OTA Notebook—The Vikes Return to Winter Park
Joe Oberle
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Okay, I admit it. For a long time (several seasons) I have advocated that the Vikings should focus on their offensive line to take the next step in their progression (never mind that Mike Zimmer came in as head coach, focused on the defense and helped the team take a step forward). I have even written that “it’s the offensive line, stupid” to paraphrase a former White House operative.
So, what did I do when on I got my first look at the team at OTAs this week? Did I zero in on the two new tackles acquired from free agency—Riley Reiff and Mike Remmers? (They did look pretty solid.) Did I find rookie Pat Elflein’s number of the roster and chart his reps at guard versus center? (He was playing center on the 2nd team, and a few with the first team, as well.) Did I determine what the starting rotation looked like? (It was Reiff at LT, Alex Boone at LG, Nick Easton at C, Joe Berger at RG and Remmers at RT) Well, kinda, but generally, No. No. And No.
I did what every other self-respecting observer of the new team did—I went for the glamor spot and kept my eye on Vikings’ top offseason draft pick, running back Dalvin Cook. I admit it. I passed up the grind of watching O-line reps for the glitz and glam of jump cuts and quick moves and broken ankles and second level twist and turns. (Although I did notice the line when they were blocking for him. So, there is that.) I admit it. I can be a football rube. A rube with a press credential.
But in my defense, Cook was hard to miss. With Latavius Murry on the sideline with a boot on his surgically repaired ankle, Cook got quite a few first team reps behind starter Jerick McKinnon. We all want to see how the heir apparent to Adrian Peterson looks and whether all the hype is bluster or does he give the running game a nice shot in the arm for the coming season? Even Zimmer wanted to see how he did with the full squad—but he will be seeing Cook on film from his farm in Kentucky, according to general manager Rick Spielman.
So, what then did I see?
Stop the presses: Cook is pretty quick. He jitter-bugged through the line often (although the defense was only in shells, and no one was getting tackled). But what more impressed me was his vision. I noticed on film of him during the draft that he was quick cutting back against the grain after spotting daylight, and he exhibited it again at practice.
In addition, Cook looked like a natural catching the ball. He could catch it in stride and immediately make a move or turn up field. He looked, in this regard, as natural as McKinnon, who is a great (if not under-utilized) pass catcher out of the backfield.
“Well, he certainly caught our eye in the rookie stuff,” offensive coordinator Pat Shurmur said of Cook (see, I wasn’t the only guy watching him). “Now that he’s in with the vets, you can still see all the things that we saw. He’s a very instinctive runner. He’ll get his foot down and gets up the field. He’s actually pretty instinctive when it comes to who to block in pass protection and he catches the ball extremely well. We’re seeing all the same things that we saw from him in his college tape and in the rookie practices. He’s making good progress.”
(In regards to McKinnon, on one play McKinnon was split wide left and ran straight up the field engaging and trying to pass the corner (Xavier Rhodes, I believe) and quarterback Sam Bradford (who was looking at McKinnon all the way on this play) threw the pass into coverage. McKinnon made a very difficult catch (twisting back and grabbing it over his outside shoulder) look easy. Jet knows there is a challenge for him and he is going to meet it. I think throwing passes to the running backs is going to be a much bigger part of the offense than it has been in the past with Peterson as the main guy. That’s another, “stop the presses” moment.)
Cook looked good throughout the full-team and 7-on-7 drills, but if there was any criticism that I have (and it is slight), there is seemingly some first-pick swagger to him. He doesn’t grind out each run to the opposite end of the field (like his predecessor used to do), and I might want to see a little more earnestness out of him when he is running back to the huddle. This is nothing to fear—I don’t think he is a diva—but I am old school and I feel like the rookies, no matter who you are, better be there to impress constantly. Teddy Bridgewater set the bar on that when he was a rookie, and in my book, that is how every rookie should conduct themselves.
Speaking of Teddy, that is exactly what Spielman did (speak of Teddy), who talked to the media in Zimmer’s absence. It was basically a presser on Teddy and Zimmer—the two guys on the “injured reserve” currently. Spielman wouldn’t get into specifics, but said Bridgewater looked good taking drop backs (as we all saw in the supplied video) and that he wasn’t at practice due to a doctor’s appointment.
Reporters tried to get everyone to talk about the return of Teddy after practice, but few were biting on speculation for him going forward. They were just happy to see him return—and they have been seeing him for awhile. (Adam Thielen said with a smile that we were all late to the party on Teddy’s return.)
The wide receivers got in plenty of work, with Thielen and Stefan Diggs as the starters and Laquon Treadwell getting work with the first team in three-receiver sets. A couple catches of note: Treadwell made a great catch with a couple DB’s draped around him. It was a post pattern up the middle of the field and Bradford slightly underthrew him. Treadwell twisted around and caught the ball in heavy traffic (including Rhodes) while falling over. It was great to see.
The other catch came from Thielen, who looked like what he showed last season and more. On the play, he ran an out toward the right sideline and made a diving, toe-dragging catch at the line that a practice referee, who was right on top of the play, called out of bounds. Thielen jumped to his feet to protest the call. The protest was quick (and way across the field from me) and looked to be mostly in jest, but I guess you have to practice everything during OTAs, right?
Michael Floyd, who was relegated to 2nd and third team reps, as he is new to the offense, didn’t not look a bit out of place. At. 6-3, 220, he looks big compared to the rest of the receiving corps (save for the 6-4 Moritz Boehringer and 6-6 Mitch Matthews), and he is definitely a seasoned pro.
Floyd appears happy to be in Minnesota (where he is living with his college roommate Kyle Rudolph) and the support system he has here. Rudy was helping Floyd be in the right places he needed to be during drills and at other times he was seen talking with another former teammate, Harrison Smith (who sat out of the full team drills in practice due to offseason ankle surgery, giving way to Anthony Harris). Floyd looked very smooth and at one point made a nice catch by reaching back for a ball threw behind him by Taylor Heinicke. I know it is early, but I am starting to warm to this acquisition. Floyd, who said he had other opportunities in the offseason, might see it as the best place to get his career back on track.
“I think you have chances in life. [With] the thing that happened to me, [the Vikings] taking a chance on me was the last straw,” Floyd said. “You want to accomplish all your goals and stuff like that, [so] you’ve got to have your head on straight. They know that’s what I’m doing now, and I’m focused on helping this club win ballgames and learn.
“I never expected something like this to happen, but I’m excited to be home, playing with guys that I know and just being with my family. So, I’m excited to be here. I couldn’t be in a better position, right now especially, being [that] I’m home with family, friends, and also having teammates on the team that I can lean on for anything.
Also missing from the field was Sharrif Floyd, whose future is still clouded by nerve damage in his knee. That was not a good sign, but nothing knew was revealed from it.
Nor is there much else on the defense, as most of the (my) focus was on the offense. But there is more ahead to come. Stay tuned as the Vikings are back on the practice field.