Ace Davis' Weblog

The First Name in Browns Blogging

Why did the Winslow non-story got so much play last week? It was the perfect storm:

Timing. Free agency signings tapered off, while the draft is still over a month away. Something needed to fill in the gap.
Media motivation. PFT is run by a Steelers fan, of all things, so he doubtless gets his jollies by sending Cleveland all atwitter.
Wheelie's high profile. He's crucial to the offensive identity the Browns hope to establish under Chud. His unavailability would have profound consequences.
Wheelie's past problems. The pump has been primed, as they say, by his previous injuries, so the storyline glides along a familiar path.
Specialized subject matter. The knee is complicated equipment, and the nuances of microfracture surgery do not make for simple public digestion.
The "cursed" Browns meme. This story complies with the standard portrayal of the Browns, continuing a narrative that already featuring Baxter, Bentley, Courtney Brown, Jamir, Zeus, and -- depending on your appetite for the topic -- players stretching as far back as Ernie Davis. (I'm not immune either.)
Dishonesty from the official sources. For all their other virtues, the team and Winslow himself have established themselves as not to be trusted when it comes to the timely, complete, and accurate disclosure of player injuries and treatments, this case specifically not excepted. From this dark, slippery breeding ground, lowlife forms of information and informants spawn and spread virally.

Published Mar 25 2007, 11:06 AM by Anonymous

	barrymcbride said: I think you're pretty much on-target with all of these. The other thing I would add is "slow response". The Browns did rally to answer the story, but it took them over a day, which is an eternity in the age of the internet, and by then it had gotten play on WKNR, local TV, etc. The team doesn't know how to react to these things, I guess... I susoect they first sort of hope they go away so they don't have to acknowledge the existence of the source site, then seem to react once it's clear it's not going to go away. I really think one of the greatest values the OBR offers these days is an ability to get quick reality-checks on rumors, such as this one, but it took us a few hours to nail it down ourselves. Lots of bogus info getting out into the media stream these days... March 25, 2007 11:44 PM
	vintage74 said: "Slow response". This should be our theme since 1999. March 26, 2007 11:16 AM
	barrymcbride said: LOL... good one, Vintage... "non-response" sometimes, it seems. March 26, 2007 4:10 PM

Name (required)

Your URL (optional)

Comments (required)

Remember Me?

Add