08-12-2022, 06:54 PM
One day this summer, with the impressions from another sharp workout still reverberating in his mind, Adam Thielen picked up his phone and dashed off a quick text message to Kellen Mond,
"Whatever you're doing, keep doing it."
Thielen had worked with Mond a year ago, too, as part of the training sessions he hosts for around two dozen players in Woodbury, but this year, everything about the quarterback seemed different: the pace of his delivery; his ability to put the ball where he wanted; and the way he took command of the workouts, with specific directions for receivers.
When the Vikings drafted Mond in the third round a year ago, Thielen recalled how one of their coaches had told him the quarterback improved more in four years at Texas A&M than any player he'd scouted. Perhaps, after a rocky first year in Minnesota, he could do the same.
"I told him I was impressed," Thielen said. "Obviously, in shorts and a T-shirt on a field is a lot different than here [in training camp], but you couldn't have asked for anything more: the way he was out there leading and saying, 'Hey, run this route out of this formation,' getting you lined up and doing real football, instead of kind of running slants and stops when they're not even part of your offense. He did a great job."
A year ago, Mond contracted COVID-19 at the beginning of training camp, and his bout with the virus shaped his rookie season in multiple ways. His second training camp in Minnesota finds him again battling for the No. 2 job, trying with mixed results to consistently replicate the performances that caught Thielen's eye in the offseason. After a trying rookie season, though, the 23-year-old believes he established a foundation for himself this offseason.
"It was just a big self-evaluation, and understanding I wasn't at the right place where I was," Mond said. "I put in a lot of work this offseason, and I just want to continue to come out here and show it on the field."
Mond had few chances to do that as a rookie, sitting inactive for the Vikings' first 14 regular-season games after his recovery from COVID-19 led to an underwhelming preseason as he fought to get his rhythm back. He said he lost about 10 pounds, much of it muscle mass, and found himself picking up bad habits in his throwing mechanics as he tried to compensate for the loss of strength.
Whenever he dropped back, Mond said, "I could feel it. Whenever I threw left, I would be falling over my front foot. Trying to make certain throws, it was usually just flicking my wrist, but I wasn't able to make those throws. A lot of it had to do with my power and my balance."
Attention to details
Mond did his best to insulate himself from the turmoil, as teammates and coaches on the Vikings offensive staff encouraged him to stay positive.
After the season, he took an extended break from throwing, using the time off to unlearn some of the bad habits he'd picked up. This spring, the Vikings' new coaching staff continued to focus on Mond's footwork, particularly when moving to his left.
"I could tell he put a lot of time into it during the summer, because he came back and he had fixed a lot of those things," offensive coordinator Wes Phillips said. "He can kind of speed it up and make throws, reactionary-type throws where he needs to just get his feet in the ground and deliver. He's very diligent in his preparation, and he's improved in his fundamentals."
Mond was drifting to his left last Friday when he made perhaps his best throw of training camp, slinging an off-balance 40-yard touchdown to Albert Wilson just beyond Cameron Dantzler's coverage while Mond evaded a pass rush.
He also threw several interceptions last week, while he was part of three botched snaps on Thursday and Friday.
Opportunities aheadAs Mond searches for consistency, Vikings coaches have had no qualms with the way he's approached his job.
"We've hit the gas with our entire football team with the hope we can see guys absorb it, practice it and ultimately when there are corrections to be made, be able to make that correction and not let similar mistakes happen again," coach Kevin O'Connell said. "Kellen's done a nice job in that area."
Last year, he completed 28 of 51 passes for 310 yards in the preseason, throwing an interception and fumbling once. This year, he will get chances to impress a new coaching staff, with Cousins — who's been unavailable for just one game the past four years — starting a new contract that runs through 2023 (the year before Mond becomes a free agent).
For Mond, the Vikings' three preseason games could be precious opportunities to make impressions like the one he left on Thielen this summer.
"My dad told me at a young age, the NFL stands for 'not for long,'" Mond said. "If you don't show that you can continue to work and get better, they'll get rid of you. That's not necessarily the motivation, but I want to continue to get better."
https://www.startribune.com/kellen-mond-...600197833/
"Whatever you're doing, keep doing it."
Thielen had worked with Mond a year ago, too, as part of the training sessions he hosts for around two dozen players in Woodbury, but this year, everything about the quarterback seemed different: the pace of his delivery; his ability to put the ball where he wanted; and the way he took command of the workouts, with specific directions for receivers.
When the Vikings drafted Mond in the third round a year ago, Thielen recalled how one of their coaches had told him the quarterback improved more in four years at Texas A&M than any player he'd scouted. Perhaps, after a rocky first year in Minnesota, he could do the same.
"I told him I was impressed," Thielen said. "Obviously, in shorts and a T-shirt on a field is a lot different than here [in training camp], but you couldn't have asked for anything more: the way he was out there leading and saying, 'Hey, run this route out of this formation,' getting you lined up and doing real football, instead of kind of running slants and stops when they're not even part of your offense. He did a great job."
A year ago, Mond contracted COVID-19 at the beginning of training camp, and his bout with the virus shaped his rookie season in multiple ways. His second training camp in Minnesota finds him again battling for the No. 2 job, trying with mixed results to consistently replicate the performances that caught Thielen's eye in the offseason. After a trying rookie season, though, the 23-year-old believes he established a foundation for himself this offseason.
"It was just a big self-evaluation, and understanding I wasn't at the right place where I was," Mond said. "I put in a lot of work this offseason, and I just want to continue to come out here and show it on the field."
Mond had few chances to do that as a rookie, sitting inactive for the Vikings' first 14 regular-season games after his recovery from COVID-19 led to an underwhelming preseason as he fought to get his rhythm back. He said he lost about 10 pounds, much of it muscle mass, and found himself picking up bad habits in his throwing mechanics as he tried to compensate for the loss of strength.
Whenever he dropped back, Mond said, "I could feel it. Whenever I threw left, I would be falling over my front foot. Trying to make certain throws, it was usually just flicking my wrist, but I wasn't able to make those throws. A lot of it had to do with my power and my balance."
Attention to details
Mond did his best to insulate himself from the turmoil, as teammates and coaches on the Vikings offensive staff encouraged him to stay positive.
After the season, he took an extended break from throwing, using the time off to unlearn some of the bad habits he'd picked up. This spring, the Vikings' new coaching staff continued to focus on Mond's footwork, particularly when moving to his left.
"I could tell he put a lot of time into it during the summer, because he came back and he had fixed a lot of those things," offensive coordinator Wes Phillips said. "He can kind of speed it up and make throws, reactionary-type throws where he needs to just get his feet in the ground and deliver. He's very diligent in his preparation, and he's improved in his fundamentals."
Mond was drifting to his left last Friday when he made perhaps his best throw of training camp, slinging an off-balance 40-yard touchdown to Albert Wilson just beyond Cameron Dantzler's coverage while Mond evaded a pass rush.
He also threw several interceptions last week, while he was part of three botched snaps on Thursday and Friday.
Opportunities aheadAs Mond searches for consistency, Vikings coaches have had no qualms with the way he's approached his job.
"We've hit the gas with our entire football team with the hope we can see guys absorb it, practice it and ultimately when there are corrections to be made, be able to make that correction and not let similar mistakes happen again," coach Kevin O'Connell said. "Kellen's done a nice job in that area."
Last year, he completed 28 of 51 passes for 310 yards in the preseason, throwing an interception and fumbling once. This year, he will get chances to impress a new coaching staff, with Cousins — who's been unavailable for just one game the past four years — starting a new contract that runs through 2023 (the year before Mond becomes a free agent).
For Mond, the Vikings' three preseason games could be precious opportunities to make impressions like the one he left on Thielen this summer.
"My dad told me at a young age, the NFL stands for 'not for long,'" Mond said. "If you don't show that you can continue to work and get better, they'll get rid of you. That's not necessarily the motivation, but I want to continue to get better."
https://www.startribune.com/kellen-mond-...600197833/
