The Vikings continued training camp practices with their first session following an off day on Sunday. Daniel House takes you inside his training camp notebook for more!
Updated: August 6, 2018, 6:25 p.m.
By: Daniel House
The Vikings continued training camp practices after an off
day Sunday. Monday's session was a day where the team tested the roster in red zone
situations and 1-on-1 battles. As camp progresses, the roster battles will start to
progress and a few players may separate themselves from the pack. With a preseason
game on Saturday in Denver and joint practices with the Jaguars later next week,
it will be even easier to evaluate the roster.
One of the highlights of the day came when quarterback Kirk
Cousins found Adam Thielen on a wheel route deep to the sideline. Thielen beat
Mike Hughes out of the break and made a very difficult grab in traffic with multiple
defenders all over him. A few plays earlier, Thielen was stopped by Hughes, who forced an incompletion. It was fun to watch Hughes and Thielen battle and
share in some success. Cousins best throw of the day came on a corner route in the
end zone where Thielen made a beautiful tip-toe grab with Mackensie Alexander
in tight coverage. The ball was delivered with excellent touch into a tight window
for an easy pitch and catch.
Another wide receiver who had a strong afternoon was Cayleb
Jones. He made an acrobatic grab over Trae Waynes, who was in tight coverage.
Jones is one of the best wide receivers on the team at making contested grabs.
He displays excellent body control and has the size to get position against the
defensive back. Jones made a similar catch on a deep fade with Craig James playing
tight coverage in the red zone. He had one bad concentration drop, which has
been a problem in the past. However, he has put together another strong camp
and is doing enough to potentially push for the No. 6 receiver spot when he
returns from suspension. Jones will miss four games for a performance enhancing
drug (PED) violation, but could be stashed on the reserve list until he is
eligible for reinstatement.
Running back Dalvin Cook got the crowd going when he burst
through the middle and kicked a run outside for a big gain. He was extremely explosive
out of the cut and showed off his rare blend of explosiveness and power. It might
have been his most impressive run of camp. Cook is looking very comfortable in
his return from ACL surgery and has been popping off these type of runs consistently.
He also has been active in the passing game and displays the rare blend of
all-purpose ability. One of the best moments of practice came in the final red
zone drill. Cousins threw a pass to the back of the end zone and Cook couldn’t
haul it in. Xavier Rhodes was in coverage and tossed the ball in the direction
of the running back while he rested on the ground in dismay. Rhodes laughed and
said, “I told you I was coming.” Rhodes and Cook are always joking around and
competing throughout practice.
The defensive line is still ahead of the offensive line as
the unit tries to work with three players resting various injuries. Mike
Remmers and Nick Easton remained sidelined, while Pat Elflein continued working
out on the physically unable to perform list. Easton hasn’t practiced since
Aug. 3 and Remmers injured his ankle on July 31. With these injuries, Danny
Isidora and Tom Compton played at guard with Cornelius Edison at center. In a
few of the reps, Edison was rather solid, including a great rep against Jaleel
Johnson in a running drill. He got out on the run and sealed the edge for the running
back to get free. He also split his 1-on-1 reps and has quietly performed
decent in camp. However, the preseason will tell everyone more about whether
Edison is actually a viable option. Another lineman who has performed well
after receiving additional reps is Aviante Collins. He destroyed Stephen
Weatherly in a 1-on-1 drill, knocking him to the ground. Not to mention, he
easily controlled Jalyn Holmes, who won his other two reps in the drill.
Collins was mauling people in the team drills and showed off a mean
streak. He might have been the most impressive linemen on the field during various drills. Collins stood out for his physical playing style at TCU, but this was
one of the training camp practices where he really unleashed everything.
On the defensive line, Danielle Hunter slid down the line of
scrimmage to make a tough stop in the A-gap. He said he spent plenty of time
working on this during the offseason and he has flashed the ability early in
camp. Everson Griffen also blew past Tom Compton in the same drill and put a
nasty spin move on David Morgan to complete a tackle for loss. In pass rush
situations, Jalyn Holmes continued to impress. He strings together two solid
reps followed by one which is less impressive. However, he is developing a pass
rushing arsenal as he works with the defensive line coaches to improve his
moves, rushing stance and hands. The coaches also spent extensive time working
with Ifeadi Odenigbo, who is having a strong camp. He is continuing to evolve with
his hand technique and you can see flashes of brilliance when he executes at a
high level.
The linebackers were blitzing a little more throughout the
day and a few players stood out in this drill. Eric Wilson created a notable
pressure and Garret Dooley notched a hurry during one of the team drills. Dooley
has shown some potential when sent off pressure packages. He was used in this
role substantially at Wisconsin because of their scheme. With his first-team
role on a few special teams units, Dooley is a name to monitor closely in the
preseason.
Wilson is arguably one of the most improved players on the
team. He is very rangy in coverage and has paired this with his ability to get
downhill as run defender. In the event he is needed, the Vikings might feel
more comfortable with expanding his role outside of special teams work.
During a red zone drill, cornerback Xavier Rhodes had a pass
breakup in the back corner of the end zone on Stefon Diggs. It wasn’t the only
moment in Monday’s practice where Rhodes used his long arms to get into a
passing lane. That's expected from one of the top cornerbacks in the game.
In addition to Rhodes, Horace Richardson was in perfect position
to create a pass breakup in team drills and Jack Tocho won a jump ball battle
against Brandon Zylstra. Richardson has evolved so much technically, but will like fall victim to a numbers game in the secondary. On the other
hand, Tocho hasn’t put together a great camp and this was one of his first
notable snaps.
The kicker battle continued on Monday as Daniel Carlson and Kai Forbath each
received four kicks during a team period. Carlson made 2 of his 4 attempts, missing
from 44 and 55 yards out. Forbath finished 3-for-4, but missed his 44-yard try.
The battle is tight at the kicker position, according to special teams
coordinator Mike Priefer. However, the preseason will provide more clarity.
For a fun feature with safety Anthony Harris regarding his physical
growth, follow the link.
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