01-14-2018, 05:07 AM
Mike Zimmer’s face was beet red from another sunscreenless day in Mankato. He sat down in a golf cart, let out a sigh, and then fielded questions for the umpteenth time since training camp opened in late July.
Over the previous three weeks, Zimmer had given his take on every player from QB1 to Roster Filler No. 90. With a lifetime of football under his belt, you can bet he already knew 50 of the final 53 or more at that point – the day before the Vikings were set to open their preseason against the Buffalo Bills. But if he was set on a backup quarterback for Sam Bradford at that point, the 61-year-old head coach wasn’t giving any indications.
“Not yet,” he said. “I think these games will determine it. We will get a good amount of seeing them this week and next week.”
Case Keenum and Taylor Heinicke were deadlocked in a distant second place behind Bradford. Like Minnesota to Mars distant.
If you ever wondered why Bradford was selected No. 1 overall in the 2010 draft, all you needed to understand was one afternoon on the sidelines at camp. Day after day, he looked like a create-a-player with arm strength and accuracy ratings jacked up to 99. Passes traveled 20, 30, 40 yards down field and dropped into the hands of Stefon Diggs like Angels in the Outfield showed up and guided the ball.
The 6-foot-4, 236-pound starting quarterback was also comfortable in an offense that had been designed to accentuate his talents. He’d worked with offensive coordinator Pat Shurmur in St. Louis as a high-ceiling young QB in St. Louis, then in Philadelphia and again after Norv Turner resigned midway through the 2016 season.
Keenum, on the other hand, was recovering from two years playing for Jeff Fisher. His passes fluttered. Deep balls rarely found their target. The Vikings’ stacked defense frustrated him in red zone drills. Heinicke was equally as tough to watch. If they had hot dog stands in Mankato, fans would have visited them in between Bradford reps.
“One guy has a good day and the next day someone else has a good day,” Zimmer said. “I think that’s going to sort itself out kind of in the preseason games more so than in practice. Where I’m at right now it’s kind of close. Hard to say.”
Zimmer’s comments were prescient. The backup quarterback battle ended August 10 at approximately 7:34 pm C.T. when Keenum rolled to his right escaping pressure from the Bills’ defensive line and found rookie Stacy Coley for a 24-yard completion to the Buffalo 2-yard line.
At the time, Keenum’s seven-play, 69-yard touchdown drive was a where-the-bleep-did-that-come-from moment. But five months later, as the 13-3 Vikings prepare to play the New Orleans Saints at US Bank Stadium in the Divisional round of the playoffs, we know that’s the real Case Keenum.
http://www.1500espn.com/vikings-2/2018/0...se-keenum/
Over the previous three weeks, Zimmer had given his take on every player from QB1 to Roster Filler No. 90. With a lifetime of football under his belt, you can bet he already knew 50 of the final 53 or more at that point – the day before the Vikings were set to open their preseason against the Buffalo Bills. But if he was set on a backup quarterback for Sam Bradford at that point, the 61-year-old head coach wasn’t giving any indications.
“Not yet,” he said. “I think these games will determine it. We will get a good amount of seeing them this week and next week.”
Case Keenum and Taylor Heinicke were deadlocked in a distant second place behind Bradford. Like Minnesota to Mars distant.
If you ever wondered why Bradford was selected No. 1 overall in the 2010 draft, all you needed to understand was one afternoon on the sidelines at camp. Day after day, he looked like a create-a-player with arm strength and accuracy ratings jacked up to 99. Passes traveled 20, 30, 40 yards down field and dropped into the hands of Stefon Diggs like Angels in the Outfield showed up and guided the ball.
The 6-foot-4, 236-pound starting quarterback was also comfortable in an offense that had been designed to accentuate his talents. He’d worked with offensive coordinator Pat Shurmur in St. Louis as a high-ceiling young QB in St. Louis, then in Philadelphia and again after Norv Turner resigned midway through the 2016 season.
Keenum, on the other hand, was recovering from two years playing for Jeff Fisher. His passes fluttered. Deep balls rarely found their target. The Vikings’ stacked defense frustrated him in red zone drills. Heinicke was equally as tough to watch. If they had hot dog stands in Mankato, fans would have visited them in between Bradford reps.
“One guy has a good day and the next day someone else has a good day,” Zimmer said. “I think that’s going to sort itself out kind of in the preseason games more so than in practice. Where I’m at right now it’s kind of close. Hard to say.”
Zimmer’s comments were prescient. The backup quarterback battle ended August 10 at approximately 7:34 pm C.T. when Keenum rolled to his right escaping pressure from the Bills’ defensive line and found rookie Stacy Coley for a 24-yard completion to the Buffalo 2-yard line.
At the time, Keenum’s seven-play, 69-yard touchdown drive was a where-the-bleep-did-that-come-from moment. But five months later, as the 13-3 Vikings prepare to play the New Orleans Saints at US Bank Stadium in the Divisional round of the playoffs, we know that’s the real Case Keenum.
http://www.1500espn.com/vikings-2/2018/0...se-keenum/
