How about that Hockenson trade?

[Guest]

He played awesome and he looked BIG out there. They were getting him the ball in space and he had decent gittyup. Definitely not just a “catch it and fall down” guy. To me it looks like he has lots of juice and could be a huge weapon for this team. In his first game! Wow. I was impressed. 

[Guest]

@Montana Tom said:
I can't remember...can anyone else remember the last time a TE had that many receptions in a single game?  I know it's been awhile.

Conklin had a 70 yards on 7 reception game last which is pretty comparable to Hockenson's 9 receptions for 70 yards.  The last 9 reception game (122 yards) was Rudolph in 2018, week 15.

Regardless, I think it's pretty clear that Hockenson is the best TE we've had in a while and it's super exciting.  It will be interesting to see how he compares to prime Rudolph in the red zone.

[Guest]

@Aesirblood said:
It wasn't just that he had nine catches, but what those catches were. I think around half were third-down conversions. You could argue we don't win that game if we kept failing to keep the chains moving. Can't wait to see how this guy grows into our offense.

That was one of the biggest issues with the offense, lack of 3rd down conversions.

[Guest]

@greediron said:

@Aesirblood said:
It wasn't just that he had nine catches, but what those catches were. I think around half were third-down conversions. You could argue we don't win that game if we kept failing to keep the chains moving. Can't wait to see how this guy grows into our offense.

That was one of the biggest issues with the offense, lack of 3rd down conversions.

Yes,of Hock's 9 catches 5 went for first downs or about 56%

For his career it is around 113/195 = 58%

He moves the chains.  

[Guest]

@minny65 said:

@greediron said:

@Aesirblood said:
It wasn't just that he had nine catches, but what those catches were. I think around half were third-down conversions. You could argue we don't win that game if we kept failing to keep the chains moving. Can't wait to see how this guy grows into our offense.

That was one of the biggest issues with the offense, lack of 3rd down conversions.

Yes,of Hock's 9 catches 5 went for first downs or about 56%

For his career it is around 113/195 = 58%

He moves the chains.  

& 3 of those were 3rd down conversions too…!  B) 

[Guest]

Also those 9 catches were on 9 targets.  Talk about reliable. 

At 6'5" he has a 37.5" vertical and can climb the ladder to make tough catches in traffic.  No drops, no incompletes - more consistent than Irv ever was at his peak.  

[Guest]

@Aesirblood said:
It wasn't just that he had nine catches, but what those catches were. I think around half were third-down conversions. You could argue we don't win that game if we kept failing to keep the chains moving. Can't wait to see how this guy grows into our offense.

Not to hijack the thread, but how the heck you doing Aesirblood???  Been a long time since I've seen you around my man... 

[Guest]

How T.J. Hockenson learned the Vikings' offense in four days

General manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah acquired Hockenson for a number of short- and long-term reasons. From an immediate perspective, however, it was clear the Vikings needed help at the position. They entered the week with the NFL's lowest average of yards per reception among tight ends (7.3). The only question was how quickly they could get Hockenson involved.

Once the trade was completed last Tuesday, Hockenson packed a bag in Detroit and made it to the Vikings' practice facility in Eagan, Minnesota, at about 9:30 p.m. By 10 p.m., the Vikings had issued him a team iPad, and he went to work learning an offense that flummoxed Cousins and many other veterans when they first encountered it this spring.
Blough, who spent training camp with Hockenson and the Lions, helped translate similar concepts into the Vikings' terminology. The two met before and after each practice, according to Cousins. The rest of the time, Hockenson worked with tight ends coach Brian Angelichio to ensure a working knowledge of all the concepts that would be involved in the game plan.
"We did not really dumb anything down," coach Kevin O'Connell said. "We didn’t have a separate offense when T.J. was in there. I am amazed at how prepared he was to play. I think it's a testament to his work ethic, his ability to retain a lot of information, and then obviously the coaching by Brian to just get with him and kind of be at his side for five, six days in a row in hopes of having him ready to go."
Along the way, Hockenson also recorded the Vikings' primary calls as a voice note on his phone so he could put himself through drills when he wasn't with Blough or Angelichio.
"I just wanted to listen back," Hockenson said, "so that when it came out of Kirk's mouth, I wanted it to be second nature so I didn't have to think about it. Really it wasn't too bad today [but] the last four days, it's been a grind."
Hockenson's nine catches Sunday were the most by a Vikings tight end in one game since Week 15 of the 2018 season. He now owns the Vikings' longest (19 yards) and second-longest (17) catches by a tight end this season. He is already tied for second among Vikings tight ends with five catches for first downs. All told, he played 60 of 66 snaps (91%), the most in one game by a Vikings tight end this season.
"I tried my hardest this week to learn everything," he said. "I really did. That's kind of the standard I put on myself, to be a guy that if they needed me, I would at least know what I was doing. That was a big emphasis for me this week, to be ready when my number was called, and I was able to do that.
"https://www.espn.com/blog/minnesota-vikings/post/_/id/32072/how-t-j-hockenson-learned-the-vikings-offense-in-four-days

[Guest]

@purplefaithful said:


How T.J. Hockenson learned the Vikings' offense in four days

General manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah acquired Hockenson for a number of short- and long-term reasons. From an immediate perspective, however, it was clear the Vikings needed help at the position. They entered the week with the NFL's lowest average of yards per reception among tight ends (7.3). The only question was how quickly they could get Hockenson involved.

Once the trade was completed last Tuesday, Hockenson packed a bag in Detroit and made it to the Vikings' practice facility in Eagan, Minnesota, at about 9:30 p.m. By 10 p.m., the Vikings had issued him a team iPad, and he went to work learning an offense that flummoxed Cousins and many other veterans when they first encountered it this spring.
Blough, who spent training camp with Hockenson and the Lions, helped translate similar concepts into the Vikings' terminology. The two met before and after each practice, according to Cousins. The rest of the time, Hockenson worked with tight ends coach Brian Angelichio to ensure a working knowledge of all the concepts that would be involved in the game plan.
"We did not really dumb anything down," coach Kevin O'Connell said. "We didn’t have a separate offense when T.J. was in there. I am amazed at how prepared he was to play. I think it's a testament to his work ethic, his ability to retain a lot of information, and then obviously the coaching by Brian to just get with him and kind of be at his side for five, six days in a row in hopes of having him ready to go."
Along the way, Hockenson also recorded the Vikings' primary calls as a voice note on his phone so he could put himself through drills when he wasn't with Blough or Angelichio.
"I just wanted to listen back," Hockenson said, "so that when it came out of Kirk's mouth, I wanted it to be second nature so I didn't have to think about it. Really it wasn't too bad today [but] the last four days, it's been a grind."
Hockenson's nine catches Sunday were the most by a Vikings tight end in one game since Week 15 of the 2018 season. He now owns the Vikings' longest (19 yards) and second-longest (17) catches by a tight end this season. He is already tied for second among Vikings tight ends with five catches for first downs. All told, he played 60 of 66 snaps (91%), the most in one game by a Vikings tight end this season.
"I tried my hardest this week to learn everything," he said. "I really did. That's kind of the standard I put on myself, to be a guy that if they needed me, I would at least know what I was doing. That was a big emphasis for me this week, to be ready when my number was called, and I was able to do that.
"https://www.espn.com/blog/minnesota-vikings/post/_/id/32072/how-t-j-hockenson-learned-the-vikings-offense-in-four-days

Love getting a player that is so hungry.  Should be infectious for the entire offense.

[Guest]

6'5", 240 lbs and athletic: prototypical for today's modern NFL TE. 25 years old. Decent blocker as well. Lean but good build. Good hands. 

It would have been a huge need in next year's Draft that they now can cross off the list. 3 game home stretch upcoming after the Bills game, I'm sure the fans will be giving him some love.