No Pain Means Big Gain : Winslow Says He’ll Be Back By Midseason

Kellen Winslow was visiting a friend in Valley Center not long ago when he received an unexpected but highly revealing test of his right knee, which was mangled last fall in a collision with Raiders linebacker Jeff Barnes.

This time it was a German Shepherd named Merlin that impacted the weakest joint in the body of the guy who once was hailed as the finest tight end on the planet.

Winslow was looking the other way when the dog came charging from behind and struck the knee.

“I think it was a dog,” Winslow said. “He looked as big as a pony.”

The more salient fact is this: Winslow felt no pain.

It was the biggest test of the knee since the San Diego tight end underwent 2 1/2 hours of surgery last October for repair of the medial collateral ligament and the posterior cruciate ligament in his right knee.

A few days after his introduction to Merlin, he had sufficient mobility to dash out of his attorney’s office when he saw a policeman writing out a ticket. He argued his case--a sight familiar to Charger fans--and got out of the ticket.

As further proof his recovery is well ahead of schedule, Winslow ran pass patterns in an informal workout at the stadium this week. The only after-effects were a sore hamstring and a sore big toe on his left foot.

“I was planting on my left foot to protect my right leg,” Winslow said. “I dropped a lot of passes that day. It was no thing of beauty. But I’m encouraged. My leg has regained 70 or 75% of its strength.”

Winslow is hoping to return to active duty by midseason. And he expects to return at the level from which he left.

“This may be personal vanity,” he said, “but I still think I’m the best tight end in football. I set very high goals. If I fall short of pleasing myself, everyone is still taken care of. No one sets higher goals than I do.”

Winslow said he believes in miracles, but he doesn’t think there’s going to be one that would permit him to be in the Chargers’ opening day lineup in September. He plans a relaxed, realistic training camp, running and cutting for two weeks followed by two weeks of participation in nonviolent, 7-on-7 drills.

Non-violence was a subject much on his mind Friday.

He had called a press conference to publicize the Kellen Winslow Flag Football League, which will be entering its fourth fall in 1985.

Winslow, true to his word about setting lofty goals, hopes to see participation increase from 14 teams and 150 kids last year to 60 teams and 1,000 players this season.

The league--which Winslow refers to as the “Kwiffl”--is designed to introduce youngsters aged 7-14 to the fundamentals of football in a non-contact, low-pressure environment, with no screaming coaches or painful injuries.

Winslow recalled how, on one of his first public assignments for the Chargers, he visited a Pop Warner League function. There were a lot of unhappy faces, plus a kid with his wrist in a cast and another kid about to undergo kidney surgery, the Charger tight end said.

The Winslow league is supposed to provide a sane alternative to the violence of football. Winslow, who didn’t really develop a liking for contact until his senior year in high school, said being around the youngsters has helped his own development.

When a kid asks him about the numerous arguments he has with officials, Winslow is forced to give a “Do as I say, not as I do” reply.

He tries to explain that the pressure of an NFL game is quite a bit more intense than running around in the sunshine of a Saturday afternoon, playing tag football.

Still, there is a certain awkwardness in that argument, and Winslow said he could recall only two run-ins with officials last fall before he was hurt. The more mature outlook was due to his experience with the kids, he said.

Just as he expects his league to flourish this year, Winslow seems to think a comeback by the Chargers is in the cards.

“I think our new owner, Alex Spanos, is on the right track,” Winslow said. “The way I see it, attitudes are contagious. He wants the team run like a business, in by 8, out by 5.

“I think our priorities are the offensive line, defensive line and the defensive backfield. There has been some talk about signing (receiver) Trumaine Johnson. He would certainly help us . . . and he would take the pressure off if Charlie Joiner decides to retire.”

Winslow said he doesn’t believe Joiner will quit, particularly if he is offered a two-year contract, such as offensive tackle Ed White, 38, just signed.

The trials of the past nine months have not diminished Winslow’s enthusiasm for football.

There was the pain of his injury, and the boos that initially accompanied his return from a self-imposed retirement that won him a five-year, $3 million contract. In spite of it all, Winslow seems basically unchanged.

“I thank God for guiding me in the right direction,” Winslow said, referring to his one-week retirement last September. “I thank Him for the outcome. I don’t think it was a case of me outfoxing anyone.

“I feel secure about my future. I think I can play several more years. I can choose my own destiny. But my way of life won’t change if I don’t make it (all the way) back.”

That’s the sort of perspective he would like to impart to the youngsters in the Kellen Winslow Flag Football League. Self-serving, perhaps, but admirable.