Waiting On Winslow
April 1st, 2010
Last year newly acquired Kellen Winslow, Jr. missed some of the Bucs’ initial voluntary OTA practices.
He was busy bubble-wrapping china, stretch-wrapping dressers and boxing up linens; You know, moving, so he told the media.
Winslow put it out there that he wanted to be there with his new teammates but relocating from California was important business, too.
And who is Joe to quibble with a man’s pressing family matters?
Now, following Winslow’s stellar first season in Tampa, the Bucs returned to One Buc Palace on Monday for the start of their voluntary offseason conditioning program. Attendance has been excellent, so reported the St. Pete Times.
Today, in a short feature story today about Josh Freeman, the former bust-in-waiting tells Stephen Holder that he’s been throwing regularly to Sammie Stroughter, Maurice Stovall and Michael Clayton, but not his star tight end.
“Right now, this week is a big mental week. But I’ve been out with Maurice Stovall, Sammie Stroughter, Michael Clayton. All the guys. I think Kellen (Winslow) gets back tomorrow. I’m just trying to get a lot of work with the guys who are going to be a big part of our offense this year.”
Winslow is absent. No, he doesn’t need a note. And he doesn’t need to explain.
And he may very well have some pressing matters to attend to, such as being at home to supervise an electrician or to catch his dental hygienist before she goes on vacation. And he might have more serious personal commitments, too.
Joe will not judge. However, Joe’s a fan that would love to see the Bucs’ most talented offensive player with better attendance at One Buc Palace.
Joe’s got a right to want that in the very worst way.
April 1st, 2010 at 2:42 pm
Joe, I second that motion. Sapp would not approve, he hated when players(Meshawn inparticular, who he even lobbied for) weren’t there in the offseason, voluntary or not. They way they looked last year, this would be a great time to get on the same page or get some reps in with one of his main target.
April 1st, 2010 at 2:50 pm
I think the whole CBA that allows a player to only have to be at mandatory practices is BS anyway. They should NEVER have negotiated anything with “voluntary” stuff.
This guys get paid ALOT to play a game.Is it too hard to think that maybe they should be working as much as possible throught the year as well? Is it too much to ask that they show up and take care of the other stuff during there MONTHS off?
Wish I had months off every year and only had to show up voluntarily half the time for a few months.
April 1st, 2010 at 3:02 pm
I wouldn’t hold my breath that he’ll show up for most of the voluntary workouts.
April 1st, 2010 at 3:10 pm
He missed “voluntary” workouts last year and performed quite well, I dont really care if he misses these work outs, unless he shows up way out of shape or injured
April 1st, 2010 at 3:22 pm
i agree with you dave.. its a shame these guys get paid millions on top of millions and they cant show up to work out!!? cmon man i wish i could just not show up for a presentation i had to do at work or something. ITs ridiculous i would play for half of what these guys are making and not complain about a damn thing. Your paid to play a sport must be nice
April 1st, 2010 at 3:26 pm
I’d stay gone as much as I could too. He has shown what he can do when he is here. And probably wants to get as much rest as possible being that he will be Freeman’s only receiver at tight end this year, or should I just say only receiver period.
April 1st, 2010 at 3:57 pm
Winslow and offseason workouts are like his run blocking, their non existent. But don’t worry. He doesn’t need offseason work with his 3-13 team, while he is the highest paid tightend in the league. I can hear Cleveland still laughing!
April 1st, 2010 at 4:01 pm
my concern isnt k2 its stovall, straughter, bradley, and new guy brown to get a rythm wit freeman. K2 had a stellar season and i think this year will even be better. My concern is that i havent heard anything about brown practicing with freeman, thats not the start I intended for him to have, he needs to show more effort in becoming a starter for the buccs.
April 1st, 2010 at 4:14 pm
tampa2ali, “K2 had a stellar season” I’d love to hear what you would call Vernon Davis’ or Antonio Gates’ seasons? BTW they ranked the two spots before Win-slow’s #6 overall TE ranking. For some reason I think the highest paid TE in the whole league should produce a ranking as such.
April 1st, 2010 at 4:25 pm
Although I wish he would be there every day, the key word to the whole thing is “voluntary”. A lot of people would not show up to a job meeting if it were voluntary, so it’s really not that big of a deal. Most of the players from Miami train on their own anyway, and it tends to work out pretty well for them. I get a little tired of the argument that they make a ton of money so they should have to be there for something voluntary. Yes, they make a lot of money, but it’s all about perspective. If I make $50K per year, someone who makes $20K can say the same thing about me and expect me to do everything. Fact is, they have short careers, and if they are lucky, they will still be able to walk when they turn 50.
April 1st, 2010 at 4:51 pm
Winslow doesn’t worry me.
Maurice Stovall, Sammie Stroughter, Michael Clayton being a big part of the offense is terrifying.
April 1st, 2010 at 4:52 pm
hawaiianbucfan, “Fact is, they have short careers, and if they are lucky, they will still be able to walk when they turn 50.” I think we all know that, but nobody is twisting thier arms to play football. It’s their choice to play. They just happen to make a lot at it. The key word is “commitment”, you either have or not.
April 1st, 2010 at 4:54 pm
How many of us throwing stones have 100% attendance at all of our voluntary work functions???
April 1st, 2010 at 4:55 pm
Breaking News:
In an exclusive it was learned that Winslow missed the 1st day of camp while the locker room at One Buc Place was being disinfected to remove any traces of Staph.
“You just can’t be too carefule,” said a very nervous Kellen.
…back to regularly scheduled programming…
April 1st, 2010 at 5:27 pm
JOE
WINSLOW HAS ALREADY TOLD THE MEDIA HE IS HEADING BACK TO CALI FOR OFF-SEASON TRAINING WITH HIS PERSONAL TRAINER.
——————————————————-
STOP BUSTING THE GUYS BALLS PEOPLE, THIS IS WHAT HE DOES DURING EVERY OFF-SEASON.
April 1st, 2010 at 5:39 pm
“Eric Says:
April 1st, 2010 at 4:51 pm
Winslow doesn’t worry me.
Maurice Stovall, Sammie Stroughter, Michael Clayton being a big part of the offense is terrifying.”
LOL…I couldn’t agree more. Winslow works out in the offseason at home , always has, and big F*in deal.
He will be in shape like he always is , and he will be here for the mini-camps and the entire training camp.
Worry about our bum-ass Wr core instead…
April 1st, 2010 at 5:58 pm
Joe, your story mentions the excellent turnout (positive) but manages to find and focus on the one negative: Winslow is not there yet. Coincidence? I think not. Negative sells.
April 1st, 2010 at 6:30 pm
Joe here,
JimBuc – Joe writes what he feels at the moment, when he’s not reporting. There is no agenda to “sell anything.” Thankfully, lots of people enjoy reading what Joe has to say, whether they agree or not.. It’s really that simple. …Frankly, this site would never work if Joe was trying to follow some sort of script. You’d all see right through it. …As for this story, all the elements are here for anyone to make their own judgement. …Surely Joe doesn’t expect readers to share Joe’s opinions.
April 1st, 2010 at 6:43 pm
Oar you can’t compare winslow to those other TE look at the players they had around them. Winslow still put up good #’s with all the chaos on offence. Not to menton a rookie QB. He will match last season at worse this year.
April 1st, 2010 at 6:46 pm
A lot of people think that Clayton just has the natural ability to drop a key pass at the most inopportune time , or fumble after the catch.
Point in fact, just like all the greats he practices those basic fundamentals in the offseason to ensure hes ready to go from game one.
Nice to know the Glazers care so deeply about the team to have our young franchise QB’s working with one of the NFl elites. Hes bound to learn a lot.
April 1st, 2010 at 7:59 pm
I’m sure glad this site doesn’t have audio features where guest could actually speak instead of type. Could you imagine all the gum flapping that would be going on. Don’t get any ideas Joe
April 1st, 2010 at 9:39 pm
LOL!
April 1st, 2010 at 10:05 pm
From what I hear Kellen has a rigorous training schedule in San Diego with trainer Todd Durkin that is far better than the training program they have at the Bucs or any other NFL team for that matter. Anyone that knows anything about Winslow knows he’s a workaholic and is a true student of the game. Plus, he didn’t disappoint last year with what he had to work with which was, 2 offensive coordinators, and 4 different QBs if we count preseason. So give the guy a break, HE BROKE RECORDS last year with that garbage of a team.
April 1st, 2010 at 10:08 pm
Take a look for yourself at Winslow’s Workouts
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fdvsM-FR3H4
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HGcbs4fj_Jk
April 1st, 2010 at 10:20 pm
Actually id rather see the dude running patterns with Freeman and studying film than smacking tires with a hammer and throwing little bean bags.
But, whatever he did last year seemed to work.
I hope the Dream is lending his own personal touch with Clayton and Freeman.
Thank God AB or Boldin isn’t out there screwing the kid up.
April 2nd, 2010 at 1:00 am
They are called voluntary workouts. I really don’t care if he shows up for these. As long as he is here for training camp, that is all that matters. He’s already developed a chemistry with Freeman. It is not like he is the new guy. The guy probably had the best season a TE has ever had with TB. I would give him some leeway in this situation.
April 2nd, 2010 at 8:28 am
Travis, Oh yeah your right, cause that 49ers team is awesome, lol! And I guess your right, Antonio is in an older category too. My point is he was ranked #6, makes more than any other TE in the league. Zach Miller in Oakland is ranked #9. See my point?
April 2nd, 2010 at 8:31 am
Yeah you guys are right. Training with your own trainer in another state in only your second year on team with that rookie QB, sure builds that team camaraderie.
April 2nd, 2010 at 9:31 am
Camaraderie? you must have had your head in the sand last year. From the sham QB Battle, right through the kickers, and around the hirings and firings of the OC & DC coordinators, and the 40 red flags thrown! The only “Camaraderie” on the Bucs is when Morris and the boys go out to the clubs! Now that’s Team Camaraderie! Winslow will be fine. Freeman will get better in spite of an amatuer head coach & the blocking icon. It’s the owners and amatuers running the team that you have to worry about!
April 2nd, 2010 at 10:02 am
tampa2, That’s right, with all that crap last year, it is needed even more this one. He might have had a better year had he gotten here for the offseason stuff last year, cause even though he had a decent year they still weren’t on the same page at times. Ever think of that?
BTW you don’t have to tell me about all in ineptness of the Bucs and Raheem last year. You obviously haven’t read some of my other posts.
April 2nd, 2010 at 12:33 pm
Oar SF was alot better then our team last season… Bryant was great 2 yrs ago last year he did not play to well. He was hurt to much. SF Has a better qb then we do as of now and you ever hear of gore that guy is pretty good. You don’t have to lead the league in stats just because he makes the most money at position. His play was good enough last season to be worth the money he made imo.
April 2nd, 2010 at 1:37 pm
Travis, That’s cool that’s why they are called opinions. I have mine and you have yours. BTW we’ll see about Win-slow this year. He can’t block and quits quite a bit on plays.
April 2nd, 2010 at 1:39 pm
BTW maybe Veronon Davis’ numbers help make the 49er’s a better team than us?
April 2nd, 2010 at 4:48 pm
OAR…if you think working out in Tampa in the offseason is the only thing that kept him from matching Vernon Davis’s numbers , you are smoking crack.
It had absolutely nothing to do with it , and the bottom line is he is still the best player on our offense. He should be the least of your worries right now.
April 2nd, 2010 at 5:43 pm
Can you people quit whining about Winslow? He’s pretty much the only light that our offense only has other than Cadillac, Freeman, and Graham. You want to complain? Complain about our pitiful receiving corps.
Oh, and I’ll say it right now. WR and Defensive line are our biggest needs right now. Period!
A lot of clueless people think we need another RB! I keep hearing about LaGarrette Blount, Dexter McCluster, etc! WHY? Why do we need another running back? RB is the least of our worries right now. We have several talented running backs in Cadillac, Ward, and Graham! Derrick Ward doesn’t suck, he just simply did not get enough touches last year. Cadillac, had a great comeback season. Oh, and has everybody forgotten how good of a back Earnest Graham is? He never got a single touch last year because he always had to freakin play fullback when he could’ve been taking it to the house! He got screwed big time. Last year, we were always passing the damn ball because we were always trailing.
April 2nd, 2010 at 5:51 pm
Radio, Crack is whack, baby! Why you got some to buy? Give me a break. How do you know it didnt have an effect on his play. Missing time with three different QB’s in the offseason seems like it would have an effect too me. He’s the best receiver on the team right now, which isn’t saying much considering now that Byrant is gone and who is left on the team. Like I said, he can’t block and quits quite a bit on plays when his number isn’t called.
April 2nd, 2010 at 8:21 pm
Looks like OAR is a hater no matter how much anyone tries to reason with him. Thats fine, like he said everyone is entitled to their own opinion. I just dont want to see you all of a sudden become a K2 fan, when he puts up another big year this season. Hopefully “Brick Hands” Clayton can step up and give Winslow some help so he’s not double/tripled team all the time.