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stfrank -> RE: General Vikes Talk (8/19/2020 7:20:23 PM)
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quote:
ORIGINAL: Bruce Johnson
Anyone subscribe to the Athletica? It sure would be nice to read this article. Is it illegal to share it here?
https://theathletic.com/2005038/2020/08/18/73-observations-for-73-players-from-the-early-days-of-vikings-training-camp/
Here you go Bruce.
Hasan: 73 observations for 73 players from the early days of Vikings camp
By Arif Hasan Aug 18, 2020 18
The first day of padded practices is about as exciting as any offseason football activity can get. For Minnesota fans, it’s been 219 days since they’ve been able to see Vikings players in pads hitting each other. It’s not quite a substitute for football — after all, most of the players won’t be taking many snaps during the season and there isn’t any tackling — but it’ll do for now.
If you missed the Vikings’ live stream of practice, our roundup of the last two days should get you up to speed.
Quarterbacks
At the moment, all the quarterbacks on the roster are getting back into the swing, with ball placement a concern throughout the group. In deep-ball drills, quarterbacks are consistently putting the ball in bad spots for receivers. This has resulted in some highlight plays for the receivers in question, but the QBs will have to get up to speed soon.
Other than that, it’s about what you’d expect — Kirk Cousins is a class (or several classes) above the backups, which is only notable insofar as it would be alarming otherwise. Aside from Cousins, the other quarterbacks are having difficulty getting the ball out on time, with Sean Mannion doing the best of the three other quarterbacks in staying on schedule.
Jake Browning is having a particularly difficult time with the rhythm of the offense and seems more willing to quickly bail out of pockets and attempt to run the ball or throw it away. The ball comes out a bit late and — because of his arm strength — he can be exploited by defenders closing on receivers who otherwise do a good job creating space.
On the other hand, it’s notable that Browning was able to work a little bit with the second team — mostly in a rotation that kept Mannion on the sideline so that Nate Stanley could work with the third team, but it’s interesting nevertheless.
Mannion and Stanley are the least accurate quarterbacks of the four thus far, but that could be subject to change as camp progresses.
It seems as if quarterbacks are having a more difficult time adjusting to a lack of offseason activities than almost any other position and they’ll need the extended camp time to get back in gear. It should be a bit before we get a sense of their true talent levels.
That said, there have been some highlight plays. It wasn’t a deep bomb, but one Cousins throw — in which he found C.J. Ham over the middle in heavy traffic — stands out to me as one of the more impressive QB throws thus far.
Running backs
It’s difficult to evaluate running backs in a camp environment without tackling. More notable might be how reps are being handled. Dalvin Cook hasn’t had very many reps in camp at all, with Alexander Mattison taking the bulk of the first-team duties, occasionally switching with Ameer Abdullah. That doesn’t mean Mike Boone is getting frozen out — he’s seen a significant share of on-field reps, particularly with the twos.
From a build perspective, Boone may have changed the most and looks to have filled out his frame more. That could be interesting given that his skill set matches that of a typical scatback, but his running style is one that eschews big plays for patience and follows the design more than most backs do.
As for on-field speed, Mattison has been a bit surprising in his ability to get around the edge — he may have added speed — while Tony Brooks-James is demonstrating that he has all the on-field speed he was lauded for coming out of college.
Among the fullbacks, there’s little question that C.J. Ham is going to be the lone FB on the roster. Ham has done well, but the Vikings are probably also happy with the progress of Jake Bargas, who thus far has blocked fairly well. Interestingly, Irv Smith did some pretty good work when lined up there occasionally — sometimes as a split back, something the Vikings might try more this year.
Dalvin Cook
Dalvin Cook (Brad Rempel / USA Today)
Wide receiver
There are no points for guessing who looks the best. Like Cousins among the quarterbacks, Adam Thielen is in a class of his own among the receivers. He’s been able to separate instantly at the release and generates even more throughout the route. As good as some of the corners in camp have been, they’ve had a difficult time keeping up with him — a good sign that his hamstring injury hasn’t kept him from performing at a top-notch level.
No other receiver has truly separated himself from the pack. It’d be nice if first-round pick Justin Jefferson immediately demonstrated that he can slot into an NFL offense and produce, but he’s not quite there yet. Any rookie, though, is bound to look less-than-stellar when they haven’t been able to work with the team all offseason.
Jefferson hasn’t looked bad, but this reinforces the fact that he’ll need some time to acclimate. At the moment, he’s not having the immediate impact that Stefon Diggs had in early practices, and that’s not necessarily a cause for alarm — not everyone develops at the same rate.
That said, he’s looked good off press, something he didn’t deal with much in his final year at LSU as a slot receiver but saw a fair amount as a sophomore given his outside responsibilities. Though offensive coordinator Gary Kubiak has indicated he foresees the greatest level of comfort for Jefferson in the slot given his most recent experience there, he’s already beginning to prove his worth as a potential outside receiver. If he can do that, it frees up Thielen for his most effective role on the inside.
That doesn’t mean Bisi Johnson looks like a slouch, but his wins against the new cornerback corps are being countered by nearly as many losses. He’s maintained his fluidity, and he looks a lot like the player he was coming out of the season.
Of the backups, Chad Beebe might be looking the best. His biggest problems — drops and deep speed — haven’t really shown up much in camp thus far. He’s done an excellent job getting open, though the nature of his style of route-running is such that he looks better in one-on-ones, where there’s significantly more space, than in 11-on-11 drills. He’s had some difficulty with option routes, which is a classic responsibility for a slot receiver, especially in Kubiak’s system.
Some receivers have had high highs and low lows, which characterizes Dillon Mitchell and Alexander Hollins well. Hollins has probably had more highlight plays than Mitchell with fewer lowlights, but both have had mixed bags in camp. Mitchell currently seems to be leading the receivers in drops at camp, though that count is certainly unofficial.
K.J. Osborn seems to be operating the same way, with highs and lows that mark his performance thus far. Right now, he’s got a better shot to make the team as a returner than as a fifth receiver, but his placement in the return competition means that the opportunity is there for him. As the second person to take kick return reps after Abdullah — and ahead of Hollins — his chance is better than most. Osborn has had at least one drop and slipped a little on his routes but has also had some impressive catches, even against the starting corners.
The receiver having the most difficult time seems to be Dan Chisena, which makes sense — he didn’t have much experience in college as a receiver, spending more time on the Penn State track team than its football team. His deep speed is impressive and he certainly found ways to get behind corners in one-on-ones with an impressive catch and great adjustment in one of those drills. But any route that required a break was laborious — he’s running routes like he’s counting steps and any separation he manages to get off the release, he loses in the break.
Tight ends
Among the tight ends, Irv Smith Jr. seems to be doing the most. He’s been a sharp route-runner, which was a bit of a question for him in the past — so his ability to make cuts at speed is good to see. It’s not the final stage in his evolution as a route-runner, but it’s good progress. The Vikings have been experimenting with lining him up outside a little more often than they’ve lined up tight ends on the outside in the past, and this could become a regular possibility.
This has a few advantages — it creates a faster release for Smith standing up and takes advantage of his speed. Not only that, it immediately identifies the defense for the quarterback — a linebacker lined up out wide over Smith tells Cousins that they’re in man coverage with follow principles. A cornerback there doesn’t guarantee zone coverage, but it’s a good tell and might end up becoming a mismatch anyway because of Smith’s size.
The third advantage might be somewhat unique to the Vikings given how many receivers they have with proven production in the slot — they can move receivers to the inside with another eligible receiver lined up outside the numbers and create opportunities inherent to that positioning. That way the Vikings can have two receivers in two-tight end sets and still have a slot receiver.
He’s also looked good as a blocker, lining up at a few positions on the offense to help spring some runs. His best play so far was a highlight touchdown in two-minute drills at the corner of the end zone over coverage specialist Eric Wilson. Not only that, he’s done well enough to shake Eric Kendricks in coverage more than once as well.
I haven’t noted much about Kyle Rudolph negative or positive at the moment and that’s a result of not keeping track of him more than anything to say about his performance thus far. (Even with a more limited selection of players in camp, it’s tough to note everyone every day.) Tyler Conklin has done well in route but seems slow coming off the line of scrimmage and out of his stance – he does much, much better when lined up as a stand-up tight end than in-line.
Nakia Griffin-Stewart is showing more speed than expected of a “blocking” tight end, though his route-running is a little stiff at the moment. Should he improve that, he might be a good practice-squad candidate. Brandon Dillon needs to improve a little more as well. After an exciting training camp the year prior — eventually making the roster before later getting cut — his drops in camp thus far have been disappointing.
Offensive line
Seeing the lineups every day has made fans worried about the offensive line. Pat Elflein has done little over his career to inspire confidence, and with Ezra Cleveland taking second-team reps, there doesn’t seem to be much standing in the way of Dakota Dozier — a guard with limited success in the NFL, along with some alarming snaps with the Vikings — earning the other guard spot.
Unfortunately, the early returns aren’t spectacular. Elflein does look more comfortable at guard than he did last year but still seems to be losing one-on-ones. There have only been two practices featuring offensive line-defensive line pass-rush drills, but he hasn’t won many — if any — reps yet. Dozier’s not faring much better and has looked worse in my eye in 11-on-11 drills, too.
The nature of Aviante Collins’ reps being as limited as they are on the first team makes it difficult to evaluate, and I haven’t noted much about his capability in 11-on-11 drills yet. He did well in one-on-ones in the unpadded practice but lost a rep when the pads came on. It’s not a big sample size yet, but it’s a little better than Elflein or Dozier. We’ll see as camp progresses.
The two starting tackles are faring well and Riley Reiff bounced back in one-on-ones and in 11s when the pads came on after losing a number of reps to Ifeadi Odenigbo in unpadded practices. Without Danielle Hunter around, Brian O’Neill has been doing a great job against the ends lining up against him.
Garrett Bradbury hasn’t looked too bad in team drills but lost some reps in unpadded individuals. I didn’t catch his performance in padded individual drills, but we’ll see more as camp progresses. If he’s going to improve, this would be a good place to start.
As for Cleveland, his performance on the second-team has been encouraging. He lost a little bit to Armon Watts, but has otherwise done well against the array of tackles lined up against him, even in the run game — where he theoretically has the most room to improve, given his scouting reports. If these early practices are a referendum on his ability to compete for a first-team spot, he’s accounted for himself well. He’ll probably need to do quite a bit more before he’ll have done anything resembling winning the job, but it’s good to see.
Oli Udoh looked great in team drills but had some trouble in early one-on-ones. Kyle Hinton hasn’t looked bad, but with only a few exposures to NFL play thus far, it’s difficult to get a read. Blake Brandel did reasonably well in early individual drills but has struggled in team drills and in the padded portion of practices.
Brett Jones has had better performances as a run blocker — though a little unbalanced — than in the passing game, especially in individual drills. I haven’t caught much of Rashod Hill yet, though he did lose early in one-on-ones in unpadded practices. Still, he hasn’t been notably exploited in team drills, which is a good sign — even against a somewhat limited rotation of edge rushers.
Dru Samia and Jake Lacina have struggled at guard and center, respectively. Both have a win in pass-rush drills, which is good in a limited number of total drills thus far. But their performances in team drills have been a little alarming.
Jeff Gladney
Jeff Gladney (Brad Rempel / USA Today)
Defensive line
Any worrisome offensive line performances come courtesy of the defensive line, so bad news on one end means good news on another. Danielle Hunter is the star of the group, but he hasn’t been able to participate in the last two practices. His only appearance on the field has been good, though, and he did a good job proving that O’Neill has a lot to learn.
Stepping up in his place was primarily Jalyn Holmes, though Eddie Yarbrough took a few reps there as well. Anthony Zettel had a few shots, too. For someone converted back to his original college position, he’s had some impact. He can get past Udoh and Hill to create some damage — and did so. He struggled against O’Neill and Reiff, however. His impact has been a bit bigger in team drills than individual pass-rush drills, but it still remains limited in his first-team opportunities.
Yarbrough has been doing about as well in those same drills and has had a little more success in 11-on-11 drills, though that has primarily come against the second-team unit. Nevertheless, it’s an encouraging start. Zettel has played on the outside for the most part but has kicked inside in a few team drills, which might speak to how the Vikings plan on using him should he make the team. He’s done pretty well on the inside and outside in pass-rush drills but has been quieter on the outside in team units.
Ifeadi Odenigbo is the other starter and thus far it doesn’t look like he’s going to lose that position. He’s played well, though not overwhelmingly so. He did better getting around Reiff before the pads went on and hasn’t flashed in a significant way since, though he’s better at sussing out the play-action passes than the rest of the DL it seems. He’ll need to more consistently convert his power into production once games start, but it’s easy to be confident in both him and Reiff for now.
The draft picks — Kenny Willekes and D.J. Wonnum — have both demonstrated that they overmatch the backup tackles. In some ways, that’s expected, given that they’re up against players who weren’t productive enough to be high draft picks, but it’s a good gut check. Early on, both have demonstrated the ability to be backup rushers, though Willekes has shown more speed around the edge and consistency reminiscent of a designated pass-rusher role reserved for third-down linemen.
Stacy Keely hasn’t taken many reps, but he’s been able to use his length as an asset in his limited action. After the pads came on, he did a better job generating pressure.
At defensive tackle, it seems like Armon Watts and Jaleel Johnson have been the most productive players in practices. Watts has been splitting double teams and winning individual pass-rush drills with authority and hasn’t been stopped easily. Johnson looks a lot better than he did in previous camps and seems to be showcasing quickness that he couldn’t demonstrate as easily in prior seasons. If he takes this next step now, he could be a huge asset.
Shamar Stephen, the likely starter at nose tackle, hasn’t been as impressive, though he hasn’t looked out of it either. The Vikings staff has gone out of its way to heap praise on his 2019 performance. If limited pressure production, but with the ability to keep offensive linemen rooted to the line of scrimmage, is what they’re looking for, he’s provided more of the same in camp, though guards still have found ways to tag linebackers on the second level at times.
Hercules Mata’afa has flashed at times and his increased size is certainly becoming an asset, but he hasn’t done enough yet to prove he deserves the heavy rotational role they gave him at the beginning of the season. He hasn’t been consistent enough yet in pass-rush drills, which generally favor defensive linemen, to show that he has retained all the quickness he had at a lighter weight. If he has, then that’s great news — but he has to show it.
Unfortunately rookies David Moa and James Lynch haven’t done much, though they’ve had fewer reps than any other defensive tackle as rotational members of the third-team unit. Neither have been overly impressive in team drills or one-on-ones quite yet, but with the few reps they’ve had, there’s still a lot of time to improve.
Linebacker
It’s tough to evaluate linebackers in camp situations, just like it is for running backs. It’s useful to point out that the Vikings seem to be blitzing more in camp than they do during the season — usually blitzing at league average rates or just below it — but have sent their linebackers after the quarterback much more often. In that context, Anthony Barr has looked quite good. Not only that, he’s generated some “tackles-for-loss” — whatever that means in a tackle-less environment — and has made more of the splash plays that fans have been aching to see. This might be his expected role in a defense that needs to support its coverage more; one that requires pressure to aid the new cornerback group.
Eric Kendricks hasn’t done a lot in camp yet, but his style — a traditional linebacker who excels in coverage — doesn’t tend to lend itself to camp highlights. He’s never had a flashy camp and still produced extremely high-quality seasons. That said, it can’t be forgotten that there have been some highlight plays against him early in camp.
The third linebacker in base defense has been Eric Wilson. He’s having a bit of trouble with coverage in space but has been able to get to the runner on running plays. Given that this is the opposite of his purported skill set, this is probably a good thing — he needs to improve as a run defender and his coverage skills are probably fine.
There hasn’t been much to report between Jordan Fehr, Blake Lynch and Troy Dye — though they’re probably happy that they’re getting twice as many reps as second- or third-team linebackers typically do. Without a healthy or full roster at linebacker, they’ve been getting every snap with the twos and the threes.
Cornerback
The talk of the town right now is Cameron Dantzler, who has had some kind words delivered his way by Thielen through head coach Mike Zimmer. It likely came as a result of the biggest defensive highlight of practice, a deep throw pass deflection on a pass intended for Thielen late in the day.
Dantzler’s been getting some time with the ones in nickel packages, exclusively on the outside. When he comes in, Mike Hughes kicks inside to the slot. The other outside corner is Holton Hill, who has been getting all the snaps with the ones alongside Hughes. Dantzler has had some great plays and made some small mistakes, but generally has looked good.
The best-looking corner by my eye has been Hill, though the Vikings clearly think quite a bit of Hughes. It’s reasonable to assume that the Vikings will go to their old standard of having cornerbacks play “sides” — something they did when Zimmer first arrived and then later, when Xavier Rhodes declined – instead of following receivers. For the most part, that’s what the Vikings have done in camp, but Hughes has had a few reps where he’s followed Thielen around — a pretty good indication that they’re experimenting with the idea.
Hill has earned a few pass deflections and an interception in individual drills. He’s generated some blanket coverage in team drills and seven-on-sevens. He’s pushed receivers to the sideline and created incompletions on deep coverage without touching the ball.
Jeff Gladney hasn’t had many reps — he’s largely playing in the slot with the first team when Dantzler isn’t in — and he’s looked fine, but without the highlights Dantzler has. I haven’t seen many reps that make him look bad but it can be difficult to keep an eye on the cornerback-receiver battle while watching the linemen.
Just like some receivers have had up-and-down performances, so have some corners — no more than Mark Fields, who has been alternatively impressive and worrisome from rep to rep. Fields has had some great-looking pass deflections and some back-breaking coverage busts in just a few days’ time.
Kris Boyd is the same way, with highlights and lowlights thus far but has looked more consistent than Fields. His choice to wear No. 29 has made it a bit confusing for the beat down in Eagan, but he’s pretty clearly not Rhodes. He’s running solidly with the second team and hasn’t been beaten by the second-team unit of receivers at any alarming rate — though this does include Jefferson, who should probably be beating Boyd more often if he’s going to start.
Nevelle Clarke hasn’t looked too bad with the third team, and he’s done a fair job of generating pass deflections against Stanley and Browning and getting some good reps against Osborn and Hollins. Like all third-team players, he’ll need some more time to demonstrate his skill, especially against better talent. I haven’t seen much yet of Marcus Sayles or Harrison Hand.
Safety
Just like with Thielen, it shouldn’t be surprising that Harrison Smith has been doing an excellent job patrolling at safety. He’s generated a few interceptions against Cousins — once in team drills and another time in seven-on-seven drills. Anthony Harris hasn’t looked bad either, and he might have been able to grab an interception on one play if Dantzler didn’t knock it away first — though most of his production early in camp has been as a run defender.
Otherwise, the safeties are difficult to get a bead on. The only one I noted was Nate Meadors, who is officially listed as a cornerback — he’s generated a few interceptions on his own as well. We’ll see if Meadors moves back to corner after the arrival of Steven Parker. Josh Metellus, Myles Dorn and Brian Cole will need more reps to stand out.
As far as coverage patterns go, the Vikings have been playing quite a bit of single-high, rotating which safety is the single-high safety based on the alignment of the offensive formation — shifting when the offense motions. This could mean a move back to Cover-3 and Cover-1 principles that defined the earlier versions of the Vikings defense before they switched to paired safeties in Cover-4 and Cover-2 more recently.
It’s unlikely that this is what the defense will look like in total — if the Vikings are practicing their blitzes more often early in camp, that means they’ll likely use man coverage on the back end or classic fire-zone principles, which often have three deep defenders and a single-high safety. It’s also a fairly common shift and easy to teach. As the defense and offense progress, we might see more wrinkles.
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