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Around Fantasyland: Tight ends (Pro Football Weekly)

The obvious big news was Kellen Winslow being traded by the Buccaneers to the Seahawks and the Bucs signing ex-Colt Dallas Clark. However, there was more good news out of San Diego and it appears the fantasy TE class is as deep as it has been in recent years.

 

2012 NFL Thursday Night Schedule (Yahoo! Contributor Network)

The 2012 Thursday night football schedule has quite a few exciting games, with many of them consisting of division rivalries. The way that the Thursday night games play out could shape the divisional races, possibly bringing NFL fans a very exciting docket.

 

Having finally landed, Kellen Winslow looks for a fresh start in Seattle (Shutdown Corner)

RENTON, Wa. -- Fresh off his second cross-country trip in the last week, former Tampa Bay Buccaneers and current Seattle Seahawks tight end Kellen Winslow is still getting up to speed in his new environs after the trade that got him out of Greg Schiano's doghouse and onto Pete Carroll's roster. Winslow was told last Saturday by Schiano, the Bucs' new coach, that he was persona non grata after missing a series of organized team activities, and the Bucs shipped the productive tight end to Seattle for a 2013 seventh-round pick (conditional sixth). So you'll forgive Winslow if he wasn't participating in team reps during Thursday's practice -- after flying from San Diego to Tampa to hear of the trade, and then from Tampa to Seattle to complete it, he might have been a bit jet-lagged. "It's kind of shocking, but that's what it is," Winslow told Ross Tucker of SIRIUS NFL Radio on Monday morning. "[Schiano] said he was upset that I wasn't working out with the team in the offseason, and then, the first week of OTAs. But, look -- I've been there the last three years, and I've had a successful career so far, and you just don't get rid of one of your best players because of that. That's just what I was told, but I have nothing bad to say about coach Schiano -- it was just a disagreement on why I'm not there yet. I was training in San Diego, and I was going to start [in OTAs with the team] today, but I got the call on Saturday that they're looking for somebody else." Similarly "lagged" in 2011 was the Seattle passing offense, especially at Winslow's position. Despite the free-agency acquisition of Zach Miller and a propensity for two-tight-end formations (39 percent last season), the Seahawks got just 25 receptions out of Miller, and he led the team. Winslow, in Tampa Bay's hamstrung offense, caught three times as many balls for the Bucs -- so, on the surface, Pete Carroll's excitement about the deal was understandable. [ Y! Sports Fantasy Minute: Unlucky break for fantasy football star ] "Kellen is a unique football player," Carroll said after practice. "He's got special talents. He's got a tremendous record of consistency, and I think we add a guy that we know can make things happen. But we think it's just a fantastic addition because he can make things happen, he can make plays, should be a big factor on third down and the red zone and we'll see how we fit him in. It's going to take us awhile to do that, but we're really fired up." The injury history is an issue -- Winslow has had six separate surgeries on his right knee -- but he hasn't missed a game in the last three years and caught at least 66 passes in each of those campaigns. He's not a dominant player, but he is very productive, and that's a balm for a team that has had a bit of a black hole at the position for most of the last decade. "I'll be good," Winslow said. "Zach Miller is a proven veteran here. Hopefully we'll be able to do something like the Patriots are doing with [Rob] Gronkowski and [Aaron] Hernandez. We kind of fit that mold, so I'm sure we'll be fine." Matching their sets to the Patriots may be wishful thinking -- there's nobody catching passes of Gronk's caliber on this team -- but the point is well-made nonetheless.

 

Winslow ready for fresh start (The Associated Press)

RENTON, Wash. (AP) Kellen Winslow is ready to prove he still has something left for the Seattle Seahawks.

 

The Shutdown Corner Podcast: Greg Cosell on the NFC South Draft (Shutdown Corner)

With the draft over and all wrapped up, we thought it would be a good idea to get back on the phone with our buddy Greg Cosell of NFL Films and ESPN's "NFL Matchup," and talk about the NFL by division. Who did themselves the most favors in the draft, and who came up short when addressing their roster deficits? We started off with the NFC West two weeks ago, and then jumped to the hyper-competitive AFC North last week . Now, it's time to turn our attention to the NFC South. Appropriate, given Greg's recent post on the NFL Films Blog about division quarterbacks Matt Ryan , Cam Newton , and Josh Freeman . With that in mind, we asked Greg what he thought the Atlanta Falcons, Carolina Panthers, New Orleans Saints, and Tampa Bay Buccaneers did to bolster their teams. The Shutdown Corner Podcast: Greg Cosell on the NFC South Draft Related: [Cosell on  quarterbacks ,  running backs/wide receivers ,  tight ends/offensive line ,  OLB/DE/DT stars , the ILB/DB class , and overall draft review ] On Atlanta Falcons second-round G/C Peter Konz: "I looked at him more as a athlete than as a strong, physical player. Not that he was a weakling -- I thought he had a nice combination of movement and strength -- but I certainly wouldn't call him a road-grader. But in tandem with his active feet, he was effective. He is an efficient player -- very assignment-disciplined. Do I think he could fit right in? Yes I could, and I did make a note that I thought he could play either guard or center. On Carolina Panthers first-round linebacker Luke Kuechly: "I absolutely loved him, and the more I watched him, the more I loved him. I thought he played with his eyes as well as any linebacker I've ever evaluated. He beat blocks with play recognition. Now, the question is, will he do that in the NFL? I think he probably will, because I'm sure that comes from film study, and I don't think he'll be a slacker al lot a sudden. I thought he was the best linebacker in this draft without question, I think he's far more athletic than he's given credit for -- as I watched each game, I was actually more and more impressed with his athleticism." The Shutdown Corner Podcast: Greg Cosell on the NFC South Draft On New Orleans Saints fourth-round receiver Nick Toon:

 

Vegas has spoken, NFL season win totals are live (National Football Post)

Four picks to keep an eye on this summer as we approach the start of the 2012 season.

 

Schiano: Winslow trade not about sending message (The Associated Press)

TAMPA, Fla. (AP) New Buccaneers coach Greg Schiano insists he wasn't sending a message by trading tight end Kellen Winslow, just improving the football team.

 

Greg Schiano not interested in Kellen Winslow questions (National Football Post)

Bucs coach says team is moving forward

 

Seahawks trade for Kellen Winslow; hope to make 2-TE sets more productive (Shutdown Corner)

In 2011, per the game-charting of NFL.com's Brian McIntyre, the Seattle Seahawks put two tight ends on the field 39 percent of the time, one of the highest figures in the NFL. However, they didn't get much production from those tight ends. Former Oakland Raiders tight end Zach Miller, acquired as a free agent before the 2011 season, caught just 25 passes on 44 targets for 233 yards and no touchdowns -- Seattle's injury-weakened offensive line put Miller in a position to block most of the time. Despite that, Miller led the team in all categories at the position. On Monday evening, the Seahawks endeavored to become more productive with the 2-TE sets they prefer by trading for ex-Tampa Bay Buccaneers tight end Kellen Winslow. For assuming Winslow's contract, the Seahawks gave up just a seventh-round draft pick in 2013 (conditional sixth if Winslow meets certain performance guidelines). Winslow has three years left in a six-year, $36.1 million contract he signed in 2009, but the $3.3 million he's due this season in base salary is not guaranteed. The eight-year veteran was deemed expendable by new Bucs head coach Greg Schiano after missing a recent round of OTAs, and it was Winslow himself who revealed the news -- last Saturday, Schiano told him that the Bucs were looking to make a deal and get him out of there. In his place, the Bucs signed former Indianapolis Colts TE Dallas Clark to a one-year deal. [ Related: Trading Kellen Winslow could be risky for the Buccaneers ] "It's kind of shocking, but that's what it is," Winslow told Ross Tucker of SIRIUS NFL Radio on Monday morning. " [Schiano] said he was upset that I wasn't working out with the team in the offseason, and then, the first week of OTAs. But, look -- I've been there the last three years, and I've had a successful career so far, and you just don't get rid of one of your best players because of that. That's just what I was told, but I have nothing bad to say about coach Schiano -- it was just a disagreement on why I'm not there yet. I was training in San Diego, and I was going to start [in OTAs with the team] today, but I got the call on Saturday that they're looking for somebody else." Winslow was especially surprised, given his claim that he has participated in a team event before in this preseason. "There was a previous minicamp -- I went to that. It was a three-day minicamp and then, I came back down to San Diego to train, and I was going to start [back with the team] today."

 

Bucs find a home for Kellen Winslow Jr (National Football Post)

Seahawks hope he can replace John Carlson