2nd Rd Do-Over?? AWJ over Ezra Cleveland???
Antoine Winfield Jr. saved the day for Tampa Bay like he used to for GophersIn the final minute of Monday's game between the Bucs and New York Giants, Antoine Winfield Jr. made the kind of play that Gophers fans recall fondly.One of the lasting images of the 2019 Gophers football season came early on when Antoine Winfield Jr. came out of seemingly nowhere to intercept an overtime pass in the end zone — one that looked like a sure touchdown until the last second — and preserve a 38-35 victory over Fresno State.
If Minnesota doesn’t win that game, who knows what happens during the rest of what became an 11-win season.
Plays like that led Winfield to be chosen in the second round of the NFL draft by Tampa Bay. And he’s been a key member of that defense from the jump. He ranks No. 26 among all Pro Football Focus safeties with at least 285 snaps this season — just a tick below the Vikings’ Anthony Harris.
And on Monday, he made the kind of game-saving play we became accustomed to seeing him make at Minnesota.
After the heavy underdog Giants had scored a late touchdown to pull within 25-23, Winfield broke up the pass on the two-point conversion attempt that would have tied the game.
Originally he was flagged for interference on the play, but after officials gathered they picked up the flag (correctly, it seemed. Winfield seemed to arrive at the same time as the ball and it hit him). That level of officiating respect isn’t often afforded to rookies.
Winfield’s play all season has him at least in the betting conversation to win Defensive Rookie of the Year honors, though Washington’s Chase Young is the prohibitive favorite.
Still, even being in that conversation is impressive for a second-round pick, considering 19 defensive players (including three safeties) were picked before Winfield).
But it’s not surprising to anyone who watched him play for the Gophers — and it’s not making anyone who hoped to see him in purple like his dad any less prone to second-guessing how draft day played out.
https://www.startribune.com/antoine-winfield-jr-saved-the-day-for-tampa-bay-like-he-used-to-for-gophers/572960942/
Hurry-up Vikings, we ain't getting any younger!
Of course anything Antoine Winfield Jr does in the NFL is going to get a lot of local press in MN...
I was pushing for AWJ to be a Viking big-time and I think he's going to be a hell of a S in the NFL. Pedigree is just too good.
OTOH, Cleveland for the first time looked good vs GB too.
Lots of ways the Vikings could have used Ant Harris or Harry $ elsewhere if they got this kid.
I called him the safest pick in the draft and caught some heat for it. But you can guarantee that if the Vikings had taken AWJ over an offensive lineman, you'd see a lot of torches and pitchforks around here. Point is moot though. AWJ went well above Cleveland. We didn't have the chance to take him. And even if we did, say, with our second 1st, it would've had to come with some sort of Harris or Harry trade, which a few of us advocated at the time.
Leave it to the Vikings, who can’t find a guard to save their lives, to draft a tackle that appears to be their best guard... ;)
Winfield was like 45th pick and Ezra was 58th I believe? Wasnt going to happen.
@"StickyBun" said: Winfield was like 45th pick and Ezra was 58th I believe? Wasnt going to happen.it did in my mock drafts... we traded one of our first round picks and traded back and added 2 second round picks where we took AWj and still had a couple more picks to address OL... but then we wouldnt have had JJ so thats probably why I am a water boy and not a GM.
@"Kentis" said:Leave it to the Vikings, who can’t find a guard to save their lives, to draft a tackle that appears to be their best guard... ;)
Lol. That’s the
strategy. Draft shiny.
Rule 1: Draft a
billion players. That doesn’t apply
here.
Rule 2: Draft the
shiny players.
Rule 2a: Draft
Recievers, RBs, and TEs over OLine because they’re shinier, and anyone can play
OLine.
Rule 2b: If you’re
forced to draft OLine, draft Tackles and Centers because they’re shinier, and
anyone can play Guard.
Rule 2c: If you’re
forced to draft a Guard, fire your coaching staff. Anyone can play Guard, so it’s probably bad
coaching.
first, AWJ gets called for PI ( which he did... he mauled the wr— not called) if hes wearing purple.
https://twitter.co m/calvin_bush24/status/1323659433147248643
and if we want to “swap picks in the second”....we should look to the year prior (2019) to swap.
we picked isj over both aj brown and dj metcalf in 2019. THATS the 2nd round, i want back.
we could have thielen, jefferson and metcalf, with rudy and cook. and still had rudy under contract/te.
fuggin freak. and we passed for isj.
https://m .youtube.com/watch?v=3N0m_rzB_9U
I like your thinking Savannah but would Metcalf and Brown have taken off with our run first offense and KC at QB?
@"IDVikingfan" said: I like your thinking Savannah but would Metcalf and Brown have taken off with our run first offense and KC at QB?Jefferson (loved the pick!) has thrived under KC (understatement). why wouldnt Brown or Metcalf?
we can make up with jamaar chase next draft. if hes there at our pick, pounce.
I really wanted to see us take Winfield, but the only way that was happening was to take him in the first or to trade down into the early second. Pretty dumb article to center it around the play last night, when it was a blatant interference call and he really should have cost them the game not won it.
if Cleveland works as a ten year left tackle there is no way I want a safety instead. As a fan I would have loved to have AWJ but a left tackle is WAY more valuable.
@"JR44" said: I really wanted to see us take Winfield, but the only way that was happening was to take him in the first or to trade down into the early second. Pretty dumb article to center it around the play last night, when it was a blatant interference call and he really should have cost them the game not won it.
I have heard, "Maybe AWJ instead of Cleveland (but not possible without trade up)" and "Wouldn't want to give up Jefferson to get AWJ".
Why is no one saying, maybe we should have taken Winfield instead of Gladney?
It must be fate, karma, kismet, the will of the gods, for AWJ to go to a team with a chance at a title instead of a team that will never have one.
@"Jor-El" said:@"JR44" said: I really wanted to see us take Winfield, but the only way that was happening was to take him in the first or to trade down into the early second. Pretty dumb article to center it around the play last night, when it was a blatant interference call and he really should have cost them the game not won it.I have heard, "Maybe AWJ instead of Cleveland (but not possible without trade up)" and "Wouldn't want to give up Jefferson to get AWJ".
Why is no one saying, maybe we should have taken Winfield instead of Gladney?
Because you can play that game until you're blue in the face. Every year, every round. Maybe because corners are more valuable than safeties. Maybe because AWJ would've been a 1st rounder sitting on the bench unless we traded one of Harry and Harris and we seemed to have exhausted all attempts to trade Harris. Either way, it's too early to say which is the better pick.
AWJ has a good game against a 1 win team and now he is all world? Welcome back to earth... He and the rest of the Bucs D were embarrassed.
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