‘Twas an interesting, enigmatic choice by Romeo to bench Wheelie at the outset of Saturday’s exhibition at Denver.
One Watercooler poster heard radio analyst Doug Dieken say that “Crennel is disciplining Winslow for mental mistakes last week.”
Beat writer Jeff Schudel reports thusly:
The easy conclusion is Winslow was being punished for some rule infraction, perhaps missing curfew or being tardy to a team meeting, but Crennel said Winslow did not do anything wrong, that he kept Winslow on the sideline because he wanted to see Heiden in the starting lineup.
The explanation seems flimsy.
True. But it’s at least not inconsistent with Dieken’s reported remark, which I take to mean that Crennel pinned some of the blame for the Detroit debacle on the weakest part of Wheelie’s game: his brain. Anderson’s interception near the goal line, where Wheelie and Steve Heiden were both in the same zone, may be the most tangible example.
So after one quarter of exile, Wheelie takes the field as the Browns go for it on fourth-and-two. Twitch. False start. Time to punt. Hmmm.
This takes nothing away from his later game-leading achievements, including a superb catch up the seam. Winslow’s hands and heart are truly remarkable. But it’s Romeo who called attention to the mental issue by his conspicuous method of message-sending. It’s a curious decision: did he really think the media and fans would buy that lame explanation and leave it alone?
The underlying if unstated point is not without merit. For all his talent as a pass-catcher and his courage in rehabbing what could have been devastating injuries, Wheelie has always had his problems getting lined up right, running the correct routes, and avoiding penalties.
Last season, he was flagged seven times, tied with Hank Fraley for second most on the team, behind Kevin Shaffer’s nine. (I include declined or offset fouls in my totals.) For the record, that’s two for pass interference, two personal fouls, one taunting call, one hold and a false start.
No one else had more than four. By contrast, the Detroit Diva, for all his troubles last year, was at least never penalized by the refs.
The Browns and their new offense will have their share of struggles this season, so anything they can do to prevent their stars from shooting their own feet, no matter how clumsily handled, is a welcome development.
