Rash as it may have seemed, Kellen Winslow Jr.’s criticism of some of the coaches and the offensive game plan is warranted. It’s about time someone stepped forward. K2 is a player who is as intense and fiery as they come and will say it like it is. Winslow decided to put his foot down and didn’t want to stay silent anymore so he spoke out and vented his frustrations about the offense, mostly the fact that he was taken out during certain third down situations last Sunday.
“I think some of the coaches might just be holding us back a little bit,” Winslow said Monday at the end of the team’s open locker room with the media.
“The Giants run the same system as we do. The Cowboys run the same system as we do. And (Jason) Witten and (Jeremy) Shockey are on the field on third down,” he said of their use of tight ends. “I just don’t understand why I’m not on the field sometimes.”
He didn’t mention names specifically but most of us could assume Winslow was pointing toward the play-calling of offensive coordinator Maurice Carthon. Chances are most of the players in that locker room feel the same way but just don’t want to go public with it. Well, Winslow did, and I can respect him for that.
Listen, the team is struggling right now. We are only two games into the season and it is looking like we are headed down the path of another long, frustrating, and emotionally draining season with the Browns. The team is bad, one of the worst in the NFL, and things aren’t going to get much better if things don’t change quickly. Speaking just about the offense, we all know the play-calling has been atrocious and downright baffling at times. But this isn’t news to us. Carthon has been on shaky ground ever since he took over the offensive coordinator position last season. Up to this point, the team has been riding it out with Carthon calling plays, which has not yielded many positive results offensively.
What Winslow said is right. Especially on third down, you need your best weapons out on the field. Why wasn’t he out there? Only Carthon can answer us that. Browns fans have been growing more and more impatient with this man as the weeks progress, and deservedly so. All I can say is, thank God somebody said something. People may argue that Winslow should just mind his business, keep his mouth shut, and do what the coaches tell him. But the team is winless, has looked awful thus far, and is in need of a good kick in the you know what. Let’s face it, as he says, we really have nothing to lose.
Winslow delivered the message loud and clear, now it’s up to Carthon and the coaching staff to turn things around.
