Winslow at site of father's fame

Kellen Winslow Sr., became a Hall of Famer with San Diego Chargers.
SAN DIEGO (AP) -- This was supposed to have been the day when the San Diego Chargers retired Junior Seau's jersey, until he unretired and went to play for the Patriots.
It might have been another big afternoon for star linebacker Shawne Merriman, but the NFL turned the switch off on the guy who's known as "Lights Out" because of a positive steroid test.
OK, so how about the son of a Hall of Famer playing for the first time in the stadium where his father became a star?
"I've always dreamed of playing in that stadium," said tight end Kellen Winslow, who leads his Cleveland Browns (2-5) into today's game at Qualcomm Stadium against the Chargers (5-2) and their star tight end, Antonio Gates.
Winslow's father played for the Chargers from 1979-1987, redefining the tight end position and earning a spot in the Hall of Fame in 1995.
"Everybody knew who he was, so it was kind of like he was my hero growing up. He still is," Winslow said. "I didn't know he played football when I was younger, but when I found out, that's all I wanted to do."
He's finally doing it well, but his mouth might have gotten him in trouble.
First full season
Winslow is playing in his first full season after a motorcycle accident and multiple injuries. He leads all tight ends with 40 receptions, for 393 yards and three touchdowns.
Gates, who's played in the last two Pro Bowls, is third with 32 catches, 384 yards and four TDs. In between is Kansas City's Tony Gonzalez, with 33 catches for 441 yards and a score.
Winslow likened his showdown with Gates as a heavyweight match.
"I'm trying to be the best," Winslow said. "I said I was the best. I am the best, and I'm going to prove it on Sunday."
Gates wasn't amused.
"I just have a problem with a guy who disrespects guys who've done it over a decade like a Tony Gonzalez and those guys," Gates said. "To put yourself in a situation where you feel like you're better than a guy who has basically been doing it since you were in high school, I just have a problem with him not embracing the game enough and respecting the guys who've proven themselves in the league."
Winslow broke his right leg in the second game of his rookie season of 2004. He missed all of last season after tearing up a knee in a motorcycle accident.
Learned his lesson
He said he's still not 100 percent, but he did learn a lesson.
"Pretty much don't get on a motorcycle and don't do anything to put your career in jeopardy," Winslow said.
"You don't know exactly what you're going to get, particularly dealing with a knee situation that is not 100 percent," coach Romeo Crennel said. "But he's shown himself to have really good hands, to be an energetic guy, a competitive guy. I think that all of those things allow him to be one of the leading pass catchers at the tight end position."
The Chargers hope their pass rush doesn't drop off too much. Besides missing Merriman, who's tied for the NFL lead with 8 1/2 sacks, their other top pass rusher, Shaun Phillips, might remain out.
Merriman will begin serving a four-game suspension for testing positive for the steroid nandrolone, which he blamed on a tainted supplement. Phillips has a calf injury and there's a 50 percent chance he'll miss his second straight game. Phillips has six sacks.
"Really, it doesn't affect it that much because all of the players on their defense are good football players," Crennel said.
Merriman had nearly one-third of San Diego's 26 sacks.
"So rather than put three guys on Shawne, maybe now we only have to put two on his replacement," Crennel said.
First start
Sixth-year pro Carlos Polk will make his first career start in place of Merriman. Polk, who missed most of the last two seasons with injuries, has one career sack. If Phillips can't go, Marques Harris will make his second straight start.
"I know I have some big shoes to fill," Polk said. "This is a tremendous opportunity for me. It's been six years on and off for me to get on the field, so to have the challenge of a starting role is huge. I've got to go out there and make plays and show what I can do."
San Diego's Marty Schottenheimer, who coached the Browns from midway through the 1984 season through 1988, said the big task for the Chargers is managing a rotation at linebacker so Polk and Harris can still contribute on special teams.
"We don't have anybody to replace them," Schottenheimer said.
Chargers' star running back LaDainian Tomlinson, meanwhile, has come up huge against the Browns in his career, averaging 137.7 yards, with four touchdowns in three games. He had one of his four career 200-yard games against Cleveland, in 2003.
The Browns allow an average of 136 yards rushing, fifth worst in the NFL.