Tuesday's Notebook: Why My Patience in Favre is Gone
Daily Norseman — ... By midday today, we'll know a lot more about where Antoine Winfield stands with this team.  The OTAs resume today, and for all practical purposes, attendance is required.  If Winfield shows up, heading back to the bargaining table should still be on the docket for the team and his agent, but his contract status becomes less of a sidestory during a time when football should be the focus.  If he sits out, we've got a big problem. ...

Gonzo Reads Magazines: Yahoo! Sports/Pro Football Weekly 2009 NFL Preview Issue
Daily Norseman — ... Birk came in at #10.) G - Steve Hutchinson #1 OT - Bryant McKinnie #12 DE - Jared Allen #1 DT - Kevin Williams #2, Pat Williams #9 ILB - E.J. Henderson #22 (you'll have a hard time convincing me that there are 21 ILBs in the NFL that are better than #56, but hey. . .there it is.) OLB - Chad Greenway #9 (with exactly the same "grade" of 3.75 as Lance Briggs, who inexplicably gets way more ink than Greenway does). CB - Antoine Winfield #8, Cedric Griffin mentioned as a "Top Veteran ...

Wednesday's Notebook: The Troubling Absence of Antoine Winfield
Daily Norseman — ... For a brief period last Friday, Antoine Winfield's absence at minicamp was met with a flurry of speculation that he was protesting the lack of any progress between the team and his agent on a new contract.  Chilly soon cleared things up at a news conference by stating that Winfield was attending the funeral of a friend's mother, but that sudden surge of speculation underscores the uneasy nature of Winny's relationship with the team at the moment. ...

Defensive Coordinators Rankings: Bob Babich
Windy City Gridiron — ... . He has the horses up front to send a nice pressure package at quarterbacks, and he likes to play some mixed zones behind it with cornerback Antoine Winfield more often in press coverage. With DE ...

Nick Collins' New Contract; Holdouts and Extensions; and Plaxico Burress
Acme Packing Company — ... are with their contracts, I don't think it's a big deal. It's just part of football, and every team has to deal with it. For example, Minnesota's dealing with the same complaints from their players, and currently CB Antoine Winfield is ...

Friday's Notebook: Winfield Still Staying Away from OTAs
Daily Norseman — ... on Tuesday.  I'm obviously talking about Antoine Winfield, who has turned up the heat on his employer to award him for his first Pro Bowl season with a new contract.  There is no other way to interpret his absence from the OTAs -- he's putting pressure on the ...

A (Slightly Less) Insanely Early Look at the Vikings' Schedule, Part Four
Daily Norseman — ... to Bank of America (insert new name here) Stadium to take on the Carolina Panthers.  I say projected to be consecutive prime-time games, because this game is on NBC's Sunday Night schedule, which means it could get "flexed" if there's another more compelling matchup out there.  However, if these two teams play the way they're capable of, I wouldn't expect this game to get moved. Now, we all remember the 2008 game between these two teams, with Antoine Winfield crushing Jake Delhomme and the defense completely ...

Gonzo Reads More Magazines: Athlon Sports Pro Football Preview
Daily Norseman — ... 2) Vikings' cornerback Antoine Winfield was the first player ever to score on a blocked field goal, cause a fumble, recover a fumble, and record a sack in the same game. ...

Playoffs?!? You Want To Talk About Playoffs?!? - Part Two: NFC
Hogs Haven — ... And I think his presence will make this team a prohibitive favorite on most Sundays. On Ahman Green's best day, he was no Adrian Peterson. Favre will have A.P., Chester Taylor, and one of the top five offensive lines in the league. The Vikings trot out the Williams' brothers on defense. Pat Williams and Kevin Williams comprise one of the top run-stuffing DT duos out there and Jared Allen is one of those "high-motor" guys coming off the edge. Antoine Winfield is a quality corner and Chad Greenway and E.J. ...

One "Loose End" Resolved, Others Remain
Daily Norseman — ... that Antoine Winfield and his agent met with team officials today to finalize a contract extension.  According to Steve Wyche, there are no "deal-breakers" lurking between where the sides currently stand and the finalization of a multiyear deal. ...

NFL Draft, Antoine Winfield Signs, FAVRE!!!, and the O-Line
Acme Packing Company — ... It's been a stressful offseason in Minnesota, Part I. A minor drama this year has been whether CB Antoine Winfield would hold out for a new contract or play out the final year of his current deal. After months of negotiations, ...

Scouting Brandon McDonald: can he produce at cornerback for the Cleveland Browns?
Dawgs By Nature — ... Not every DB can be Antoine Winfield, but McDonald has enough size that he should be able to contribute more against the run.  He had a play against the ...

History of the Bills: 1999-2003
Buffalo Rumblings — ... lost linebacker Chris Spielman, wideout Quinn Early, tight end Lonnie Johnson, and running back Darick Holmes in free agency.  Buffalo selected Ohio State cornerback Antoine Winfield in the first round and in the second added wide receiver ...

History of the Bills: 2004-2008
Buffalo Rumblings — ... The Bills lost Pro Bowl Guard Ruben Brown in free agency as well as cornerback Antoine Winfield.  With their first pick in the draft, the Bills picked speedy WR ...

A Retroactive Look at July
Acme Packing Company — ... .  I'm not going to directly link everything, because there's too much and the folks at Daily Norseman have covered it too well.   First, let's talk about what went well.  They finally signed Antoine Winfield to a new contract, which he sorely deserved.  They get ...

Gonzo Discusses the Minnesota Vikings with Bill Barnwell of Football Outsiders
Daily Norseman — ... 9) Antoine Winfield made a little bit of noise about his contract this off-season, and was rewarded with a new extension.  Where would you rank #26 in the heirarchy of NFL cornerbacks? ...

Tonight's the Night the World Begins Again
Daily Norseman — ... too much into the first pre-season game, there are a couple of things to keep an eye out for. 1) NO INJURIES.  Honestly, this should be the main focus of every pre-season game.  The Vikings have had a bit of bad luck over the past couple of years with the first pre-season game (Heath Farwell, Chad Greenway, etc.)  Hopefully we can come out of this one without any significant bumps or bruises. 2) The battle in the secondary. . .we know that Antoine Winfield and Cedric Griffin are going to be your ...

Ramifications Of The Favre Signing
Acme Packing Company — ... Leading Viking veterans, including Adrian Peterson, Jared Allen, and Antoine Winfield, must feel good about themselves.  After all, they openly lobbied for Favre to sign, both showing their commitment to improving the team by any means necessary and their disdain for the quarterbacks they had on the roster. ...

Gonzo's Fearless 53-Man Roster Projection for the 2009 Minnesota Vikings, Part II
Daily Norseman — ... the NFL and spent two seasons with the Edmonton Eskimos of the Canadian Football League and was signed by the Vikings after the 2008 season.  If you saw the final pre-season game, you saw #55 flying all over the place and hitting everything in sight.  He might be a little raw, but I think the guy could be great on special teams for the time being and eventually develop into a pretty good outside linebacker as well. Defensive Backs Starters:  Antoine Winfield, Cedric Griffin, Tyrell Johnson, Madieu ...

Vikings Complete Cuts; Final 53-Man Roster Announced
Daily Norseman — ... (7):  Leber, Henderson the Elder, Greenway, Farwell, Henderson the Younger, Brinkley, Onatolu I guess Erin Henderson's injury isn't all that serious.  Sorry, David Herron. . .if Bill Belichick wants to "steal" you back again, he can have at it.  I'm actually really excited to see this group in action, particularly with the return of the man beast wearing #56 in the middle again. Defensive Back Gonzo's Prediction (10):  Antoine Winfield, Cedric Griffin, Madieu Williams, Tyrell ...

Web Rumblings: Buffalo Bills Links, 9/9
Buffalo Rumblings — ... you've been in training camp and have had 40 practices, by the time you get to opening day there will be a lot of things that you'll be doing in that first game that you will have spent a lot of time on, and hopefully you’ll be able to do well in the regular season when it counts. " McKelvin makes Sporting News All-Breakout team – Inside The Bills "CB Leodis McKelvin, Bills - Buffalo has a knack for developing good cornerbacks and McKelvin follows Antoine Winfield, Nate Clements and Terrence McGee." ...

Look Ma, a Real Opponent!
Daily Norseman — ... from a burning house on Sunday. He's that good. But like I said, these are two very similar teams, and I feel that the Vikings still do most things a little better. Although his throws have been shorter than Gary Coleman so far this year, Brett Favre still trumps Hill any day. Gore is a beast, but he's not a hexagon-skinned alien sent to Earth to inflict pain on defensive backs. Willis is one of the best defenders in the NFL right now, but E.J. Henderson, Antoine Winfield, Jared Allen, and Kevin Williams ain't ...

The Fight For First Place: Round One
Acme Packing Company — ... Minnesota's pass defense has been outstanding, allowing only 167.7 yards per game (4th in the NFL).  That stat needs to be tempered with the list of quarterbacks Minnesota has faced: Brady Quinn, Matthew Stafford, and Shaun Hill.  Additionally, they have only played against two receivers that can be compared to Green Bay's receivers: Braylon Edwards and Calvin Johnson.  While the duo of Driver and Jennings will give cornerbacks Antoine Winfield and Cedric Griffin and safeties Madieu ...

Four Vikings Players to Think Pink on Monday Night
Daily Norseman — In a move that I can only describe as "holy crap awesome," four members of the Minnesota Vikings will be sporting pink cleats during this Monday night's home contest against the Green Bay Packers at the Metrodome. The four Vikings players that will be wearing the pink shoes in order to promote breast cancer awareness are quarterback Brett Favre, running back Chester Taylor, linebacker Chad Greenway, and cornerback Antoine Winfield. Favre's wife Deanna, as pretty much everybody knows, is a survivor ...

The Moment We've All Been Waiting For
Daily Norseman — ... gave up four or five pressures to something named James Hall. . .and, with all due respect to Mr. Hall, he ain't Jared Allen.  Not to mention the advantage the Vikings have on the interior with the Williams Wall.  The Vikings have to exploit this matchup tonight. 3) Don't get hammered by the big play - Aaron Rodgers, when he gets time, can throw a pretty good deep ball, and the Packers have an outstanding deep threat in Greg Jennings.  Antoine Winfield and Cedric Griffin will have to come up big ...

Insert Upbeat Title Here
Acme Packing Company — ... times.  David Carr cringes at that statistic.  He also took a safety, lost a fumble, and threw his first interception.  Donald Lee flat-out dropped a TD pass that could have closed the gap to 28-21 in the third quarter.  Mike McCarthy wasted a challenge in the first quarter and used another one to turn a fumble into a safety against Green Bay.  Daryn Colledge got hurt, inserting T.J. Lang into the game at left tackle.  Antoine Winfield upended Ryan Grant as if Grant were a high schooler ...

The Curious Case Of Green Bay's Receivers
Acme Packing Company — ... .  Jennings is a top receiver in the league.  Why hasn't he played like it?  Jennings has been targeted 22 times this season, but has only come up with 11 catches.  A 50.0% conversion rate is awful for a number one receiver, as was the drop he had against Cincinnati and the poor route he ran against Antoine Winfield, resulting in Rodgers' lone interception.  I would like to think that the reason for Jennings' decline is the wrist injury, but no matter what the reason, it's clear that his timing with Aaron Rodgers is way ...

Okay, That's Over. . .So Now What?
Daily Norseman — ... Not everything about Monday night's game was all sunshine and lollipops, however.  On the rare occasions that Rodgers did get time to throw, he ripped the Vikings apart pretty good, finishing the game with 347 yards passing and two touchdown passes of his own (along with his first interception of the season, a pick by Antoine Winfield that led to another Minnesota touchdown).  The Vikings also got mauled by a fast, strong tight end again, just as they did by ...

The Vikings Red Zone Review, Sponsored by Comcast
Daily Norseman — ... , conversion in the red zone is crucial, and Brett Favre had no trouble doing that against his former teammates.  Minnesota's good luck inside the 20 started early, as Minnesota's first drive took Minnesota deep into the Green Bay red zone, and a 1-yard pass from Favre to Visanthe Shiancoe game the Vikings a quick 7-0 lead.  Following an Antoine Winfield interception of ...

Chapter 3, Game 5 - vs. Minnesota Vikings (Oct. 11th)
Turf Show Times — ...   Minnesota has led going into the 4th quarter in every game they've played this season.  Despite that reality (and the fact it pushes teams to pass more heavily than they would normally), the Vikings' pass defense has been very good this season.  Minnesota's secondary boasts a great pair of CBs in veteran Antoine Winfield and ...

Jared Allen: Michael Oher is an Idiot
Daily Norseman — ... Antoine Winfield confirmed on KFAN that he was having an MRI this morning after getting knocked out of Sunday's game. He was lobbying to return in the second half of the game, so hopefully that's an indication that the injury isn't too serious. At this point, the most we know is that he has a sprained foot and the time of his return remains undetermined. We'll keep you posted. [ ...

Vikings Kick Tires on Cornerbacks
Daily Norseman — With Antoine Winfield's status for this Sunday's game against the Pittsburgh Steelers up in the air at this point, the Vikings have brought in some cornerbacks to potentially sign.  It's not a replacement for Winfield, mind you, but more than likely for a spot on the practice squad, according to the St. Paul Pioneer Press. The three players that the Vikings brought in today were DeAndre Wright, who was selected by the New York Giants in the sixth round of the 2009 draft, Trae Williams, a 2008 ...

Any Given Sunday: A game-by-game preview of Week 7
Niners Nation — ... after using cornerback Antoine Winfield to injury during last week's game. Backup Karl Paymah was continually taken advantage of, and we could see more of the same if Winfield is not able to play against the Steelers. On the other side of the ball, quarterback ...

Fake Mailbag Friday!
Daily Norseman — ... With all of the talent on the Vikings' roster, Antoine Winfield is probably the one player we can't afford to lose for any length of time. He's incredibly crucial against the run and he can mute the effect of the opponent's best receiver. Paymah was brought in to be a special teams ace, and he's fit the bill admirably. But going from Winfield to Paymah at corner is like going from Megan Fox to Amy Winehouse. Hopefully rookie ...

Pregame Zone Blitz: Vikings at Steelers
Behind the Steel Curtain — ... down to the kickers. At the very least, we know our kicker looks for fights as opposed to backing away from them. Here's what our opponents are saying. Opponent Web Sites/Forums Gonzo with the Daily Norseman will be "severely disappointed" if he sees CB Karl Paymah in anything short of a special teams capacity. Not to worry, it looks like Benny Sapp will get the starting nod for the injured Antoine Winfield. PZB pities you if you look like Brad Childress, ...

Can the Vikings "Steel" a Victory in Week 7?
Daily Norseman — ... That having been said, after last week's "biggest test of the year," the Beloved Purple move on to their new biggest test of the year this week, as they road trip to the Steel City to take on the defending World Champions.  Vikings' cornerback Antoine Winfield is expected to miss this one as he rests his sprained foot, while star safety ...

Vikings Trip Their Way to a Loss
Daily Norseman — ... Other than that, though, the defense basically played well enough to win -- despite the absence of Antoine Winfield. It was the offense that self-destructed through penalties, it was the offense that couldn't get the running game established, and it was the offense that turned the ball over twice down the stretch, putting 14 points on the board for the Steelers. Not even ...

Attack The Vikings Through The Air
Acme Packing Company — ... 4.6 against them, but it's clear that the Packers aren't leaning on Grant when they play the Vikings. This is probably a good idea since Football Outsiders currently has the Vikings ranked as the 5th best run defense. Their pass defense, however, is currently ranked as the No. 17 overall by FO. At NFL.com, their pass defense has allowed a 90.6 QB rating. And they probably will be without their best defensive back, CB Antoine Winfield. He is one of Mike McCarthy's favorite players ...

Vikings/Packers: What a Difference One Loss Makes
Daily Norseman — ... .  I realize the Vikings will (likely) be without Antoine Winfield, but after the play of the secondary last week in Pittsburgh (holding ...

The Fight For First Place: Round Two
Acme Packing Company — ... Minnesota leads the league in sacks with 25.  That statistic is more than enough testament to their talent against the pass.  However, with Antoine Winfield dealing with a foot sprain, he may or may not be available for Sunday, and likely won't be 100% if he does play.   ...

Friday Injury Report: Vikings at Green Bay Packers
Acme Packing Company — ... play against the Vikings. Rodgers has been bothered by a sore foot for a couple weeks, but it hasn't kept him out yet. Sitton must have gotten hurt this week in practice, but he should start. Hall, Nelson, Spitz and Wynn have all been out for at least two weeks, and none of them should be expected to play this week either. WR James Jones might play a big role as the 3rd WR this week as he should take all of Nelson's playing time. For the Vikings, their big problem is that CB Antoine Winfield is out again. CB Karl Paymah is one of his ...

Gonzo Reads Books: Peter King's "Monday Morning Quarterback"
Daily Norseman — ... what he does.  Hell, who wouldn't? I've been reading furiously over the past couple of days, and the MMQB book is full of good stuff.  A lot of it is a compilation of King's columns of the same name from SI.com, as well has some lists about "What I Think I Think."  But he does include some good, original material in there such as his top 100 players in today's NFL.  (Adrian Peterson, Jared Allen, Steve Hutchinson, Kevin Williams, Antoine Winfield, Bryant McKinnie, and Chad Greenway all ...

The Day After: Green Bay Packers Loss To The Vikings
Acme Packing Company — ... is excellent for a rookie. On defense, they're getting on without Antoine Winfield. Their weakest unit now is probably the linebackers, but even they are league average. ...

And On the Ninth Week, They Rested.
Daily Norseman — ... five or six more times. Adrian Peterson: Destroying brick walls and large construction equipment by simply lowering his shoulder into them. You know, just to stay sharp. Percy Harvin: Making room in his trophy case for the 2009 NFL Rookie of the Year Award. And thinking up more mysterious illnesses to get out of practice during the week. Asher Allen: Hopefully throwing away his "How to Tackle, by Deion Sanders" book. Antoine Winfield: Miraculously healing his sprained foot in time for ...

Minnesota Vikings Player Power Rankings, Mid-Season Edition
Daily Norseman — ... 11 Antoine Winfield, CB Ordinarily he would be much higher on this list, but his injuries. . .coupled with the fact that the Vikings haven't missed him nearly as much this year as anybody might have thought. . .push him ...

1st Half Report Cards
Bleeding Green Nation — ... Trotter, but what purpose does he serve on this team?  I just don't get it.  The "F" is more on the personnel decision than it is on Trotter himself. DB Asante Samuel - A- I hate... H-A-T-E that he can't tackle and doesn't seem to care about that fact, but sometimes it can be overlooked when a guy just make so many HUGE plays.  5 picks in 8 games so far. Sheldon Brown - A- In my own humble opinion, after Antoine Winfield of the Vikings, Brown is the best tackling CB in the ...

Week 10 Injury Report
Pride Of Detroit — ... Jasper Brinkley Hamstring Probable LB E.J. Henderson Knee Probable CB Antoine Winfield Foot Out ...

Viking Fans Apparently Stuffing the Ballot Box
Daily Norseman — ... Peppers) Pat Williams and Kevin Williams are the top two defensive tackles in the NFC Percy Harvin is leading all NFC kick returners in the voting thus far Ryan Longwell is the top NFC kicker thus far And Heath Farwell is the top in the NFC special teams category Four Vikings hold down the #2 spot at their positions as well.  Those three are punter Chris Kluwe, cornerback Antoine Winfield, outside linebacker Chad Greenway, and guard ...

So 'Housh' Laughing Now?
Daily Norseman — ... ? A big play in the secondary from Antoine Winfield, who's slated to return on Sunday? A "no f---ing way did he just do that" run by Purple Jesus? ...

Interview With Pro Football Focus Reveals Excellent Analysis, New Jinx
Behind the Steel Curtain — ... play in a different defensive scheme than, say, Antoine Winfield. While I am not surprised Winfield scores as highly as he does, do you feel your evaluations hold up when compared to his peers? Is it fair? Or is your intention more to show the results of individual players, without the concern of how they stack up against their peers? ...

Time for the Road to the NFC Championship to Take a Detour
Daily Norseman — ... are nothing to sneeze at either. If ever there was a game for Antoine Winfield to make his glorious return to the field, it's this one. ...

Will Warner and Winfield Play Tonight?
Daily Norseman — ... , that player is obviously cornerback Antoine Winfield, who has been absent from the Vikings' lineup since the second quarter of the Baltimore game.  We had heard that #26 would be back for the game against the ...

Back Away From the Panic Button, Vikings Fans
Daily Norseman — ... are one of the NFL's best teams.  There are four regular season games and, hopefully, a first-round bye for the Vikings to solve this problem.  Hopefully Antoine Winfield will be back soon. . .and if he's available if we see the Cardinals again, I think things might be a little different. . .and the Vikings can get back to what they do best, which is pound the opposition and win football games. ...

In Defense of Señor Ochocinco
Daily Norseman — ... What isn't good for the Bengals is how they match up with the Vikings. So you want to run the football 35 times? Don't think the Vikings' #3 rush defense will have a problem with that. Plus Antoine Winfield should finally be back in the lineup this week. (Of course we've heard that before from "The Foot That Cried Wolf".) Although I just got done heaping praise on Ochocinco, it isn't like Cincinnati's offense has been that explosive in 2009. ...

Interview: Daily Norseman stop by to give us knowledge on the Vikings
Cincy Jungle — ... 3a) Reports suggest that Antoine Winfield could return this week after missing the previous six with a foot injury. What does his return mean to the secondary? ...

The Jungle Comes to Minnesota
Daily Norseman — ... have scored zero touchdowns and nine field goals in five second halves of play.  All eight of their touchdowns in that span have come in the first half.  I'm not exactly sure why the Bengals are having so much trouble in the second half, but if the Vikings can keep them out of the end zone in the first half, it appears that the sledding for the Bengals will be much tougher after halftime.  Jared Allen, Kevin Williams, Pat Williams, and the returning Antoine Winfield should play a big part in making that happen. ...

Bengals/Vikings Second Half Thread
Daily Norseman — ... Then, as the Bengals were attempting to run out the clock, Antoine Winfield. . .who has been a beast today. . .forced ...

Seahawks Humiliated on the Road; Deliver Signature Loss of the 2009 Season
Field Gulls — ... ran down the field and tipped away a deep pass. That was an exciting display of man cover for the kid and a small, small-small step towards realizing his potential. Wilson might settle at nickel and he is already a fine situational defensive back, but there's room for Pistol to develop into a Antoine Winfield type corner. ...

Vikings Bounce Back Nicely, Cruise to Win Over Bengals
Daily Norseman — ... by halftime, extended that lead by a touchdown in the third quarter, and iced the game in the fourth quarter. Between missteps by a sloppy Bengals club, an impressive defensive effort headlined by the return of Antoine Winfield, a productive afternoon for Adrian Peterson, and a solid special teams performance, the Vikings looked darn good today. ...