Kellen Winslow Jr. confused about diminished role

Is Kellen Winslow Jr. frustrated that he's not a bigger weapon in the Jets' offense?

He stopped short of using that word, but it's safe to say the tight end isn't happy about his diminished role. Shortly after the Jets totaled only 177 yards against Miami -- the fewest allowed by the Dolphins this season -- Winslow seemed perplexed about why he's not being allowed to contribute more. "When they throw it, I catch it,'' he said. "So I don't know why.''

Winslow was right about that -- at least on this particular day. He caught all three passes thrown to him for 26 yards, including a 12-yarder from Geno Smith with 43 seconds left in the first quarter. But Winslow wasn't targeted again until the fourth quarter, when Matt Simms hit him for completions of 9 and 5 yards on the same drive.

Before serving a four-game suspension for violating the league's performance-enhancing drug policy, Winslow caught 17 passes for 169 yards and two touchdowns in the Jets' first five games. Since then, he has only six catches for 77 yards and no TDs. But he said he won't discuss his playing time with offensive coordinator Marty Mornhinweg because "that's not my fight.''

"My job is just to make plays when it comes,'' Winslow said. "When my number's called, I make plays. And when it's not, I try to help the other guys. And that's all I can do. Some things you just can't control.''

But he went out of his way to avoid using the word "frustrated.''

"I don't know how to feel,'' he said. "I'm just trying to do the best I can with the situation I'm in. Like I said, when the ball's thrown to me, I'm going to catch it every time. And that's that.''


(newsday.com)