A Vikings Curse Going Back to 2016 is on the GM’s Mind
Paul Allen made the point about the Vikings curse, but Kwesi Adofo-Mensah didn’t need to be reminded. Apparently, special teams coordinator Matt Daniels brings up the point with some regularity.
Travel back in time to 2016. Feels like a lifetime ago, doesn’t it? There had been no Minneapolis Miracle, no Kirk Cousins contract, no firing of Mike Zimmer & Rick Spielman. Goodness, no one could have predicted that Adofo-Mensah would be leading the Vikings alongside Kevin O’Connell and J.J. McCarthy (who was 13 years old at the time). So, it’s been a while since Minnesota had a punt return touchdown.
A Vikings Curse Going Back to 2016
Since 2022, the Vikings’ special teams has been a mixed bag.
Consider, for instance, Andrew DePaola. He has made the Pro Bowl in each season since then. Even better, he has been a first-team All Pro a pair of times while being a second-team All Pro once. The long snapper appears to be adjusting just fine to Coach Daniels’ leadership.
One thinks of Greg Joseph drilling clutch kicks aplenty (but missing regular ones). Ryan Wright did excellently as rookie but then took a step back as a sophomore. The punter’s third season was a mixed bag; he’s now within a head-to-head competition with Oscar Chapman. Will Reichard had similar degrees of excellence and struggle in 2024 alone.
Bring things around to punt returner, the subject of the Vikings curse. Currently, there’s no shortage of candidates for the open spot. Is one of them going to break through in 2025 by putting up six points?
“Hat reminds the group very often,” Adofo-Mensah explains, “that that was the last punt return that the Vikings have had. It’s something that we’ve tried to address. Schematically [and] we’ve tried to address with personnel. You talk about somebody like Rondale Moore, who’s explosive.”
The GM continues: “If it’s blocked up right, do we have the explosiveness and the ability to house-call it, from that standpoint. So, we’re trying to make sure that we, and again it’s not just about a house call, it’s about flipping the field.”
Adofo-Mensah’s answer moves in and out of different aspects of the problem, proposing several solutions. Matt Daniels has tried different strategies (scheme) while the GM has opted for different players (personnel). Some combination of those two things need to coalesce so that Minnesotans can relive what a beloved Vikings returner accomplished close to a decade ago.
Marcus Sherels never wowed anyone due to his size. Standing at 5’10” and 175 pounds, Sherels was a gritty, hard-working, and consistent player. His position was within the defensive backfield but he doesn’t get onto the final roster if not for his abilities as a returner.
Across his ten seasons in the NFL, Marcus Sherels put up 5 touchdowns. He scored a pair back in 2016 while averaging an excellent 13.9 yards per return. For context, Sherels’ average from the 2016 season would have landed him at third overall for the qualifying NFL leaders in yards-per-return average in 2024.
In 2025, Matt Daniels is going to want to see an improvement on several fronts, as Adofo-Mensah suggests.
Presumably, the discussion begins with regaining possession of the football. Ask any NFL coach and that person is going to preach about the importance of maintaining possession. The defense worked hard to get off the field, so handing it right back due to a fumble is going to lead to some frustration along the sidelines.
After cleanly catching/securing the football, the returner then works toward gaining yards with some consistency. Adding on an average of ten or more yards per return is excellent stuff. Guaranteed: an offense notices that kind of boost. Starting from the 35 is far different than starting from the 25. Yes, I know we’re talking about pretty basic math, but it’s the difference between needing a 15-yard completion to get to the field’s halfway point versus a 25-yard completion.
Finally, there’s the ability to bring the ball back for a score. The other team is going to play things different when there’s a home-run threat operating at punt returner. Just think back to players like Devin Hester and Darren Sproles (or Cordarrelle Patterson on kickoffs). All of the sudden, placement rather than booming distance jumps up the priority list.
At some point, the Vikings curse is going to end. Kwesi Adofo-Mensah, Matt Daniels, and the rest of the Vikings’ leadership are hoping that that occurs sooner rather than later.
Minnesota’s debut preseason game takes place on Saturday, August 9th.
Editor’s Note: Information from Pro Football Reference helped with this piece.
