Vikings Message Board.Com

Demi wrote:We have young up and coming corners. We have nothing at mlb.

We have young, up and coming Audie Cole + R1/2 rookies.

I'm all about fielding the best possible team. Winfield in the slot over the likes of Sherels makes me a lot more comfortable about our rush and pass defense.

JEC334 wrote:I for one am happy the Vikings are no longer letting veteran players bully them into getting big pay checks

Who are some veterans that bullied the front office for checks?

JEC334 wrote: Exactly!! If we resign Winfield to the contract he wanted, we will be overpaying him because he is only a nickel corner now. I mean we all love Winfield but this is a business.

I for one am happy the Vikings are no longer letting veteran players bully them into getting big pay checks

Name some? They flat out canned Winfield. They didnt try and work out anything. You and Demi think alike. You are going to find you are one of the few.

If 26 goes on to have 3 or 4 years of all-pro play then yeah, this was a huge mistake. I don't think that's the case though and this isn't too big a deal at this point.

Whether he was set to be in a limited role next year or not, he would still be relied upon heavily with this defense. Switch the scene to Seattle and that's not the case anymore. I actually think it's a great decision by Winfield and even if he plays lights out next year for the Hawks, there's no guarantee he would've done the same for Minny.

PacificNorseWest wrote:If 26 goes on to have 3 or 4 years of all-pro play then yeah, this was a huge mistake. I don't think that's the case though and this isn't too big a deal at this point.

Whether he was set to be in a limited role next year or not, he would still be relied upon heavily with this defense. Switch the scene to Seattle and that's not the case anymore. I actually think it's a great decision by Winfield and even if he plays lights out next year for the Hawks, there's no guarantee he would've done the same for Minny.

Why? Hes always played great here. Hes been ur best CB for 10 years. And im sure he was waiting for the Vikes to go over his contract, which most NFL teams would do to a 10 year vet, and he would take a pay cut. But they didnt ave enough class to do that.

PurpleKoolaid wrote: Why? Hes always played great here. Hes been ur best CB for 10 years. And im sure he was waiting for the Vikes to go over his contract, which most NFL teams would do to a 10 year vet, and he would take a pay cut. But they didnt ave enough class to do that.

I agree they handled the situation poorly, but at this point it sounds like people are more upset that one of their favorite players is gone. Even more, that that same player has been a staple in the organization. A hard worker, great character guy, and a very productive football player. That's probably why it stings.

Purely from a football standpoint though, the trends are against him at this point. They have 2 young guys they're high on, evidence by Winfields demotion prior to his leaving, and they're confident they can find another solid young guy in the draft. If this was 3 years ago, I'd be peeved. It's not though, and I think we should wait to see how it plays out before we all go up in arms.

I wish the Vikings handled this a bit differently, but at the time they had other priorities. The extra money helped them sign a couple long-term guys. It sucks, but it is what it is. With that being said, Winfield is smart enough to know he's probably not worth what his salary would have been this year. I doubt he's been demanding much of anything. As good as he is, it's not like he's had a ton of interest. I'm sure that was a humbling reality. I'm still wishing he'll come back, but if he doesn't--I highly doubt it's only a "money issue." I wish him the best either way.

MelanieMFunk wrote:As good as he is, it's not like he's had a ton of interest.

Seahawks, Vikings, Redskins and reportedly one other team (possibly Denver). That's pretty significant interest, particularly at this point and with a cold overall free agent corner market.

PacificNorseWest wrote:Purely from a football standpoint though, the trends are against him at this point. They have 2 young guys they're high on, evidence by Winfields demotion prior to his leaving, and they're confident they can find another solid young guy in the draft. If this was 3 years ago, I'd be peeved. It's not though, and I think we should wait to see how it plays out before we all go up in arms.

This was more a business decision than a football decision IMO. It's pretty clear Frazier wants him back. And why not? He makes the entire defense better and was a very productive player.

If there was a promising nickel/third guy waiting in the wings, or if Winfield was a liability it'd be a bit more understandable. As it stands, his presence would be much more of an asset than liability. Goodness, just think back to the games he was out and how our secondary looked/performed. I think some fans take for granted what Winfield brought to the table. Make no mistake about it, if he's not back this season he will be missed. He was our best corner.

^ Truth. Definitely valid points, but what can we do? Those other guys need to man up and I think the Vikings can overcome the loss of Winfield with a few good moves/picks.

dead_poet wrote: Seahawks, Vikings, Redskins and reportedly one other team (possibly Denver). That's pretty significant interest, particularly at this point and with a cold overall free agent corner market.

True. But people are acting like he's out there demanding 7 million dollars. We obviously weren't interested in paying that and neither is anyone else. The Skins were the only other ones seriously interested, until this last-minute surprise. If the Vikings weren't interested, he probably would have signed with the Skins because things were so quiet. Hardly a ton of interest for someone who is supposedly demanding and worth 7 million. That was the point. I don't think he's being unrealistic as some people are suggesting. And for the right price, he's well worth it. I'd love to have him back.

PacificNorseWest wrote:^ but what can we do? Those other guys need to man up and I think the Vikings can overcome the loss of Winfield with a few good moves/picks.

I wish it was as easy as "manning up", but unfortunately I think it's simply a matter of talent, and the fact that outside of maybe Cook and possibly Robinsion, we don't have that. We don't have anybody on the team that can do what Winfield did. All of our corners are unproven question marks in a division loaded with annoyingly talented QBs and WRs. Heck, without Winfield (and a capable MLB), I'm already scared at what the Lions and Stafford/Reggie Bush/Calvin Johnson might do to us (not to mention how Rodgers and those GB idiots will light us up, along with Cutler/Marshall).

What can we do? We can re-sign him for one more year while also drafting (and hitting on) a promising corner (or two). That's my best-case scenario. If nothing else, he provides solid depth and can be an emergency starter. Right now, as it stands, what happens if, say, Cook gets injured again? Our starting corners would be Robinson and Jefferson with Brandon Burton, Sherels or Bobby Felder in the slot? You're not going to win many games with that group.

MelanieMFunk wrote: True. But people are acting like he's out there demanding 7 million dollars. We obviously weren't interested in paying that and neither is anyone else. The Skins were the only other ones seriously interested, until this last-minute surprise. If the Vikings weren't interested, he probably would have signed with the Skins because things were so quiet. Hardly a ton of interest for someone who is supposedly demanding and worth 7 million. That was the point. I don't think he's being unrealistic as some people are suggesting. And for the right price, he's well worth it. I'd love to have him back.

I don't think he was demanding or thought he was worth that much. That was his contract. We don't know for sure whether or not he was no open to re-negotiating. It would surprise me if he adamantly refused. It would seem quite out of character.

The fact remains there is/was 3-4 teams interested in Winfield, which, to me, doesn't signify a "quiet" market (especially when you look at how cold the market was for corners this free agent period). In fact, a case could be made that the level of interest for Winfield was one of the highest for a corner this offseason.

I agree. I hope he's back in Purple at a competitive price worthy of where he is at this point in his career. My worry is that if the decision is purely financially-based, the Seahawks will win with him as they did with Rice. But the fact that it's taken this long and that the Vikings are still in the mix, to me, means that he really would like to finish his career here and there's more to his decision than cash. But that could just be wishful thinking and his agent is pitting the teams against each other to drive up the price a bit more. What do I know?

Don't put any stock in this, but I just read something on twitter that Antoine is still deciding between an offer from Seattle and an offer from the Vikings, and may be leaning towards the Vikings.

It would be great to have him back, even in a limited capacity. I don't like the idea of starting a rookie + Chris Cook + AJ Jefferson as nickel.

dead_poet wrote: I wish it was as easy as "manning up", but unfortunately I think it's simply a matter of talent, and the fact that outside of maybe Cook and possibly Robinsion, we don't have that. We don't have anybody on the team that can do what Winfield did. All of our corners are unproven question marks in a division loaded with annoyingly talented QBs and WRs. Heck, without Winfield (and a capable MLB), I'm already scared at what the Lions and Stafford/Reggie Bush/Calvin Johnson might do to us (not to mention how Rodgers and those GB idiots will light us up, along with Cutler/Marshall).

What can we do? We can re-sign him for one more year while also drafting (and hitting on) a promising corner (or two). That's my best-case scenario. If nothing else, he provides solid depth and can be an emergency starter. Right now, as it stands, what happens if, say, Cook gets injured again? Our starting corners would be Robinson and Jefferson with Brandon Burton, Sherels or Bobby Felder in the slot? You're not going to win many games with that group.

Very well said and I agree completely. Losing Winfield is bad if for no other reason that the Vikings need more, not less, CB depth. It's not rocket science. Look at the division and what the Vikings D will be facing next season. It's not a pretty picture.