Kellen Winslow Jr. Comeback:

[Merlin]

Disclaimer: I think he's a selfish douche, but man this offense could use a boost so worth a look?
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Kellen Winslow Jr. Comeback: 'I Can Still Be One of the League's Top Tight Ends'
By Kellen Winslow, Contributor Apr 18, 2016

I love the game of football.

Playing in the NFL has been my main goal since I was five years old—my son's age right now. It's all I know. I grew up not just watching and loving this game but living it. Being able to see my dad play gave me a different perspective on football; it made me want to experience that same feeling of greatness.

I miss it. Miss the locker room. Miss bonding with the guys and the coaches. I miss running out of the tunnel and hearing the roar of the fans. I still watch the game, but it's hard, because I feel like I should be out there.

I've spent my time away from the NFL doing a lot of thinking. Thinking about how to get back to the game I love. About the journey to get there. About what it will take mentally to fulfill my destiny.

I've learned a lot during my time away from football. Too many things to name. I've learned everyone makes mistakes. I've made them. But there were positives to be taken away each time.

Tony Dejak/Associated Press

My motorcycle accident [in 2005] was horrible, no doubt. I almost died. But it made me who I am today. It made me stronger. Made me have to study more. It put me on a journey I never could have imagined.

In some ways, my comeback is similar. Getting a second chance, being able to come back and play again. I've been out of the league for two years, and now it's time to once again prove the doubters wrong. That strength will help.

I learned from my positive performance-enhancing drug test that an athlete is responsible for what he puts into his body. I trusted a doctor here in San Diego whom I went to for allergies and inflammation, and I got burned—straight up.

I had been in the NFL a decade, and in my 10th season I tested positive. I'm not the first guy it's happened to, and I'm sure I won't be the last. But like I said, an athlete is responsible for what he puts into his body. I should have known better.

But I can't control what's already happened. All I can do is learn from it, move on and get to work.

And that's what I've been doing. It's all I've been doing. All I can think about. I'm all-in. I don't take days off because I feel like it would be a day wasted.

There's been physical work, too, of course. I turned into a serious cyclist a couple of years ago. I did it to help with training while I was playing, but as time passed and no teams called, I dove into training like a Cat. 1 rider—putting in 200-plus miles a week with barely any days off.

Cycling helped me unbelievably. It really transformed my body. I used to be so explosive on the field and depended on that, but cycling has turned me into an endurance athlete, and now I can rely on both.

If there's one thing I don't do a lot of as I train with an eye toward playing in the NFL again, it's lift weights. Everything I do is "body weight" (squats, pushups, etc.). The focus is on flexibility and endurance. Speed and agility over power.

I also run five to six times per week. Back when I was playing, I missed a lot of practices because I just couldn't run all the time. It's because I didn't know how to rehab properly. So I'm trying to build my endurance. It's funny—a silver lining to my time away. I'm healthier now than I have been in years. It's been a big gain for me in that respect.

I'm 32. I’m not a rookie, but I definitely still have a lot of football left in me. But with every year that goes by, I see my window closing. So I am hungrier than ever. I won’t let this be the end to my NFL career and my story.

I'm staying positive. There's been some interest from a few teams, and I'm confident that things will work out for the best. That I'll get another opportunity to play in the NFL.

And I honestly believe I can still be one of the league's top tight ends. That there's still a lot I can offer a team. I haven't forgotten how to play football or run routes. I still have a tenacious work ethic and knowledge of the game.

TONY DEJAK/Associated Press

I'm highly competitive. I think I push guys. I push them to another level. Whether it's in practice or a game. It's just something I feel. I am extremely competitive. I thrive off competition. I want to be the best, but I want the guy next to me to be the best, too. The better they do, the harder I work, so I am constantly pushing and motivating my teammates because that inevitably pushes and motivates me.

I push my opponents, too. Whoever I'm going against, I feel like they can't cover me. That's just how I feel. I think about beating guys all time, whether it's off the snap or down the field.

I just love the game of football. It's in my blood. It's who I am. The team that signs me will be getting someone who loves the game. Every time I am on the field, this overwhelming feeling comes over me: the feeling that this is where I am supposed to be.

I just feel at home there. At home on the football field.

And it's time for me to come home.

 

[-X-]

Disclaimer: I think he's a selfish douche, but man this offense could use a boost so worth a look?

Absolutely.

 

[Dodgersrf]

If he can catch 1st downs. I'm game.
We don't need a home run threat at TE. Just a guy that can keep drives going.

I still think Kendrick can be our guy, we just done have much behind him.

 

[Legatron4]

I totally forgot about him. When's the last time he played? I wouldn't mind bringing him in at all. Just reading a little of the article he doesn't seem like a douche.

 

[jrry32]

I'd be okay with giving him a veteran minimum deal with incentives and see what he could in training camp. If he can be an effective 3rd down target who can help us move the chains, why not?

 

[Mackeyser]

I REALLY like what he was talking about with his endurance training and isometrics. One of the big reasons guys stray into PED usage is because the body has such huge recovery demands just to build those huge muscles of from heavy lifting.

Also, isometrics tend to keep the muscles more elastic and less prone to tears.

As long as he's stretching his pelvic attached muscle core (quads, hamstrings, hip flexors, back muscles, obliques and abdominals), he should be fine. I used to put in between 2-300 miles a week training triathlon (not easy working full time) and without stretching, there are problems. I'm living with some of them now.

Still, he's on what sounds like a well thought out path and I wonder if he gets a shot in the league.

 

[Mojo Ram]

I wonder if he just needs the money tor one final mini payday.

 

[Mojo Ram]

Rams should take a look into where he's at physically and mentally.

 

[RB80]

No, they cancelled it this year.

 

[Ramhusker]

Well, I'd think the odds of him being effective are slim but you never know. Nobody did more to keep their body up than SJ did and Father Time still won.

 

[PARAM]

I wonder if he just needs the money tor one final mini payday.

Or maybe these last couple years his pop has been ragging him about not having as many receptions, yards or TDs as Sr. despite playing a year longer. Maybe it's mini payday but he'd probably need 2 seasons to catch pops in receptions and 5 years for TDs. Though roid rage guys are good for a handful of personal fouls calls per year, if it didn't cost much to test him......(and I mean on the field not drug test)....why not look?

 

[OldSchool]

I'm usually the first to say screw this we don't need any over rated aging veterans but in this case what the hell. He'll come cheap and with a one or two year deal. Give it a shot.

 

[jjab360]

I wouldn't mind it, at vet minimum.

I'd also like to look into bringing back Wes Welker. The cupboard is very bare at receiver right now, and we don't have much draft capital to work with. I don't want to put Goff in the same situation we put Bradford in.

 

[Roman Snow]

I REALLY like what he was talking about with his endurance training and isometrics. One of the big reasons guys stray into PED usage is because the body has such huge recovery demands just to build those huge muscles of from heavy lifting.

Also, isometrics tend to keep the muscles more elastic and less prone to tears.

As long as he's stretching his pelvic attached muscle core (quads, hamstrings, hip flexors, back muscles, obliques and abdominals), he should be fine. I used to put in between 2-300 miles a week training triathlon (not easy working full time) and without stretching, there are problems. I'm living with some of them now.

Still, he's on what sounds like a well thought out path and I wonder if he gets a shot in the league.

Good points Mac. I was thinking some of the same things. May be worth a look.

 

[LesBaker]

He wasn't that good when he was playing and now he has had a few years off and we are supposed to think he can still do it......ELOHEL

There is a reason why he was cut from the Bucs, Jets and Patriots. He isn't any good.

Plus he's a dickhead.

 

[ProGen]

Plus he's a dickhead.

 

[dieterbrock]

Or maybe these last couple years his pop has been ragging him about not having as many receptions, yards or TDs as Sr. despite playing a year longer. Maybe it's mini payday but he'd probably need 2 seasons to catch pops in receptions and 5 years for TDs. Though roid rage guys are good for a handful of personal fouls calls per year, if it didn't cost much to test him......(and I mean on the field not drug test)....why not look?

I don't know about Pops busting his chops but I Know his Pops would have done anything to have kept playing. That knee injury that finished off his career was awful and he tried like heck to come back. Maybe SR planting the "what I would have done for one more game" seed in his head is taking root.

 

[Dodgersrf]

I'm usually the first to say screw this we don't need any over rated aging veterans but in this case what the hell. He'll come cheap and with a one or two year deal. Give it a shot.

I remember when Randal Cunningham was out of football and working construction. Our Rams were considering signing him. Randal wanted 2 million a year. I laughed at the ridiculous pay request.
2 Mill? For R. Cunningham? NFW!

We signed Steve Walsh instead. uke:

Randal went on to have some very good years in Minn.

 

[Merlin]

I don't know about Pops busting his chops but I Know his Pops would have done anything to have kept playing. That knee injury that finished off his career was awful and he tried like heck to come back. Maybe SR planting the "what I would have done for one more game" seed in his head is taking root.

Yeah you gotta think it's rough for him to look back and how he squandered his career, looking at his dad's career. I mean can you imagine having the talent he had but not doing anything really with it? And having the daily reminder that your dad's a hall of famer?

If the Rams were to give him a look my hope is that the time away from the game made him wake the F up and realize how good he had it. That he'd find the dedication to his craft that he lacked the first time around. So I'll throw my vote in with you guys that I'm ok with a vet minimum, prove-it type deal. And the first moment he acts the douche he's cut.