Foot keeps Winfield from practicing

A sprained right foot kept Antoine Winfield out of practice Wednesday, and his Vikings teammates didn't seem overly optimistic the Pro Bowl cornerback will be able to play Sunday at Pittsburgh.

"When one guy goes down, the next guy steps up," cornerback Cedric Griffin said. "We have talented guys here on our team. All of our games just have to elevate and just replace Antoine."

Coach Brad Childress would not rule Winfield out of Sunday's game or reveal how the team would fill his left cornerback spot if he can't play. Winfield, who was in a walking boot Monday, has spent extra time at Winter Park getting treatment this week, but it looks doubtful at this point.

"I don't think you can [compensate] for a guy like Antoine with some of the things he does," defensive tackle Kevin Williams said. "Those guys know their role and they'll step up and help us out."

It's unclear who would start in Winfield's place. Karl Paymah filled in after Winfield left in the second quarter on Sunday against Baltimore, but the Ravens clearly targeted him in the second half. The Vikings also could move nickel back Benny Sapp to the outside and use rookie Asher Allen as the third cornerback.

"It was a tough position to put any corner in last week," linebacker Ben Leber said. "Backups get marginal reps during the week and to ask these guys to come in and play at a high level is a tough thing to do. No doubt they have to do it."

Leber said the Vikings won't make radical changes if Winfield sits out.

"You look at our game plan going in and everything pretty much remains the same," he said. "We trust that the backups will run the coverages the right way just like everybody else. Nothing is going to change from a philosophy standpoint."

Defensive tackle Jimmy Kennedy admitted he wasn't crazy about the prospect of joining the Vikings late last season after he was released by Jacksonville.

"Truth be told, when my agent called me last year and told me he wanted me to come to Minnesota, I told him, 'Heck no,' " Kennedy said. "Honestly I just felt this wasn't the place for me. Boy, was I wrong."

Kennedy, who signed after Pat Williams suffered an injury, had a similar feeling when the Vikings brought him in for a predraft visit back in 2003. The team ultimately drafted Kevin Williams ninth overall; Kennedy went to St. Louis at No. 12.

"When I was coming out for the draft, I told my agent, 'Man, I don't want to wear purple,' " Kennedy recalled. "I'm already big. They're going to be calling me Barney. I can't do the Vikings things. Now it's a blessing in disguise for me."

Kennedy has played in four games and is third on the team with two sacks. He has become part of the regular rotation at defensive tackle.

"As a competitor, no one ever wants to be a backup," he said. "That's why these guys don't really get a lot of top defensive linemen as backups because who wants to back up Kevin and Pat? Those guys aren't going anywhere. As a competitor, you [also] realize the ultimate goal right now is to win a Super Bowl. I'll do what I have to in order to help this team win."

• Quarterback John David Booty was released from the practice squad for a second consecutive week to make room for cornerback DeAndre Wright.

• Asked about a national report that said he will receive a contract extension in the next few weeks, Childress replied: "I haven't spoken to anybody about that. I'm just focused on beating the Pittsburgh Steelers. That's the biggest thing."

• Running back Adrian Peterson (ankle) and rookie receiver Percy Harvin (shoulder) were limited in practice Wednesday.