Month: September 2020

Amid a global pandemic, the world hasn’t felt normal for a while now. The return of football won’t make everything better, but maybe, just maybe, it will help us all feel like things are starting to look up.

On Sunday, September 13, the Minnesota Vikings will start their march towards a championship against their rivals from across the border, the Green Bay Packers. The Vikings are currently favored by 2.5 points, mainly because this game will be played in Minneapolis, but there won’t be any fans in the stadium so any home-field advantage will be minimal.

The Packers drafted a quarterback in the first round this year, and while that might have made Vikings fans chuckle, it undoubtedly made Aaron Rodgers enraged. He will be on a mission this season to prove his doubters wrong, and the Vikings – with their young and inexperienced cornerback group – just might be in trouble.

The game plan for the Vikings will be simple: chew up the clock while on offense and unleash their talented pass rushers on defense. As of now Danielle Hunter is still recovering from some unknown injury and hasn’t been practicing, and Yannick Ngakoue just got to Minnesota so he will take some time to learn the playbook.

Add it all up, and this could be a rough game for the Vikings. Yet with how strange everything has been this year, who knows what will happen. Either way, we’ll be here cheering on the purple and gold! Skol!

 

The Minnesota Vikings have a drastic change in the cornerback room from last season. They sat back as their top 3 corners from last season all sign with other teams during free agency. That meant they were all in on the guys left on their roster and the players they eventually ended up drafting. 

Xavier Rhodes signed with the Indianapolis Colts while Trae Waynes and Mackensie Alexander both signed with the Cincinnati Bengals. Rhodes was once a top corner in the NFL. Waynes and Alexander were both very good at the respective positions,

This change has many people concerned about the Vikings secondary. Despite losing their three best corners, Vikings fans should not be overly concerned. There are reasons to be optimistic about the new group heading into the season. 

The Vikings’ new cornerback group consists of Mike Hughes, Jeff Gladney, Cameron Dantzler, Holton Hill, Kris Boyd, Harrison Hand, Mark Fields, Nate Meadors, and Nevelle Clark. It is a very young and inexperienced group. That is normally worrisome but Mike Zimmer is the perfect coach for this challenge. 

Mike Zimmer has a history of coaching up defensive backs and helping them blossom at the NFL level. He has some great talent to do that with right now. He helped general manager Rick Spielman pick many of these players.

In addition to that, the Vikings have arguably the best safety duo in the NFL. Harrison Smith and Anthony Harris are two of the best at the positions. That will allow the young corners to play with confidence and know they will have help over the top. Smith is also great at making sure the defense is lined up properly and adjustments are made as necessary.

Based on reps in camp, it is looking like the week 1 starters are going to be Hughes and Gladney. Expect this to be a battle all season. Dantzler has been making plays all throughout training camp. Hill and Boyd are both capable or working there way into the mix as a starter as well. 

As long as Hughes is healthy he will be a reliable number one option. The Vikings drafted him high for a reason. When healthy he has shown promise and why he was a first-round pick back in 2018. Gladney was also a first-round pick Zimmer was high on. With a little technique work, Zimmer should have him a viable number two corner in no time. 

My favorite out of the bunch is Dantzler. He is tall and plays with an edge. He could end up being the steal of the draft. If he lives up to the early training camp hype, that will make this rebuild of the Vikings cornerback room finish a lot sooner than anticipated. Either way, it will be fun to watch the young group grow and learn under Mike Zimmer. 

The Minnesota Vikings are ramping up their practices as training camp rolls on and week one (Sept. 13) is rapidly approaching. With no preseason games this season we are able to focus on training camp more, bringing you better information about your favorite team and players. Let’s jump right into some news and notes coming out of Minnesota this past week, starting with the transaction wire.

The Vikings waived undrafted rookie offensive lineman Brady Aiello, making room for second-year running back Tony Brooks-James. The RB had been waived by the Vikings on August 8, but was brought back to help give the team some flexibility in the backfield.

The Vikings have also claimed safety Steven Parker off the waivers. Parker is a third-year player out of Oklahoma who was waived by the Miami Dolphins. He started four games for the Dolphins last season and provides the Vikings with some experience at safety.

The Vikings and star running back Dalvin Cook appear to be at an impasse again, according to NFL Network. The two sides have had an interesting offseason so far, with the RB saying he was not going to report to training camp without a new deal, then showing up because he felt a deal was close to being completed. Now, however, the two sides appear nowhere close to getting a deal done. It remains to be seen if Dalvin will play in 2020 without a contract extension. He has been participating in training camp, albeit on a limited snap count.

The team has been trying new offensive line combinations in training camp, but as of now, it seems they will likely go with the same lineup as last season (minus Josh Kline). Riley Reiff, Garrett Bradbury, and Brian O’Neill are locked in at left tackle, center, and right tackle respectively. Pat Elflein is the only wildcard, as he has been playing both left and right guard, but he has the inside track on one of those spots.

Unlike the offensive line, the defensive line has undergone some major changes this offseason. Linval Joseph is gone, his replacement Michael Pierce has opted out of the season, and Everson Griffen will be playing in Dallas this year. Danielle Hunter is still here thankfully, but he has sat out the last seven practices with an undisclosed injury. At defensive tackle, the Vikings have asked Shamar Stephen to play the nose tackle spot (Linval’s spot last season), and by all accounts he seems to be excelling in that role. The Vikings still need to find a DT to play next to Stephen and find another starting defensive end.

The cornerback was perhaps the biggest question mark heading into the season, but the rookies are out to show the world they have what it takes to start immediately. The biggest surprise has been Cameron Dantzler, who was a third-round pick just a few months ago. Speaking of the cornerbacks, we’ll be having a guest writer next week who will be focusing on that position. Make sure to check it out!

If you have any questions or comments, reach out to me on Twitter (@JordanWrightNFL). Skol!

Weekly Vikings Roundup

By Jordan Wright

Training camp is in full swing as the Minnesota Vikings prepare for the 2020 NFL season. Let’s catch up on some news from this past week.

The media was finally allowed in to view the team during training camp, and everyone has been raving about rookie wide receiver Justin Jefferson. The Vikings’ first-round pick has been turning heads with his route running and already has a handful of impressive catches. Perhaps the most impressive thing about Jefferson, however, is his ability to quickly learn the playbook. When speaking about Jefferson, offensive coordinator Gary Kubiak said, “It’s very encouraging”.

Last week we discussed why the Vikings had not signed Everson Griffen yet, and shortly after the article was written it was announced that Everson had signed with the Dallas Cowboys. Griffen’s leadership will be missed, but the Vikings feel confident in the defensive linemen that are already on the roster. He signed a one-year, $6 million deal, so there is always a chance the Vikings bring him back next offseason.

Dalvin Cook has reported to camp, and according to the electric running back, he was always planning on returning. When he was asked about the rumor he was going to hold out without a new contract, Cook responded by saying “That was never coming from me. I love football, I love being around the guys. It’s like a stress reliever for me, just being on the field, being around the guys, being in the locker room. That never was a thought that came towards me.” Head coach Mike Zimmer told the media Dalvin is going to be a team captain this season, so it’s clear the two sides have no hard feelings toward each other.

The Vikings are still experimenting with the offensive line and have now switched Pat Elflein to right guard. Elflein played RG in college before moving to center for his senior season. He started at center for the Vikings for two seasons before moving to left guard after the team drafted Garrett Bradbury. This is the last year on Elflein’s contract, so if he doesn’t show improvement, he’ll undoubtedly need to look for another team next offseason.

With nose tackle Michael Pierce opting out of the season, the Vikings have been scrambling to fill the void along the defensive line. They tried to trade for a defensive tackle from Oakland, but the player failed his physical, so the trade didn’t go through. Now, the team has decided to move Shamar Stephen from the started three-technique spot to nose tackle. Mike Zimmer believes Stephen will do well with the switch, and co-defensive coordinator Adam Zimmer took it a step further when he said Stephens will be “as good a nose as there is.’’ Jaleel Johnson is now penciled in as the starting three-tech DT.

Have any questions or comments? Reach out to me on Twitter (@JordanWrightNFL). Skol!

This week we should be focusing on the Vikings’ upcoming preseason game, but the NFL has canceled preseason games this year because of the pandemic. So instead, this week I’ll answer some questions I’ve received on Twitter. But first, let’s go over some quick news and notes.

Linebacker Cameron Smith will be sitting this year out. During a Covid-19 test, it was discovered the second-year player needs open-heart surgery to fix a bicuspid aortic valve. The Vikings brought in linebacker Quintin Poling to replace him.

As detailed last week, Mike Zimmer signed an extension that will keep him in Minnesota for at least the next few years. Shortly after that article was written, the Vikings announced they also signed General Manager Rick Spielman to an extension as well. Spielman and Zimmer have been together since 2014 and have done well enough that Ziggy Wilf and the rest of the Vikings’ ownership group felt comfortable locking them in for three more years.

On to some questions!

A lot of you have asked why the Vikings have not brought back defensive end Everson Griffen. The 32-year old has played in Minnesota all 10 years he’s been in the league, and as of right now is still a free agent. With all of the upheaval on the defense, and especially with defensive tackle Michael Pierce electing to sit this season out, it makes sense to bring Griffen back. Sources say the Vikings have made multiple offers to the DE, but the two sides remain far apart on compensation. There is still time for the sides to come to an agreement, but the Vikings appear ready to enter the 2020 season with a new starter at the right defensive end position.

Another question that gets brought up a lot is why the Vikings have been unable to move from “good” to “great”. Most people believe the biggest reason is the team’s inconsistency at quarterback, and there is certainly some truth to that. However, I believe the fault lies along the offensive line. If you’ve been reading my articles for a while, you’ll know I think the offensive line is consistently this team’s Achilles heel. The Vikings have tried to fix the line, but for whatever reason, they can’t seem to figure it out. Once they do, I think we’ll see this team ascend to the “great” tier.

Speaking of the offensive line, another question I get is who the starting five will be once the regular season rolls around. Offensive coordinator Gary Kubiak recently had a video chat with the media, and he went in-depth while explaining his thought process when it comes to the offensive line. He believes Riley Rieff will remain at left tackle and is poised for a great year. He also thinks the other three returning starters will resume their roles this year, with Pat Elflein at left guard, Garrett Bradbury at center, and Brian O’Neill at right tackle. As far as right guard goes, Kubiak mentions Dakota Dozier, Aviante Collins, and rookie Ezra Cleveland as the three players who will compete for that position.

Do you agree with the Vikings signing Zimmer and Spielman to contract extensions? Reach out to me on Twitter (@JordanWrightNFL) and let me know. Skol!