Williams holding auditions in practice

[dead_poet]

EDEN PRAIRIE, Minn. -- Alan Williams says he doesn't have "any doubt" veteran cornerback Antoine Winfield will find a way to play through a broken hand on Saturday.

But the Minnesota Vikings' defensive coordinator said coaches are holding auditions in practice to see if there's a better backup plan than Marcus Sherels, who struggled in Sunday's win over the same Green Bay team they'll face in the NFC wild-card playoffs.

"Ultimately, it's always the next man up," Williams said. "The next guy would be Sherels if he's up, and then after that, we're working some combinations."

Full post: http://www.1500espn.com/sportswire/Alan ... ions010213

[J. Kapp 11]

Full post: http://www.1500espn.com/sportswire/Alan ... ions010213

I don't understand.

It's Winfield, Cook and Jefferson as far as the starting nickel package is concerned.

So if Winfield can't go, why is Sherels next man up and not Josh Robinson? Is Robinson hurt?

At least Robinson can tackle.

[Demi]

So if Winfield can't go, why is Sherels next man up and not Josh Robinson? Is Robinson hurt?

At least Robinson can tackle.

System! In his interview earlier he talked about a safety (who?) getting a look there as well. Same reason Wright doesn't get a sniff on offense until Percy goes down, he fits in the system the same way.

[Mothman]

I guess it makes sense if Robinson has never played in the slot but my question is why hasn't he worked there at all in camp/practice to begin with?

My guess would be it's because he's a rookie and they want him to focus on mastering the responsibilities of one position before trying to learn another.

[losperros]

My guess would be it's because he's a rookie and they want him to focus on mastering the responsibilities of one position before trying to learn another.

That's probably true but one still has to wonder if Robinson couldn't play the slot better than Sherels, even if he doesn't have that much experience at it. J. Kapp 11 is right. At least Robinson can tackle.

Sherels seems lost out there. The auditions wouldn't be happening if he wasn't. As a result, I won't be surprised if the Vikings go ahead and put Robinson in the slot against the Pack.

I still say that DB is a high priority need for the next draft and free agency, what with the so-so depth on the team and Winfield not getting any younger.

[saint33]

System! In his interview earlier he talked about a safety (who?) getting a look there as well. Same reason Wright doesn't get a sniff on offense until Percy goes down, he fits in the system the same way.

A safety? Did he say who? I watched that press conference, but must have missed that part. He did mention that AJJ and Brandon burton were getting reps there, I assume the safety would be either blanton or Raymond since both played cb in college

[dead_poet]

A safety? Did he say who? I watched that press conference, but must have missed that part. He did mention that AJJ and Brandon burton were getting reps there, I assume the safety would be either blanton or Raymond since both played cb in college

Both were mentioned for that very reason.

[dead_poet]

As a result, I won't be surprised if the Vikings go ahead and put Robinson in the slot against the Pack.

There's no way he's out there in the slot if he hasn't been playing the position all year.

I still say that DB is a high priority need for the next draft and free agency, what with the so-so depth on the team and Winfield not getting any younger.

Totally agree. It needs to be addressed in some capacity. Jefferson is decent depth on the outside but he's not starting material. There are some decent guys under 30 hitting the market. I also think the Raymond/Sanford package is a liability and am excited to see of Blanton is given a chance to start next season (or if Abdullah returns). I'm not sure safety will be addressed until the latter rounds (if at all) in the draft.

[dead_poet]

A little more clarity. From Vikings chat.

Comment From James
Do the Vikings not view Josh Robinson as a good option for the nickel package? It seems like Chris Cook, AJ Jefferson and Josh Robinson are the top CBs after Winfield, but they resort to Sherels.

12:06
Dan Wiederer: The rationale on this, James, is that the coaching staff hasn't practiced much with Robinson inside in the slot. They view him more as an outside corner. And Robinson himself feels much more comfortable outside. And so when Winfield went down last week, they were in quite a bind with Sherels (their fifth best CB) forced into extended duty. They're not going to get caught in that bind again this week. Which is why they experimented a bunch and used Jefferson inside in practice. I'd think if Winfield were to re-injure his hand, you'd see looks with Cook and Robinson outside and A.J. in the slot in nickel.

All that said, Winfield promised Friday that he's not coming out of this game for any reason

http://www.startribune.com/sports/vikin ... ml?refer=y

[NextQuestion]

We could have traded a 7th round pick for Asante Samuel. SMH.

I know Nnamdi was awful this year, along with the rest of the Eagles, but I'd so take that dude here knowing his skill set.

[HardcoreVikesFan]

I was shocked last week when I saw Marcus Sherels out there instead of Josh Robinson.

I mean, seriously, how much of difference is slot corner than outside corner in this defense? Hell, even if it is a big difference, Josh Robinson is twice the player Sherels is. Josh should be playing, not Marcus.