Winslow Trade Thoughts

From my recent trip across the internet message boards it looks like Browns fans are split on the Kellen Winslow trade. Now that the previously undisclosed draft picks have been disclosed to be a 2009 second rounder and a 2010 5th rounder, I'll give my take on the first big move of the new era. And that take is overwhelming support of the move.

Honestly, I think anyone who is against this trade is letting there emotions get in the way of reason. There are two main concerns about this trade. One is that people feel Winslow is our best player and trading him is a sure sign of rebuilding. Two is that Brady Quinn is a young "dink and dunk" passer who needs a great tight end like Winslow to be effective. Let me explain why both of these opinions are incorrect.

First, trading Winslow does NOT mean we are rebuilding. Sure he is the best receiving tight end on the planet. Yet he still managed to drop Quinn's 4th down, game ending pass versus Denver just as if he was any other Browns receiver. Come to think of it, he also dropped a touchdown pass from Quinn against San Francisco in 2007. Winslow's one great ability, to catch passes, is therefore not perfect. And for every drive that Winslow does extend with a great grab, he repeatedly stalls another one with mental errors. I can't count the number of times I lost my voice screaming at the television following a personal foul or false start on Winslow. Not to mention his little problems blocking and staying healthy.

Then there is the depth at tight end on this roster. Steve Heiden could be starting almost anywhere in the league. He seemed more than adequate against the New York Football Giants last season when Winslow was in the hospital. Also, last season we drafted arguably the top receiving tight end in college, Martin Rucker. The drop in talent at tight end will not be noticed in the win-loss column next year.

And for those who think Quinn can only dink and dunk, I say to you that you only think that because you watch DA play, and the only thing he could do was heave it long. If the deep ball is there, Quinn will throw it up and give our guy a chance to make the play. But a qb has to be able to move the chains with long drives to give a defense the chance to rest. Just because Quinn can do something DA couldn't, throw with touch and accuracy to a receiver, doesn't mean it's a bad thing. But I digress. The point of this paragraph was supposed to be that Quinn doesn't need Winslow. As stated above, Heiden is a very gifted tight end and I am fully confident that he will be more than able to fill Winslow's shoes.

This team has too many holes. To trade from a position of strength to acquire assets to fill the weaknesses is exactly what a good GM should do. Winslow's trade value is higher than it will ever be. Obviously ManKok learned from the mistake of the Savage regime when it failed to get value for DA when it had the chance.  On the Tampa Bay message boards, many posts indicated there would be hell to pay if the Bucs gave up more than a 3rd or a 4th rounder.  To get a second and a fifth rounder for this injury prone, penalty prone, malcontent is a steal. The move does not represent a complete rebuild. It is a way to fill the holes on this roster by getting rid of a guy who is injured half his career and is replaceable on the roster.

Now the daunting task of convincing Mr. Rogers to shut up and play ball lies ahead...



PS: I am stunned by the results of the current CMCR poll. The results should have been 100% for trading LeBron for Kobe, Gasol, and Bynum. These are two legit all-star centers and the man LeBron refers to as the best player on the planet. Please, loyal readers, explain to me how you could vote for anything else.

Until next time this is Barry Lakin sayin all the world is schlach.

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Jolly Rogers

Good win. Game ball to Shaun Rogers. No matter how many blockers teams throw at him, he always manages to get pressure on the play. It doesn't matter if it's a run play or a pass play, he is there.

The Browns corners had their hands full with 6'6" of Matt Jones today, who finished with 8 catches for 117 yards and 1 TD. Both McDonald and Wright had turns failing to cover the big man. Fortunately, the Jags are a running team, and Shaun Rogers held Jones-Drew and Taylor to an improbable 49 total rushing yards.

Moving to the offensive side of the ball, the Browns are obviously better off with Heiden starting at tight end. His blocking is known to be vastly superior to Winslow's and he is a very productive pass catcher. Don't get me wrong, Winslow has the best hand's that I have ever seen, at any position, but Heiden has always been effective and the drop off is not steep. Most importantly, the offense has just been more productive this season during Heiden's starts.

What does this mean for Winslow? Slot receiver. This scenario has been suggested all year as a solution to our lack of a 3rd wide out problem. The Browns management has shown lately that it has no problem screwing Winslow over. It seems like this move might be the only ballsy thing Romeo might have the balls to do.

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K2 - The Inside Scoop

I had the opportunity to watch the completely expected Browns win Monday night with a friend who works as a resident at the Cleveland Clinic. The same Cleveland Clinic where one Kellen Winslow spent a period of time last week with some, um enlarged "marbles." My friend had the opportunity to pull Winslow's medical chart. The reason for Winslow's insistence on his medical condition being kept secret - he's currently suffering from a staph infection on his "Tanakas." Take this information for what it's worth, but this would fall in line with the high number of staph infections that have afflicted the Browns in the past - the 7th time a Browns' player would have succumbed in the last 5 years - WR - Joe "Sid" Jurevicius, C- LeCharles Bentley, WR- Braylon Edwards, LB- Ben Taylor, S- Brian Russell and Winslow himself being the other occurences. Earlier this year, Cleveland Clinic infection specialists used a special anti-staph agent to disinfect the Brown's locker and weight rooms. Perhaps a second dosage is needed.

However, the loss of Winslow, be it staph or whatever reason, could be a blessing in disguise. The reemergence of Steve Heiden in the Browns' offensive game plan was a welcomed sight. Heiden has the hands and ability to haul in the tough catch, which makes him ideal to fill the 3rd down receiver role void created by the absence of Jurevicius. Heiden had 5 catches for 59 yards Monday night (second on the team to Edwards), including a 9 yard pass on a 3 and 2, and a 17 yarder on a 3 and 4. He has shown he has the potential to make plays in the past - catching 43 balls in 2005. With the recent return of Martin Rucker to practice earlier this month and the sure-handed ability of Darnell Dinkins to field those short kickoffs, tight end has become a position of strength, one of which we may want to consider trading from in the future. If Rucker is as good an offensive weapon as advertised and Winslow begins beating the drum for a new deal once again, K2 may be on his way out this off season. Read the rest of this article