During Training Camp, Kyle Rudolph Directed a Not-So-Subtle Shot at Zim
K. Joudry
|
Kyle Rudolph was a great pro for the Vikings. He was originally a second-round selection back in 2011. By the time he was cut, Rudolph had distinguished himself among Minnesota’s all-time leading pass catchers. According to Pro Football Reference, Rudolph is 10th in receiving yards, 5th in receptions, and 5th in touchdowns in franchise history. Overall, a rock-solid purple career.
Perhaps there is some bitterness about how things went down, though.
He refused to take a pay cut to stick around, so the Vikings wisely chose to move on from the declining veteran. It appears as though there may be some bitterness toward Coach Zim:
According to Rudolph, Zim is a mere defensive coordinator, phrasing that suggests Minnesota’s head coach puts undue emphasis on the defensive side of things. It’s pretty well-known that Zim’s priority is the defense. It’s also well-known that he gives his OC a fair amount of autonomy. There needs to be some harmony in their overall visison – a balanced, ball-control offense that minimizes mistakes – but from there the OC gets to largely control things.
Personally, I have no issue with Zim prioritizing the defense, nor am I persuaded that he doesn’t take responsibility for the full team. Does he spend more of his own time helping the defense? Probably, but that’s fine given that he calls the defensive plays.
Last year, there were a lot of rumblings about Zim’s coaching abilities (or lack thereof). Much of the criticism seemed to center on him being difficult to play for. Since that time, the team has seen Mackensie Alexander, Everson Griffen, Sheldon Richardson, and Stephen Weatherly return. Well-established veterans like Patrick Peterson and Dalvin Tomlinson signed. Harrison Smith and Brian O’Neill were extended.
In other words, I’m not too concerned about Rudolph’s comment. Zim prioritizes the defensive side. Rudolph may not like that approach, but that doesn’t mean it’s the wrong approach. Also, don’t forget that this interview came from a while back. The Rudolph quote was from back in training camp. Head over to Giants.com and scroll down the interview section of the videos; you’ll be searching for a little while. At around the 3:40 mark in the interview, Rudolph is asked about what he has learned about Joe Judge. It’s in his praise of Coach Judge that Rudolph pivots into his shot at Zim.
My main takeaway, then, is that Rudolph is somewhat bitter about how things ended in Minnesota. That’s alright. I respect Rudolph; he had a great career our Vikings. I’m not going to overreact to his brief comment, though.
[brid autoplay=”true” video=”867873″ player=”26281″ title=”Predicting%20the%20fantasy%20football%20sleepers%20and%20breakouts%20for%20NFL%20Week%203″ duration=”161″ description=”After another fun week of NFL action and surprises, here are some under-the-radar fantasy football sleepers and some players poised for big breakouts to target for Week 3 — in addition to some players to stash as the 2021 season progresses.” uploaddate=”2021-09-21″ thumbnailurl=”https://cdn.brid.tv/live/partners/17660/snapshot/867843.png” contentUrl=”https://cdn.brid.tv/live/partners/17660/streaming/867843/867843.m3u8″]