Former Vikings cornerback claims to be best tackler in franchise history

Taking down a player with the football is an art unto itself but this Minnesota Vikings defender claims to be the best tackler in team history.

The Minnesota Vikings have seen some great tackles move in and out of the organization over the course of their franchise history. Ever since becoming a team in 1961, fans have seen many great defenders make great plays, some of which are more memorable than others.

Recently, the Pioneer Press spoke with former cornerback Antoine Winfield about his time with the Vikings, his place in team history, and his son, University of Minnesota safety Antoine Winfield Jr.

The topic of tackling was addressed and Winfield made a bold claim about his place among the best tacklers. Here is what he said:

"“I was the best tackler period in the league. No one could tackle like me in the open field. I put my numbers up against Ray Lewis, anybody.’’"

Not only was he bold enough to say nobody in the league tackled better than him during his NFL career, but he made another claim that might be an even bigger one: saying he’s “absolutely” the best tackler in franchise history.

This is a hard claim to verify, There is no doubt that Winfield was a great tackler, but with takedowns not being an officially recorded statistic until 2001 and were recognized in 1994, a lot of the best players in team history are tough to compare to the cornerback.

However, recent history doesn’t support Winfield’s claim either, at least when it comes to quantity. Former linebacker Scott Studwell has racked up an unofficial 1,928 tackles during his career from 1977 to 1990 compared to 1,057 from 2004 to 2012.

Winfield had a response for that though.

"“I’ve watched film on him and seen the stats. I know he was a great player but he’s in the box, he’s not in that open space like a corner.’’"

At 5-foot-9 and 180-pounds, Winfield’s smaller frame didn’t hold him back. His excellent tackling technique and solid coverage skills made him a three-time Pro Bowl player with an All-Pro second-team nod in 2008.

While the Vikings defense as a team struggled during this time, Antoine Winfield was always seen as a bright spot in the unit, which led to him becoming a fan-favorite among the purple and gold defenders during that time. However, whether he is the best tackler in Vikings franchise history is definitely debatable.