Winfield released

[CalVike]

http://m.nbcsports.com/content/once-rel ... -minnesota

Winfield is quoted as saying he gave up on Minnesota the moment he was released. And signed with Seattle for less guaranteed money because he wants more than anything to win a Super Bowl now and feels the Seahawks are far closer than the Vikings. Article claims Coach Leslie Frazier went hard after Winfield to no avail. Not a lot new here on substance but the Winfield quote backs what was reported at the time.

[Eli]

I wonder how many Vikings players feel similarly - that the Vikings aren't close to being Super Bowl contenders - but would never express those feelings. Not that you can blame them for not saying so. It's not the sort of thing you would normally declare publicly about your employer, especially when you're trying to get them to pay you more money. But Winfield's statement does give you an inkling.

[Purplekush]

Man I'm starting to kinda hate Seattle.

[jackal]

Man I'm starting to kinda hate Seattle.

Shoot I have moved way past starting to hate them..

Richard Sherman might play great but he needs to shut his hole...

He reminds me so much of D. Sanders self promoting little girl
who could not tackle to save his life..

Sherman at least can tackle.. I am hoping someone crushes him this year
and he can talk from the sideline for the rest of the season ...

[dead_poet]

*sigh*

Antoine Winfield - DB - Seahawks

Antoine Winfield accepted $2 million less in guaranteed money to sign with the Seahawks.

The Vikings reportedly offered Winfield a fully guaranteed one-year, $3 million contract to return. He turned them down and accepted a $2 million deal from the Seahawks that contains just $1 million guaranteed. "They have an opportunity to do something that I dream about every night and that's win a championship," Winfield said. "...I don't have too much time left. This is Year 15 for me so I'm trying to get it this year."
Source: Profootballtalk on NBCSports.com
http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/20 ... minnesota/

[mansquatch]

This is my take.

1.) The Vikes were right that Winfield wasn't worth $7MM

2.) The way the Vikings released Winfield was poorly done in that it burned up goodwill between the player and the team

3.) Once Winfield was on the open market he had the option to go play for a contender while taking a pay cut. The Vikings couldn't offer the same "contender" status due to their having something to prove at key positions.

Now for #3, I avoided saying Ponder, but that IMO, is probably the rub. Ponder hasn't fully proven himself, thus we have a giant question mark at the most important position in the game vs. other franchises. If you are competing for a verteran FA like Winfield who is in the twilight of his career, that can turn the tables against you.

IMO, part of prognosticating the NFL is picking which players are going to come on and which ones are not. My opinion is that Ponder has a chance to turn the corner this year. However, if you are a 15yr vet it is a lot easier to sign with a club with a guy who has shown the goods to some extent. The downside is that flashy teams who sign a bunch of names are far from a 100% shot to make something happen. I think Seattle is going to dissapoint this year. (I also think SF is going to feel the pain without Crabtree, remember what the Raven's D did in the SB ie "He is a one read guy")

[The Breeze]

I certainly think that Winfield should've been handled more kindly.....but I can't argue that a chance at a ring was probably the biggest factor for him considering his age. He would be perfect in our D covering guys like Percy Harvin, that dude that plays for Seattle. I'm not convinced we have a guy who can replace Winfield's production.....but they may tweak the scheme some anyway and it could work out for the better.

As far as the NFC west goes, I think Seattle is going to be really good because of their defense. There's just no way around it, as long as they stay healthy. And the Niners are going to miss Crabtree, but I would trade him for Boldin any day of the week. I still can't believe thay got Boldin for a 3rd rounder. So, while it would be huge for them to have them both on the field, having Boldin, a healthy Manningham and that kid they drafted a couple seasons back, AJ Jenkins along with Vernon Davis is going to make them pretty formidable in the passing game.

If Carson Palmer can keep upright, the Cards will be tough in that division. And the Rams, who didn't lose to SF last year, added some key pieces for Bradford. I think it's going to be the toughest Division this season.

[Mothman]

This is my take.

1.) The Vikes were right that Winfield wasn't worth $7MM

2.) The way the Vikings released Winfield was poorly done in that it burned up goodwill between the player and the team

3.) Once Winfield was on the open market he had the option to go play for a contender while taking a pay cut. The Vikings couldn't offer the same "contender" status due to their having something to prove at key positions.

Now for #3, I avoided saying Ponder, but that IMO, is probably the rub. Ponder hasn't fully proven himself, thus we have a giant question mark at the most important position in the game vs. other franchises. If you are competing for a verteran FA like Winfield who is in the twilight of his career, that can turn the tables against you.

That may have been part of it but Seattle had a top 5 defense last year, won a postseason game and came close to winning another. As a team, they were literally closer to reaching and winning the Super Bowl and it may be as simple as that.

The Vikings decision to release Winfield may or may not have been a big surprise to him but even assuming it was, it's possible that Spielman laid the situation out to him as nicely as he could, said "Look, we appreciate all you've done for us and we want you back but we need this money if we're going to keep Loadholt and I have to free it up NOW. Please understand, we value your contributions but we just can't pay you so much to play in the slot". Winfield may have left with with sour grapes at losing all that money and being cut from a team he contributed to for years. If so, that's understandable but it may ahve been handled as well as possible under the circumstances...

... or Spielman may have been a real jerk about it. We'll probably never know. I'm not sure there's a kind way to tell someone you're taking 4.5 million dollars out of their pocket.

IMO, part of prognosticating the NFL is picking which players are going to come on and which ones are not. My opinion is that Ponder has a chance to turn the corner this year. However, if you are a 15yr vet it is a lot easier to sign with a club with a guy who has shown the goods to some extent. The downside is that flashy teams who sign a bunch of names are far from a 100% shot to make something happen. I think Seattle is going to dissapoint this year. (I also think SF is going to feel the pain without Crabtree, remember what the Raven's D did in the SB ie "He is a one read guy")

I seriously doubt Seattle is going to be playing in the Super Bowl this year.

[Cliff]

I seriously doubt Seattle is going to be playing in the Super Bowl this year.

Can anyone think of the last time the "off season favorite" to win the super bowl actually won the super bowl the following year?

[NextQuestion]

I certainly think that Winfield should've been handled more kindly.....but I can't argue that a chance at a ring was probably the biggest factor for him considering his age. He would be perfect in our D covering guys like Percy Harvin, that dude that plays for Seattle. I'm not convinced we have a guy who can replace Winfield's production.....but they may tweak the scheme some anyway and it could work out for the better.

As far as the NFC west goes, I think Seattle is going to be really good because of their defense. There's just no way around it, as long as they stay healthy. And the Niners are going to miss Crabtree, but I would trade him for Boldin any day of the week. I still can't believe thay got Boldin for a 3rd rounder. So, while it would be huge for them to have them both on the field, having Boldin, a healthy Manningham and that kid they drafted a couple seasons back, AJ Jenkins along with Vernon Davis is going to make them pretty formidable in the passing game.

If Carson Palmer can keep upright, the Cards will be tough in that division. And the Rams, who didn't lose to SF last year, added some key pieces for Bradford. I think it's going to be the toughest Division this season.

1.) You'd trade Boldin for Crabtree any day? LOL

2.) They traded Boldin for a 6th which shows you there isn't much in the tank for him

[NextQuestion]

Seattle is reminding me too much of the 2011 Eagles "dream team". They've got some great talent in Seattle but people have to remember Wilson is going into his 2nd year. He's a stud, and I'd take him over Ponder, but how many times did Seattle's defense bail them out last year? Seahawks got ripped apart on the road too. Dolphins and the freaking Lions beat them..

[Mothman]

Can anyone think of the last time the "off season favorite" to win the super bowl actually won the super bowl the following year?

It doesn't seem to happen often, which is one of the reasons I'm betting against them (not literally, just here).

[The Breeze]

1.) You'd trade Boldin for Crabtree any day? LOL

Absolutely. Take a look at Boldin's playoff stats last season. 22 catches 380 yds and 4tds in 4 games including 6 for 104 and a TD in the superbowl.....which they won. He's a big time big game play maker.

2.) They traded Boldin for a 6th which shows you there isn't much in the tank for him

I dunno if any other teams even thought Boldin would be available. I thought is was a 3rd....a 6th is hard to fathom. I don't think it's as much an indicator of what's in Boldin's tank as it is some kind of Harbaugh thing, and the ridiculous salary Falcco got. Everyone in the league was scratching their head at that trade...especially Boldin.

Another consideration is Crabtree's actual health and the statistical reality of NFL players recovering from the injury he has.

[NextQuestion]

Crabtree in 3 playoff games:

vs GB 9 catches/119 yards/2 TDs
vs ATL 6 catches/57 yards/0 TDs
vs BAL 5 catches/109 yards/1TD

I wouldn't call him slouch by any means. He's a stud and much younger than Boldin. He was primed to be a top 5 WR this year.

p.s. we offered a 7th for Boldin. No dice. Glad we got Jennings who can get separation. Boldin will just out muscle guys.

[The Breeze]

Crabtree in 3 playoff games:

vs GB 9 catches/119 yards/2 TDs
vs ATL 6 catches/57 yards/0 TDs
vs BAL 5 catches/109 yards/1TD

I wouldn't call him slouch by any means. He's a stud and much younger than Boldin. He was primed to be a top 5 WR this year.

p.s. we offered a 7th for Boldin. No dice. Glad we got Jennings who can get separation. Boldin will just out muscle guys.

I didn't know we made an offer on Boldin. I agree that Crabtree is/was no slouch, I wouldn't call him that....but an achillies tear is a game changer: http://lowerextremityreview.com/article ... on-rupture So true, he's younger than Boldin but it's really no comparison at this point.

I'm happy with Jennings also and as far as him being a better fit than Boldin...that will depend on Ponder's accuracy. However, my initial foray into this was about how the Niners got better by adding Boldin for what was, to them, basically nothing. The issue was that losing Crabtree made the Niners less likely to repeat....but I say having Boldin there is pretty much the same production, hence I would trade the two every time if I had to replace one with the other. I would pick the Niners and Packers over Seattle at this point.

Seattle is a sexy pick, I guess, but until they've had another successful season..... maybe a division crown, I see them a second tier team like the Vikings.