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The Vikings practiced in shoulder pads Friday and had two 1-on-1 sessions between the offensive and defensive lines. Daniel House takes you inside his training camp notebook!
Updated: August 4, 2017, 7:20 p.m.
By: Daniel House
By: Daniel House
The Vikings practiced in shoulder pads Friday and had two 1-on-1 sessions between the offensive and defensive lines. It allowed for another solid evaluation of the battles up front.
For more, take a dive inside the Day 11 training camp notebook:
Bradford delivers a
laser to Rudy
Quarterback Sam Bradford continues to look sharp in all of
the drills throughout practice. He beautifully placed a fade up the sideline to Stefon
Diggs, who made a tough grab on cornerback Xaiver Rhodes look easy. Bradford
continues to throw the ball accurately down the field and is amazing when
throwing up the seam. Bradford delivered an exceptional throw up the seam over
the fingertips of linebacker Eric Kendricks to tight end Kyle Rudolph. The pass
was placed perfectly into about a six-inch window. Bradford’s downfield
accuracy and touch are two of his best attributes.
Quarterback Taylor Heinicke had a strong start to practice,
but tapered off at the end. He missed a few open receivers and forced throws
into tight windows. It led to a few pass breakups and near interceptions during
the second stage of team drills.
On the other hand, quarterback Case Keenum has been performing
at a high level in the red zone. He was throwing passes into tight windows with
success. Keenum fired a strike to wide receiver Stacy Coley in the corner of
the end zone, placing the pass perfectly. He has been more accurate on the
short-to-intermediate routes and is throwing with great touch on passes within 20 yards.
McKinnon looking
fresh
Running back Jerick McKinnon saw his longest stint of action
after battling an injury early in camp. He showed impressive burst to the outside as tight end Kyle Carter set the edge during a team drill. McKinnon looked more
explosive and comfortable cutting Friday. When he was catching passes in space,
he was cutting smooth and uses his vision to find open lanes.
In addition, running back Terrell Newby popped off a number
of nice runs, including an elusive one between the tackles. He also caught a
few passes out of the backfield, accelerating to the second level and cutting
back swiftly. Newby has shown developmental potential in practice.
Diggs is the best
player on offense
Wide receiver Stefon Diggs has been putting together a
sensational training camp. There is nobody that competes better than Diggs on
the field. His competitive fire and willingness to push others is showing up
among everyone in the wide receiver room. His routes are so smooth/crisp and he simply freezes many defensive backs. His movement in and out of his breaks locks up defensive backs on a
consistent basis.
Wide receiver Cayleb Jones ran a few impressive routes,
including a crosser on Horace Richardson. In addition, he almost hauled in an
impressive diving catch off a double move in the DB/WR drills. Jones ran his
best set of routes and made catches Friday after being underwhelming during the
last two practices.
Wide receiver Rodney Adams ran a crosser to get open on
linebacker Edmond Robinson during team drills. He also popped into the flat and
beat defensive end Stephen Weatherly, who dropped into coverage. Adams also put
a nice move on safety Harrison Smith during a 1-on-1 drill. He was getting open
more in this practice and showed what he can do when he’s isolated in space. It
was by far his strongest showing of training camp.
Wide receiver Michael Floyd made a fantastic contested grab
on a fade with cornerback Marcus Sherels all over him. Floyd adjusted at the
catch point and hauled in the grab. He continues to show how well he can perform
in contested catch situations.
Kyle Carter is
standing out
The last three days for tight end Kyle Carter have been
impressive. He had two difficult grabs Thursday and followed it up with a great
showing as a run blocker, too. Carter set the edge for two running plays,
including a great rep against cornerback Xavier Rhodes to spark a Jerick
McKinnon run. He and David Morgan have stood out as run blockers over each of
the last two days. In addition, there was also one rep in team drills where
tight end Bucky Hodges was destroyed by defensive end Ifeadi Odenigbo for a
quarterback pressure. Hodges is still adjusting to his pass protection and run
blocking duties at this level.
Battles up front
increase in intensity
The battles up front were really emphasized during Friday’s
practice. There were two sets of 1-on-1 drills and several players stood out. Defensive
end Stephen Weatherly won with a strong inside rush on Willie Beavers and
picked up a touch sack in team drills. He is developing more pass rushing moves
and it’s clear to see he is taking positive steps forward. In fact, he was
working with the first-team defense in the nickel package. The team substituted
defensive end Everson Griffen out of the package and placed Weatherly in the
role. He is an integral special teams contributor and appears to be carving out
a role on this team.
This was probably the strongest day defensive tackle Datone
Jones has put together at camp. He destroyed guard Danny Isidora with a burst
of speed and a strong swim move inside. Jones is great at getting inside
pressure and collapsing the pocket. He forces the quarterback to evade the
pocket or step into the other interior defensive lineman. In addition,
defensive tackle Shamar Stephen won twice against center Nick Easton during
1-on-1 drills.
Left tackle Rashod Hill had another strong day, holding well
up well in team settings. He is stringing together more positive reps and is
keeping his footwork consistent. Hill isn’t having as many lapses, and when he
does, it’s usually the result of a strong move by defensive end Danielle
Hunter. Right tackle Mike Remmers has struggled during certain stages of
practice. He lost the majority of his 1-on-1 drills, but was more consistent in
team settings. Remmers particularly struggled with defensive end Danielle
Hunter during the 1-on-1 battles.
Guard Joe Berger lost a few reps to defensive tackle Tom
Johnson, but continues to be strong in the running game. The team has been
running the ball better between the tackles, and Berger, along with Alex Boone
have played a key role in this success. In other news, this was probably the
best day Pat Efllein has put together in 1-on-1 settings. He displayed a strong
base and punch, locking up defensive tackle Will Sutton. This was a nice accomplishment
considering Sutton was winning the vast majority of his reps. He won with a
great spin move against Alex Boone during the 1-on-1 portion. Sutton has been
coming on strong and might challenge for one of the final roster spots
on the defensive line.
Defensive tackle Dylan Bradley turned heads after putting a
power move on guard Danny Isidora during 1-on-1 drills. Bradley has flashed
during portions of practice and is a player I’m eager to watch in the
preseason.
Gedeon sees more
work, Sinkfield making an impression
Linebacker Edmond Robinson had a great run stop during a
Bishop Sankey run and knocked a pass away during a passing drill. He
continued to rotate with linebacker Ben Gedeon, who worked more with the second-team Friday afternoon. He continues to rotate into the mix, but has stood out on the
field. He was active in run stopping situations and continues to shine when he
pulls off of blocks. This was probably the best day so far for Anthony Barr in
coverage. He locked down several plays up the seam and was active when stopping
receptions to the edge.
Safety Antone Exum Jr. shut the door on several potential receptions
and continues to look comfortable in the nickel cornerback role. He is really
natural at this spot and his footwork is starting to look more fluid. Exum Jr.
had a great pass breakup on a Rodney Adams corner route during team drills. He
has put together a string of great practices and has played an active role on
special teams.
Cornerback Terrell Sinkfield is making a stronger case every
day for the sixth cornerback spot. He grabbed an interception on Rodney Adams
slant and had a great jam on Stefon Diggs at the line of scrimmage to redirect
his route. Sinkfield is a very special athlete and rotates his hips well to
make plays on the ball. In addition, he is playing with more physicality in
press coverage situations.
Miscellaneous Notes:
- Left tackle Riley Reiff, wide receiver Laquon Treadwell, linebacker Kentrell Brothers, cornerback Jabari Price, and defensive end Tashawn Bower all missed the afternoon practice.
- Defensive coordinator George Edwards said, "(Mack Alexander) has played pretty consistent throughout training camp for us."
- Edwards added that he feels the players are starting to get more comfortable with situational football.
- I joined Andy Carlson at Boulder Tap House in Mankato to discuss “up and down” training camp players. There's some great content in this appearance!
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