By Zac Jackson, Staff Writer
July 31, 2006


Kellen Winslow Press Conference 7-31-06


What you thought you knew about Kellen Winslow is probably about to
change.

Winslow opened up Monday in his first public comments since training
camp began, revealing that the torn ACL suffered in his May 2005
motorcycle accident wasn't even the worst injury his right knee
sustained, and because of those injuries he'll "probably never be 100
percent" the same player he was before.

What's driven him to come back from those injuries was among a wide
range of topics Winslow discussed including his maturity level, his
public persona, his quarterback and his plans to be "on top" of the
NFL.

By the way - those plans haven't changed.

"I think my 90 percent is still better than every tight end out
there," he said.

Winslow said very few people previously knew the significance of his
knee injury following the motorcycle accident. In addition to the
torn ACL, he fractured his femur and tore some connective tissue that
supported his kneecap.

"The worst thing was the knee bruise (from the) impact I had with the
ground," Winslow said. "My knee was just all banged up. It was about
the size of a basketball in the hospital.

"I was crying and all that. But there was never a doubt in my mind
that I would be back."

Others have had doubts, and for the first time Winslow admitted that
he reads everything that's written about him. But as much as he's
motivated by those who doubt his ability to come back or criticize
what he's done in the past, he said he's equally tired of reading
about what might have been or what still might be.

"My goals haven't changed, but it's all hype right now," he
said. "I'm sick of talking about it.


Kellen Winslow and Charlie Frye


Photo By John H. Reid III


"I'm tired of hearing about my potential. I know what I can do. I'm
ready to get on the field and do it."

Back to Action

Winslow has been close to a full-time participant in training camp;
he was held out of one practice and might be held out of others
periodically as a precautionary measure. He said he's getting used to
being back on the field, sometimes twice a day, and sometimes he
feels better than others.

"It does take some getting used to," he said. "The humidity out
there, I didn't know it got like that in Cleveland. But two years
off, yeah, it takes some getting used to."

Before he was drafted by the Browns, Cleveland probably wasn't
exactly on Winslow's list of vacation hotspots. He said he had a
similar unsure feeling last year when the Browns drafted a
quarterback he'd never heard of.

"I'm from San Diego," Winslow said. "I didn't know who Charlie Frye
was. I went to the University of Miami. I was like, `Who is this guy?
He's from Akron.'"

Now, Frye is the guy throwing the ball to Winslow. They were
practically inseparable in the spring, throwing passes, working out,
watching film and playing video games. Winslow even made a trip to
Frye's hometown of Willard, Ohio.

Winslow said his relationship with Frye is "awesome. We have a very
good relationship. He's one of my best friends on the team."

In Winslow, Frye met his competitive match - and then some. A known
workaholic and football junkie, Frye said Winslow pushed him even
further.

Extra passes. Extra lifting. Extra time in the film room.

"It's everyday with him," Frye said. "You come to work every day."

Winslow's passion and fire are evident on the field at training camp.
He's full-go all the time, extending to catch passes and adamant
about wanting to catch more of them.

Winslow said his best attribute is "the burning desire to succeed.
Ability only takes you so far."

"You love his attitude," Browns coach Romeo Crennel said.

Crennel said the "soldier" incident from 2003, shortly after the
University of Miami lost to Tennessee and Winslow lost his cool in
front of waiting TV cameras, left a lasting impression on a lot of
people.

"I think some of the things that happened in college stuck with him
as he came to the NFL," Crennel said. "He is not a negative guy. I
haven't found him to be a bad person or a guy who you wouldn't want
to be around. He's a pretty good teammate."

"After that incident, people got the wrong perception of me - that I
was a jerk," Winslow said. "I'm just a competitive guy who wants to
always win.

"If you guys believe me, I don't have that big of an ego."


Kellen Winslow signs autographs for fans


Photo By John H. Reid III


Impact Player

The Browns are hoping they'll finally have their tight end of the
future, the son of a Hall of Famer who they were counting on so
heavily when they traded up to select him with the sixth overall pick
in the 2004 NFL Draft.

Winslow said some days he feels like he's 95 percent healthy; other
days it's more like 80 or 85. But he insists he hasn't lost a step
and can still be the player he - and so many others - thought he
would be.

"About two practices ago, I had a long run," he said. "I didn't get
caught. I thought I was going to get caught. That's how I gauge
myself. I haven't lost a step.

"Some days, I feel real good. Some days I don't feel so good. The two
years off and all of the surgeries I had to go through takes its
toll."

Crennel said Winslow's biggest challenge is grasping everything
that's being thrown at him mentally. The Browns want him to line up
as a tight end, in the slot, as a wide receiver - anywhere he can
exploit a mismatch against a safety who's not big enough to cover
Winslow or a linebacker who's not fast enough to run with him.

That means in some situations and formations, Winslow needs to know
four different roles. Crennel said Winslow doesn't always immediately
get the new things he's asked to do, but he asks questions. He
studies. And when he learns all those roles and positions?

"He's going to be a matchup problem for some defenses," Crennel
said. "He has enough talent that when he gets it right, he'll be a
force."

"He can play wide-out, he can play defensive end, he can play
anything he wants," Frye said. "He's that good of a player."

The Big Picture

The Browns drafted Braylon Edwards in 2005, but Winslow's motorcycle
accident a week later put the team's plans of creating a dynamic 1-2
receiving punch on hold. Edwards is back now - at least on a non-
contact basis - and the vision of lining up Edwards and Winslow on
the same side of the field is closer to reality.

"It's nice to see them out there," Frye said.

Winslow admitted it's nice just to be out there, to be working and
running, cracking helmets with linebackers and coming closer to
playing in games that matter. The Browns' preseason opener Aug. 10 in
Philadelphia will be Winslow's first football game in 98 weeks.

He's been humbled, tested and pushed. More tests are ahead, but his
swagger is back - even if it does come in a more polished, more low-
key package.

"I'm older now, more mature," Winslow said.

Two weeks ago, he turned 23. Winslow said he envisioned himself at
this point as "the best, on top. But some things happen for a reason.
Now is my time.

"I'm ready. I'm ready to go."