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Hopefully, after todays’ game, there will be less wailing and gnashing of teeth about the woeful interior offensive line. You know, the one that helped the team get to 13 wins and have the 8th highest scoring offense last year. They need to improve and I suspect they will considering they will be together a second season with the same OL coach and coordinator.
The defense is where the real concern should be.
Since yore last open thread ...
- Vikings 2023 Training Camp Megathread
- Vikings sign QB Jordan Ta’amu
- Tennessee Titans at Minnesota Vikings preseason: Game time, television, radio, streaming and more
Other Vikings stuff ...
Vikings-Titans Joint Practice Recap, Day 2: Tempers Flare, Red Zone the Focus
Tennessee defensive tackle Teair Tart threw a punch at Garrett Bradbury early in 11-on-11 action and got kicked out for the rest of the afternoon. Towards the end of the practice, Andrew Booth Jr. picked off Malik Willis to end a situational period and immediately rifled the ball over the Titans’ sideline in frustrated celebration. There were no full-on fights, but the chirping was plentiful from both sides.
Attendance-wise, there were no notable changes for the Vikings, who were again without Jordan Addison, Brian O’Neill, T.J. Hockenson, Brian Asamoah, Jalen Nailor, and Kene Nwangwu. Cornerbacks Mekhi Blackmon and Akayleb Evans left practice.
Hunter had at least three sacks against Ryan Tannehill during full-team periods in this practice. His combination of burst and power makes him extremely tough to handle, especially because he has a variety of moves he can use to set tackles up and get by them.
If Hunter can stay healthy this season, he could be in line for a big year in Brian Flores’ defense. With Marcus Davenport, D.J. Wonnum, and Patrick Jones II also showing flashes in camp, the Vikings seem to have a solid outside linebacker group.
Rookie sensation Ivan Pace Jr. had his daily standout play with a diving pass breakup near the sideline while covering a tight end.
The Vikings’ interior offensive line is still a concern, but it’s worth noting that Jeffery Simmons and the Titans’ interior DL are very good.
Fantasy Football: 3 rookies who can finish as WR3s, including Vikings’ Jordan Addison
WR JORDAN ADDISON, MINNESOTA VIKINGS
Addison (81.5 PFF college-offense grade) offers fantasy managers an accomplished college receiving profile with startling similarities to the Pittsburgh Steelers No. 1 wide receiver Diontae Johnson (67.9 PFF rookie-season offense grade). Addison’s route to a PPR WR3 finish is laid bare following the path set by Johnson’s 2019 rookie season.
Addison crucially fills a Minnesotan need in the intermediate field depth, freeing Jefferson to prowl the deep. Among 47 NFL wide receivers with at least 25 targets 15-plus yards downfield, Jefferson’s 7.75 yards per route run led the position by 0.70.
The offense is protected by PFF analyst Sam Monson’s No. 15-ranked offensive line.
Operating in a far safer situation than what was afforded to Johnson, the remarkably similar Addison has a clear path to a PPR WR3 rookie-season finish in 2023. His talents importantly accentuate Jefferson’s strengths, incentivizing head coach Kevin O’Connell to utilize Addison as an intermediate-depth focal point.
NFL News
“Being on the other side of that for the last six years, you know, I couldn’t be on the other side no more,” Cook said. “I got the chance to go join them and help them win … that was a big thing to come over here.”
Trey Lance, QB, San Francisco 49ers (of course)
Cordarrelle Patterson, RB, Atlanta Falcons
Sterling Shepard, WR, New York Giants
Ryan Tannehill, QB, Tennessee Titans
Chase Young, Edge, Washington Commanders
https://www.foxnews.com/sports/retired-nfl-star-jj-watt-reveals-one-thing-cant-stand-about-training-camps
“Love seeing footage from NFL training camps, but can’t stand accounts posting video of one rep from 1v1’s and making outlandish statements,” Watt wrote.
“A) 1v1’s are for working on your craft/new moves.”
“B) Literally every player wins/loses reps every single day. One rep tells nothing.”
“As far as the playing time goes for this coming game, the ones will go for a half and then we’ll mix in the twos and threes in the third quarter,” Reid said. “Obviously, there are things that happen during the game — don’t hold me accountable if we pull people out whenever.”
Reid, notorious for over-promising and under-delivering in regards to preseason playing time for his first-stringers, said his aces would get the entire first quarter last week before pulling a lot of the offensive starters after one drive. In last year’s second preseason outing, a 24-14 win over the Washington Commanders, quarterback Patrick Mahomes played two possessions. His second series bled into the second quarter, although his day ended less than two minutes into the frame. That’s a far cry from what Reid is proposing for this week.
https://www.arrowheadpride.com/2023/8/10/23826223/chiefs-training-camp-team-andy-reid-wont-do-joint-practices
More recently, though, joint practices have been returning. You could say that, in this instance, everything old is new again. Still, Reid has long been on record as opposing the idea.
“I’ve just never been that big on that,” Reid told reporters in St. Joseph in 2014. “A lot of teams do it. A lot of successful teams do it. I really don’t want to give anybody anything that I don’t have to give.”
Asked about a year later, Reid explained his reasons in more detail.
“Had a lot of opportunities to do it,” said Reid per Fox Sports, “but probably from a selfish standpoint, in today’s world, with technology, there’s not a lot of secrets. You have your coaching points, teaching points — you try to teach on the field — and I really don’t want anyone hearing that. That’s my own personal feeling. As much as I can keep in-house in today’s world, I want to do.”
As far as Reid is concerned, preseason games give him everything he could get from a joint practice.
“One of the benefits of having preseason games is you get to see these guys play, in front of a crowd, [when] the lights are on,” said Reid. “It’s another step besides practice.”
That’s why Reid has always favored having preseason games. Back in 2015, teams played four of them.
“If they gave us three, I’d be able to work that,” said Reid of the exhibition schedule, “but you don’t want to lose them all, I don’t think.”
Yore Mock
Trade Partner: Buffalo Bills
Sent: Round 1 Pick 23
Received: Round 1 Pick 29, Round 3 Pick 34
...
Trade Partner: Cincinnati Bengals
Sent: Round 2 Pick 23
Received: Round 2 Pick 28, Round 4 Pick 28
...
29: R1 P29 C Sedrick Van Pran - Georgia 6’4” 310
60: R2 P28 DL Dontay Corleone - Cincinnati 6’2” 319
98: R3 P34 G Xavier Truss - Georgia 6’7” 320
123: R4 P23 LB Cedric Gray - North Carolina 6’2.5” 235
125: R4 P25 S Lathan Ransom - Ohio State 6’1” 207
128: R4 P28 EDGE Eyabi Okie - Michigan 6’5” 244
142: R5 P6 TE Brevyn Spann-Ford - Minnesota 6’7” 269
168: R5 P32 DL Alfred Collins - Texas 6’5” 317
198: R6 P23 LB Omar Speights - LSU 6’1” 235
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