FanHouse AntoineWinfield

The Minnesota Vikings have upset cornerback Antoine Winfield by declining to renegotiate his contract, with the team saying he should play under the final year of the deal he signed and the player saying he wants a long-term extension. In most cases like this, it's easy to see both sides of it, but in this situation it's clear: The Vikings are making the right decision by holding the line, and Winfield is just going to have to live with it.

Because the NFL season never ends, we present our 2009 Offseason Roadmaps for front offices to navigate through the summer.

In an NFC that is heading into the offseason without a clear favorite, the Minnesota Vikings have almost all the pieces to be the presumptive favorite. They have an outstanding defensive line, an improved secondary and the best running back in the business. They also have a very good offensive line and thanks to Bernard Berrian, the receiver corps no longer is a joke.

The AFC and NFC Pro Bowlers were announced a short while ago, and why make some pointless comment you are sure not to laugh at when we can just give you the rosters instead? Here goes.

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Meet The ...

Best running team in football. If anything they'll be better at running the ball this season. The Vikes have committed to a better balance between passing and running, which will (hopefully) prevent teams from stacking the box against the run -- opening more running lanes. Tarvaris Jackson has experience under his belt and is unchallenged as the starter, not to mention they signed Bernard Berrian in the off-season to give him a legitimate NFL wideout. Adrian Peterson has a year of NFL experience, and Chester Taylor is an able-bodied complement to Peterson. Expect the same, if not better, numbers as last season from the ground game.

The Breakout

He's not going to be a pro-bowler or even a fantasy starter, but "breakout" is defined as someone whose eventual value exceeds the value he held on draft day. Tarvaris Jackson is going to be avoided in nearly all drafts, or possibly taken as a third string fantasy QB with the hopes of upside. By the end of the year, he'll pick his spots well enough to be worthy of a backup fantasy QB for bye-week replacement or injury replacement purposes. He'll get rushing yards -- which is such a huge bonus for QBs -- avoid the interception quite well, and throw for 150-200 yards a week with a passing TD per game.

The Vikings are 1-3 and facing an upcoming schedule that will likely find them underdogs in each of their next five games. It's a bad combination, but say this for the Vikings, they may not be that great on the field, but this year's team is solid in the locker room.

"Usually this time, someone," cornerback Antoine Winfield said before playfully clearing his throat, "me would say something. But I'm not going to go that route. I mean, nothing good's going to come out of that. We are a close group."

There's plenty to gripe about, but thankfully the Vikings players are sticking together. That is a good sign that the team still has a chance to turn things around. If the offense can just get Adrian Peterson a little help, that might be enough to turn some of these close losses (three losses by a total of 13 points) into wins.