RENTON, Wash.—The Seahawks have made a habit of making last-minute additions under coach Pete Carroll.
It was the subtraction of Kellen Winslow that came as a shock one week before the start of the regular season.
Seattle acquired Winslow in May after Tampa Bay decided to unload him for what was believed to be a seventh-round pick in next year's draft. Winslow was going to be more than an afterthought in Seattle, though. He was going to be the second tight end, which the Seahawks would use often in conjunction with the starter Zach Miller.
Two tight end formations were going to be a staple of Seattle's offense, forcing the defense into a decision. Do you load up and stop the run? If so, Seattle would try to exploit when linebackers were matched up on either of those tight ends. Go with a nickel package to stop the pass? Seattle would try to run behind them.
So what happened?
Well, Winslow's knee was a problem, but everyone knew that going in. His practice regimen must be lightened, and there are times during the season where he's unable to do much between games. He played in Seattle's last three exhibition games, but his knee is something that would have to be monitored throughout the season.
The real issue was his salary, though. He was scheduled to make $3.3 million, a subject that has been an issue for months. When Winslow refused a final request to take a paycut, Seattle released him and signed Evan Moore instead.
The big winner in the transaction might be Anthony McCoy, though. He is Seattle's third-year tight end out of USC, who led Seattle in receiving yardage during the exhibition season. He's not quite the receiver that Winslow is, and he's not quite as good of a blocker as Miller, but McCoy is a well-rounded player who now steps into that role as Seattle's second tight end.
source: aol.sportingnews.com
