Daily Norseman - Minnesota Vikings Training Camp 2013The Purple and Gold Standardhttps://cdn.vox-cdn.com/community_logos/48653/dailynorseman_fave.png2013-08-18T22:25:31-05:00http://www.dailynorseman.com/rss/stream/43047152013-08-18T22:25:31-05:002013-08-18T22:25:31-05:00Bubble Watch, Post Week 2
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<img alt="100% sure he isn't getting cut." src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/RoLLJiRYHRgITP9dg7GqL6MaFeg=/0x285:3041x2312/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/18080897/20130816_ajw_ah3_372.0.jpg" />
<figcaption>100% sure he isn't getting cut. | Kevin Hoffman-USA TODAY Sports</figcaption>
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<p>We now have two pre-season games in the books. We know who the starters are going to be, but what about the second and third team?</p> <p>With two pre-season football games in, the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.dailynorseman.com/">Minnesota Vikings</a> have two losses, but maybe they have more answers than questions in terms of what their final 53 man roster will be. The starters are pretty much set, barring any stunning developments or injuries, so it's come down to who will fill out the bottom of the roster and make the final cut at this point.</p>
<p>There was one thing that GM Rick Spielman said while he was in the broadcast booth during the pre-season opener against Houston that's stuck with me, and I believe to be true--the Vikings are probably going to have the toughest decisions in terms of roster cuts in several years. The starters are set, and the two and three deep guys all have talent.</p>
<p>So which guys make it, and which don't? Compare from week one, <a target="_blank" href="http://www.dailynorseman.com/2013/8/12/4615934/minnesota-vikings-roster">which you can read right here</a>.</p>
<h4>QB:</h4>
<p><i><b>In the barn:</b></i> <span>Christian Ponder</span>, <span>Matt Cassel</span>, MacLeod Bethel - Thompson</p>
<p><i><b>On the bubble:</b></i> <span>James Vandenberg</span>.</p>
<p><i><b>Notes:</b></i> No change from last week. MBT looked pretty good out there, and James Vandenberg didn't play. If the Vikes keep three guys, these are set in stone. KFAN's Paul Allen surmised something interesting on Twitter today, though. And since he's the Vikings play by play guy, it warrants discussion. He tweeted:</p>
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<p><a href="https://twitter.com/search?q=%23Vikings&src=hash">#Vikings</a> thoughts: is <span>Bobby Felder</span> pushing <span>Marcus Sherels</span> for roster spot and if they keep <span>Joe Webb</span> does that mean Baltazar is out? <a href="https://twitter.com/search?q=%23Passion&src=hash">#Passion</a></p>
— Paul Allen (@PAKFANVikes) <a href="https://twitter.com/PAKFANVikes/statuses/369170015490019328">August 18, 2013</a>
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<p>We'll get to Felder/Sherels in a bit, but let's talk about the QB situation. Is it realistic to think that the Vikings could keep Joe Webb as a receiver, use him as a #3 emergency quarterback, and only keep two QB's on the roster? I tweeted back something fairly close to being smart ass-ish (NO TED I DON'T BELIEVE YOU), but it's a fascinating thought.</p>
<p>Personally, I don't think Webb is one of the five best receivers in camp right now, but could his versatility as a WR and potential emergency QB allow the Vikings to only keep two QB's and then add an extra lineman or DB? Sure, it's possible. I don't see it happening right now, though, because although Webb is versatile, he's bad as both a WR and a QB. I get versatility if the guy is an asset, but do you want to keep a guy that sucks at two positions?</p>
<h4>RB:</h4>
<p><i><b>In the barn:</b></i> <span>Adrian Peterson</span>, <span>Toby Gerhart</span></p>
<p><i><b>On the bubble:</b></i> <span>Matt Asiata</span>, <span>Bradley Randle</span>, <span>Joe Banyard</span>, Leodis Williams</p>
<p><i><b>Notes:</b></i> Last week I felt that the job was still Asiata's, but after two games, I'm not so sure. Being an incumbent has its advantages, but now I'm thinking Banyard might have pulled at least even with Randle--and Asiata, if you're not one to give a vet the benefit of the doubt. Banyard played a good game against Buffalo, Randle didn't, and like last week, Asiata was just 'meh'.</p>
<h4>FB:</h4>
<p><i><b>In the barn: </b></i><span>Jerome Felton</span></p>
<p><i><b>On the bubble:</b></i> <span>Zach Line</span></p>
<p><i><b>Notes:</b></i> Line has had a good camp, but I saw him play almost exclusively at the FB spot last night. He caught another pass, delivered a crushing lead block that sprung Banyard on his 38 yard run...but if he isn't competing at RB, he's not going to beat out Felton. He might be a prime candidate for the practice squad, but he might not make it through waivers.</p>
<h4>TE:</h4>
<p><i><b>In the barn:</b></i> <span>Kyle Rudolph</span>, <span>John Carlson</span>, <span>Rhett Ellison</span></p>
<p><i><b>On the bubble: </b></i><span>Chase Ford</span>, <span>Colin Anderson</span></p>
<p><i><b>Notes:</b></i> No changes from last week. I still think this is a three man race with Ford and Anderson on the outside looking in.</p>
<h4>WR:</h4>
<p><i><b>In the barn:</b></i> <span>Jerome Simpson</span>, <span>Greg Jennings</span>, Cordarelle Patterson, <span>Jarius Wright</span></p>
<p><i><b>On the bubble:</b></i> <span>Stephen Burton</span>, Joe Webb, <span>Adam Thielen</span>, <span>LaMark Brown</span>, <span>Erik Highsmith</span>, <span>Rodney Smith</span>, <span>Chris Summers</span></p>
<p><i><b>Notes: </b></i>I'm thinking more and more Burton is in. Yes, he has yet to show anything in the two plus years he's been on the team, but he's the 'best of the rest', as it were, and he had a kickoff return called back because of a penalty. Both Smith and Summers had okay games, and Smith had a nice TD grab, but at this point I'm thinking those guys are playing for a spot on the practice squad, not the active roster. However, with Jarius Wright out with a concussion, it might open the door for someone to make one last push. That's a long shot, but it's situations like this where careers are born.</p>
<h4>OL:</h4>
<p><i><b>In the barn:</b></i> <span>Matt Kalil</span>, <span>Charlie Johnson</span>, <span>John Sullivan</span>, <span>Brandon Fusco</span>, <span>Phil Loadholt</span>, <span>Joe Berger</span></p>
<p><i><b>On the bubble: </b></i>Seth Olson, <span>Kevin Murphy</span>, <span>Jeff Baca</span>, <span>Brandon Keith</span>, <span>DeMarcus Love</span>, <span>Tyler Holmes</span>, <span>Camden Wentz</span>, <span>Travis Bond</span>, <span>Troy Kropog</span></p>
<p><i><b>Notes: </b></i>I'm not sure Bond or Love are going to make the team, but they're getting a lot of playing time (24 snaps each Friday) and the Vikings are giving them every opportunity. Based on that, combined with the uniquely bad play of guys like Murphy and Kropog, I'm thinking that right now they're the last two if the Vikings keep eight guys, but there's still a lot of flexibility and a lot can happen between now and cutdown day.</p>
<h4>DL:</h4>
<p><i><b>In the barn: </b></i><span>Brian Robison</span>, <span>Kevin Williams</span>, <span>Jared Allen</span>, Shariff Floyd, <span>Everson Griffen</span>, <span>Fred Evans</span>, <span>Letroy Guion</span></p>
<p><i><b>On the bubble: </b></i><span>Christian Ballard</span>, <span>Everett Dawkins</span>, <span>D'Aundre Reed</span>, <span>Lawrence Jackson</span>, Marquise Jackson, <span>Chase Baker</span>, Anthony McCloud, George Johnson, Collins Ukwu (geshundheit).</p>
<p><i><b>Notes:</b></i> No change from last week. If the Vikings keep eight linemen, add Ballard. And eight is a definite possibility, but I find it difficult to talk myself into the Vikings only keeping three defensive ends if they keep eight linemen, so maybe subtract Ballard and add Johnson. Maybe.</p>
<h4>LB:</h4>
<p><i><b>In the barn: </b></i><span>Chad Greenway</span>, <span>Erin Henderson</span>, <span>Desmond Bishop</span>, <span>Marvin Mitchell</span>, <span>Larry Dean</span></p>
<p><i><b>On the bubble: </b></i><span>Audie Cole</span>, <span>Michael Mauti</span>, <span>Gerald Hodges</span>, Tyrone MacKenzie, Stanford Kegler</p>
<p><i><b>Notes: </b></i>For the second week in a row I thought both Mauti and Hodges played well, and I think they're close to being in the barn. MacKenzie and Keglar seem done for, which leaves Cole. Cole played with the second team, and wasn't bad...but I have a feeling if it comes down to Mauti or Cole, the Vikings pick Mauti.</p>
<h4>DB:</h4>
<p><i><b>In the barn: </b></i><span>Chris Cook</span>, <span>Xavier Rhodes</span>, <span>Josh Robinson</span>, <span>Jamarca Sanford</span>, Harrison Smith</p>
<p><i><b>On the bubble: </b></i>Marcus Sherels, <span>Mistral Raymond</span>, <span>Robert Blanton</span>, A.J. Jefferson, <span>Jacob Lacey</span>, <span>Andrew Sendejo</span>, <span>Brandan Bishop</span>, <span>Brandon Burton</span>, <span>Darius Eubanks</span>, Bobby Felder, <span>Roderick Williams</span>, <span>Greg McCoy</span></p>
<p><i><b>Notes:</b></i> Raymond is still leading Sendejo and Blanton, I would think, for the backup safety gig, but I don't think it's 100% over, either. Two of those three probably make it, leaving only one DB spot left, the dime cover guy. And Bobby Felder seems to have played his way ahead of Sherels in that role. Both Felder and Sherels leave a lot to be desired as a dime guy, but he has at least shown an ability to make a play on a ball, just not consistently. Sherels is consistently bad, and the only thing that was keeping him on the roster was his special teams play. Yet Felder looked competent as a punt returner Friday, so he may have passed Sherels there, too.</p>
<p>There is only one game left before the first cut down date on the 27th, and the starters will play into the third quarter. This makes the third pre-season game the last chance for a lot of guys, but for 15 guys, the journey is almost at an end.</p>
https://www.dailynorseman.com/2013/8/18/4634904/bubble-watch-post-week-2Ted Glover2013-08-14T10:00:04-05:002013-08-14T10:00:04-05:00Vikings Final Day Of Training Camp Open Thread
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<figcaption>Jesse Johnson-USA TODAY Sports</figcaption>
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<p>Yes, ladies and gentlemen, as I mentioned in the original Open Thread for today, this is the final day of Training Camp for the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.dailynorseman.com/">Minnesota Vikings</a>. . .and, hence, the final day of our coverage from Mankato.</p>
<p>I want to take a moment to once again thank the Minnesota Vikings for giving us this incredible opportunity and allowing us full access to every minute of the team's Training Camp this season. I think that the coverage provided by Arif and Eric has given folks a real reason to be excited about this team in 2013, and perhaps some insights that they might not have gotten otherwise.</p>
<p>I also want to thank all of you for the interaction that you've provided during the coverage and showing how enthusiastic you were to have access to this level of coverage of Training Camp. As I've said numerous times, this site wouldn't exist if it weren't for all of you, and we're glad that you've appreciated the things that we've been allowed to bring you these past few weeks.</p>
<p>Arif is on hand in Mankato for this final day of camp, and you can see his Twitter feed below, as has been the case on all of our Training Camp Open Threads.</p>
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<a data-widget-id="367521623391211520" href="https://twitter.com/ArifHasanDN" class="twitter-timeline">Tweets by @ArifHasanDN</a>
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<p><br>Enjoy the coverage of the last day of Training Camp, ladies and gentlemen! And feel free to discuss any of the revelations that Arif passes along or anything else right here.</p>
https://www.dailynorseman.com/2013/8/14/4620008/minnesota-vikings-final-day-of-training-camp-open-threadChristopher Gates2013-08-13T10:00:09-05:002013-08-13T10:00:09-05:00Vikings Training Camp Day Thirteen Open Thread
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<figcaption>Jesse Johnson-USA TODAY Sports</figcaption>
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<p>Only a couple more days of our Training Camp coverage remain, ladies and gentlemen. Unfortunately, Eric has had to bow out of today's coverage, but Arif is still down in Mankato keeping an eye on what's going on with our favorite football team.</p>
<p>As we've done thus far, here is Arif's Twitter feed for you to follow along with while you talk about the information he's ending out there in near-real time.</p>
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<a data-widget-id="367241016308289536" href="https://twitter.com/ArifHasanDN" class="twitter-timeline">Tweets by @ArifHasanDN</a>
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<p><br>Once again, we should be looking at the early portion of practice running from approximately 10:30 AM to 11:30 AM Central time, with the late session running from approximately 2:30 PM to 4:45 PM.</p>
<p>Again, feel free to talk about whatever Eric and Arif are tweeting about from Mankato, or talk about whatever Vikings topics cross your mind here this afternoon. Once again, we thank all of you for taking an interest in our coverage of <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.dailynorseman.com/">Minnesota Vikings</a> Training Camp.</p>
https://www.dailynorseman.com/2013/8/13/4616936/minnesota-vikings-training-camp-day-thirteen-open-threadChristopher Gates2013-08-12T14:44:48-05:002013-08-12T14:44:48-05:00Vikings 2013 Training Camp: Day Twelve Notebook
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<p>Another notebook!</p> <h4 style="text-align: center; ">Thoughts of the Day</h4>
<p>Will is a finite resource.</p>
<p>Every year, players encounter the brick wall that tests their determination and capacity to "power through" the absurd obstacles that face them playing in the NFL. Coaches pull 75 hour weeks as they prepare game plans and might stretch themselves too thin by the time the bye week rolls around.</p>
<p>When hitting these decision points, players, the media and the NFL correctly laud the players and coaches that can fight what their bodies and minds are telling them is the reasonable limit of endurance.</p>
<p>But that's no reason not to make it easier.</p>
<p>We expect many players to flag by the end of games. Some players will get sharper, naturally (Jared Allen comes to mind), but nearly every player is much more prone to mistakes at the end of games than at the beginning.</p>
<p>Most of this is probably attributable to physical fatigue and wear-and-tear, but an underrated and important contributor is the mental fatigue that comes with constantly reading opponents doing their best to deceive you, processing play calls, and remembering the checks, snap counts, audibles, etc.</p>
<p>The mental demand on an NFL player is taxing, even more so because of the stop-start nature of the sport.</p>
<p>There are <a href="http://youarenotsosmart.com/2012/04/17/ego-depletion/">multiple studies</a> on how to make people give up early. In one experiment, participants were asked to solve an impossible puzzle after being exposed to different levels of temptation (given nothing, given cookies while being told to stay away from radishes and vice versa). Those who faced the most temptation (those given radishes while being told to stay away from cookies in the room) gave up on the puzzle over twice as fast as the others.</p>
<p>From the link above, there are more studies:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>In one study, college students divided into three groups. One group had to give a speech supporting raising tuition at their college. A second group chose between a speech for or against tuition hikes. A third group proceeded directly to the second stage - those devious, unsolvable puzzles. This time, the no-speech group and the group that gave the speech with which they likely disagreed both lasted about twice as long as the people who got to choose what they spoke about. The results suggested it wasn't just restraint in the face of desire that could deplete your ego, but any choice at all. The subjects who didn't have to choose a topic were able to allow their volition to take a break, and their ego energy reserves remained intact. Another study had participants attempt to show and feel no emotion while watching video of either stand-up comedy or an actor pretending to die from cancer. They then tried to solve word puzzles along with people who watched the same videos with the freedom to feel whatever they wished. This time, the people who exerted emotional restraint subsequently solved fewer puzzles than those who let their feelings flow.</p>
<p>In a study about active and passive choices, subjects had to find all instances of the letter e on a piece of paper filled with nonsense text. Another group had to find every e that was at least two letters distant from a vowel. Try it yourself in this paragraph and you'll notice the first group's task was way easier and required little effort. The e finders who had to adhere to the vowel rule took much longer as they had to examine every word and double-check themselves. Next, people in each group individually watched a video of a blank wall while holding a remote control. For some people pressing a button would end the video. For others pressing down kept the video running. The subjects then had to watch the boring video until they believed they had seen enough to answer a questionnaire about it. Nothing ever happened in the video, but something might have happened at any moment as far as the subjects knew. Each person was also told as soon as he or she ended the video they would get to watch a clip from Saturday Night Live. The people who first performed the easy task and then had to press a button to end the boring video did so much sooner than the depleted group. They also held the button down longer when letting it go meant ending the clip. The depleted group just went with whatever was the most passive option in either case. If it was to press a button, they procrastinated. If it was to hold a button down, they gave up sooner. The results suggested that focused concentration later made people less eager to make active choices.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>Most famously, the Israel parole study found that favorably parole decisions from a three-judge panel who were deciding on parole cases all day were more likely in the moments after a break (in this case the morning, lunch and dinner).</p>
<p style="text-align: center; "><a href="http://cdn2.sbnation.com/imported_assets/1750373/economix-14hungryjudges-custom1.jpg"><img alt="Economix-14hungryjudges-custom1_medium" class="photo" src="http://cdn1.sbnation.com/imported_assets/1750373/economix-14hungryjudges-custom1_medium.jpg"></a></p>
<p style="text-align: center; ">via <a href="http://graphics8.nytimes.com/images/2011/04/14/business/economy/economix-14hungryjudges/economix-14hungryjudges-custom1.jpg">graphics8.nytimes.com</a></p>
<p>In the New York Times <a href="http://economix.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/04/14/time-and-judgment/">piece about the famous study</a>, they wrote</p>
<blockquote>
<p>They write that making successive decisions depletes a limited mental facility, just like curling a dumbbell wears out your arms. As people get tired, they look for shortcuts, and one of the easiest shortcuts is to uphold the status quo -- in this case, denying parole.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>All of this is to say that no matter what qualities you look for in a player, the ability to concentrate is something that can be managed as well as found. Coaches should seek to do both when approaching the problem of execution. Also related to decision fatigue are the problems of physical energy and general health.</p>
<p>Perhaps coaches should eat healthy, too.</p>
<p>One example of ways to increase execution and direct focus to where it matters (reading the defense) is to simplify complex playcalls whenever possible. The West Coast Offense is most famous for having this problem, where a play-action play can be described thusly:</p>
<p>Ace Right Naked Left Fake 68 Toss Z Fake Smash</p>
<p>Makes sense - a single back formation(Ace) with the strength to the right (Right), the quarterback bootlegging without protection (Naked) to the left (Left) on a play-action (Fake) to the strong-side (68) while the flanker (Z) fakes (Fake)into a smash route (Smash).</p>
<p>That didn't even include the pass protection call, although most play-action concepts have tagged pass protection that you don't need to spend time calling out, given how redundant it is. In this case, the left tackle and left guard pull as if run blocking to the right and the quarterback rolls out to the weak side on an island.</p>
<p>Also, the "H," "X" and "Y" receivers didn't get route assignments. That's because they had already been tagged for the play-action off to the strong side.</p>
<p>In this case, the "Y" runs a dig, the "H" is blocking and the "X" is running a corner route.</p>
<p>Already, the play call has been simplified with common tags that didn't need to be said. One way to simplify it even further is to eliminate "Ace Right". All "Ace" formations will designate a strength as well as personnel. But once the playcall is in, the personnel has already been determined, so you can simply determine things like Jumbo, Right, Left, Big, etc. with one letter designations. In this case, Ace Right can be Race (with obvious extensions to Lace, Blaze/Brace, Jace, etc.).</p>
<p>Naked Left Fake 68 Toss only makes sense if this is a common run play. Naturally most runs are already determine either by the simple call of the zone scheme (Counter, Stretch Direction, Inside Stretch Direction, etc) or by keying gaps (30/31, 60/61 etc) so they can be complicated by themselves.</p>
<p>But if an offense relies on a few basic runs (all do), then the most common ones can be tagged as well. Bill Walsh had 34 runs in his playbook and used five or so much more often than others. Play action works much more often on these five runs, so the calls for both the runs and play-action passes can be simplified on those five.</p>
<p>This is particularly true because naked bootlegs only work away from the direction of the run. No need to specify direction if you've already specified the strength of the formation.</p>
<p>Further, there's no need to specify "fake" if you've already indicated that the QB is going to be "naked" in protection, because it wouldn't matter otherwise.</p>
<p>If you want to go beyond numeric designations for the five runs, you can simply use countries versus states. If it's a country, the run is to the weak side, while the state is to the strong side. With flips, tosses, pitches, draws, and traditional handoffs, there are a few more things to add, but letter designations can solve that issue.</p>
<p>Nude Texas could replace Naked Left Fake 68 Toss. I got rid of a syllable in "naked" because it's unnecessary. Texas signifies a toss and the fact that Texas is a state means it's to the strong side.</p>
<p>So," Ace Right Naked Left Fake 68 Toss" is "Race Nude Texas". Z Fake Smash can stay as is, because it's an additive tag, although you can easily solve that with a vowel designation. Zane can mean "Z Fake," X-Ray can be "X Fake," Hail can be "H Fake," Rake can be "R fake," Update can be "U Fake" etc, etc. The key is the long a.</p>
<p>Race Nude Texas Zane Smash is six syllables. Far better than Ace Right Naked Left Fake 68 Toss Z Fake Smash, which is thirteen. It can be simplified further if the play-action out of Race is common. Raisin for Naked bootlegs, Trace for traditional play-action, etc. Raisin Texas Zane Smash! Same syllables, of course, but even removing words helps. Ace (ais) Right (R) Naked (in) Left Fake 68 (state) Toss (Texas)</p>
<p>A draw with the strength to the left would simply be Lace Delaware, instead of Ace Left 43 Draw (or worse, Ace Left Right 43 Draw). Lace Denmark would be Ace Left Right 42 Draw (weakside run). Brace Florida is a single back "big" (3TE) set to the right, with a flip to the running back running to the strength. It can be Brace'd for a traditional play-action and Brazen for naked bootlegs.</p>
<p>This ignores run gap designations, but those problems are solved just as easily.</p>
<p>The New England Patriots <a href="http://www.bostonglobe.com/sports/2012/10/08/patriots-huddle-relies-power-one/nHTapuVnBOwfFlffwTrN6J/story.html">have already decided</a> that their six most common plays will be one word, and Chip Kelly's no huddle at Oregon was the same. Peyton Manning has been doing it for years, sticking with the same handful of plays that only have one word attached to them ("Dag" is famously a counter to the "Dig" play).</p>
<p>From what I know, the Vikings don't have the same issues with playcalling that a West Coast team might normally have, simply because Musgrave's coaching background comes from a different terminology (Erhardt-Perkins), even if his philosophical roots are in the West Coast scheme.<sub></sub></p>
<p>The key is to find ways to avoid assuming the status quo. In this case, the offense may see the same look they've seen from the defense all day-a 4-3 under with the Sam linebacker snug up to the line and the two safeties back deep with the corners in press coverage, for example-and may ignore subtle signs that indicate a Cover-1 blitz instead of the Cover 2-man press shell. This could include the Sam with his weight far more forward than it has been all game, a safety rolling on the balls of his feet or a linebacker cheating a few inches to the outside in order to cover the tight end.</p>
<p>Those smaller details are incredibly important in the end of the game, and noticing them will be critical for any offense. Finding any way to preserve that mental energy is key, and one of the best ways to do this might be to reduce the complexity of playcalling.</p>
<h4 style="text-align: center; ">Defense</h4>
<h5 style="text-align: center; ">Depth Charts</h5>
<p><b>RDE:</b> Jared Allen, Everson Griffen, Lawrence Jackson, Collins Ukwu<b><br> UT: </b>Kevin Williams, Christian Ballard, Sharrif Floyd, Everett Dawkins<b><br> NT: </b>Letroy Guion, Fred Evans, Chase Baker, Anthony McCloud<b><br> LDE</b>: Brian Robison, George Johnson, D'Aundre Reed, Marquis Jackson<b><br> LCB: </b>Josh Robinson, Xavier Rhodes, Brandon Burton, Jacob Lacey, Marcus Sherels<br><b>RCB: </b>Chris Cook, A.J. Jefferson, Bobby Felder, Roderick Williams, Greg McCoy<b><br> NCB</b>: Josh Robinson, Bobby Felder, Marcus Sherels, Jacob Lacey<b><br> SLB</b>: Chad Greenway, Larry Dean, Gerald Hodges<b><br> MLB: </b>Erin Henderson, Audie Cole, Michael Mauti, Stanford Keglar<b><br> WLB:</b> Marvin Mitchell, Desmond Bishop, Tyrone McKenzie<b><br> S</b>: Harrison Smith, Andrew Sendejo, Darius Eubanks <br><b>S</b>: Jamarca Sanford, Mistral Raymond, Robert Blanton, Brandan Bishop.<b></b></p>
<p>Jacob Lacey's absence sort of changed the depth chart around, so I went with some speculation regarding the CBs. Audie Cole's absence had outside linebackers rotate inside and Stanford Keglar rotate outside to fill their gap (given that Keglar was the fourth MLB, this didn't create new gaps). Again, I went with some speculation that nothing changed.</p>
<p>I mentioned this the other day on my twitter account, but it seemed to catch people by surprise when I tweeted it during practice on Day 12, but Sendejo has overtaken Blanton on the depth chart. Like I've said before, Sendejo's improvement has been massive and could be the third safety on some other depth charts around the league.</p>
<p>George Johnson moved ahead of D'Aundre Reed on the depth chart as well. The defensive end battle is extremely competitive, but this surprised me. Reed looked good in the preseason game from what I saw, although my tracking of the second half wasn't as thorough as it was the first half. PFF thought Reed was the worst player on the defense, however, so I should give them credit for noticing something the Vikings took immediate action towards.</p>
<p>Notably, George Johnson was in on more snaps than any other Vikings players on defense and only behind Travis Bond on offense.</p>
<h5 style="text-align: center; ">Defensive Line</h5>
<p>A fairly quiet day without Sharrif Floyd or Christian Ballard (Floyd with a knee concern and Ballard sitting out, I believe due to sickness), Everett Dawkins didn't get much push against the second-team offensive line in 11s. In one on ones, Dawkins got some pressure against Seth Olsen but was stonewalled by Camden Wentz.</p>
<p>In other one-on-ones, Letroy Guion tried repeatedly to get one over Joe Berger, but couldn't. He used speed rushes, bull rushes and a fake speed rush to get around the veteran backup, to no avail. Anthony McCloud started off struggling against Jeff Baca, but found there was more ground to gain against Seth Olsen.</p>
<p>George Johnson, who just moved ahead of D'Aundre Reed on the depth chart did struggle against Brandon Keith, who ended up having a good day overall. Opposite him, Lawrence Jackson was consistently beating DeMarcus Love, who didn't have much reprieve.</p>
<p>Collins Ukwu was paired with Tyler Holmes, where he couldn't get much done out on the edge or inside. On the other hand, D'Aundre Reed might not be credited with any pressures against Troy Kropog, but it looked like Kropog was on skates for a short while every snap.</p>
<p>There's not much to add to the defensive line. I didn't see Brian Robison, Jared Allen, Kevin Williams or Everson Griffen really play, although I saw their work in drills. It wasn't very helpful to watch.</p>
<h5 style="text-align: center;">Secondary</h5>
<p>The secondary didn't have too hot of a day in 11s or even 7-on-7 drills, where the Vikings offense completed pass after pass. Some didn't like my characterization as a "bad day" for the defense when I could have just as easily sad it was a "good day" for the offense, but there are critical differences that are made clear when looking at the secondary.</p>
<p>The offense deserves credit, of course, for making a number of good throws, generally completing the seam routes down the middle in the first team or the sideline routes on the third team. But more importantly, the defense was making critical mistakes with the way they treated their zone coverage, not flying to the ball or playing assignment-sound football.</p>
<p>It wasn't so much that the defensive players were in place and the offense was beating them with smart throws (although the routes and route adjustments were smart—a number of passes were completed in the holes between zones), but that defensive players were out of place or didn't do the things they needed to do to make plays when they were in space.</p>
<p>In particular, Xavier Rhodes got a lot of reps in one-on-ones and was very disappointing. When given the opportunity to use the sideline, he was much more comfortable and even more so when given leeway to be physical. Before those passing drills, Rhodes was able to display one of his better talents, which was to adjust his tackling angles and wrap up ballcarriers—he was the best among the defensive backs in these drills.</p>
<p>Among the worst in the drills was Robert Blanton, who couldn't seem to get the angles correct when approaching the ballcarrier. Along with him, Greg McCoy—who looked awful in coverage as well—never found his way to the ballcarrier, constantly getting to the player a step late. McCoy's foibles were many as soon as quarterbacks started flinging the ball around, including a sideline throw to Adam Thielen that drew a lot of applause, one of Stephen Burton's many catches and an average throw over the middle, once again, to Thielen.</p>
<p>Along with his poor performance in the tackling angles drill, Blanton didn't display much agility in other drills, including drills designed to turn him around. Planting and driving is a skill that Blanton has, but if he's moving, he'll take some time to set himself.</p>
<p>Blanton and McCoy weren't the only ones who struggled in this drill. Brandon Burton, Harrison Smith and Darius Eubanks also set themselves back in this drill, while Marcus Sherels was the only other defensive back besides Rhodes who looked good.</p>
<p>Along with Blanton, Brandon Burton did poorly in the agility drills. While I was surprised in regards to Blanton, Burton's slower showing made sense to me. He's the only corner I've marked in my tracking document as a "Boundary Corner," the designation for a college corner who plays the near hash and uses the sideline to tackle the ball carrier. Everyone else is either a nickel corner or "Field Corner" who largely prioritize in coverage in space.</p>
<p>Tackling angles and agility are less important in those roles and he fits it well. That doesn't mean he won't work in the defense, but that he would just have to be used a bit differently. He won't be, but there you have it. It's not that he's slow (4.5) 40 or that his agility in a vacuum is worrisome (6.93 3-cone), he just might read things a bit slower.</p>
<p>Josh Robinson had a fine day, not often targeted in coverage and doing well when it happened. For the most part, QBs looked away from him to pick on other DBs, so Robinson seems fairly immune to the criticism of the larger defense. In particular, he grabbed more interceptions than the rest of the backs in the tip/interception drill, where the linebackers tipped passes to the DBs.</p>
<p>I always happened to miss Chris Cook in the drills, but he didn't do too well against Greg Jennings when given the opportunity. Otherwise, he was a positive force in the defense, throwing receivers off routes and creating tighter passing windows.</p>
<p>Bobby Felder had a poor day, and his poor day was Stephen Burton's good day. Felder seemed to go through a checklist of problems against Burton—sometimes it was positioning, sometimes it was leverage, sometimes it was biting on a fake and at other times he just wasn't fast enough.</p>
<p>A.J. Jefferson looked OK, but I honestly didn't see much of him on the field, only in drills. In those drills, he looked instinctive and aware of the ball, but that doesn't really offset the lingering concern during the season of his play and ball awareness.</p>
<p>I did not see any of Mistral Raymond, Darius Eubanks, Jamarca Sanford (other than some drops in the drive, plant and INT drill), Andrew Sendejo, Harrison Smith or Roderick Williams.</p>
<p>I did see Sendejo play instinctively and Williams get some good coverage on occasion.</p>
<h5 style="text-align: center;">Linebackers</h5>
<p>Again, I didn't see much of Chad Greenway. Never seem to get around to covering him.</p>
<p>In fact, I didn't really see a lot of the linebackers, and my most notable observation had to do with Keglar, who is still struggling to get things right, even needing some extra tutelage in drills.</p>
<p>So... yea. Audie Cole was out.</p>
<h4 style="text-align: center;">Special Teams</h4>
<h5 style="text-align: center;">Depth Charts</h5>
<p><b>First Kickoff</b>: Josh Robinson, Robert Blanton, Tyrone McKenzie, Larry Dean, Andrew Sendejo, Marcus Sherels, Jamarca Sanford, Gerald Hodges, Zach Line</p>
<p><b>Second Kickoff</b>: A.J. Jefferson, Bobby Felder, Mistral Raymond, Matt Asiata, Michael Mauti, George Johnson, LaMark Brown, Lawrence Jackson, Rodney Smith, Joe Webb</p>
<p><b>Third Kickoff</b>: Collins Ukwu, Adam Thielen, Chase Ford, Brandon Burton, D'Aundre Reed, Roderick Williams, Joe Banyard, Greg McCoy, Bradley Randle</p>
<p>It might be interesting to note Line in the first team kickoff unit, which would usually imply a lot of positive things about his ability to make the roster, but with a few players held out of practice—including Audie Cole, who has featured a bit on special teams—it's not a clear read.</p>
<p>Same with Bradley Randle, who finally cracked a special teams roster.</p>
<p><b>First Punt (no gunners)</b>: Tyrone McKenzie, Andrew Sendejo, Marvin Mitchell, Rhett Ellison, Harrison Smith, Larry Dean</p>
<p><b>Second Punt (no gunners)</b>: Mistral Raymond, Zach Line, Matt Asiata, Michael Mauti, D'Aundre Reed, George Johnson, Jerome Felton.</p>
<p><b>Third Punt (no gunners)</b>: Toby Gerhart, LaMark Brown, Joe Banyard, Collins Ukwu, Gerald Hodges, Chase Ford, Stanford Keglar.</p>
<h4 style="text-align: center;">Offense</h4>
<h5 style="text-align: center;">Depth Chart</h5>
<p><b>QB</b>: Christian Ponder, Matt Cassel, McLeod Bethel-Thompson, James Vandenberg<br><b>SE</b>: Jerome Simpson, Cordarrelle Patterson, Joe Webb, Chris Summers, Rodney Smith<br><b>FL</b>: Greg Jennings, Jarius Wright, Stephen Burton, LaMark Brown, Adam Thielen, Erik Highsmith<br><b>SL</b>: Jarius Wright, Greg Jennings, Stephen Burton<br><b>LT</b>: Matt Kalil, Kevin Murphy, DeMarcus Love<br><b>LG</b>: Charlie Johnson, Jeff Baca, Tyler Holmes<br><b>C</b>: John Sullivan, Joe Berger, Camden Wentz<br><b>RG</b>: Brandon Fusco, Seth Olsen, Travis Bond<br><b>RT</b>: Phil Loadholt, Brandon Keith, Troy Kropog<br><b>TE</b>: Kyle Rudolph, John Carlson, Rhett Ellison, Chase Ford, Colin Anderson<br><b>HB</b>: Adrian Peterson, Toby Gerhart, Matt Asiata, Joe Banyard, Bradley Randle, Jerodis Williams<br><b>FB</b>: Jerome Felton, Zach line</p>
<h5 style="text-align: center;">Quarterbacks</h5>
<p>I didn't watch much of the offense, so <a href="http://www.dailynorseman.com/2013/8/12/4612902/minnesota-vikings-2013-training-camp-news-notes-depth-chart">you can defer</a> to Eric if you wish.</p>
<p>Christian Ponder did fine, although I think there is a risk of overselling his performance given the fact that there were a lot of completions. Naturally, I'm not one to do that but neither do I think I'm overcorrecting. There were a few well-placed passes, particularly over the middle.</p>
<p>If there's one thing I can say in terms of chemistry, trust and intuitive knowledge of the receiving corps, it's that Ponder knows what he can do to get the ball to Rudolph and no one else. So, as far as chemistry and trust is concerned, I don't think there's any question that Ponder has it with Rudolph. Should he have this feel, latitude and range with other receivers, Ponder will be a great quarterback.</p>
<p>He showed that sort of chemistry with Rudolph in practice, although I obviously feel he doesn't have that with other receivers. It's not a fair comparison—Rudolph's catch radius is enormous and he tends to get lined up with people who don't have the same range. He's not as athletic as he was in college (maybe his hamstring has finally healed up, like it was supposed to have last year?), but he's a dominant enough player at his experience level that it's not a fair comparison for other receivers.</p>
<p>Like I said, Ponder did fine, but he just didn't test himself in practice. I won't argue that the practice was disappointing, but I think we let ourselves get away with too much if we see this high percentage, low reward type of practice as progress or movement to quiet questions about his play.</p>
<p>Read between the lines however you want—perhaps I am so biased that a "bad practice" is disappointing and a "disappointing practice" is OK—but I really think we need to dismiss "good" performances where there's no progress or the secondary plays completely out of place. To his credit, he in no way played poorly and perhaps threw one or two bad balls all practice if that. If that's the offense, then he's fine.</p>
<p>Matt Cassel didn't play as well as McLeod Bethel-Thompson, who I thought may have been as close to lights out as you can be against a troubled defense, but neither did he play poorly. He had a few tougher throws than Ponder, but he also had more "easy" throws, if you will. Definitely the beneficiary of the play-action screen pass.</p>
<p>I'm not sure that it's a great play design (the ideal such design moves the screen to the opposite side of the direction of the faked run, which wasn't always the case), so I'm not so sure it's awesome that those passes were completed.</p>
<p>McLeod Bethel-Thompson threw some extremely well placed passes along the sideline, and also really killed those screen passes.</p>
<h5 style="text-align: center;">Running Backs</h5>
<p>Adrian Peterson was hit once in practice and a few people got yelled at. I won't say who they were, but I will say some were locks for the roster. Naturally, Adrian didn't feel a thing and kept trying to drive.</p>
<p>I have no notes for Gerhart or Asiata</p>
<p>Bradley Randle consistently found himself open, which is nice. He caught a few passes and not just in the flats. He performed as an outlet receiver under pressure without dropping the ball, and may have had the best run of practice—running ten yards before the "tackle" whistles blew. In some ways, that's not quite fair because there's a chance that he would have been "tackled" sooner but the officials couldn't see it. Not just because he's short, but because running up the middle means there's too much traffic to sift through.</p>
<p>I did not note anything about Joe Banyard. Jerodis Williams didn't see much action, but I was disappointed that it took time for him to get up and go once he got the ball on a screen pass—the result of bobbling the ball. He never gained much yardage.</p>
<h5 style="text-align: center;">Offensive Line</h5>
<p>This was already covered above, in the defensive line.</p>
<h5 style="text-align: center;">Wide Receivers</h5>
<p>There's not much to add here, as they generally had a good day. Greg Jennings made the most of his extremely limited time on the field, getting open and crossing Chris Cook for a reception.</p>
<p>Wright had one highlight that I saw, which was to beat Rhodes and Sendejo up the seam. There isn't much to add to that, except there were some communication issues between the safety and the corner, but mostly there was a good read of the zone coverage and a good throw by Ponder to get it to him.</p>
<p>LaMark Brown had a good day, although I didn't pay close enough attention to him to tell you why or how—simply that he got open and had some impressive catches for good yardage. Whether it is because of fundamentally good receiver play or bad defensive play I can't say.</p>
<p>Cordarrelle Patterson was doing better today than he has in other practices, although he really shines most in game time, where he can put his elusivity to use. He beat Brandon Burton and Xavier Rhodes for good receptions, but did run into problems when others were more physical with him—notably Rhodes.</p>
<p>Adam Thielen had a very good day. He got blanketed by Roderick Williams once, but he made up for that with a good catch against Greg McCoy, and then later a great catch down the sideline for what looked like a touchdown to me, deep downfield.</p>
<p>Rodney Smith had his moments as well in the 2 vs. 3 drills (wide receivers against CBs and a safety) and generally came out looking ahead.</p>
<p>Joe Webb ended up looking good, too. Despite bobbling a pass in the flats (and allowing Sherels to blow it up), he was able to corral in a good pass in the 2 v. 3s against bracketed coverage and he did move the ball well on a different screen play. Like Patterson, Webb's game won't show up as well in practices as it does in games.</p>
<p>Stephen Burton looked the best out there, partially because of opportunity, but also because of good play. I don't have to detail again how he abused Bobby Felder, but suffice to say he did it through multiple avenues.</p>
<h5 style="text-align: center;">Tight Ends</h5>
<p>There's not much to add to the tight ends, because I did not see much of Ellison, Ford or Anderson. John Carlson had another great day. Not only did he haul in a good number of catches because of good play, but he showed up in 9 vs. 7s for good run blocking as well.</p>
<p>This is perhaps the Carlson that the Vikings intended to sign, although it is too soon to say.</p>
https://www.dailynorseman.com/2013/8/12/4613962/minnesota-vikings-2013-training-camp-day-twelve-notebook-nflArif Hasan2013-08-12T10:00:08-05:002013-08-12T10:00:08-05:00Vikings Training Camp Day Twelve Open Thread
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<figcaption>Hannah Foslien</figcaption>
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<p>Just a few more practices for us to cover from Training Camp for the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.dailynorseman.com/">Minnesota Vikings</a> this year, ladies and gentlemen. We hope that you've all enjoyed the coverage that the team has given us the ability to bring you this season.</p>
<p>As was the case yesterday, we have two different perspectives for you on what's happening down in Mankato with our favorite football team today, as both Arif Hasan and Eric Thompson are keeping an eye on things for us. You can see both of their Twitter feeds below so that you can keep up with what's going on in near-real time.</p>
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<p><br>See, this time I was smart enough to use two different color schemes (Twitter's timeline embeds come in "light" and "dark" flavors) so that you can more easily see that there's two different feeds going on here. After further review, it looked like they ran together a bit on yesterday's post.</p>
<p>As usual, we're looking at two different practice sessions today, folks. The early session should start at around 10:30 AM Central time, while the late session will likely being at around 2:30 PM Central time.</p>
<p>Enjoy it, folks. . .we've only got a couple more days of it for you.</p>
https://www.dailynorseman.com/2013/8/12/4613380/minnesota-vikings-training-camp-day-twelve-open-threadChristopher Gates2013-08-11T18:15:27-05:002013-08-11T18:15:27-05:00Floyd: "Nothing To Be Scared Of" With MRI
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<img alt="" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/l_IftoJ1uj9h6UvcVNlHuAHlDxI=/0x0:4000x2667/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/17731647/20130809_mbr_ab7_097.0.jpg" />
<figcaption>Brace Hemmelgarn-USA TODAY Sport</figcaption>
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<p><a href="https://www.dailynorseman.com/" class="sbn-auto-link">Minnesota Vikings</a>' fans got a bit of a scare on Friday night when defensive tackle <span>Sharrif Floyd</span>, the first of the team's three first-round draft choices, went down with an apparent knee injury. He walked off the field under his own power, which was an encouraging sign, but it was said that he was <a target="_blank" href="http://www.twincities.com/vikings/ci_23840077/minnesota-vikings-sharrif-floyd-will-have-mri-knee">having an MRI done</a> on the knee today.</p>
<p>Floyd spoke about it after today's Training Camp practices in Mankato, and said that the MRI was "nothing to be scared of." He deferred to coach Leslie Frazier about more specifics on the MRI, but added that he <a target="_blank" href="https://twitter.com/AjKFAN/status/366683467125243906">could have gone back into the game</a> if he had been needed.</p>
<p>Floyd was having himself a pretty decent night prior to his injury, having collected a pass defended and a tackle for a loss. He is not penciled in as the starter, but projects to get plenty of snaps in the Vikings' defensive line rotation regardless of where his name appears on the depth chart.</p>
<p>Once the final results of the MRI are out there, we will pass them along.</p>
<p><i>EDIT: Per "mrdinky" in the comments, the results of the MRI are back and show <a target="_blank" href="https://go.redirectingat.com?id=66960X1641874&xs=1&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.usatoday.com%2Fstory%2Fsports%2Fnfl%2Fvikings%2F2013%2F08%2F11%2Fsharrif-floyd-injury-mri-knee-minnesota%2F2641481%2F&referrer=sbnation.com&sref=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.dailynorseman.com%2F2013%2F8%2F11%2F4612358%2Fsharrif-floyd-says-mri-nothing-to-be-scared-of" rel="sponsored nofollow noopener">no ligament damage</a> for Floyd.</i></p>
https://www.dailynorseman.com/2013/8/11/4612358/sharrif-floyd-says-mri-nothing-to-be-scared-ofChristopher Gates2013-08-11T10:09:25-05:002013-08-11T10:09:25-05:00Vikings Training Camp Day Twelve Open Thread
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<figcaption>Jesse Johnson-USA TODAY Sports</figcaption>
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<p>My apologies for getting this on the site a bit late. . .in my infinite wisdom, I didn't even realize that there was going to be a practice for us to cover today. (Hey, it's pre-season for us, too.)</p>
<p>On the upside, for this week of <a href="https://www.dailynorseman.com/" class="sbn-auto-link">Minnesota Vikings</a> Training Camp, we will have two. . .yes, <i>two</i>. . .reporters down in Mankato for your viewing pleasure, as Eric is going to be joining Arif in watching our favorite football team do their thing. So, in order to get both perspectives (since I'm not sure how they're going to be dividing up coverage as far as who will be watching what, I will be placing both of their Twitter feeds in <a href="http://www.sbnation.com/british-open" class="sbn-auto-link">the Open</a> Thread here.</p>
<center> <a class="twitter-timeline" href="https://twitter.com/ArifHasanDN" data-widget-id="366576308517478400">Tweets by @ArifHasanDN</a>
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<p><br>So, the morning walk-through will be getting underway just about any time now, so hopefully you can all enjoy getting a couple of different perspectives on what's going on down in Mankato.</p>
<p>Again, my apologies for the tardiness, and continue enjoying our Minnesota Vikings Training Camp coverage!</p>
https://www.dailynorseman.com/2013/8/11/4611094/minnesota-vikings-training-camp-day-eleven-open-threadChristopher Gates2013-08-08T12:52:56-05:002013-08-08T12:52:56-05:00Training Camp Notes: Day 9, 10, Scrimmage—Offense
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<figcaption>Brace Hemmelgarn-USA TODAY Sport</figcaption>
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<p>Arif returns to Mankato, with the help of all of you.</p> <h4 style="text-align: center;">Thought of the Day</h4>
<p>My first thought of the day is a massive thank you. There's nothing else I can add to that.</p>
<p>The second has to do with the utility of complex offenses that you cannot really practice in the preseason, especially with a young team.</p>
<p>In Bill Musgrave's presser from today, he responded to my question about the preseason opener by talking about the delicate line between getting the offense comfortable with the scheme and revealing too much on film for an offense oriented around deception.</p>
<blockquote>
<p>Well, that is a fine line. You want to breast your cards somewhat but you also want to be good enough at your concepts that it's not the first time you run them when it really counts. We're always trying to balance that. Remain tough to defend, but also be good at what we do.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>This was an issue that was discussed last year, as well, where the offense didn't reveal some of the more interesting wrinkles of their game. Obviously, it is a bit different here as Musgrave has a year of film out there with the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.dailynorseman.com/">Vikings</a> now, but it's clear that the Vikings are pretty comfortable with innovation and new concepts.</p>
<p>At some point there's a clear tradeoff between adding new concepts or having a complex offense and making things simple enough for the offense to consistently execute. What's most interesting is that the two most successful offenses of the last decade take completely opposite approaches.</p>
<p>The <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.patspulpit.com/">New England Patriots</a> run an offense that is notoriously difficult to pick up. Below is an example of a play progression they may go through:</p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://assets.sbnation.com/assets/3020527/Ghost_Tosser_Triangle_Patriots.png" target="_blank"><img alt="Ghost_tosser_triangle_patriots_medium" class="photo" src="http://assets.sbnation.com/assets/3020527/Ghost_Tosser_Triangle_Patriots_medium.png"></a> <br id="1375884465389"></p>
<p>Against a Cover-1 defense (or Cover-3), nothing about the play changes. If the defense blitzes, the "H" or halfback will stay in to block while the slot receiver ("U") runs a short hitch. If the defense is a Cover-2 (or Cover 0-the read is on the "Y" to determine if there is a safety in the middle), then the "X" receiver will turn their post route into a "sluggo" route, functionally going towards the corner-the seam between the safety and cornerback. The "Y"-the tight end in this case-will run up the seam.</p>
<p>Further, the "Y" and "Z" have matchup options as well. If the linebacker covering the "Y" decides to jump underneath, then the "Y" should transition to a speed out, unless the defense is in a cloud zone, in which case the "Y" should let the linebacker jump underneath and they'll switch to a slant.</p>
<p>The "Z" will option out of the corner route if it looks like the corners are playing off, a deep zone, or if it's clear they will have help up top. They will, in this play concept , turn their corner into a comeback route.</p>
<p>That amounts to 8 or 9 different potential offensive plays in one drawn up play. Tom Moore's version of this same play looks a lot different.</p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><a style="background-color: #ffffff; text-decoration: underline; text-align: center;" href="http://assets.sbnation.com/assets/3020537/Ghost_Tosser_Triangle_Colts.png" target="_blank"><img alt="Ghost_tosser_triangle_colts_medium" class="photo" src="http://assets.sbnation.com/assets/3020537/Ghost_Tosser_Triangle_Colts_medium.png"></a></p>
<p>Tom Moore and the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.stampedeblue.com/">Colts</a> had decidedly <a href="http://www.grantland.com/story/_/id/8828013/how-return-simplicity-peyton-manning-indy-offense-ignited-denver-broncos">moved towards simplicity</a> and focus on execution:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>The enduring wonder of the Manning-Moore offense was not only its incredible success, but the way that success came about: by running the fewest play concepts of any offense in the league. Despite having one of the greatest quarterbacks of all time under center, the Colts eschewed the conventional wisdom of continually adding volume to their offense in the form of countless formations and shifts.</p>
<p>"I can give [you] the playbook," said former Manning backup quarterback <span>Jim Sorgi</span> in 2010, Manning's last full season in Indianapolis. "There is not that many teams they're going to play who don't know what they're going to do. It's all about execution. Their coaches are like, 'We'll tell the other team what we're doing. They got to stop us.' That's what they do. That's what they're all about. And not many teams have been able to stop them yet."</p>
<p>Sorgi was not kidding. Out-executing opponents is easier with no. 18 and the veterans around him, but the offense Moore developed for Manning drew its strength from its simplicity. By using a small number of personnel groups - typically either three wide receivers and a tight end, or two wide receivers and two tight ends - it limited the number of possible responses from the defense and made it easier for Manning to diagnose its weak spots from both a speedy no-huddle (used whenever a defense tried to substitute) and a regular pace of play.</p>
<p>The small number of plays essentially put the full offense at Manning's disposal at any time, and by combining few formations with few plays, both veterans and newcomers to the offense had their acclimation eased by the small number of tasks. There were just a handful of routes, typically from one side of the field or the other, run just the way Manning liked them. Despite media intimations to the contrary, the most sophisticated quarterback in the NFL ran what was arguably its simplest offense. It also just happened to be the best.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>Yet the Colts and the Patriots were the gold standards of offensive play. What's most interesting is that while the Patriots boasted perhaps 500 offensive plays, the Colts may have had 18, 3 of which were run plays.</p>
<p>That's not to say the Colts didn't have adaptive concepts built into their playbook, but they don't often have multiple types of passing options, just a global shift against certain coverages.</p>
<p>Almost every team is somewhere in between, and they themselves have decided to weigh particular factors specifically with knowledge of the tradeoff. Somewhere between complexity and execution is a sweet spot for NFL offensive coordinators.</p>
<p>That sweet spot is different for every team, but the pressures are simple to imagine. The problem is that "execution" is a really easy concept to drive towards when you already have great players. Schematic innovation is generally (but <a href="http://www.grantland.com/story/_/id/7124536/how-troy-polamalu-ed-reed-changed-nfl-defenses">not always</a>) borne out of having inferior players.</p>
<p>Think about it: why would you have to outscheme your opponent if your talent was just superior? The option concept that took college by storm (and its opposite, the Air Raid) both evolved out of recruiting mismatches, as did Jimmy Johnson's 4-3 in Miami.</p>
<p>Bum Phillips, Keith Fairbanks, Bill Arnsparger and other innovators shifted to their 3-4 because they didn't have good personnel on the line to truly field a 4-3.</p>
<p>So while it may be easy to say that focusing on execution on a young squad with already a lot on its plate in terms of education and absorption is critical to success, it may not always be the case. Young squads are often "young" because they are the remains of a blown up roster, an indication that the talent there isn't necessarily top tier.</p>
<p>Staying simple and merely out-executing opponents may have appeal in its simplicity, but basic <a href="http://www.advancednflstats.com/2009/06/underdog-wins-with-aggressive-risky.html">underdog strategy</a> might dictate that systems more likely to fail-but also more likely to do well if they succeed-are valuable for teams with questionable or developing talent.</p>
<p>High-variance strategies tend to produce bigger blowouts as well as higher scores. If you're a team that will score fewer points on average than the typical opponent, there's no reason to choose a low-variance strategy that keeps you close to your average score. A high-variance strategy that allows randomness to more radically shift the results may reduce your average score but increase your likelihood of winning.</p>
<p>Advanced NFL Stats put together a though experiment on the concept. If you choose a "safe" strategy, what you're doing is making sure that you don't let randomness interfere and everybody is "executing to their ability". That means minimizing the distribution of scores to more likely represent the mean.</p>
<p>If you chose a "risky" strategy, it means you're willing to accept the risk of blowouts in order to accept the higher likelihood of winning by flattening the score distribution and widening the possible outcomes.</p>
<p>Below are point distribution scales that demonstrate the concept.</p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://cdn3.sbnation.com/imported_assets/1742751/3538882909_7e33bcced7.jpg"><img src="http://cdn2.sbnation.com/imported_assets/1742751/3538882909_7e33bcced7_medium.jpg" class="photo" alt="3538882909_7e33bcced7_medium"></a></p>
<p>In this first graph, everyone is playing a traditional strategy. The underdog wins 31.5% of the time.</p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://cdn0.sbnation.com/imported_assets/1742763/3538882965_2f0d9c83db.jpg"><img src="http://cdn1.sbnation.com/imported_assets/1742763/3538882965_2f0d9c83db_medium.jpg" class="photo" alt="3538882965_2f0d9c83db_medium"></a></p>
<p>Here, they've chosen a more aggressive strategy. The underdog wins 35.3% of the time.</p>
<p style="text-align: center; "><a href="http://cdn2.sbnation.com/imported_assets/1742769/3539522403_215514e4b1.jpg"><img src="http://cdn2.sbnation.com/imported_assets/1742769/3539522403_215514e4b1_medium.jpg" class="photo" alt="3539522403_215514e4b1_medium"></a></p>
<p>Here, they demonstrate that even if high-variance strategies reduce the average number of points scored, it helps. The underdog wins 33.2 percent of the time despite lowering its average score-better than the standard strategy by 1.7 percent.</p>
<p>In many ways, the Vikings already do this. They are a team that is committed to reducing the total number of possessions by running out the clock by using <span>Adrian Peterson</span> often. It reduces the average score of both opponents, but each random event has a greater significance because there are fewer drives to cancel out mistakes and unexpected happenstances.</p>
<p>In the case above, the complexity of the offense would increase variance while the execution of an offense would increase its mean. Because the Patriots for quite some time already had high execution values, their variance was wide but irrelevant (sometimes they would win by 5, sometimes by 50).</p>
<p>That's not a perfect hypothesis.</p>
<p>When the Patriots had a combination of high complexity and high talent (2007 being a good example), their variance was low simply because there was not a likelihood that high-talent players would make mistakes as a result of complexity. They scored an average of 36.8 points a game, and were 9.9 points away from that average in a typical game.</p>
<p>When the Colts had a combination of low complexity but high talent (2004 is the best example here), they scored an average of 32.6 points a game, and were 10.4 points away from average in a typical game.</p>
<p>For the most part, however, it seems to be true: the "more" complex an offense, the more likely the variance in points scored is wider, but complexity does not only increase variance. The variables are mixed up because complexity also increases the average score by a margin for well-executing teams. It is simply harder to get there because the standard for excellent execution is higher as well.</p>
<p>Too many variables confound the results for individual teams, but for the most part seems to be true.</p>
<p>The challenge Musgrave faces in implementing a relatively complex scheme with a young team is multifaceted. It is more than simply having to teach new players, but taking with it the risk of individual failure and greater blowouts with the benefit of a higher win percentage.</p>
<h4 style="text-align: center;">Notes</h4>
<p>I know the Vikings released their unofficial depth chart, but they only do it because they have to. In terms of who gets what reps, some things seem a little off. For example, <span>Lawrence Jackson</span> has been getting more 2nd team snaps at LDE than <span>D'Aundre Reed</span>, but things are admittedly screwed up with <span>Everson Griffen</span> moving around so much.</p>
<p>The "X" and "Z" designations don't seem to matter too much, with how often they move the receivers around. I will defer to their listed depth chart there, however.</p>
<p>Unless I see changes, I will just use their listed depth charts.</p>
<h4 style="text-align: center; ">Offense</h4>
<h5 style="text-align: center; ">Depth Chart</h5>
<p><b>QB: </b><span>Christian Ponder</span>, <span>Matt Cassel</span>, <span>McLeod Bethel-Thompson</span>, James Vandenberg<br><b>LT:</b> <span>Matt Kalil</span>, <span>Kevin Murphy</span>, <span>DeMarcus Love</span><br><b>LG:</b> <span>Charlie Johnson</span>, <span>Jeff Baca</span>, <span>Tyler Holmes</span><br><b>C:</b> <span>John Sullivan</span>, <span>Joe Berger</span>, <span>Camden Wentz</span><br><b>RG:</b> <span>Brandon Fusco</span>, <span>Seth Olsen</span>, <span>Travis Bond</span><br><b>RT:</b> <span>Phil Loadholt</span>, <span>Brandon Keith</span>, <span>Troy Kropog</span><br><b>SE:</b> <span>Jerome Simpson</span>, <span>Cordarrelle Patterson</span>, <span>Joe Webb</span>, <span>Chris Summers</span>, <span>Rodney Smith</span><br><b>FL:</b> <span>Greg Jennings</span>, <span>Jarius Wright</span>, <span>Stephen Burton</span>, <span>LaMark Brown</span>, <span>Adam Thielen</span>, <span>Erik Highsmith</span><br><b>*SL:</b> Jarius Wright, Greg Jennings, Stephen Burton<br><b>TE: </b><span>Kyle Rudolph</span>, <span>John Carlson</span>, <span>Rhett Ellison</span>, <span>Chase Ford</span>, <span>Colin Anderson</span><br><b>HB:</b> Adrian Peterson, <span>Toby Gerhart</span>, <span>Matt Asiata</span>, <span>Joe Banyard</span>, <span>Bradley Randle</span>, <span>Jerodis Williams</span><br><b>FB:</b> <span>Jerome Felton</span>, <span>Zach Line</span></p>
<p>Incidentally, the rosters they hand out list Rhett Ellison as a fullback. But we weren't fooled!</p>
<h5 style="text-align: center; ">Quarterbacks</h5>
<p>I am hearing that I was the only member of the "media" critical of Ponder's performance In Day 9. Aside from the fact that this means that I am media now, it also means that my assessment is more likely wrong than right. I'm not modifying it in light of that, but do take it with a grain of salt.</p>
<p>I thought Ponder showcased a few excellent throws, but I am getting the feeling he's much better at intermediate throws than he is deeper ones, and the gap in that skill difference is larger than it is for most short-game quarterbacks.</p>
<p>Today I found some similar anticipation problems from Ponder, who executed on some deep throws but consistently under- or over-threw his targets. Nothing extraordinary; most of the time they caught the ball; but he killed YAC opportunity.</p>
<p>The ball on those throws had wobble, but when he switched to throwing the tough intermediate passes, the ball had zip again, and was well-placed.</p>
<p>But for the most part, his practices weren't great. His third-down conversions were great catches by Jerome Simpson, although on at least one of them it was necessary because of coverage, not because of Ponder's bad throw.</p>
<p>What was interesting was that the offense ran consistent Cover-2 beaters against a base Cover-2 defense, but didn't get as much done as you would hope for in that situation. This is an example of a moment that I would give the defense a pass, but Ponder still didn't get much done. The first scrimmage of the day culminated in a march downfield, but not a lot of it was due to Ponder, who forced the third down situation by questionable first down play.</p>
<p>He did have a number of good throws including, notably, a great leading throw to Greg Jennings down the sideline.</p>
<p>The practice wasn't all that bad and the offense moved down the field, but given the difficulty of what he was asked to do, I was disappointed. It showed more of the inconsistency that worries me, but I would not mark this as a day that is evidence that he's had an up-and-down camp. These past few days have been good and this won't take away from that. I'm still happy with Day Five, even this far out.</p>
<p>Incidentally, he ended the practice on three straight passes that should have been interceptions, but were dropped. Obviously Sanford was one of them. One of them was clearly Ponder's fault, one of them was a tight window that was probably worth throwing, and I couldn't tell on the other one.</p>
<p>As for my thoughts on the scrimmage, it's much the same. I thought Ponder did an OK job at best, having some troubles with ball placement. He had some beautiful throws, including a few in 7-on-7 drills, as well as good overall throws, like the deep ball to Jennings.</p>
<p>The criticism that that particular throw was "easy" is irrelevant to me, but the argument that it was underthrown is. It was indeed underthrown, but that makes it a "not great" throw, not a bad one. The best QBs will consistently anticipate their receivers and throw to lead them. He didn't do that, but I suppose none of us are expecting he is the best QB (yet?), but it is an example of an area he needs to grow.</p>
<p>He had a few bad throws as well. The best QBs will do that, too, but perhaps not to the extent that he did. He exceeded my expectations, but my expectations were low. Overall the scrimmage was a positive event, but not very much so.</p>
<p>Day Ten was a different day for Christian who varied his passes for a number of completions not just within easy striking distance, but down the field. The next step for the Vikings offense is to throw passes that are difficult to defend. Those also happen to be either the passes that are the most difficult to throw or to catch.</p>
<p>There were a number of solid throws with anticipation, speed and accuracy. He threw a few back shoulder fades over covered defenders, took chances, played the tough passing angles and moved the offense.</p>
<p>There were times when he made the wrong decision or didn't do enough, particularly at the beginning of 11s, where he made the completion but did not convert the first down. On his first play he was able to do so with a smart pass to Jennings but then floundered after that for a bit. But he picked it back up and looked great in drills.</p>
<p>Matt Cassel had a bad time in the scrimmages and a better time in the practice that I saw. Cassel started off without any particularly good or bad performances, and was harassed early by the defensive line. But he tailed off, starting with a poor performance in 7-on-7s, including some poorly placed passes to any number of people in the receiver corps. He started off with good arm strength, but couldn't complete his passes. Later, passes sailed.</p>
<p>He did end, however, on a good decision to scramble and get yards.</p>
<p>In Day 9, his passes had more to them, driving instead of floating. He did float a few passes still, but got the ball around and protected it decently well. He had a much better day under pressure, finding areas to sit or scrambling for good gains. Things still weren't great for him, however, as he couldn't get the right touch on the ball. Regardless, he was more the victim of drops than his own play on Day 9.</p>
<p>Day 10 saw a reversion to form, where Matt Cassel crumbled under the pressure of the defensive line. Aside from being victim to a number of sacks (both on the edge and interior), he telegraphed his throws to allow defenders to deflect or even intercept him.</p>
<p>Once he figured out the pocket, he did better moving around and avoiding the rush, but it was too late to make up for his poor performance-particularly because even after finding ways to avoid the pass rushers, he didn't place the ball well.</p>
<p>McLeod Bethel-Thompson didn't have a lot of reps, but he commanded the pocket well enough. Didn't note much in the way of good or bad play in scrimmage or Day 9.</p>
<p>Day 10 saw MBT reading the field and making plays, with a number of third down conversions to start off 11s. His first few plays were good reads of the defense, where he exploited blown coverage and seams in zones to convert to LaMark Brown and Colin Anderson.</p>
<p>Sometimes he fit passes in tight windows, including a tough conversion to Joe Webb under tight coverage. He even made good decisions when checking down, throwing to a player in space when others were covered. There was one instance of an overthrown pass, but it was otherwise good.</p>
<p>Day 9 may have been <span>James Vandenberg's</span> best day. I enjoyed watching him, and he made good decisions, backing them up with good throws. Most impressive was the way he stood up in the pocket and avoided pass rush pressure. Lots of completions, and only a few incorrect progressions.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>He didn't get involved a lot on Day 10, and the only notable play was an impressive scramble away from a free <span>Collins Ukwu</span>, who closed in on him quickly after breaking free of Troy Kropog. He was able to throw on the run and get a touchdown passing to Jarius Wright, who was covered pretty well.</p>
<h5 style="text-align: center; ">Tight Ends</h5>
<p>John Carlson may be showing the promise he was signed for, as he continues to have good camps. His showing in the scrimmage was more significant than his Day 9 practice, because I didn't see much of him in the practices. But he consistently got open and found the ball, particularly in the end zone. He showed well in sevens and found ways to get open and was even responsible for a touchdown in scrimmage.</p>
<p>Kyle Rudolph... well, I don't imagine anyone is worried about him. I didn't note too much about him in scrimmages, but he was not on the field too often. His expansive catch radius is obvious though, and he'll be any QBs best friend. In Day 9, he made good on his promise to improve between the 20s and created separation more than once in the field. He hauled in a few passes, but unfortunately bobbled a catch on the sideline after getting open, which was the most notable play I'd seen from him.</p>
<p>I did not see much of Rhett Ellison.</p>
<p>Chase Ford is looking smoother every day, and the gap between him and Colin Anderson is growing. He seems to be catching most of the passes thrown his way, but more importantly he's doing a good job getting open. Notably, he's been praised for his blocking and was able to get open a bit further downfield.</p>
<h5 style="text-align: center; ">Running Backs</h5>
<p>Yay Adrian.</p>
<p>I didn't get much of a bead on Toby Gerhart in the scrimmage or Day Nine, but I did note one thing-he is doing a better job on runs assigned to the outside than I've seen in previous years. Any opportunity for Gerhart to be a more complete back is a great one. Day 9 wasn't happy to Toby simply because the offensive line wasn't performing up to the standards of the backup defensive line. Again, not really a surprise.</p>
<p>He did start off the day well with an excellently read run for a run of at least 15 yards. He was an asset in the passing game, but for the most part did what you would expect</p>
<p>Asiata continues to display good vision, but he's not getting a lot of second-level yards, like last camp. There aren't a lot of third running backs that will consistently get yards that the offensive line will get him, and he is a stable running back to have. Because of that, he should have the best shot at grabbing the third running back spot. Day Ten saw more of why Asiata has a decent shot as the third running back, as he ripped off a few more runs.</p>
<p>In Day 10, Asiata didn't get the type of yardage he's used to, but was almost limited to a TFL if not for some drive that got him a yard.</p>
<p>Joe Banyard makes plays in space, but importantly made two good plays in the scrimmage. One was to get open deep on an overthrown ball, and the other was to break into space for good yardage and the conversion.</p>
<p>Bradley Randle was extremely impressive in the scrimmage, bursting off a long touchdown run on a pitch, while also contributing in the passing game as well. Day 9 was the best pure running I've seen from him. I've been concerned about his runs for loss in previous days, but I didn't see one in Day 9. Given his explosive potential and relative versatility, he could challenge Banyard. Again, the preseason will be important because Banyard has the 4th spot well in hand right now, and deserves it.</p>
<p>In Day 10, he showcased some of his excellent pass protection, and was difficult to move as a blocker despite his size. He's been responding to defensive play better and has displayed vision when running, something that was difficult before without a lot of holes.</p>
<p>Jerodis Williams isn't showing enough lateral agility to separate himself from the pack. He's more of a plugger it seems, even though that wasn't his reputation going in. Without a particular type of play to hang his hat on, he needs to be good at everything, and I didn't see that in scrimmage or on Day 9.</p>
<h5 style="text-align: center;">Offensive Line</h5>
<p>There's not much to say on the offensive line, as I didn't see much of them in either the scrimmage or the Day 9 practices.</p>
<p>I noted that Fusco has been moving a bit better on his feet, and this should bode well for pass protection. Naturally, we'll know more in actual play, but if Fusco improves half again as much as he did the previous year, the Vikings should be happy with him. He is still powerful and mean at the line of scrimmage in the run game, although that wasn't his issue with run blocking last year-it was consistency. My sense is that improved conditioning will resolve this issue.</p>
<p>There were still issues, particularly in the run game, that I noted in Day 9, however, and Fusco couldn't finish as well as he has at other times in camp.</p>
<p>Brandon Fusco had a good day on Day 10, and was opening up big holes in the run game, not just getting to the second level well but also doubling down at the line and peeling off at the right time. I didn't note him giving up pressure, but I'm not sure he had a clean slate in pass protection anyway.</p>
<p>Matt Kalil had a tough day against <span>Jared Allen</span> and was caught out of position in consecutive plays by Allen. So far, Kalil's camp has been worse than it was his rookie year. There's no reason to be alarmed right now, but if I had never seen Kalil play before, I'd have some concerns about his play. It's not so much that he's having a bad camp, but he's not having a great one as far as I can tell either.</p>
<p>Lining up against Jared Allen is obviously going to help him, but it also makes evaluation just a little difficult as you'd expect Allen to do better than most DEs.</p>
<p>I missed the one-on-ones, so all I was able to see was DeMarcus Love play extremely well against Collins Ukwu and <span>Chase Baker</span> on stunts and twists. I also noticed that Tyler Holmes wasn't doing very well.</p>
<p>On the same day, 10, Seth Olsen and Travis Bond were having trouble with <span>Sharrif Floyd</span> all day, who kept making trouble in the backfield. Brandon Keith had some issues as well and isn't as fleet of foot as you hope a tackle to be. He's still doing a good job in the run game, and may be the only second-team offensive lineman who can get something done against the run.</p>
<h5 style="text-align: center;">Wide Receivers</h5>
<p>Jerome Simpson had a fantastic day in practice Day 9 and had a very good day in scrimmages. We often make fun of players like Simpson for showing up on the practice field and failing to deliver, but it's hard to imagine that the skills he showed on those two days would not translate at all. It's not that I expect him to push for 1000 yards, but I think we'll see some highlights from him, even if it means only a 300 yard season.</p>
<p>In Day 10, he continued to perform, but didn't have the highlight day he experienced earlier. He found holes in the zone coverage to exploit and continued to adjust and read the defense well.</p>
<p>Greg Jennings isn't flashing as much as he did early on in camp, although I think that has more to do with defensive backs getting up to speed and keeping up with him than it does any "drop off" in play from him. He's still putting on moves to get open, although he doesn't have quite the package of deep routes with the Vikings that he had across the border.</p>
<p>Jarius Wright has yet to repeat the excellent two day stretch where he was the highlight of camp, but he's still playing well. He's doing more at the break to generate separation and clearly has mastered more of the technical skills that so often hold receivers back. He isn't only getting open deep, but finding ways to create space on intermediate and short routes as well.</p>
<p>Particularly impressive is his work in the red zone, where he can still create exclusive space for himself regardless of how cluttered the field is.</p>
<p>Cordarrelle Patterson had his first display of strong hands, holding on to a catch from Cassel despite Sherels' best efforts to deflect the pass or dislodge it after the catch on Day 9. He still needs to stay in tune with the play, as he did drop one the next day after <span>Brandon Burton</span> seemingly deflected it.</p>
<p>Patterson still needs work creating separation throughout the route, as he can be eliminated from plays fairly easily at this point. Over the two days, he didn't have any highlight catches, although he had a great showing in the scrimmage as a returner. He didn't really stand out in any way, and I didn't watch his one-on-ones. From what I hear, he wasn't lighting things up.</p>
<p>There are also a lot of things for Joe Webb to work on, but one thing I noted was that his release has been great. Getting off the line is usually difficult for rookie receivers to do, but he can get open early in the route because of it. Generally speaking, press coverage would be a good bet against a raw receiver, and he might get a deep play or two off in the season because of it.</p>
<p>He needs to adjust better to wearing pads, however, as he hasn't been reeling in as many catches. It looks like he's getting more comfortable, as he's shown a little more today, but he wants to establish himself. He has better awareness for the ball than I thought, and had a few smart plays between the three days, particularly in Day 10.</p>
<p>He's been able to pluck the ball out of tight spaces and generally gets his hands on it, but now he's working on making sure touching the ball leads to catching it, and he also has to read defenses a bit better (or perhaps differently, given his experience).</p>
<p>Adam Thielen continues to impress observers with some great catches, but he's also got a few drops on his resume as well. He's also shown some chops as a route-runner, but still shows too much throughout the route. At this point, Thielen would make a very good practice squad candidate. He did get some attention from other teams (including teams that don't have depth at wide receiver), so it's a risk to cut him and put him on the practice squad, but it may be worth it.</p>
<p>Rodney Smith has surprised me, and it looks like he's already improving throughout his route as a route-runner. Right now he's my dark horse to make the roster above the rest of the undrafted free agents. Still having problems with stride length, Smith doesn't seem used to his height yet. But he's played fast and has begun to set up defensive backs to get open. More of that and he could even leapfrog Stephen Burton.</p>
<p>Speaking of which, Burton is impressing in camp once more, and we'll have to see if that translates into onfield performance. He doesn't have the type of suddenness you might want in a receiver, but he's strong, fast and relatively versatile. I don't necessarily like him as a split end, but he can play the position. He's also taken snaps in the slot. He isn't completely comfortable there, but it's a start.</p>
<p>One thing about Burton is that he's had his moments, including a good sideline catch downfield from Matt Cassel on Day 9. He later opened up on a drag route (which he's run a few times) and seems to be doing a good job with underneath work.</p>
<p>LaMark Brown looks better now than he did before. He still made some incorrect moves throughout the route and hasn't been helping the quarterback, but he's also found ways to exploit holes in coverage or at least take advantage of defensive miscues. I still think he's too slow to be a wide receiver, but we'll see.</p>
<p>Chris Summers and Erik Highsmith have not impressed me, but Summers definitely looks the better of the two.</p>
<p>There you go! Hopefully, I'll have the defense up tonight. In between then and now, I'll have a podcast up and publish a preseason preview at the Bleacher Report.</p>
https://www.dailynorseman.com/2013/8/8/4597688/minnesota-vikings-2013-training-camp-day-nine-ten-scrimmage-notebook-nflArif Hasan