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When the Vikings announced last week that they will open the season against Green Bay, Za’Darius Smith tweeted an emoji of a pair of eyes.
The outside linebacker spent the last three seasons with the Packers before they released him in March in a salary-related move. So you better believe Smith, who signed with Minnesota shortly thereafter, is looking forward to the Sept. 11 opener at U.S. Bank Stadium.
“I’m just happy, excited,’’ Smith said after Tuesday’s second day of organized team activities at the TCO Performance Center. “You know, things didn’t work out there, but it’s still good. I get to face them twice a year, man, and I just can’t wait. Get a chance to see a lot of my old teammates. But, man it’s going to be a big one.’’
As the game gets closer, Smith said he’ll brief the Vikings on what he knows about the Packers.
For now, Smith likes how he fits in with new defensive coordinator Ed Donatell’s 3-4 scheme. He played in a 3-4 with Green Bay, including two seasons when Vikings assistant head coach Mike Pettine was the Packers’ defensive coordinator and three when Minnesota outside linebackers coach/pass rush specialist Mike Smith was previously his position coach.
“I’m familiar with everything, the 3-4 defense, and just being able to drop in coverage and move around under front,’’ Smith said.
https://www.twincities.com/2022/05/17/za...green-bay/
Vikings running back Dalvin Cook is happy to now have Smith on his side.“He’s crazy,’’ Cook said with a laugh. “Practices are literally fun. He’s going to be one of those players that gets our whole team better, just bringing that energy. Having Z over there on the other side of (edge rusher) Danielle (Hunter) is just a scary look.’’
Cook is excited about the depth Minnesota has in the backfield.
The Vikings selected North Carolina running back Ty Chandler in the fifth round of last month’s draft. He will provide additional depth behind Cook alongside Alexander Mattison, the team’s primary backup the past three years, and Kene Nwangwu.
“We’re in the NFL, things happen, guys go down,’’ Cook said.
Cook is expecting bigger things from Nwangwu, entering his second season.
“He doesn’t have a ceiling,’’ Cook said. “He’s got it all. We see it on special teams. … The thing I haven’t seen is him run the ball more consistently and get the ball more. I think that’s going to happen coming up … He’s special with the ball in his hands, and I want to see him make more plays.”
Cook played his first five seasons under head coach Mike Zimmer, who was fired in January and replaced by Kevin O’Connell.“Being around (O’Connell) and our whole staffing, being around (running backs coach Curtis) Modkins, it’s just fun being around this group and going through the process with the guys we got here,” Cook said. “I can feel the vibes. it’s just fun.”
So how does Cook compare playing for O’Connell to being under Zimmer?
“I’m not going to get into comparing last year and this year,” he said. “This year is a clean start for us, and we just want to look forward to what we have ahead and that’s us chasing a world championship.”
–Smith said he’s excited to play alongside Vikings defensive tackle Dalvin Tomlinson, whom he has been watching since the latter entered the NFL in 2017. “Watching him grow, man, he’s been one of the best interior guys in this league,” Smith said.
–In the battle for the starting right guard spot, veterans Jesse Davis and Chris Reed shared first-team snaps Tuesday.
Vikings' Danielle Hunter, back from another injury, works on building bond with new pass rush partner
The star edge rusher is being paired with former Packer Za'Darius Smith and adjusting to a new playbook. But he's got the same contract situation to be resolved.
Danielle Hunter is back — again — from a season-ending surgery, his second in as many years. But this time, the Vikings' Pro Bowl pass rusher took the field during Tuesday's practice in a new role with new coaches and a new partner in former Packers Pro Bowler Za'Darius Smith.
As younger players ran through special teams drills, Hunter and Smith were together off to the side and tossing a football around a day after Smith said the Vikings' new pass-rushing duo began making plans for "some of the moves we could do" during pregame announcements at U.S. Bank Stadium.
"It's been pretty good," Hunter said after practice. "We just started developing a bond and all that stuff. The biggest thing about it is that we bring the confidence of the guys in our room, and everybody has a smile on their face every day they come in."
What isn't yet new for Hunter is his contract. After sources said the Vikings explored trading him in March following failed extension talks, General Manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah opted to retain Hunter and pay an $18 million roster bonus. Adofo-Mensah said the goal remains to sign the 27-year-old Hunter to a new long-term deal, which requires bridging financial gaps. Asked Tuesday whether contract talks have resumed, Hunter, who is signed through 2023, said it "will be handled when it's time."
"I wasn't really worried about that," he added. "Just trying to get back playing football and being around the guys. It kind of hurts just watching people play when you're not able to play. So I'm happy just to be back with my teammates."
https://www.startribune.com/vikings-otas...600174129/
Quote: @purplefaithful said:
Cook played his first five seasons under head coach Mike Zimmer, who was fired in January and replaced by Kevin O’Connell.“Being around (O’Connell) and our whole staffing, being around (running backs coach Curtis) Modkins, it’s just fun being around this group and going through the process with the guys we got here,” Cook said. “I can feel the vibes. it’s just fun.”
So how does Cook compare playing for O’Connell to being under Zimmer?
“I’m not going to get into comparing last year and this year,” he said. “This year is a clean start for us, and we just want to look forward to what we have ahead and that’s us chasing a world championship.”
Perfect answer from Dalvin on the Zimmer question. I hope his off-field stuff gets cleared up because I’m excited to see what KOC can do with Dalvin. I saw a tweet saying Dalvin has been lining up out wide more… Would be awesome to see him utilized more like an Austin Ekeler type of back. He doesn’t have Ekeler’s hands but he’s more than capable as a pass catcher and an elite runner in space. Maybe best in the league. I’m really hoping for a big season from him!
Eric Kendricks puts 'fear-based organization' in the past as he helps shape Vikings' changesKendricks is 30 now, heading into his eighth NFL season and his first without fellow linebacker Anthony Barr, his teammate since their time together at UCLA). Only Harrison Smith has been part of the Vikings' defense for a longer period of time than Kendricks, and few voices carry more weight in the team's locker room than that of the All-Pro.
Speaking to reporters on Wednesday for the first time since his Jan. 10 comments, Kendricks had little interest in revisiting the 2021 season or what he'd said at the end of it. "I'm not going to talk about last season, really. It's a new year, it's a new day," he said.
It was clear, though, he's not interested in the Vikings' organizational changes being the end of their transformation.
"Here we are. We're here with a new staff, new players, new defense and we have this amazing opportunity ahead of us again," he said. "Every team around the league is going to have new types of situations going on with them. It's an even playing field right now. Whatever happened last year is in the past and we have to move forward. We can learn from a lot of things but we also have to adapt and change with the new year."
The Vikings replaced Spielman and Zimmer with Kwesi Adofo-Mensah and Kevin O'Connell, who've emphasized openness and empowering players during their first offseason in Minnesota. They replaced longtime head athletic trainer Eric Sugarman with Tyler Williams, in a move they hoped would create goodwill with players who'd been fearful of taking too much time to care for injuries could jeopardize their standing in the organization.
https://www.startribune.com/vikings-line...600174422/
Music played throughout the Vikings' first open practice of organized team activities on Tuesday, as a new video screen allowed players to watch replays of practice snaps in real time. O'Connell moved to different spots on the field, spending time with defensive players as well as the ones he's typically coached on offense.
"I can literally be a part of as much or as little of any individual [period] I want to be — and more importantly, just be there, be around, be visible to the defense," O'Connell said Wednesday. "I can compliment them on detailed things they do, within our coverages, within a pressure, how we stop the run, and they can look at me as not just an offensive head coach. That's really important for me: that the guys on defense and special teams know that I'm aware, I understand the challenging things we're asking them to do. I think overall, it just helps with me connecting with every guy on the roster. That one-on-one level of connection's huge for me, and it's something I don't take for granted."
It all tracks closely with what players like Kendricks and offensive tackle Brian O'Neill said they wanted back in January. Kendricks, O'Connell said, has remained a key part of the Vikings' player leadership group that meets with the coach regularly.
"From Day One, I've been so impressed by Eric and just his impact on our team, his impact as a leader," O'Connell said. "We've got guys at every level of our defense that I feel really good about, but when you've got that guy in the middle of your defense, a core player, core leader on your team, it's just absolutely huge when you're teaching the new system, but also where you can go with it really quickly."
Kendricks excited about KOC, direction of teamOn the same day Zimmer was fired, the Vikings also dismissed general manager Rick Spielman, who was replaced later in January by Kwesi Adofo-Mensah. During the process of looking for a coach, Kendricks said Wednesday he had conversations with management and the Wilf ownership group about what the team might be seeking.
“We had a great conversation at the end of the season and throughout the offseason a little bit,” Kendricks said “I’ve talked with the Wilfs as well. … Just having that bridge of communication with them and the management as well, I feel like it’s not really common. I’ve talked to players around the league and they don’t really have that communication with their ownership.”
Kendricks didn’t give specifics but said his conversations with Zygi and Mark Wilf were more detailed than anything he had before. He said previous dealings with ownership usually came when he went to community events and the Wilfs “happened to be there.”
All indications so far have been that Kendricks, 30, is building a strong relationship with O’Connell. The head coach is counting on Kendricks, who joins safety Harrison Smith, 33, and cornerback Patrick Peterson, 31, as one of three players on the defensive who is 30 and older.
The Vikings have shifted from a 4-3 scheme, which featured Kendricks as the middle linebacker, to a 3-4, in which he will be one of two inside linebackers. So far, Kendricks likes how the adjustment has gone.
“Obviously, with the 4-3, you’re gapped out most of the time and this and that,” Kendricks said. “With the (3-4), it’s a little more ambiguous at times. It allows you to make decisions on the run, make plays, run around really. I like it.”
Another difference for the 2022 season is Kendricks no longer will play alongside outside linebacker Anthony Barr, his former UCLA roommate and teammate who joined the Vikings in 2014 but was not re-signed as a free agent. Kendricks called that “definitely weird” but that it’s “the nature of the business.”
Kendricks is building a good rapport with fellow inside linebacker Jordan Hicks, who signed as a free agent in March. Kendricks had gotten to know Hicks a bit previously at the 2015 combine and when he was teammates with his brother Mychal Kendricks in Philadelphia from 2015-17.
Kendricks called it “pretty wild” that he is entering his eighth NFL season. And he is challenging himself to be even more of a leader under the new coaching staff.
“I got to step up in ways that I can,” he said. “I got to be a leader when they least expect. Whether that’s how I work, maybe me being more verbal, maybe taking somebody to the side. I got to step up my game as a leader, for sure.”
https://www.twincities.com/2022/05/18/er...-oconnell/
Minnesota Vikings Using Dalvin Cook at Wide Receiver During OTAs Could Give Offense Extra Wrinkle
Dalvin Cook has unquestionably emerged as one of the NFL’s premier running backs, but the Minnesota Vikings don’t seem content with the production he’s already provided during his five seasons with the organization. His absences in the past have forced them to change their offensive strategies, even with Alexander Mattison in place as one of the position’s elite backup options. So naturally, it’s time to amp up the 26-year-old’s role.
Of course, experimentation is the name of the game during OTAs. Any added offensive wrinkles might fail to translate to regular-season action, which kicks off in Minneapolis when the Vikings host the rival Green Bay Packers on Sunday, Sept. 11.
Cook caught six passes (on seven targets) for 43 yards in a season-opening road loss to the Cincinnati Bengals last year, and the earliest indications from Vikings camp point toward those numbers potentially serving as more of a floor than a ceiling. Only eight running backs have recorded more total receptions over the last three years, and The Athletic’s Chad Graff reported that Minnesota is trying to line Cook up as a wide receiver in bunch sets:
Quote:Another potential wrinkle for the Vikings offense could mean Dalvin Cook gets more involved in the passing game. In multiple formations, Cook lined up in bunch wide receiver sets. That could be something the new staff is tinkering with in May, or it could be something they plan on unveiling in a bigger fashion come Week 1.
It’s never a bad idea to make the decision-making process easier for up-and-down quarterback Kirk Cousins, right?
If Cook does split out wide instead of lining up in the backfield, he’d likely be engaging in routes around the line of scrimmage and leaking out into the flats rather than testing downfield coverage. And if that lets Cousins get the ball into his hands even more frequently, allowing him to do damage after the catch, that’s great news for Minnesota, especially with Mattison potentially keeping defenders honest with the threat of a handoff.
This was the Vikings’ first week of practice in any official capacity with Kevin O’Connell as the head coach, and he’s sure to bring along plenty of what he learned as the Los Angeles Rams offensive coordinator under Sean McVay over the last two seasons. That means loads of creativity with zone running serving as the base of the scheme, as well as plenty of quick passes — you know, like ones to a running back lining up in non-traditional fashion.
Maybe this turns into a big ol’ nothing-burger. We’ll find out when the Vikings line up against the Packers in Week 1. But if there’s something — anything — here, one of the NFL’s best running backs could be queued up for even more success during the 2022 campaign.
https://www.sportscasting.com/minnesota-...a-wrinkle/
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