He needs a better feel for the LT position? He has been a pro since 2012, how much longer does he need?
In the mean time his QB is getting beat up.
I still don't understand why so many people thought we had to keep Kalil,that we had no choice and we had to pay him.
The way Reiff has played early on? I would take him over Kalil every day...
Quote: @"Vikergirl" said:
He needs a better feel for the LT position? He has been a pro since 2012, how much longer does he need?
lol...well VG, I know you have watched the guy for his entire career in Minnesota. Did he ever seem comfortable? He didn't to me. This is a guy that had a great rookie season and then from that point on he fell apart. Yeah, there were injuries that were a factor but by all accounts from many folks on our board here who have attended training camp (I know you have been a faithful TC attendee too), he was constantly being coached up. Just doesn't seem like a guy to me that is comfortable playing LT or, maybe just maybe isn't comfortable playing football at all.
Quote: @"prairieghost" said:
@"Vikergirl" said:
He needs a better feel for the LT position? He has been a pro since 2012, how much longer does he need?
lol...well VG, I know you have watched the guy for his entire career in Minnesota. Did he ever seem comfortable? He didn't to me. This is a guy that had a great rookie season and then from that point on he fell apart. Yeah, there were injuries that were a factor but by all accounts from many folks on our board here who have attended training camp (I know you have been a faithful TC attendee too), he was constantly being coached up. Just doesn't seem like a guy to me that is comfortable playing LT or, maybe just maybe isn't comfortable playing football at all.
To me he has always seemed so disengaged like he was above football. He has this great opportunity but he seems to be disinterested. I would watch him get beat time and time again by Griffen and nothing. No fire in the eyes. Just seemed to be going through the motions. And when he was with coaches one on one, there seemed to be a vacant look on his face. I agree it seemed to all fall apart after his rookie season. It wasn't just the injuries either. He is one that probably can't wait to be done. I look through pictures I took at training camps and his face remains the same. His body language and facial expressions remain the same. He just seemed like he didn't really want to be there. What a waste.
Quote: @"Vikergirl" said:
@"prairieghost" said:
@"Vikergirl" said:
He needs a better feel for the LT position? He has been a pro since 2012, how much longer does he need?
lol...well VG, I know you have watched the guy for his entire career in Minnesota. Did he ever seem comfortable? He didn't to me. This is a guy that had a great rookie season and then from that point on he fell apart. Yeah, there were injuries that were a factor but by all accounts from many folks on our board here who have attended training camp (I know you have been a faithful TC attendee too), he was constantly being coached up. Just doesn't seem like a guy to me that is comfortable playing LT or, maybe just maybe isn't comfortable playing football at all.
To me he has always seemed so disengaged like he was above football. He has this great opportunity but he seems to be disinterested. I would watch him get beat time and time again by Griffen and nothing. No fire in the eyes. Just seemed to be going through the motions. And when he was with coaches one on one, there seemed to be a vacant look on his face. I agree it seemed to all fall apart after his rookie season. It wasn't just the injuries either. He is one that probably can't wait to be done. I look through pictures I took at training camps and his face remains the same. His body language and facial expressions remain the same. He just seemed like he didn't really want to be there. What a waste.
I think sometimes in sports, just as in life, when something comes easy early for some people they never build a drive to get better. Because of their early successes they never learn to work on their craft and put in the extra effort. I think that is why most successful front office people and coaches that came from the game were not themselves stars or at least not the gifted athletes, they are the grinders that had to study hard, watch a ton of film, and really work the nuances of the game in order to get where they are.
People have talked for years about Kalils pedigree and the successes he had growing up. Did he ever really learn how to prepare as an athlete? Was the NFL his first true challenge as an athlete? I think his rookie year was more of him being an unknown as well as him playing with a lot of confidence. As that year wore on the opposition got tape on him and figured out his weak points and then started to exploit them. I agree that he didnt seem like the strongest minded person and those losses really bothered him. He tried to remake his body and that failed.... after that is was all excuses all the time, he never really seemed to show much improvement in any area of technique that could have helped him improve from those early days.
I would agree that a huge part of it is mental with him. Dealing with adversity was a shock to his system because it was an unknown. So I guess it's not so shocking how he handled it. He is driven in other areas outside of football and I think that's where his focus went. He found other things that came easily to him.
Quote: @"JimmyinSD" said:
@"Vikergirl" said:
@"prairieghost" said:
@"Vikergirl" said:
He needs a better feel for the LT position? He has been a pro since 2012, how much longer does he need?
lol...well VG, I know you have watched the guy for his entire career in Minnesota. Did he ever seem comfortable? He didn't to me. This is a guy that had a great rookie season and then from that point on he fell apart. Yeah, there were injuries that were a factor but by all accounts from many folks on our board here who have attended training camp (I know you have been a faithful TC attendee too), he was constantly being coached up. Just doesn't seem like a guy to me that is comfortable playing LT or, maybe just maybe isn't comfortable playing football at all.
To me he has always seemed so disengaged like he was above football. He has this great opportunity but he seems to be disinterested. I would watch him get beat time and time again by Griffen and nothing. No fire in the eyes. Just seemed to be going through the motions. And when he was with coaches one on one, there seemed to be a vacant look on his face. I agree it seemed to all fall apart after his rookie season. It wasn't just the injuries either. He is one that probably can't wait to be done. I look through pictures I took at training camps and his face remains the same. His body language and facial expressions remain the same. He just seemed like he didn't really want to be there. What a waste.
I think sometimes in sports, just as in life, when something comes easy early for some people they never build a drive to get better. Because of their early successes they never learn to work on their craft and put in the extra effort. I think that is why most successful front office people and coaches that came from the game were not themselves stars or at least not the gifted athletes, they are the grinders that had to study hard, watch a ton of film, and really work the nuances of the game in order to get where they are.
People have talked for years about Kalils pedigree and the successes he had growing up. Did he ever really learn how to prepare as an athlete? Was the NFL his first true challenge as an athlete? I think his rookie year was more of him being an unknown as well as him playing with a lot of confidence. As that year wore on the opposition got tape on him and figured out his weak points and then started to exploit them. I agree that he didnt seem like the strongest minded person and those losses really bothered him. He tried to remake his body and that failed.... after that is was all excuses all the time, he never really seemed to show much improvement in any area of technique that could have helped him improve from those early days.
I think this hits on it. Have heard it said you have to love football to succeed in the NFL. Why? Because it is a tough job in all reality. They get paid well, but the time spent requires a certain dedication that only comes from loving the game. Why did Favre retire so many times? It wasn't because he didn't like the game, but the offseason work was outweighing the benefits. And the offseason work is largely "voluntary".
So as PG sez, he was always being coached up, perhaps because he didn't put in the work on his own. I think he had the physical talent, just didn't have the desire to become great at what he did. I defended him way too long, he was a viking and I always root for them, hope they will turn out, but so many don't.
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