I hate overused seminar words like "synergy." But when it comes to football, I'm a big believer in synergy and the impact of supporting cast--that a good supporting cast will magnify a player's perceived talent and a bad one will disguise it.
There isn't a player on the team who I thought wasn't capable of the way he's played this year. Give Bradford some stability and balance and he can be an elite QB. Give Diggs a QB who can get him the ball consistently and he can be an elite receiver. Give Reiff some good line mates and some balance and he's a more than capable left tackle.
I guess the player that surprises me most is Jerrick McKinnon. There were some signs last year and in the preseason that he was done. Just didn't look very good at all. Adam Thielen surprises me every time he takes the field. Always makes the tough catch, always gets more yards than you think he will. Another might be Danny Isadora. He was not a player that stood out to me pre-draft and so his training camp was a surprise. And damned if EVERY time I watch him play, he does something impressive and very few bad things. I think we may have ourselves a future star here.
For a rookie, Elflein has impressed me with how quickly he started playing at a high level. For a player that was the subject of so much of my criticism before he was drafted, I like what I've seen from Treadwell so far this year. He actually has a chance. And lest we forget our STs, Forbath has been impressive, too.
Oh and I would have to agree that Rhodes is playing better than I thought he would. Always felt he was a top 10 corner, but there's talk around the NFL that this might be the best corner in the NFL right now. That's just nuts. Vikings??? Wasswa Serwanga's Vikings? A team whose best corner in HISTORY might be Bobby Bryant? Or Carl Lee? Middling players who benefited greatly from their elite DLs?
One player who surprises me in the other direction is Jaleel Johnson. Thought sure he would be contributing more by now. But maybe that's more due to the quality play of those in front of him.
