With Gordon at left corner, Winfield looms as an insider

Cornerback Antoine Winfield said early in training camp that his preference was to play inside against the slot receiver when the Vikings used five defensive backs.

It appears he will get his wish in tonight's season opener at Green Bay.

Cornerback Charles Gordon said Saturday he expects to play left corner when he's brought into the game to replace a linebacker in passing situations. "It all depends on the situation, but I'll probably be outside," he said.

That will mean Winfield can slide inside.

Winfield likes going against the slot receiver because that's where much of the action happens. Gordon said there also is a bit more freedom at the spot.

"[This defense] allows the nickel to be free and be an instinctive player and just go out and make plays and kind of cowboy certain looks or whatever," Gordon said.

Gordon replaced then-rookie Marcus McCauley in nickel situations about halfway through last season. At the time, Gordon was used mainly on the inside, but that was partly because Winfield was injured.

Gordon said he's comfortable playing either spot but admitted the two positions are not similar. "It's totally different," he said. "When you're on the inside, you have so many things happening around you. So when you're on the outside, you just have pretty much ... you are able to focus in more on your man."

Winfield expects to spend much of tonight's game matched up against Packers receiver Donald Driver. Driver plays in the slot and also will line up often against Winfield when the Vikings veteran is at his normal left corner position.

One thing to keep an eye on tonight is whether linebacker Chad Greenway stays in the game every time the nickel package is employed.

Greenway and middle linebacker E.J. Henderson were used in all passing situations in the three preseason games they played, and Ben Leber was replaced by Gordon.

Leber came out each time the Vikings went to the nickel early last season, too, but eventually the team started to rotate him and Greenway on a series-by-series basis because Leber wasn't getting enough snaps.

Defensive coordinator Leslie Frazier said the Vikings would return to some type of rotation when the regular season started.

Aundrae Allison is likely to return kickoffs as well as punts if Maurice Hicks (foot) does not play. But special teams coordinator Paul Ferraro said Gordon also can return punts if needed.

Gordon did not return a punt in his first two NFL seasons, but he holds Kansas' school record for career punt return yards with 999.

"It's been a while since I've done it in a real live game," said Gordon, who returned punts in the preseason. "But it's something I'm comfortable doing. I feel I could step in and do an adequate job for us. I've been working at it in practice."

The Packers will open the season with three quarterbacks -- Aaron Rodgers and rookies Matt Flynn and Brian Brohm -- who have not started an NFL game.

It is the third time this decade a team entered the season opener without a quarterback on its roster who has started a game, according to Elias Sports Bureau.

The other two: the 2006 San Diego Chargers, who finished 14-2 behind Pro Bowl quarterback Philip Rivers, and the 2001 Carolina Panthers, who went 1-15 after opening the season with Chris Weinke, Dameyune Craig and Matt Lytle as their quarterbacks.