Munnerlyn, Vikings hope his play in secondary improves soon

The Vikings want the old Captain back.

Captain Munnerlyn was signed by the Vikings in the offseason, and they expected him to be the Antoine Winfield-type nickel back they didn't have last season. They got a glimpse of that cornerback, briefly, during the season opener. Then he disappeared and was replaced by an inconsistentl six-year veteran.

So defensive backs coach Jerry Gray instructed Munnerlyn to re-watch his performance in that first game against the Rams this week. And it became clear to Munnerlyn that he hasn't been the same since.

"Man, what happened?" Munnerlyn asked after assessing the tape.

It served as a reminder of what version the coaches, and Munnerlyn, want to see on the field on Sunday in Tampa Bay — not the one striving to be perfect, being out of position in the process, like the Vikings have seen recently.

The latest gaffe was a 26-yard touchdown Bills rookie wide receiver Sammy Watkins scored against Munnerlyn, who anticipated a short route given Buffalo's personnel on that play last Sunday. Instead, Watkins got separation to make the catch by cutting back inside just when Munnerlyn turned his hips to the sideline.

Munnerlyn needed to stay on top of Watkins, rather than undercut the route, which likely prompted the second talk from Vikings head coach Mike Zimmer in consecutive weeks.

"Thinking he's going to be doing something more than he should be doing," said Zimmer of Munnerlyn's inconsistencies. "Sometimes it's guys' personalities of trying to do too much."

Munnerlyn didn't deny he's doing too much. He's not accustomed to allowing touchdowns, though it's been a common sight this season.

"I'm not sure how many touchdowns they say I gave up; I really don't care," Munnerlyn said.

They, as in Pro Football Focus, marked the Watkins touchdown as the fourth one allowed by Munnerlyn, though he says it's only three touchdowns for which he's been responsible.

Regardless of the discrepancy, it's still a significant amount through seven games and more than "they" thought he allowed over the last two seasons combined: Two.

"I want to win so bad, and I think sometimes I get out of my own element just to make sure everybody else [in the secondary] is good," Munnerlyn said. "I got done talking to [cornerback] Xavier Rhodes earlier this week, and he was down a little bit on himself on the touchdown. I said, 'Man it happens. Look at me.' I gave up three touchdowns this year that I'm not used to giving up at all."

The situation has frustrated Munnerlyn, but the solution is simple. He knows it, Zimmer knows it, Gray knows it and defensive coordinator George Edwards knows it. Zimmer's scheme is similar to what Munnerlyn played with the Carolina Panthers over the past five years, but it's built on different techniques and terminology that he needs to fully grasp.

"We just challenge him from day-to-day, from week-to-week, what we're trying to do schematically is to understand what it is we're asking him to do and play the techniques and fundamentals," Edwards said. "Be disciplined with his eyes, be good with his footwork, those kind of things."

That hasn't happened yet on a consistent basis, leading to the peaks and valleys of his first season with the Vikings. Munnerlyn knows the coaching staff hasn't lost faith in him. While Munnerlyn said he needs to gain his teammates' trust, Rhodes isn't concerned about his mentor.

"Captain, he's going to be Captain," Rhodes said. "We haven't given up on him, we're all waiting on him, and we have patience no matter what. Whether he's making plays or not making plays, we know what to expect out of him. He's going to give his all, and that's all we want."

As someone that was born as a premature baby, Munnerlyn said he's been literally fighting his entire life. The seventh round pick in 2009 accomplished what few drafted in the same round get to experience — a second multiyear contract.

A three-year deal, worth up to $15 million, was what the Vikings and Munnerlyn agreed upon in the spring. It's time for him to live up to it, he says.

"They paid me pretty good money, and they didn't pay me pretty good money to come out here and give up touchdowns and don't make no plays," Munnerlyn said. "I'm sure by the end of the year, I'm going to try to have more interceptions than I gave up touchdowns. I've got a lot of football games left, so I can turn this thing around, and it can start this week."