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CB Antoine Winfield (All B1G, All-American, Thorpe Award, Pro Bowl, All Pro)

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September 2nd, 2013
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by Andrew Krammer
1500ESPN.com

EDEN PRAIRIE, Minn. -- Minnesota Vikings coach Leslie Frazier expressed his admiration and respect for former Vikings cornerback Antoine Winfield, a player who he coached for two seasons and announced his retirement on Sunday.

But that's not where it ends -- the Vikings are anything but deep at cornerback and Frazier said he'd 'welcome the opportunity' to have Winfield on his roster again.

"I haven't spoken to him," Frazier said. "I may give him a call today to wish him well."

After the weekend's roster cuts, the Vikings have cornerbacks Chris Cook, Josh Robinson, Xavier Rhodes, A.J. Jefferson and Marcus Sherels as their five at the line of scrimmage in the secondary.

Those five players combine for 41 career NFL starts and three interceptions, two from Robinson in his rookie season and one from Jefferson while he was with the Arizona Cardinals.

Winfield has 173 career starts, 27 interceptions and knows the Vikings defensive system. If the 36-year-old veteran were to entertain talks with the Vikings, Frazier would likely offer up a limited practice schedule for Winfield.

However, Winfield appeared slighted by being cut and turned down $2 million more in guaranteed money from Minnesota when he decided to test his luck with the Seattle Seahawks this offseason.

In a deep Seahawks secondary, Winfield didn't make the cut and may have a different frame of mind when in retirement. Frazier appeared to leave the decision up to Winfield.

"I have a deep affection for him," Frazier said. "If he wanted to play, I'd welcome the opportunity to work with Antoine again, if that's what he wanted to do."

Frazier will find out if he gives him a call to 'wish him well.'
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http://www.1500espn.com/sportswire/Frazier_would_welcome_the_opportunity_to_have_Winfield_back090213
 
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Vikings not waiting on Winfield
September, 4, 201
By Ben Goessling | ESPN.com

As soon as the words left Leslie Frazier's mouth on Wednesday afternoon -- that "you don't want to be talking people out of retirement" -- I had the same thought that most of you are probably having now: Boy, things sure have changed in Minnesota.

It wasn't so long ago that the Vikings were -- in fact, Frazier was -- doing exactly what he said they didn't want to do on Wednesday. In 2009, when Brett Favre was trying to decide whether to come out of retirement for a second time and join the Vikings, it was Frazier (then the Vikings' defensive coordinator) who first went to Hattiesburg, Miss., to talk to Favre about coming back. The Vikings were coming off a 10-6 season and a first-round playoff exit then, as they are now, and while it's tough to say a veteran defensive back could have the same kind of impact in 2013 as Favre had in 2009, there's little question about what Antoine Winfield meant to the team last year and how much a young secondary has to prove with Winfield gone.

But beyond a text message to wish Winfield well and offer his assistance if the 36-year-old wanted to talk about transitioning to life after football, Frazier said he hasn't had any contact with Winfield. And his quote in the first paragraph of this post was in direct response to a tongue-in-cheek question about whether he'd be dispatching a group of players to lobby Winfield, as the Vikings did with Favre in 2010.

"When a guy's retired, you've got to let him go through what he's going through," Frazier said. "[It's] just encouraging him to be what he wants to be. If retirement is what it is, good luck in retirement. If you want to talk, let's talk, about taking that next step after your career ends. It's a big difference, going from playing 15 years almost to going back and being a regular citizen. It's a transition, and a lot of players struggle with that transition. If he ever needed to talk about that, I'd be glad to have that conversation."

cont...
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http://espn.go.com/blog/minnesota-v...esota-vikings-not-waiting-on-antoine-winfield
 
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Agent: Ex-Viking Antoine Winfield can wait to decide on retiring
By Sean Jensen
[email protected]
Posted: 09/11/2013


Former Vikings cornerback Antoine Winfield. (Pioneer Press: Chris Polydoroff)

Three-time Pro Bowl cornerback Antoine Winfield hasn't filed his retirement papers with the league, his agent, Ashanti Webb, told the Pioneer Press on Wednesday.

"Any time a player of his stature makes that choice, you want to give them some time to make sure they're at peace with that decision," Webb said. "I mean, there's no rush.

"Antoine has played 14 years in the league, and he has had a beautiful career, and there's not much else for him to accomplish. But as his agent, I want him comfortable with that decision next week, next month."

Webb said Winfield only recently packed up his belongings at his Seattle residence.

"There have been a lot of athletes and coaches and former coaches call and say the same thing: You don't really retire until you watch other players play and you're not out there," Webb said. "That's the rule of thumb."

Asked if Winfield could rejoin the Vikings, Webb said, "Antoine definitely appreciates coach (Leslie Frazier), and some of his best friends in life play on that team right now.

"He was there for basically a decade, so Minnesota will always hold a special place in his heart. But I haven't heard anything substantive from them to bring back to Antoine."

Webb confirmed that other clubs also had "checked in" with him on Winfield, adding, "I keep those conversations private."

cont...
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http://www.twincities.com/sports/ci_24069727/ex-viking-antoine-winfield-holding-off-retiring-agent
 
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Antoine Winfield still on Vikings' radar
  • Article by: CHIP SCOGGINS , Star Tribune
  • Updated: October 2, 2013


Vikings coach Leslie Frazier didn’t close the door Tuesday on the team possibly re-signing former Pro Bowl cornerback Antoine Winfield to bolster its ailing secondary.

The Vikings rank 32nd — dead last — in the NFL in pass defense and their group of cornerbacks are dealing with injuries and poor play. Their opponents are averaging 326 yards passing per game, and the Vikings are tied for first with 10 touchdown passes allowed.

Winfield, meanwhile, is working out at his home in Houston and wants to continue playing after announcing he would retire following his release from the Seattle Seahawks at the end of training camp.

Frazier didn’t shoot down Winfield’s possible return when asked if the team is considering the idea.

“We’ve talked about a lot of things,” he said. “We knew going in we’d have some new guys playing some positions where there were going to be some growing pains along the way. We’re experiencing some of that. But we’ve got to keep bringing them along and keep hoping that they’re going to improve, which they are. They are improving in some areas. But we’ve talked about a lot of things and ways we can try and help our secondary.”

The Vikings would be a logical destination for Winfield if he does return. He knows the scheme and surroundings so he could slide in with minimal disruption. The secondary certainly could use his playmaking, savvy and leadership right now.
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http://www.startribune.com/sports/vikings/226068041.html
 
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Jason La Canfora
CBS Sports NFL Insider
'Retired' CB Winfield draws interest from several NFL contenders
October 14, 2013
  • Several contending teams are in regular contact with free agent cornerback Antoine Winfield, according to league sources.

    With the midpoint of the season approaching, a decision is expected sooner rather than later.

    Winfield, coming off a strong season with the Vikings, resumed working out a few weeks ago after originally planning to retire. He was released by Seattle -- which has the NFL's deepest and best secondary -- in a cap-crunch before the season and will be very selective about where he signs.

    The veteran would like a chance to get a ring -- which led to him signing with Seattle rather than accept more money to remain with the Vikings. While Winfield is getting weekly calls from several playoff-bound clubs, the struggling Vikings are also still in contact with him, according to a team source, and the fact Winfield played so long there and has such affinity to the area could keep them in the mix, but ultimately the chance to win a title elsewhere likely would win out.

    Several teams have asked that Winfield not sign a deal without giving them an opportunity to match, and injuries could always play a role as well (New England, for instance, is trying determine the extent of top corner Aqib Talib's hip flexor suffered Sunday).
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http://www.cbssports.com/nfl/writer...ld-draws-interest-from-several-nfl-contenders
 
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Report: Seahawks have reached out to Antoine Winfield
Posted by Josh Alper on November 25, 2013
antoine-winfield.jpg

AP
The Seahawks will return from the bye this week with a shortage of cornerbacks.

Walter Thurmond is going to start serving a four-game suspension and Brandon Browner is out with a groin injury, leaving the team thin at the position once you get past Richard Sherman. They may be trying to remedy that by bringing back a player who was briefly a member of the team in the offseason and summer.

Mike Garafolo of FOX Sports reports that the team has reached out to Antoine Winfield to gauge the veteran’s interest in returning to the team. Winfield retired at the end of the summer, but he never filed retirement papers and has remained in shape while waiting to see if the right situation to return came along this year.

Seattle may offer just that. They’re one of the favorites in the NFC and coming back would offer Winfield a chance to help the team weather the storm in the secondary now while putting him in good position for a run at the Super Bowl trip that has eluded him throughout his career.
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http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.co...eahawks-have-reached-out-to-antoine-winfield/
 
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COLUMBUS, Ohio - The Ohio State Athletics Hall of Fame will enshrine 13 new members this fall, with 11 former student-athletes and two coaches among the honorees. The class will be inducted Sept. 26 at a dinner and will be introduced to the public at halftime of the Ohio State home football game against Cincinnati Sept. 27.

The 2014 class includes Tessa Bonhomme (women's hockey), Nancy Darsch (women's basketball coach), Boaz Ellis (fencing), Rosalind Goodwin (women's track and field), Ralph Guarasci (men's golf), Russ Hellickson (wrestling coach), Becky Kim (synchronized swimming), Tami Smith (women's track and field), Troy Smith (football), Bob Vogel (football),Antoine Winfield (football), Ralph Wolf (football) and Jeremy Wurtzman (men's tennis).

Antoine Winfield
Football (1995-98)
Winfield, a team captain as a senior, was one of the all-time great cornerbacks in Ohio State history. A two-time All-American, he was a consensus choice as a senior in 1998. He was the first Buckeye to win the Thorpe Award as the nation's outstanding defensive back; the first non-linebacker (and only the fifth player total) to record at least 200 solo tackles; the first defensive back in Ohio State history to be voted team MVP (following the 1997 season); and the first cornerback in recorded history to lead the team in tackles when he did so in 1997.

A two-time all-Big Ten Conference selection, Winfield closed his career with 278 tackles, including 224 solo stops, 22 tackles-for-loss, 29 pass breakups and three interceptions. He played in four bowl games, including the 1996 Citrus Bowl when he came in as a true freshman and recorded seven tackles. He played in 50 career games, starting 29 times. As a senior in 1998, he was one of five finalists for the Football News Defensive Player of the Year Award. He was named first-team All-America by the Football Coaches Association, Walter Camp, the Football Writers and the Football News and was named the Buckeyes' Bill Willis Defensive Player of the Year award winner. He totaled 75 tackles, including nine solo tackles in a win over Michigan to close the season.

As a junior, Winfield was voted by his teammates as the 1997 MVP after a season in which he totaled 100 tackles, 12 pass break-ups and two interceptions. He had 82 solo tackles, the fifth-highest solo tackle total in school history, and made the Football Writers and Football News All-America teams. He led the team in tackles five times, including a magnificent 10-tackle performance against Michigan and a career-high, 13-tackle effort against Missouri.

A first-round draft pick of the Buffalo Bills in 1999, the hard-hitting Winfield was a five-time Pro Bowl selection, playing five seasons with the Bills and nine with the Minnesota Vikings from 2004-2012. He retired from the NFL in 2013.

http://www.ohiostatebuckeyes.com/genrel/061214aaa.html
 
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Bucks21 said:
This guy is one of my favorite Buckeyes of all time and who I tried to model my game after while I played football growing up. Nothing like watching him sneak up and come on a short side blitz. The guy was simply a football player. Congrats Antoine!
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Re: As a junior, Winfield was voted by his teammates as the 1997 MVP after a season in which he totaled 100 tackles, 12 pass break-ups and two interceptions. He had 82 solo tackles, the fifth-highest solo tackle total in school history, and made the Football Writers and Football News All-America teams. He led the team in tackles five times, including a magnificent 10-tackle performance against Michigan and a career-high, 13-tackle effort against Missouri.

Just sayin': The guy was a "tackling machine" some of the cornerbacks on the current Ohio State team could benefit by modeling their game after him too.

:biggrin:
 
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