Vikings safety Jamarca Sanford will get another shot at starting in the Minnesota defensive backfield when his team visits Detroit this week. Sanford, a 15-game starter in 2011, replaced Mistral Raymond in the first quarter of the Vikings' 24-13 win over San Francisco last Sunday.
Raymond left Sunday's game after hurting his foot tackling San Francisco's Frank Gore - an injury that will not require surgery, but will keep him out indefinitely. Sanford stepped in to record six tackles and force Gore into fumbling the football.
Vikings head coach Leslie Frazier had positive things to say about Sanford's attitude when told he wasn't starting, and for being ready to play when called upon. Frazier also had good things to say about Sanford's play on Sunday, according to Kent Youngblood of the Minneapolis Star Tribune:
"I thought he did a good job when he got in there," Frazier said. "He had the one play down the sidelines with Davis, who presents a lot of problems for anybody. But other than that, he tackled well. He was good on his assignments."
Sanford, a seventh-round pick in 2009, will start alongside rookie free safety Harrison Smith against Detroit.