A Clear Eyes, Full Heart Look at the K2 Trade, 24 Hours Later...
Ok guys. First off I apologize about my meltdown yesterday. At the time, I was caught off-guard by the trade. As a fan of the team, Kellen Winslow (along with Josh Cribbs) was my favorite player.
Now that I've had 24 hours to digest what happened, I'm thinking more clearly and kinda understand why the Browns did this....
1. Kellen had 2 years left on his contract, but ever since last year, he wanted to renegotiate the contract for more money and more years. His agent is the infamous Drew Rosenhaus. By trading him, they avoided a possible distraction and holdout over the lofty contract K2 would surely seek.
2. Kellen has been through a lot physically. During his 2nd pro-game as a rookie, he broke his leg. The following year, he tore his ACL in a motorcycle accident. 4 surgeries later and after several bouts with staff infections, Kellen has never been the same. As great of a talent as he is, his best days are behind him and sadly he will never be the player that he could've been before the injuries.
3. As much as I hate to admit it, my Browns are more than a TE away from competing for the playoffs and the Super Bowl. Eric Mangini and GM George Kokinis have a plan of re-building this team through the draft. By doing so, we need to stockpile picks. Sadly, K2 was expendable.
Goodbye Kellen. And thank you for the memories. I've sat throug many hard Browns loses, but when you were out there you made us proud. You played with an effort rarely seen. Even though you played in your fathers shadow, I'm sure you made him proud. You caught everthing thrown your way. Often times with 2 or 3 guys hanging off you. You battled through many rehab sessions after the countless injuries you've suffered to your knees. When gameday came, if you were able to stand, I knew we could count on you lining up. And you played with an awsome passion. You gave the loyal fans of Cleveland something to be proud of. We appreciate the way you played here Kellen. Good luck in Tampa.
One particular play that I will always remember Kellen by, was this strong stiff-arm to Joey Porter. Wow, that was awesome!
[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=06ibcmu0qIM"]Kellen Winslow stiff arm on Porter[/ame]
