BEREA — Tight end Kellen Winslow has been called for a pass interference penalty in each of the last two losses — both in the fourth quarter as the Browns tried to avoid blowing large second-half leads.
After the most recent defeat to Denver, Winslow said he gets penalized once a game and doesn’t understand why. The defense tries to be physical with him when he comes off the line of scrimmage, and when he fights back he feels he gets unjustly punished.
Coach Romeo Crennel declined to disagree with the officials’ calls when given the chance Thursday.
“Not every call is a good call but generally they call what they see,” Crennel said. “There is some jostling going on a lot of times but not as much on this last penalty that he got. Sometimes you’re going to have to give up on that because if they’re calling you for pass interference and you’re trying to get the guys off of you, then it’s a little counterproductive.
“A talent like he is, they’re going to try to beat him up and he’s got to understand that. The best way to deal with it is to run your route and make the catch when the ball comes. That’s what he’s got to focus on.”
Winslow had his most productive game of the season against the Broncos in Brady Quinn’s first start. He caught 10 passes for 111 yards and a career-high two touchdowns. He also lost a fumble and dropped a fourth-down pass on the final drive.
“I’ve been pretty successful in the past here,” Winslow said Thursday. “We knew Brady was going to do a good job and he did. My job is just to make plays for this team, which I didn’t make enough to try to help this team win.”
Winslow, who has one of the biggest personalities on the team, was asked about running back Jamal Lewis’ comments that some of the Browns need to check their egos.
“Jamal doesn’t say much and when he does say something, people listen,” Winslow said. “I just think everybody was frustrated. It’s just disappointing how the season has gone so far for us and I think everybody’s frustrated.”
In seven games this year — he missed one with an illness and another after a suspension was rescinded — Winslow has 36 catches for 362 yards and three touchdowns.

It’s too late

Crennel’s beloved 3-4 defensive scheme came under fire after the defense allowed 17 and 21 points in the fourth quarters of the last two games. He was asked about a switch to the more conventional 4-3 alignment.
“I considered it early when we had more depth along the defensive line, but when we started losing guys on the defensive line that option was somewhat taken away,” he said.
End Robaire Smith (Achilles’ tendon) was lost for the season in Week 2, end/nose tackle Shaun Smith missed three games with a broken hand and end Corey Williams has been slowed by a sore shoulder.

More Jerome

Backup running back Jerome Harrison touched the ball five straight times on a first-half possession in the loss to Denver. He rushed four times for 44 yards and caught one pass for 9 yards on a field-goal drive.
Despite the success, he carried just once for 4 yards the rest of the game.
“We planned to try to use him and that’s why we got him into the game in the first half,” Crennel said. “The ball wasn’t in his hands in the second half as much so we’re going to try to see if we can be a little bit more consistent on getting the ball in his hands.”
For the year, Harrison has averaged 7.5 yards on 17 carries and 13.7 yards on six catches. Lewis, the starter, leads the AFC with 167 carries.

Extra points

Crennel said outside linebacker Shantee Orr will be more involved in a rotation Monday night against the Buffalo Bills. He will share time with starters Kamerion Wimbley and Willie McGinest and backup Alex Hall.
“He’s been a good performer on special teams for us and then he’s shown some pass rush ability in practice,” Crennel said of Orr.
Crennel had already announced that cornerback Travis Daniels and safety Mike Adams would see more playing time in rotations.
• Fullback Lawrence Vickers (ankle) was the only Brown to miss practice. Left guard Eric Steinbach (oblique) returned in a limited role.
Contact Scott Petrak at 329-7253 or spetrak@chroniclet.com. 

---

Print this story
Report an inappropriate comment

---

In order to comment, you must agree to our user agreement and discussion guidelines.

Need help? Email Us.

---