Kellen Winslow gets better of a matchup versus Jon Beason

TAMPA - There is something about Carolina linebacker Jon Beason that brings out the best in Kellen Winslow's pass-catching abilities.

Maybe it is the friendly banter between the two when they square off against one other.

Winslow was chirping Sunday, and that can only mean good things for the Tampa Bay tight end.

"He does," Tampa Bay tight end John Gilmore said. "He likes talking a little trash on Beason. He got him a little frustrated today."

Winslow also got himself his first touchdown of the season.

Running a seam route down the middle of the field, Winslow used a move 12 yards down field to get behind the Carolina linebacker and settled in front of strong safety Charles Godfrey.

Despite Godfrey being flagged for a pass interference penalty on the play, Winslow still managed to haul in a 20-yard pass from Josh Freeman in the end zone of the Buccaneers' 31-16 victory over Carolina at Raymond James Stadium.

"That was a heck of a play," said Gilmore, who had a good view watching from the sideline.

Winslow expected the match-up and asked Freeman to give him a chance to make a play.

"I said if Beason is running with me, just throw it up," Winslow said. "As soon as you get him running, it's hard for the linebackers to turn back around and look for the ball."

Freeman obliged and was rewarded.

"If you're going to play man-to-man, you're going to have a linebacker matched up on Winslow," Freeman said. "And I'd take Kellen Winslow in that match-up."

It was Winslow's first scoring catch in 17 games, dating back to Nov. 8, when he hauled in a 7-yard pass touchdown in a 38-28 victory over Green Bay at RJS.

And Winslow knew how long it had been since he reached paydirt.

"I definitely know," Winslow said. "I train to compete with the top tight ends in the league. I'm behind right now. But it's kind of like a NASCAR race. It's a long race to the finish. It's a competitive thing."

The 27-year-old Winslow caught 77 passes and tied his career high with five touchdowns a year ago.

With Cleveland in 2006, he had 89 receptions. The following year he had 82 catches, five for scores for the Browns.

"It has been rough just trying to be patient," Winslow said. "If you don't have some catches in a game, it can be frustrating. You just gotta keep pressing and working hard. It came this game. You just have to be a professional. It's my job."

In his seventh NFL season, Winslow's season-high in catches this season is seven in a 31-6 loss to New Orleans.

For a player who has had six games of 100 or more receiving yards during his career, his highest total this season is 83 on Week 2 at Carolina in a 20-7 victory.

"He had a big game against these guys the first time around, too," Gilmore said. "So for him to do what he did didn't surprise me one bit. He said all week it was a mismatch. He went out and made his plays, like we knew he would."

Freeman targeted Winslow six times, and he came up with six receptions for 65 yards.

"He's a tough match-up for anybody and has been and was for us today," Carolina coach John Fox said.

"I could do a lot better," Winslow said. "It's my job to create mismatches and make plays."

Most came against Beason, a product of the Miami Hurricanes, just like himself.

"Beason is an all-pro linebacker," Winslow said. "We knew when he was at Miami he was going to be an all-pro in this league. It's always great to compete against him."

As long as Winslow is going out in pass routes and not lining up against Beason.

"It's tough on those guys," Winslow said. "If I was asked to block Beason all day, he'd probably kick my butt. It's just match-ups."

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(heraldtribune.com)