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OTA in the books, looking ahead
#1
"How are the Vikings looking?" It's perhaps best asked with the follow-up question, "How much does it really matter?"
O'Connell's first set of organized team activities, and his initial mandatory minicamp as Vikings coach, might have revealed more about the team's drastic philosophical changes than it did about their on-field performance. 
During the five full-team practices open to reporters, players rarely practiced for more than 75 minutes, with some OTAs functioning like a passing camp. At times, O'Connell told the Vikings' linemen to work at half speed while keeping exterior players at full speed, emphasizing a player's thought process and technique over aggressive snaps that might leave players fatigued or injured.
"We'll have plenty of time to find out about our pass rush, to find out about our ability to protect full speed, and it'll be great work because I feel really good about both the offensive line and our defensive front," O'Connell said Wednesday. 
"So it's really a matter of working the situations, working two-minute. It's reps for me, calling the plays and seeing our guys respond to the things that I'm calling, [defensive coordinator] Ed [Donatell] calling plays, and then all of those full-speed adjustments that take place on the back end. Then the team periods ... you can demonstrate [you] not only know what to do but how to do it, without that strain to finish where so many guys are lost this time of year because we are just wearing helmets.
"You can say it's football and you can say, 'Go 11-on-11 full speed,' but you're putting your team at risk, in my opinion."
The coach repeatedly referred to the Vikings' offseason program as "class on the grass," and in an offseason with a new coaching staff and new defensive scheme, there was plenty to learn. At least in O'Connell's first set of full-team workouts, practices felt like a workshop more than a showcase.
"Coach made it very clear that no one is making [the team] or getting cut from the couple of practices that we are out on the field," cornerback Patrick Peterson said. "We want to pretty much be above-the-shoulders emphasis. We want to see how we learn on the fly. How do we learn when it's time to make a check? How do you adjust when offenses are shifting and you've got all the jet motions and things like that? This period was basically just a mental aspect of the game."
https://www.startribune.com/new-coach-ke...600181309/

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#2
New defense a challenge for Cousins, tooDonatell, who last worked under Vic Fangio in Denver, is bringing Fangio's popular scheme to Minnesota; the Vikings will often line up in a two-safety look before the snap and shift to something else, slowing down the quarterback's ability to diagnose coverages while pass rushers like Danielle Hunter and Za'Darius Smith pursue him.

The Packers are among the many teams that run a variation of the scheme under defensive coordinator Joe Barry, meaning Cousins will see it Week 1. He said the opportunity to practice against it was beneficial for him; the Vikings are hoping his initial experience against it is the same one their opponents will have this fall.
"It doesn't help you to see the defense in the first couple steps because they're doing such a good job of making it muddy," Cousins said. "I'll get to my second step and I don't have a better answer than I did before the snap. Usually, you have your pre-snap look they will disguise, but the second you say, 'Hut,' they're going where they have to go. That's not the case [with this defense]."
https://www.startribune.com/new-coach-ke...600181309/
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#3
FREEDOMThe Cousins-Thielen connection has been one of the NFL's best in the red zone in recent years, and in the Vikings' final open OTA on June 1, Cousins threw a ball to Thielen's back shoulder that the receiver hauled in with a twisting, one-handed catch for a touchdown over Harrison Smith.
Do the Vikings coach Cousins to throw the ball there? "Absolutely not," O'Connell said. But the coach added he wants to give players enough flexibility to execute the scheme in ways that work for them.
"They're trying things out," O'Connell said. "We're teaching a system, but then they've got to take it, and that's that player ownership you guys have heard me talk about, where they can take something and then apply their experience together, both at the quarterback position and the other 10 guys around the quarterback offensively."
If the clock is a factor late in the game, O'Connell said, coaches might tell players an assignment needs to be executed exactly as it's drawn up. Beyond that, he's trying to give players room to operate in a manner they find comfortable.
https://www.startribune.com/new-coach-ke...600181309/

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#4
Vikings will open up the playbook with HunterDuring his first seven NFL seasons, Hunter lined up primarily at left end. 
But even when the Vikings have four-down linemen in passing situations, they will likely move Hunter and Za'Darius Smith around, to get the kinds of mismatches Smith enjoyed in his 3½-sack game against the Vikings in 2019.
"You guys can look at my history and where I've been: I'm gonna put my best on your worst," said outside linebackers coach Mike Smith, who coached Za'Darius Smith in Green Bay. "Danielle loves it — you're gonna be over the center, you're gonna be over the guard. You're not playing just one side or the other, which at times they've been used to here. It doesn't work like that."
https://www.startribune.com/new-coach-ke...fresh=true
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#5
Pass-rushing depth worth watching Mike Smith sounded excited about the potential for players like D.J. Wonnum, Janarius Robinson and Patrick Jones, who's listed as an outside linebacker after being drafted as a defensive end a year ago.
"I'm going to tell you right now that Patrick Jones has the best get-off in the group, and it might not even be close right now," Mike Smith said. "J-Rob, the first thing you say about him is he's long. He's another guy who can scratch his ankles standing up. He's got the longest arms in the room. DJ is one of those guys that can just do it all. Probably the smartest kid in the room. ... They've got a lot to learn and a lot of them are still like rookies, but they've got huge potential and I'm very excited about that group.
"https://www.startribune.com/new-coach-ke...fresh=true
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#6
Quote:  Mike Smith sounded excited about the potential for players like D.J. Wonnum, Janarius Robinson and Patrick Jones, who's listed as an outside linebacker after being drafted as a defensive end a year ago."I'm going to tell you right now that Patrick Jones has the best get-off in the group, and it might not even be close right now," Mike Smith said. "J-Rob, the first thing you say about him is he's long. He's another guy who can scratch his ankles standing up. He's got the longest arms in the room. DJ is one of those guys that can just do it all. Probably the smartest kid in the room. ... They've got a lot to learn and a lot of them are still like rookies, but they've got huge potential and I'm very excited about that group.
I thought Robinson was a great pick last year and think he can be another Hunter.  He is probably the player I am most looking forward to seeing what he can do and I totally agree that guys like Robinson and Jones are like having additional draft picks from this year.  I think we are going to be really strong at that spot. 
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#7
I would love to see Robinson make Wonnum expendable.  I think he has better physical characteristics for a DE in the 3-4.  Wonnum doesn't really have IT nor is he good against the run.  His sacks are chase down or clean up plays which are good but not presenting a lot of pass rush pressure.

Jones has a lot of speed and should be an interesting look for a nascar type package, passing downs, sliding ZaDarius inside, Jones outside, Hunter outside.  There should be some speed and talent flying around from that second level
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#8
Quote: @Skodin said:
I would love to see Robinson make Wonnum expendable.  
This. He's a limited player. If Jones or Robinson don't eclipse him on the depth chart or make him a roster casualty this year, it speaks poorly to those guy's potential. 3rd and 4th round picks should be competing for playing time/starting spots at that position.
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