Kellen Winslow Jr. will not be joining teammates Braylon Edwards, Josh Cribbs, Joe Thomas and Ryan Pontbriand in Hawaii for the Pro-Bowl. As first alternate, he would have been invited had the former Kent State basketball standout Antonio Gates decided not to play due to his foot injury. The window of opportunity for the tight end closed when the deadline passed on Wednesday. Instead it will be Winslow, not Gates that goes under the knife.
Winslow mentioned his intentions to have knee surgery on a radio interview with WKNR on Friday. The surgery, to be performed on his right knee, is the latest in a long line of procedures that have haunted the Browns star since the famous motorcycle accident in 2005. In fact, Winslow has had at least one operation in the off season every year since he was drafted.
Is this newest surgery connected to the accident? Chances are good that it is. Winslow has been bothered all season with pain in his knee and shoulder, which he described many times as ‘grinding’. Last year it was micro-fracture surgery on the same knee. Most likely the scar tissue and lack of cartilage in the knee are causing problems.
Whether you love him or hate him, and I believe Cleveland is fairly divided on the issue, you can’t disagree that when he is on the field Winslow is a weapon. Kellen now has two full season under his belt, and his numbers during that span are on pace with the NFL’s best at his position. Winslow trails only Gonzalez in catches during that span (171 for Winslow, 172 for Tony Gonzalez) beats Gates and Witten in yardage (again trailing only Gonzalez) and falls short on touchdowns to both Gates and Gonzalez. (Gates a whopping 18, Gonzalez 10, Witten and Winslow 8 a piece.)
Browns fans are hoping that this newest surgery will help Winslow play pain free in ’08, and maybe he can put behind him that mistake that has proved so costly already.
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