Cornerstone of The Purple's Defense: CB Antoine Winfield

After years of being frustrated by a defense that couldn't stop even the Arizona Cardinals led by Josh McCown, the Vikings made what may have been their best decision before the 2004 season by signing veteran cornerback Antoine Winfield away from the Buffalo Bills.

Now I knew Winfield had a lot of upside to him, but beyond that, the only thing I knew was that he had sacked Peyton Manning once and that he was small.

I would have taken upside any day over the Denard Walker's and the Chris Dishman's that I had been used to seeing. Teams were throwing all over us, even with a mediocre pass rush.

In 2004, Winfield's first season with the Vikings, I noticed something special about the 5'9 cornerback who definitely did not play the way his size would indicate. What I saw was a defense that seemed to play off of his emotions and big plays.

I saw a secondary that wasn't afraid of being aggressive and sometimes creating the big turnovers that we had been missing the five previous years.

I saw games sealed by interceptions, some by Winfield himself, that one year previous might have never happened, with the Vikes coming out on the losing end.

Now, after five years in purple, Antoine is still the emotional leader of the Vikings defense, and has one more year left on his contract. His agent, Ashanti Webb, has told the media they are trying to work a deal out because Antoine wants to retire as a Viking.

Winfield ranked second in tackles last year with the Vikings with 95, also adding two interceptions and two sacks. Many remember his knack for forcing fumbles on the quarterback last year, including one on Jake Delhomme in week three in which he recovered and returned 19 yards for a touchdown.

That play alone might have turned the game as the Vikings went on for a 20-10 win, their first of the season.

So Antoine, the feeling is mutual. From what your agent says, you want to finish your career here in Minnesota. On behalf of all Vikings fans, we want you part of us as we make our run to the Super Bowl.