Winslow always intense

BEREA — Kellen Winslow Jr. treats every Browns practice as if it were a regular-season contest.

The Pro Bowl tight end wears his full uniform and pads — even when the rest of the team is running around in shorts — and visualizes game situations on every play.

Winslow’s attention to detail served him well Wednesday, when he was the recipient of a helmet-to-helmet hit by cornerback Travis Key on a crossing pattern. The collision was clean and unintentional, but it certainly put a charge into an otherwise staid afternoon session.

“I’m a Hurricane, that’s how I play,” the University of Miami product said. “I try and simulate as much of a game as I can. It’s nothing personal what happened, but it got my teammates going, so that’s a good thing.”

While Winslow made the catch, the 5-foot-10 Key bounced off him like a rubber ball, then got an earful from the tight end as a group of defensive players chanted the rookie’s last name.

“I broke a little too fast trying to make a play because I wasn’t trying to do that,” Key said. “Obviously, he thought I was trying to hit him, but I was just flying around. We did talk after practice and cleared it up.”

Making amends with one of Cleveland’s top players was a smart move by Key, who only joined the club five days ago as an undrafted free agent.
It also was a necessary gesture after what transpired one play later.

Quarterback Derek Anderson called the same pass pattern to Winslow, who caught it without a problem. Key, however, snuck up behind him and prepared to swipe at the football as the action was winding down.

But Winslow anticipated the move, forcing the ex-Michigan State walk-on to, in Key’s words, “tuck and roll” out of the way to avoid a potentially major issue.

“I realized it wouldn’t be a good idea to do that,” Key said, laughing. “Everything is good now, though.”

The sequence brought back some good memories for Browns quarterback Ken Dorsey, who played with Winslow in college and has grown to appreciate his intensity.

Though Winslow did not begin wearing a full uniform in practice until last year, the backup signal caller said his temperament and attitude have always been the same.

“Kellen has his quirks, but he’s the most loyal teammate and the most trusted target you can have,” Dorsey said. “From his first day at Miami, everything he did was full speed, full go.

“It might not always be right, but it sets a tone. Having a guy like that makes everyone better, offense and defense, because they feed off how competitive he is.”

That was the case with the Hurricanes, where Winslow faced off against All-American DBs Sean Taylor, Ed Reed, Phillip Buchanan, Antrel Rolle, Kelly Jennings, Mike Rumph and others in the South Florida sun.

It also has played out that way in Cleveland, where Winslow provides daily lessons for the team’s defensive players.

“Those Miami guys were always chirping at each other, especially when we got down to the end of practice, but it made them better,” Dorsey said. “You can see the same is true here. When Kellen is going against (linebacker) Willie McGinest, that helps Kellen and Willie because they’re not going to go up against anyone tougher on other teams.”

If that competition means more lively scenes like what happened Wednesday, all involved say so be it.

“I want to be great, I don’t want to be good,” Winslow said. “I don’t want to be like everyone else. I want to be the best.”

(medinagazette.com)