Kellen Winslow comes through with clutch catches

CHARLOTTE, N.C. - Few people know what Tampa Bay Buccaneers tight end Kellen Winslow endures to play every week, let alone to play in Sunday's game against Carolina.

Winslow has battled knee pain throughout his career and this season. He had his sixth knee surgery during the offseason and Bucs coaches have tried to limit Winslow's practice participation. Winslow did not practice on Wednesday or Thursday, but was a limited participant in Friday's light activities.

Despite those obstacles, Winslow believed there was no way he would miss Tampa Bay's game against Carolina, a 20-7 victory in which he caught four passes for a team-high 83 yards.

"I'm ready anyway. I'm ready to go," Winslow said of how not practicing affected him. "Either way, this is my job, so I have to be ready to play."
Winslow was ready on Sunday.

All of his catches came on third-down plays and resulted in first downs to sustain scoring drives.

In the first quarter, his 24-yard catch on third-and-10 near midfield kept alive a drive that resulted in Tampa Bay's first touchdown.

In the second quarter, Winslow made an 8-yard reception on third-and-6 from Tampa Bay's 24-yard line. Three plays later, the Bucs faced third-and-17 at their 25-yard line when quarterback Josh Freeman shook off two Panthers linemen to complete a 40-yard pass to Winslow.

On the next play, Freeman threw a 35-yard touchdown pass to Mike Williams, giving Tampa Bay a 14-7 lead.

Winslow's final catch, for 11 yards on third-and-8 at the Tampa Bay 37-yard-line, sustained a drive that resulted in a field goal.

"I was really proud of Kellen today," Freeman said. "He had a rough week, he didn't really practice. We weren't really sure he was going to be able to go. He came out, gutted it out and had a big day."

Winslow's willingness to play through pain has earned the respect of his teammates, who say he never talks being hurt.

"K2 is just an interesting guy," tight end John Gilmore said. "You get Kellen during the week and you get K2 one game day, but one thing about the guy is everybody knows the situation.

"He goes through some things physically and mentally and to see him show up the way he did today is a beautiful thing. It could've (gone) in another direction, but he showed up and made those big plays. That's going to help him out in the upcoming weeks. Whatever we have to do to keep him on the field and keep them healthy, that's what we're going to do."

The Bucs will continue limiting Winslow in practice to have him ready on Sunday. Tampa Bay's only concern is his knee carrying the team to wins, not practice victories.

Winslow admits the only agonizing thing would be not being able to play when it counts, which explains his weekly motivation:

"Just don't let these guys down," Winslow said.

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(tbo.com)