-Pete-":304z7yd6 said:
Long time lurker, blah blah blah…
I like Winfield - the guy’s a proven commodity. Yeah, he might have a few miles on him, but he also doesn’t have the wear ’n’ tear of 12 weeks of regular season. Plus, the guy already retired, so you know he’s 100% full-go on a SB contender. There’s no reason for him to leave anything in the tank.
On the other hand, B-Max has looked very capable in the (very) little I’ve seen from him. And the FO has done one helluva job so far, so you kinda gotta trust them. I mean, Walt is CB1 or 2 on alotta teams in this league.
/$.02
Go ‘Hawks!
Welcome! I agree with you that Winfield is going to be fresher and less beat up than most of the league at this point of the season. It might actually offset the loss of a step from age.
The thing I've not seen anyone post yet is this: Maxwell and Lane have been playing very well (Lane more last year, but he's a terror on ST). Thing is, they're not slot guys. They are bigger, physical and fast CBs but they're not quick. This is why Thurmond slid inside in the nickle; he's quick. He's also our smallest CB. Slot WRs tend to be quicker, shiftier guys that are usually smaller than the guys on the outside. It's not all a coincidence.
Winfield is better in the slot. He's also one of the best in the league at playing "downhill" or attacking the LOS. I think he'd be a better matchup with Sproles in the game when he's in the slot. A lot of this is recognition: if you can diagnose the play quicker than another guy, you're going to be in position faster. Winfield is a crafty vet and he's seen pretty much everything.
I think it's a good move. What happens when Thurmond comes back ? How about we make him inactive until we get another injury? A lot of folks here are saying "cut his ass". Thing is, you're really not punishing him much. He'll get snapped up extremely quickly and end up getting paid on another team anyways. So now we lose a player we want, and someone else gains for nothing. Sit his ass on the bench and let him watch someone else finish what he started.