Taped to the carpet in front of Winters' locker is the word, "POPS." No, he's not the oldest offensive lineman on the team, but he's the longest-tenured and probably the most respected because of his toughness. He dislocated his shoulder in the preseason but refused surgery and was ready for opening day. He played in pain, not missing a single snap until last Sunday. He dislocated the shoulder again, this time landing on IR.
His season is over, maybe his Jets career. The news hit hard in the locker room. As Harrison said, "A lot of guys try to mimic his play style, which increases our level of toughness. So that's definitely going to be missed."
A few weeks ago, Winters sat quietly at his locker as a crowd of reporters surrounded Osemele, who detailed his shoulder injury and ripped the organization for refusing to authorize surgery. Winters, his own shoulder aching, heard Osemele's rant. I watched him closely to see if he had a reaction -- a roll of the eyes, a shrug of the shoulder, anything.
There was nothing. He just minded his business. As usual.
His season is over, maybe his Jets career. The news hit hard in the locker room. As Harrison said, "A lot of guys try to mimic his play style, which increases our level of toughness. So that's definitely going to be missed."
A few weeks ago, Winters sat quietly at his locker as a crowd of reporters surrounded Osemele, who detailed his shoulder injury and ripped the organization for refusing to authorize surgery. Winters, his own shoulder aching, heard Osemele's rant. I watched him closely to see if he had a reaction -- a roll of the eyes, a shrug of the shoulder, anything.
There was nothing. He just minded his business. As usual.
