Winfield to be cut, so says Jason La Canfora

[QuahHawk]

Well our plan to improve the pass rush and improve our 3rd down nickel defense didn't really get better in FA like we initially thought. Avril hurt, Irvin suspended, now winfield.

I though winfield would be the icing on the cake. I'm not sold, WT3, Maxwell, or Lane are nickle CB's. Maybe good outside guys but nickel is different. I understand the cut, but if we have a defensive let down int he late 4th quarter I will blame on not having Winfield. I think he would have been a clucth playmaker.

 

[The Outfield]

If he's not traded, got a feeling he'll end up a '9er if released!

Yup. I'm sure of it.

 

[falcongoggles]

Does this set a bad precedent? Hard to attract players to one year deals for less money if we cut them before the season. If I was another team I would be repeating over and over to the players that wanted to "play for a contender" that said contenders will cut your ass.

 

[McGruff]

Is it better for players to take a chance on Playing for a contender, or to be certain of playing for an also-ran?

How a player answers that question in large part determines whether we even want him on our team or not.

 

[Happypuppy]

I think it works for the player. A chance to showcase your ability on a top tier team and then even a older player has a chance to make some big $$ later
Dion Sanders did it when he went to the 49ers for a year, starred in a Super Bowl then signed a big deal with Dallas.

Even if you are cut the lower tier teams will snap you up quickly.

 

[CurryStopstheRuns]

if we have a defensive let down int he late 4th quarter I will blame on not having Winfield. I think he would have been a clucth playmaker.

What if the Hawks lose on a pass given up by Browner or Sherman?

 

[ImTheScientist]

if we have a defensive let down int he late 4th quarter I will blame on not having Winfield. I think he would have been a clucth playmaker.

Ya, because Winfield can play all the positions on the field at once.

 

[QuahHawk]

Winfield's vet pressance could have been the diffrence. If WT3 gets injured we are back 2 a major weakness.

 

[Throwdown]

I'm so confused, why are they doing this to me???

 

[Smelly McUgly]

Winfield's vet pressance could have been the diffrence. If WT3 gets injured we are back 2 a major weakness.

I think they have some faith in Maxwell to play inside.

Winfield wasn't remarkable in the games we saw, either. He's 36; he could be done this year.

 

[ImTheScientist]

Winfield's vet pressance could have been the diffrence. If WT3 gets injured we are back 2 a major weakness.

Maxwell and Lane are capable. Our issue was Trufant, he can't even make the Jags at this point. That alone says we probably should have not had him on the 53 last year.

This is a young mans game. Was Trufants "vet presence" the difference last year? Nope...dude was a liability.

 

[JSeahawks]

Winfield's vet pressance could have been the diffrence. If WT3 gets injured we are back 2 a major weakness.

it looked to me like it was a major weakness whenever Winfield was on the field this preseason. I have more faith in lane and maxwell then in Winfield . Dudes done in my opinion, and I hope he signs in San Francisco

 

[Seaswab]

Thurmond better stay healthy

 

[Popeyejones]

If he's not traded, got a feeling he'll end up a '9er if released!

Not a chance. With Culliver on IR the 9ers top 4 are still locks (Brown, Rogers, Nnamdi, Brock), and they're also trying to figure out what to do with Wright, who they've coveted for a couple years now. There's also a chance they keep Cooper rostered in fear of him not making it to the PS.

My guess is Winfield ends up back on the Vikings.

 

[warden]

Walter Thurmond said a few weeks ago he was competing for both Winfield's and Browner's spots. He seemed to be very determined.

 

[Lady Talon]

Normally I'd be fine with WTIII or Winfield. Whoever wins it deserves it, but if Winfield goes and WTIII gets another injury comparable to his recent ones, he has said retirement will be a major consideration rather than another grueling rehab.

 

[PGunning101]

People aren't factoring in Winfield's knee. After last season he had a knee procedure, and had been sitting out off and on this preseason with a "sore knee". He has also looked slower.

Maybe a bigger issue than we have known?

 

[chevelle03]

Make's me wonder why we even signed him in the first place...

 

[Throwdown]

Make's me wonder why we even signed him in the first place...

Bring in the best available talent, let them compete it out. We should feel good that Thurmond beat him out, but we all knew that Thurmond was this good, I think it speaks to what Maxwell & Lane can do more so than WT3.

 

[formido]

Thurmond played really well this preseason, aside from game 1. According to PFF, he was even positive on run defense, on limited snaps, which was Winfield's main selling point.

These are the potential reasons I've heard of or thought of for letting Winfield go:

1. Lost it

Seems unlikely. Last year Winfield was top 5 in defensive stops according to PFF, in company with, e.g., Patrick Willis. He was similarly highly rated by Advanced NFL Stats. Physiologically, humans decay gradually. You would expect elite years to be followed by a couple "only good" years. Maybe he didn't follow his usual off-season program, but his circumstances seemed pretty motivating and he seemed pretty motivated.

2. Scheme fit

Maybe accumulated lost athleticism over the last few years didn't matter in Minnesota because their scheme let him use his good instincts and didn't expose him athletically. Perhaps in Seattle slot corners are in deep trouble if they don't have elite athleticism. The fact that we have a hard time getting off the field on 3rd downs and that Trufant looked so bad last year supports this theory.

3. Money

I think his base salary was only 500k? But he had pretty easy playing time incentives to get paid substantially more, I think. So either he was going to get paid quite a bit or he wasn't going to play much, either of which being grounds for being cut.

4. Defensive line injuries and suspensions

We are relatively strong at CB, but last year the defensive line was weak and after an off-season of trying to make it strong, we STILL have question marks. This must be frustrating for the staff and releasing Winfield makes it easier to keep someone like Brooks.

5. Releasing Mike Rob

Letting Mike Rob go and keeping Winfield might look bad in the locker room.

6. Culture fit

From what I've heard, Minnesota's training camp is much more relaxed than Seattle's. Old habits die hard. Maybe Winfield didn't fully buy in, especially since he's a future Hall of Famer. Maybe he didn't always compete.

7. Knee injury

The reason given for Winfield not playing the last couple preseason games was a knee thing. If that wasn't just a cover, that would make the staff nervous.

8. Youth principle

Seattle errs on the side of youth. Winfield didn't get much of a chance to show what he could do, but older players are on a shorter leash. Possible knee problems would further bring this principle into focus. In any case, it's a priority.