Tuesday, August 9, 2016

Day 10 Training Camp Notebook: Vikings close up camp in Mankato

Photo: Vikings.com

The Vikings concluded 2016 training camp with a brief morning practice in Mankato, MN. Daniel House takes you inside his final training camp notebook.

Updated: August 9th, 2016 1:20pm

By: Daniel House


The Vikings concluded 2016 training camp with a brief morning practice in Mankato, MN. The session ended one-hour early, but provided several highlights. The team wrapped up their 10-day stay in Mankato and will travel to Cincinnati for two joint practices on Wednesday and Thursday and a preseason game on Friday. It will be a great opportunity to evaluate the younger players towards the bottom of the depth chart.

For more on the brief morning session, take a dive inside my final training camp notebook:

Teddy airs it out a couple times
During the very minimal portion of team drills, Teddy Bridgewater aired it out several times. Wide receiver Adam Thielen ran a deep route up the seam and Teddy Bridgewater hit him in stride for a 40-yard completion. A few plays later, Thielen ran a fade up the sideline. He had a step on Trae Waynes, but the ball was slightly underthrown. This gave Waynes some time to catch up and make a play on the ball. In the same drill, Stefon Diggs had a step on Trae Waynes and Bridgewater placed the ball well, but it was just outside the outstretched arms of Diggs. Bridgewater didn’t make many throws in the hour session, but the passes I described above were most notable.

Patterson with a one-handed catch
Wide receiver Cordarrelle Patterson flashed for the first time since returning from a shoulder injury. Patterson hauled in a one-handed pass in the flat on a high Joel Stave throw. He sprinted up the sideline and put a couple moves on the defensive backs. Patterson is easing back into a full-time role and will be tested heavily in the preseason.

Griffin with a pass defensed, Exum with a pick
Michael Griffin made a nice play on a Stefon Diggs comeback route. He snuck behind Diggs and knocked away the Teddy Bridgewater pass. Griffin made an instinctive play and picked up a pass defensed. It is the first time Griffin has stood out in training camp. Additionally, Antone Exum ended training camp with an interception. Shaun Hill tried to thread the needle on a deep route by Patterson up the seam, but badly overthrew the pass into the arms of Exum. Two candidates for the strong safety spot improved their resume before leaving Mankato.

A small scuffle
The entire team got into a small scuffle during a portion of practice. It wasn’t anything major, but you can see the players are ready to start practicing against another opponent. It appears joint practices and the preseason game in Cincinnati are coming at the right time for this young Vikings squad.

Roberson with a nice deflection
Cornerback Tre Roberson beautifully knocked away a pass intended for Laquon Treadwell on an out route. Roberson had great position and stretched across Treadwell to knock away the pass. Roberson has handled the position transition well and will be a player to watch closely during the preseason.

Several Vikings did not participate in practice
A large group of players did not suit up in pads for today’s practice. It is unknown whether some of this was for rest and precautionary reasons. Sharrif Floyd, Scott Crichton, Edmond Robinson, Eric Kendricks, Matt Kalil, Terence Newman and Jarius Wright did not suit up for practice. However, Coach Zimmer said he hasn’t ruled any of them out for the game in Cincinnati.

What’s Next?
The Vikings will travel to Cincinnati for a set of joint practices on Wednesday and Thursday, along with a preseason game on Friday night. They will kick off their work in Cincinnati tomorrow by participating in a full-padded practice with the Bengals at 2:00pm.

Thank You
Thank you to everyone who read the training camp notebooks and feature stories. All of you fuel my sports writing passion and I greatly appreciate your kind emails, tweets, and messages. They help keep me motivated to work toward my goals. I also would like to thank the Minnesota Vikings, all of the other writers I worked with, and anyone who helped me out at training camp. Your continued support is greatly appreciated. I’m excited to continue providing similar coverage during the 2016 season!

14 comments:

  1. Thanks man! Been a pleasure reading all these in-depth camp recaps

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    1. Thanks! I'm glad you enjoy them -- I appreciate your support!

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  2. I really appreciate the notebooks too fam keep doing it.

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  3. You are definitely the one that needs to be thanked

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    1. If you didn't read, I wouldn't be doing what I'm doing, so thank you!

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  4. Your daily summaries have been fantastic! Thanks! Will you continue this during open Winter Park practices? I hope so!

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    1. At this time, I only have full access for training camp, but that doesn't mean I won't be able to get more in-season coverage.

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  5. Appreciate the updates, Thank You

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    1. No problem! Glad you enjoyed them! Thanks for your support!

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  6. Some of the best Vikings coverage out there. when I grow up I want to be Daniel House. (Even though I am likely older than you).

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    1. Thanks! I appreciate the kind words. I'm a young guy, so you likely are older than me. However, I appreciate you wanting to be me.

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