Doug Farrar: You had two interceptions against Penn State, but I wanted to start with this play, because though it was a catch for receiver KJ Hamler, it does show your speed to the ball and your ability to limit yards after the catch. What were your responsibilities on this play? Because I see you coming down to either sideline from the deep third a lot, and you have to time these hits just right.
Antoine Winfield, Jr.: Where KJ Hamler came across the field and caught the ball right there? The week before, we got hit with that play, and it went for, like, 50 yards.
So I knew ahead of time, whenever we got that concept, that some team was going to hit it again. I kept my eyes on [Hamler] extra long because… we call that a “Crover” route. Where the No. 2 receiver will go underneath the linebackers and climb up on the opposite side, kind of like a wheel route. It beats our coverage that we’re in. On that play, I kept my eyes on him, and I saw him turn his shoulders up toward the field, and that’s when I knew the ball was coming to him. So, I ran over as fast as I could, and I tried to intercept the ball, but I misjudged it a little bit. But, I still made the tackle on that play.
DF: What coverage are you in here?
AW: We were in our base coverage, which is Cover-6. To my side, it was a quarterback-2-to-1 read [Winfield reads the quarterback, then the No. 2 receiver, then the No. 1 receiver].
DF: How many steps does Hamler take before you know what the route is?
AW: About six steps in. Because usually, if he’s going underneath, he’s going to turn completely straight to the sideline. He was squaring up the field, and as soon as I saw him turn his shoulders, I knew what the route was.
DF: Where did you learn to become what I would call a definitive tackler?
AW: That’s years of practice. Just going through and getting reps at it and practice.
DF: Because you’re not 6-foot-3 and 230 pounds, but there are times when you hit like you are.
AW: That’s what I enjoy doing, so… yeah. Just putting my head on somebody.
DF: So, let’s go through the first interception against Penn State, and here, you’re trailing your guy all the way, with a great ball-skills pick. What’s your responsibility here?
AW: Here, we’re in the same coverage. We’re in a quarters concept, and a quarterback-2-to-1 read. When the ball’s snapped, I’m reading the No. 2 receiver. He cancelled because he went five yards or less [on his route]. Once he does that, I’m supposed to lean to No. 1 and take him man-to-man. And it’s weird because… college football is a copycat league, and teams run the same plays. We had seen that play previously [from Penn State film] about two weeks before. As I was going through the play, I felt that the [No. 1] receiver was digging, and he was going to run a post. That’s what he did, and that’s why I ran a speed turn on top of the route. I saw the ball in the air, and I high-pointed it, and made the play.
DF: So, this is another example of film study — you knowing what the tendencies are, and how to react in the moment.
AW: Correct.
DF: What kind of communication do you have with the other defensive backs on things like this? You said the two cancels to the one — what routes cancel him and make you switch?
AW: Their No. 2 receiver, which was the tight end on this play, cancels out at five yards or less, the cornerback takes him man-to-man and we basically switch [responsibilities]. I take his No. 1 man-to-man.
DF: The second pick against Penn State was a rushed throw, but I wanted to focus on this, because from the end zone angle, you’re in the middle of the field, and then you come down screaming.
AW: Yeah, this is straight film study. Because I wasn’t even supposed to be in the post. But I knew what the play was, so I went off my guy that I was supposed to cover. You’ll see me pointing to the other safety to go to the tight end. In a two-by-two [formation], I’m supposed to go over the tight end. But I saw the play, and I saw where KJ Hamler was aligned, and I knew that every time we got this alignment, he was going to run a slot fade. So, I told my other safety to move down here. You can kinda see me creeping beforehand, because I knew it was going to be a slot fade, and when I got the indicator from the quarterback, I could go make the play on the ball.
DF: It was always said of Jerry Rice that he ran a 4.6 40-yard dash, but when he got on the field, his understanding of angles and opponent tendencies made him the fastest guy on the field. How much does knowing all these things make you faster than you actually are?
AW: Oh, this changes the game. When you know what you’re going to get beforehand, you can play that much faster. It’s an advantage for sure when you know what your opponent’s going to do before they do it.
DF: So, this interception saved a double-overtime win for the good guys. How did it feel to get this one?
AW: Aw, man — it felt amazing to come out with that win. We had been going back and forth all game.
DF: This is another interception where you’re closing really quickly to the ball. Which brings up a question — are there times where you’re hauling it as fast as you can go to the ball, and other times when you’re laying back to bait the quarterback, and then going?
AW: A little bit; I’ve been late before. But it’s a gamble. You’re going to intercept the ball, or they’re going to complete it.
DF: What are you seeing that allows you to make the play?
AW: Early in that game, we were stressed by four verticals down the field to my side. We were in a Cover-2 scenario, and I remember feeling stressed because I turned, and I realized that somebody was screaming wide open down the field. So I thought, dang, they’re probably going to come back to that. You have to store these plays once you know they’re wide open. I got the same look, and they tried to run me off with the No. 1 receiver. I knew the route was coming right behind me, because of the play two quarters before. It was instinct on that play, because the ball was coming, and as soon as I speed-turned, the ball was right there. And you make a play.
DF: The guy trying to throw you off there to the offensive left side — he’s running a post?
AW: Yeah, he was running a post to run me out of the play.
DF: And you said, “I’m not taking the cheese.”
AW: Yep. It was open before, and I said, “Let me make sure I get that next time.” They were going to come back to it eventually.
DF: It’s a big thing now, moving from three to two to one, because you have so many three-by-one formations to deal with, and this is the case in the NFL, too. It’s a big part of your palette because it has to be.
AW: Yes, sir. For sure.
DF: This big hit on Nebraska receiver Wan’Dale Robinson — first of all, this is exactly the kind of thing your dad did all the time, taking out receivers on short routes. And second, you have a couple of things to deal with here. You can’t get there too quickly or you’ll get a contact call, you can’t hit incorrectly because it’ll be targeting and you’ll get thrown out of the game. How do you time these kinds of hits?
AW: What I try to do is to make sure I wrap up. You can’t throw the shoulder like I would have wanted to right there. My biggest thing is to try and wrap them up and hit them square-on.
DF: This run stop against Illinois is interesting because you’re matching receiver Kyron Cumby (No. 20) all the way across the field here. Was this a motion reaction? What was your responsibility?
AW: We’re in quarters coverage here, as well, and it was the same read — quarterback-two-to-one. But we knew that when they sent No. 20, they would use him for jet sweeps a lot. Once I got the motion, I knew they were going to hand the ball off, and I tracked him all the way through.
DF: So here, when you read the quarterback, is that when you know?
AW: At the snap, we get the quarterback read, and then get our eyes to No. 2. Before this play even started, they had a little jet motion, and once they sent No. 20 in motion, I knew he was getting the ball. That’s why you see me rolling with him.
DF: If they run a play-action here, or something the Chiefs or 49ers might do with additional misdirection, how does your responsibility change?
AW: Right here, with any motion, I’m supposed to be a free player, regardless. So, I didn’t have any responsibility either way. This is just being a ballplayer. You have a feel for it, and I went with him because I knew he was getting the ball. But I was a free player, so if it was a reverse, I would be coming back to No. 20. Wherever the ball went, that’s where I was going.
DF: Finally, I wanted to bring up one example of these sacks you get from 10-15 yards downfield.
AW: Yeah, this is my favorite play! My favorite of all time. I made some plays with this one.
DF: How did that start? Did you do that in high school and it developed from there?
AW: We just did it in practice a lot [at Minnesota]. We called it “Frost,” which was basically a free safety gap blitz. We saw how much success we were having with it in practice — I was making play after play every time we would call it — and we ran it in some games with a few sacks. This is one of my favorite plays, because I really don’t have any responsibilities — I just go right after the ball.
DF: So, part of the game here is for the linebacker to clear out the center? Is that the gap you’re running through?
AW: Wide open. The linebacker is supposed to clear out the blockers, and it’s just me, the running back, and the quarterback. I’m playing off the linebacker here — if he goes to the left, I go to the right. It’s just something you’ve got to read on the go. Once he takes his man out of the way, it’s just me against the running back or the quarterback.
DF: Who are your favorite safeties to watch?
AW: Ed Reed, Earl Thomas, and Tyrann Mathieu. Those are my favorites.
DF: Final question. The team that drafts you, what are they getting? What kind of player, and what kind of person?
AW: A guy who is coming in to create turnovers. Any defense I go to, that’s my big thing. I want to cause a turnover in every game, and that’s what you’re going to get out of me. I just have a passion for this game — I’ve wanted to play it since I was a little kid, and I’m extremely passionate about it. You’re going to get passion and takeaways from me.
Touchdown Wire editor Doug Farrar previously covered football for Yahoo! Sports, Sports Illustrated, Bleacher Report, the Washington Post, and Football Outsiders. His first book, “The Genius of Desperation,” a schematic history of professional football, was published by Triumph Books in 2018 and won the Professional Football Researchers Association’s Nelson Ross Award for “Outstanding recent achievement in pro football research and historiography.”