"The wheels on the bus go (thud) (thud) (splat)
(thud) (thud) (splat)
(thud) (thud) (splat)
The wheels on the bus go (thud) (thud) (splat)
All through C-town"
Kellen and the Winslows
© Soulja Records, 2006
One week after uplifting and coming to the defense of Maurice Carthon,
Kellen Winslow was again given the chance to throw his support at the
embattled coordinator.
This time, though, the tight end lifted up Carthon and heaved him underneath
the nearest rolling Greyhound.
Coming off an embarrassing loss to the Bengals, the tight end blasted the
coaching staff for inexplicably keeping him off the field on several third
downs, the conservative nature of offense, and Carthon's inability to
differentiate between a salad fork and a shrimp fork.
(I'm making that last one up.)
(I think.)
While Carthon was not mentioned by name during the TE's public airing of
offensive dirty laundry, the laser sight on Winslow's verbal MACH-10 was aimed
squarely at the coordinator's temple.
"I think we're being a little too conservative right now," Winslow told
reporters.
"We just need to unleash it. You know, why wait? It was a division game and
we're 0-2 so we have nothing to lose."
Winslow seemed particularly frustrated by the fact that he was taken off the
field and replaced when the team went to three wide receivers and two running
backs. On at least three occasions, that was the substitution package
utilized by Carthon and head coach Romeo Crennel.
Needless to say, the packages made little sense to Winslow.
"(It's) very frustrating. We're losing and I'm not on the field. I just don't
get it," said Winslow of watching third downs from the sidelines.
"I'm a competitor. I want the ball. Everybody wants the ball, but it's a team
game. There's 10 other guys on the field. Like I said, we got to get our
playmakers the ball and just unleash it."
The third-year veteran, who played in just his fourth NFL game yesterday,
used both Dallas and the New York Giants as examples to how he should be used in
this offense in particular.
"The Giants run the same system as we do. The Cowboys run the same system as
we do," Winslow explained. "And (Jason) Whitten and (Jeremy)
Shockey are on the field on third down. I just don't understand why I'm
not on the field sometimes."
When asked if he's gone to Carthon and aired the concerns over how he's being
utilized, the TE had a simple answer.
"I have."
Winslow has also discussed the offensive woes with quarterback Charlie Frye and TE coach Ben Coates, but that makes little difference as he
feels that "some of the coaches might just be holding us back a little bit."
During the course of his conversation with reporters, Winslow used the words
"playmaker" or "playmakers" repeatedly and often.
His theme was simple: get the ball into the hands of said playmakers.
"I just think we need to get our playmakers the ball. We just need to do a
better job of getting the ball in our playmakers' hands. Basically that's it. We
got to execute and when the ball comes we got to make the play."
Whatever has happened with the offense in the past two games--and whomever
may or may not be at fault--Winslow knows one thing. Something has to
give.
"It has to. If we want to win," when asked if he expected things to change.
"Not just myself, but we need our playmakers on the field. I'm just a
playmaker, man. I just want to make plays and win."
Perhaps the most damning statement made by Winslow came from his answer to
the question of whether his message has gotten across to the coaching staff.
In his response, Winslow put the onus for improving the offense squarely on the
shoulders of the offensive coaches.
"There's so much talk. It doesn't even matter anymore sometimes. It's just up
to them," Winslow said.