Refreshed Winfield is on the mend, in both body and psyche

Antoine Winfield's easygoing demeanor and even delivery make it difficult to sense the amount of frustration he experienced in 2007. But that doesn't mean the year wasn't one of the toughest he's had in his nine NFL seasons.

Clearly not pleased by his situation with the Vikings, Winfield caused a stir by staying away from the team's voluntary workouts and organized team activities (OTAs). Those issues were resolved in June, but things didn't get any easier as he missed a career-high six games because of injuries.

But as the cornerback left the field Thursday after the Vikings wrapped up their first week of OTAs, Winfield said he not only finally feels healthy but also is very happy and would like to finish his career in Minnesota. "Of course, I would," he said. "Anytime you start with a team and you've been there a few years, you want to end there. But that's not the nature of the business. Guys usually move around. We'll see what happens. I still have two years on my contract."

Winfield signed that six-year contract before the 2004 season and established himself as one of the Vikings' most reliable players. He had started 36 consecutive games entering 2007 and extended the string to 43 before injuring a hamstring in a loss to Philadelphia in late October.

He tweaked the hamstring in practice the following Wednesday and ended up missing four of the next five games. Winfield returned in December against San Francisco, but his season ended the following week when he tore his left pectoral muscle in a Monday night victory over Chicago. The Vikings were in the playoff hunt at that point, having won five games in a row, but they lost their last two to finish 8-8.

"It was tough because I'm not used to getting hurt and missing a lot of time," said Winfield, who was replaced by rookie Marcus McCauley at left corner. "Knowing that we had a shot at the playoffs and I didn't really have a big part in that. ... I'm training hard this year and hopefully I can avoid [injury]."

Winfield, who will turn 31 next month, underwent surgery to repair the muscle tear after the season ended. He continues to rehabilitate the injury but was able to take part in many of the drills during OTAs.

"He looks very good," defensive coordinator Leslie Frazier said. "It's a little bit surprising, with all the time that he missed a year ago. They really held him back throughout this offseason. They brought him along pretty slowly, but he hasn't missed a beat."

Winfield hopes to contribute to a team that he feels is headed in the right direction. This is quite a contrast from early in coach Brad Childress' tenure, when Winfield expressed concerns. Winfield and Childress never have gotten into specifics of what went wrong in their relationship, but it was clear player and coach did not always see eye-to-eye.

"Coaches want to come in their first year and they want to run it their way and be strict," Winfield said. "But over time I think some things have changed."

Winfield explained "the lines of communication are now open" between him and Childress. The two exchange text messages and will go out to eat together. "Just going in, I can sit down and talk to the coaches, let them know what's on my mind," Winfield said. "They have enough confidence in me for me to come and talk to them and tell them, 'Well, we shouldn't run this coverage or something like that.' Hopefully, this will go a long way."

It also doesn't hurt Winfield's cause that the Vikings have added defensive end Jared Allen, who led the NFL with 15.5 sacks last season while playing for Kansas City. Allen's ability to get to opposing quarterbacks should provide a big boost for a pass defense that has been at the bottom of the NFL for the past two seasons.

Winfield admits he feels "totally different" from the player who had doubts in 2006. "I'm very excited," he said. "I think we've upgraded some spots on both sides of the ball. I'm definitely looking forward to seeing Jared Allen play. It will make my job a lot easier this year. Pass rush is a secondary's best friend. With him leading the league in sacks and now adding him next to the Williams front wall [of Kevin and Pat], Ray Edwards on the other side, we have a great defensive line."