Larry Brown #43 Posted October 11, 2002 Share Posted October 11, 2002 Wynn Kept Knee Injury Quiet But Defensive End Expects to Continue Making Progress By Mark Maske Washington Post Staff Writer Friday, October 11, 2002; Page D01 The Washington Redskins haven't gotten the production they expected out of defensive end Renaldo Wynn, but there is a reason for that. Wynn and defensive coordinator Marvin Lewis said yesterday that Wynn played with a sore right knee for several games and failed to tell coaches. Wynn said yesterday that his concealment of the soreness, which doctors later told him was caused by a tendon problem and perhaps arthritis, was a mistake. But he said his knee improved over the Redskins' bye week that preceded Sunday's victory at Tennessee, and both Wynn and Lewis said they expect Wynn's play to be on the upswing as the season progresses. "It probably wasn't too smart on my part," Wynn said at Redskins Park. "I won't tell you I didn't pay attention to it, but I wasn't too smart not letting the coaches know so I could take fewer reps in practice. It affected my play overall. "As a player, you have to be able to gauge what's good and what's not good. Sometimes you can push through injuries. But sometimes you can actually hurt yourself and hurt the rest of the team. In any case, in terms of what I expect as a player, it hurt my play." Wynn, a 28-year-old defensive end, was the Redskins' second-most expensive addition via free agency this past offseason. After spending his previous five seasons with the Jacksonville Jaguars, the former first-round draft choice from Notre Dame signed a six-year contract with the Redskins worth nearly $20 million. The deal included a $3.5 million signing bonus. Among the free agent additions, only Pro Bowl middle linebacker Jeremiah Trotter had a heftier price tag, signing a seven-year contract worth approximately $36 million, including a $7 million signing bonus. Wynn was signed in late March, a few weeks after the Redskins allowed defensive lineman Kenard Lang to depart for the Cleveland Browns via free agency, and succeeded one of the team's locker-room leaders, Marco Coleman, as the club's starting left end when Coleman was released in June to clear salary cap space. His knee began to bother him after the season-opening triumph over the Arizona Cardinals on Sept. 8, Wynn said. But wanting to prove himself to a new set of teammates, he didn't give Lewis and the team's other defensive coaches any chances to sit him down. "Anybody wants to prove themselves," Wynn said. "That kind of led me into making the decisions that I did. Now that I look back, it wasn't the right decision. But you want to prove yourself to your teammates, and sometimes that can get in the way of making the most logical decision." Lewis said he would not have sat out Wynn from any games necessarily. But he would have lessened Wynn's workload during practices, he said, to preserve Wynn's knee for game days. "I didn't even realize it because he never told anybody about it," Lewis said. "He was just kind of getting ice and working on his own without letting anybody know really. . . . That's bad. He's just being tough and toughing it out. But what you do is, you end up loading on guys, so he's out there taking a lot of more reps in practice and everything, where we could have spread that out a little bit and kept him fresher for Sunday." Wynn has not had a sack and has been credited with only seven tackles in four games. He hasn't had more than two tackles in a game. He established career highs with 75 tackles and five sacks for the Jaguars last season. He plays a relatively non-glamorous role for the Redskins, moving from left end to defensive tackle in pass-rushing situations while linebacker LaVar Arrington shifts to left end. But Wynn says he is far healthier now and played better Sunday, and expects improved results for the remainder of the season beginning with this Sunday's game against the New Orleans Saints at FedEx Field. "This past week obviously was one of our better performances overall, myself and most of the defense," Wynn said. "We can build off that and continue to progress. That's the main thing. We want to get better week in and week out. . . . The bye week couldn't have come at a better time for me. I'm 100 percent better than what I was. Now that I've got that healed up, I feel I can definitely play the way I want to play." Said Lewis: "He's getting better. He feels really good now. The bye week was good for him. So I'm hopeful now that we'll start seeing some more athletic matchup plays that he can make." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thito_da_skins_fan Posted October 11, 2002 Share Posted October 11, 2002 yup - i read that too... i think everyone noticed improved play from Wynn last Sunday... i think Wynn is a very solid, yet not dominating, player... he also seems to be a team player and i think he fits in nicely... he'll get better, just as the rest of the defense will get better... i like him... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NavyDave Posted October 11, 2002 Share Posted October 11, 2002 Well he did look a lil livelier in Sundays game. How many more players are concealing injuries? B Smith? Rock Jansen? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thito_da_skins_fan Posted October 11, 2002 Share Posted October 11, 2002 Originally posted by NavyDave How many more players are concealing injuries? B Smith? :laugh: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
matty dread Posted October 11, 2002 Share Posted October 11, 2002 I hope that explains his disappointing play, cause he certainly hasn't earned his $ so far Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zen-like Todd Posted October 11, 2002 Share Posted October 11, 2002 How many more players are concealing injuries? Apparently David Terrell has been playing with a full body sprain for the last three years. This is actually a really good thing to hear, though. I had been expecting a lot more from Wynn this year, and I liked what I saw out of the Titans game. I like the fact that it seems to be because he's recovering from injury even more, because it means we're likely to see this trend continue. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MRMADD Posted October 11, 2002 Share Posted October 11, 2002 "Wynn has not had a sack and has been credited with only seven tackles in four games. He hasn't had more than two tackles in a game." from the WP Wait a second -- Wynn is blaming his general suckiness on an injury, maybe arthritis? How the heck did he suddenly recover from arthritis? I'm sure there are quite a few arthritis sufferers out there that would love to know his secret. Personally, I think this is a load of bull. Lots of players play through nagging injuries, especially as the season drags on. The good ones -- the tough ones -- play through it like Davis is doing. They don't use it as an excuse. If he's seriously injured, he shouldn't be playing. If he's got a little boo-boo, he should suck it up and play. There's no third option where you play badly and whine about an injury that no one heard about. Wynn is paid millions to do his job -- and part of that job is playing through pain. No more whining, Wynn. If you're seriously hurt, get help -- we'll all support you. But to say AFTER THE FACT "Oh, I was injured" to explain your ability to disappear on the football field seems self-serving and disingenious. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bulldog Posted October 12, 2002 Share Posted October 12, 2002 I watched a number of JAX games last year and Wynn was a far more active player on their D than he has been here. I mentioned a couple of weeks ago that he was one of my top disappointments through the bye week for the team, along with Rod Jones and the performance of the linebackers. You have to be concerned about a player that is just 27 but is already suffering from arthritis in the knee, especially after we gave him a large signing bonus in the offseason. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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