TAMPA, Fla. -- Tampa Bay Buccaneers tight end Kellen Winslow said Monday that his rehabilitation from offseason knee surgery is going well and that he expects to be ready for training camp next month.
The seventh-year pro joined teammates for organized team activities for the first time this offseason, although he did not participate in the voluntary workout. The Bucs also plan to hold him out of next week's mandatory minicamp.
"It feels good. It's just something I deal with every day," Winslow said, adding that after six operations on his right knee, he has learned to cope with the pain. "I'm not going to let these guys down, though.
"It's not easy, by any means ... but I've been through worse. I'll be back, and I'll do my job and my thing."
Winslow, obtained in a trade from Cleveland in February 2009, led Tampa Bay with 77 catches for 884 yards and five touchdowns this past season. He is recovering from what the Bucs have described as a minor arthroscopic procedure to repair scar tissue from previous surgery on the knee.
"I'm not going to talk about that. You guys can speculate," Winslow said, declining to discuss specifics about the injury.
"It (is) the sixth one," he added in response to a question about discomfort in the knee. "But you can't stop me. I'll be back."
Winslow, who did some light jogging Monday, has been rehabbing the knee and working out in California.
He wouldn't speculate on when he expected to be 100 percent, however he is confident he will be healthy enough to practice during training camp.
"I just want to be right when I do come back," Winslow said. "This is something I've done in the past. I don't really do OTAs. I go back to San Diego and I train real hard with my trainer. ... It's nothing new. I'm feeling good. I'll be ready."
Copyright 2010 The Associated Press
