boiled over on the field in Cincinnati, he brought his case to coach Romeo Crennel. "I talked to him during the game and he said he'll take care of it, so I'm pretty sure it's going to be taken care of," Winslow said.
Winslow also criticized the offensive staff for the run-oriented scheme against Cincinnati. Reuben Droughns ran the ball on the first five offensive plays - and on seven of the first 11 overall. He gained 17 yards on those seven runs and 32 overall on his 14 carries.
"We were run-first oriented and that's fine," Winslow said. "But we were down, 14-3, in the first quarter, so we've got to whip the plays out and let's go."
By halftime, the Browns were down, 17-3, and Winslow had caught only two passes for 22 yards. The ball didn't come his way until midway through the second quarter - and when it did, he caught it for 13 yards, including a few yards after the catch.
Overall, he had four catches for 42 yards against a defense that was playing man coverage.
"Nobody can guard me man to man," Winslow said after the game. "I'm just a playmaker, man. I just want to make plays and win."
Coach Romeo Crennel took umbrage to questions about Winslow's absence on third-down.
"He's not a wide receiver, first of all, so when you go three wides, he's not there," Crennel said. "I think you need to look at those plays that were run when we had that personnel group in the game and see if his presence would have made a difference on the plays that were called or not - before we jump to conclusions about whether he should be on the field or not."
But Winslow made it clear he believes he would make an impact on third down.
"Because I'm a playmaker," he said. "When the ball comes my way, I catch the ball, plain and simple."
While Winslow was standing on the sidelines, teammate Braylon Edwards was struggling with dropped passes, three in all.
"We've just got to execute - and when the ball comes, we've got to make the play," Winslow said.
