You are correct. The stats are striking, but there is no way you can pin yesterday’s loss on Winslow. Coming into the game, with team 2-0 without Kellen and appearing by all accounts to be functioning better on offense without him, I think it is certainly fair to pose the question of whether the Browns are better or worse with Kellen on the field.

However, yesterday’s loss was a total team effort — from the coaches, to the D, to the QB, to Braylon f-ing Edwards, everyone. As I said in my recap, Kellen actually made some good plays, and they had him split out at WR for a lot of the game, minimizing his blocking failures.

All in all, yesterday was just a pathetic, horrid loss. And I don’t feel any better about it this morning than I did last night.

This is now Monday morning following the Browns 37-27 implosion on Sunday, in a bitter defeat, a winable game that the Browns did not close on; worse, the Browns looked like sissies, caving into the pressure of the more physical Ravens,

Baltimore came into Cleveland Browns Stadium with a huge chip on its shoulder, a team determined to win despite some mistakes, some setbacks such as Joshua Cribbs brilliant 92-yard TD and a hostile home team crowd. (Although the crowd also boo’d loudly D.A.’s uneven performance and Braylon Edwards’ game-changing drop. (Edwards catches that ball late in the fourth quarter and the Browns win, 34-30. My latest Browns game fantasy.)

And yes, Kellen Winslow played and caught five passes. But the Browns also used Steve Heiden, secondary tight end much more effectively. And if anything, Winslow was a non-factor in the game.

So to suggest the Browns bench Kellen to increase the odds of winning is a weak argument; a moot point — at least in Sunday’s 37-27 loss.

Edwards is more the show-off, the hot dog, the mouthy dude who offers an excuse for every dropped pass, every real and imagined slight. Over the past weeks, Edwards has explained away his poor play at wide receiver because of recovering from an injury (spiked heel caused by running a race with Donte Stallworth after practice — in his stocking feet. Braylon won the race, and Donte accidentally stepped on his foot.)

Edwards has also said, “We underestimated the opponent” (Washington Redskins); and complained, he was “not perfect.”

He has also said more than once that Browns fans do not like him because he is from Michigan as in the University of Michigan Wolverines, longtime rival of The Ohio State University Buckeyes.

Braylon, I am an OSU alumnus, and remember that in your rookie year with the Browns, you hired a helicopter to fly to Columbus for a Michigan-Ohio State game — and returned to Cleveland late.

But despite having loyalty to my alma mater, I don’t care if you attended That School up North or went to the College of the Planet Mars. Just catch the friggin’ ball!

Forget the excuses. Sunday’s crushing loss was not Derek Anderson’s fault this week. Given the fact that it was late in the fourth, a must score situation, you were open and on your way to score… that drop cost the Browns momentum, the team’s last good field position, made Anderson began to doubt himself and turned the 12th player — the crowd — against you.

Braylon if you catch that ball, you are the hero you yearn to be. The players, the crowd embrace you, you can play air guitar in the end zone, do back flips, whatever. All your previous dropped passes and stupid excuses are forgotten and forgiven.

No, it wasn’t Winslow’s return that led to the loss; it was Edwards’ poor performance when it counted — and the Browns playing not to lose — rather than to win.

Thanks for placing the poll into action. You were looking to hear from me, so here it is….. You have to play this a__Hole as long as he is on your roster. He is paid too much money and has too much talent to sit. Remember, right now he is showcasing his abilities for other teams, that is why his mouth has shut up. His agent has to be telling him that every time his gums flap, he loses millions of dollars. Which is why the Browns should be able to get productivity out of him.

With that said, his me, me, me attitude appears to not help the offensive production at all. I can not understand how our offense can produce without him in the line up. Steve Heiden is a slightly above average TE with no big play ability, but does all of the “little things” very well. When it was Heiden and Aaron Shea, they were top 10 in the NFL for production amongst TE’s for team stats. I could not figure out why the Browns wasted a draft pick on him when our TE position was far from our weakest at that time. Then we did not have his services for the next two years after that.

The chemistry with the Browns offense appears to be far better minus K2, and with our other needs on the field, like a shut down corner back for instance, I for the life of me cannot understand why he was not dealt prior to the trade deadline. The front office appears to not like him, and you know it is the same in return. The Browns better not go al-la Bengals and just release talent (Rudi Johnson) and get nothing in return!

Kurt