some player chatter

[rf54]

"McGlothern joined the Vikings, looking to make his way onto a roster with a lot of questions at cornerback. Those numerous questions have led the undrafted free agent to earning first-team snaps at Vikings minicamp, reported The Athletic's Alec Lewis."  Dwight McGlothern

"Robert Tonyan has looked great in minicamp. No hyperbole. Catching everything, snagged multiple passes in red-zone period today, outstretched arms, toe-tapping in corner of the end zone. Just impressive."  Robert Tonyan

[Jalen Nailor], however, can’t stay on the field. Injuries have slowed him down throughout his career, and now illness is affecting his availability. Alec Lewis (The Athletic) reported on Wednesday on the app formerly known as Twitter: “Vikings WR Jalen Nailor has not been at mandatory minicamp the first two days. Has been sick. Had looked great through the first few OTAs.”  Jalen Nailor


McGlothern is interesting to me.  He could be a nice UDFA find.  He was one of the highest UDFAs available after the draft, and he was a high end prospect when he played for Daronte Jones who was the DC at LSU when McGlothern was still at LSU.  

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https://twitter.com/vikingzfanpage/statu...2898128227

[supafreak84]

I think at this rate we can put a nail in the Nailor coffin. Can't stay healthy.

Tonyan was impressive in Green Bay and I thought he was there next great tight end. Injuries derailed a promising career. If he is back healthy, Vikings might have gotten a steal in free agency.

[MAD GAINZ]

It's going to be interesting to see how that CB room shakes out. McGlothern must be showing up to be getting some first team reps over more experienced guys. If he makes the team and ends up a starter, I'm just going to call him Dwight McG (mic-Gee) because McGlothern doesn't really roll off the tongue...

[StickierBuns]

I think at this rate we can put a nail in the Nailor coffin. Can't stay healthy.

Tonyan was impressive in Green Bay and I thought he was there next great tight end. Injuries derailed a promising career. If he is back healthy, Vikings might have gotten a steal in free agency.

He's going to get plenty of catches until Hock gets back. Underrated guy when healthy.

[MaroonBells]

Must be a pretty serious illness for Nailor to miss minicamp. A healthy Nailor is probably the leading WR3 candidate. Good to hear about Tonyan but he's a veteran. He's probably going to look well ahead of everyone in camp. But will he even be on the team at the end of the year?

1st team snaps for McClothern probably come at the expense of Booth Jr, who according to one report isn't making much of a case to remain on the roster.

[StickierBuns]

Must be a pretty serious illness for Nailor to miss minicamp. A healthy Nailor is probably the leading WR3 candidate. Good to hear about Tonyan but he's a veteran. He's probably going to look well ahead of everyone in camp. But will he even be on the team at the end of the year?

1st team snaps for McClothern probably come at the expense of Booth Jr, who according to one report isn't making much of a case to remain on the roster.

God, what a cluster-uck with Cine and Booth. Just garbage picks. Ugh.

[purplefaithful]

God, what a cluster-uck with Cine and Booth. Just garbage picks. Ugh.

Burning garbage trucks...

Was Donatell our DC when we made those picks? Not absolving the front office or scouting, but that might be part of the smoking gun riddle to those 2.

[purplefaithful]

Vikings quarterback Sam Darnold already showing what he can do in new offense


After signing a 1-year, $10 million contract this offseason, Darnold has taken all of his reps with the starters throughout organized team activities and mandatory minicamp.

There’s a particular play from mandatory minicamp this week that stands out when analyzing veteran quarterback Sam Darnold. It was a perfectly placed throw in the corner of the end zone with the Vikings working on a layered concept near the goal line.

The most impressive part? The anticipation needed to complete the pass.

You see, when Darnold initially released that ball, receiver Trishton Jackson was still in the middle of the field as he sprinted toward the back pylon. The only way the play was going to work was if Darnold feathered the ball in with the right amount of touch, which he did, and Jackson did his part by hauling in a touchdown.

“Just trying to do my job every single play,” Darnold said. “It’s as simple as that.”

That sequence showcased how quickly Darnold has already picked up parts of the playbook as he attempts to prove the Vikings right for taking a chance on him.

After signing a 1-year, $10 million contract in the spring, Darnold has taken all of his reps with the starters throughout organized team activities and mandatory minicamp. Meanwhile, rookie quarterback J.J. McCarthy has been working in behind Darnold, which isn’t at all surprising given the way head coach Kevin O’Connell has talked about his approach to the position.

Not that Darnold is reading too much into anything right now. He’s too busy learning the new offense. He understands the opportunity in front of him.

“We’ve got a really good skill group and then, obviously, a great offensive line to go along with it,” Darnold said. “We’re excited to continue to put good days together and stack them.”

There is no question that Darnold has the arm talent necessary to succeed at the highest level.

There’s a reason the New York Jets selected him with the No. 3 overall pick in the 2018 draft and handed him the keys to the franchise.

There’s a reason the Carolina Panthers traded for him despite a slow start to his career with hopes of catching lightning in a bottle.

There’s a reason the San Francisco 49ers signed him to be their backup last season during their pursuit of a Super Bowl.

The early returns with the Vikings have been palpable as Darnold continues to familiarize himself with the new offense. He has made a number of incredible throws down the field that make observers do a double take. He also has done a good job not missing many layups.

“It’s about being able to put the ball in play and kind of being a point guard out there,” Darnold said. “Just get the ball to the skill guys and let them do their thing after the catch and manage the offense from there.”

The next step for Darnold is continuing to keep up with new offense as more things get installed in the summer. He has repeatedly drawn the plays on a whiteboard inside TCO Performance Center to get a better understanding of the concepts. He has also literally recorded himself calling the plays and listened back to them on a regular basis.

“The biggest thing for me is hearing the plays,” Darnold said. “The more I can hear the terminology and be able to call it right back to him and know my reads and go through it that way, the better off I’ll be.”

The better off the Vikings will be as well.

https://www.twincities.com/2024/06/06/vi...w-offense/

[MaroonBells]

Vikings quarterback Sam Darnold already showing what he can do in new offense

It's obvious we shouldn't overreact to summertime greatness shown by Sammy D, but I'm pretty excited about what he might bring to this offense. All the tools are there and if there is a coach, system and supporting cast who can change his career trajectory, it's this one. 

Just hope Viking fans are patient and don't scream for McCarthy every time Darnold throws a pick. IOW, expect him to be the best he's ever been. Don't expect him to be Cousins.

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It's going to be interesting to see how that CB room shakes out.  McGlothern must be showing up to be getting some first team reps over more experienced guys. If he makes the team and ends up a starter, I'm just going to call him Dwight McG (mic-Gee) because McGlothern doesn't really roll off the tongue...

Ya, talk about a consonant cluster. Dwight, buy a vowel.

[Montana Tom]

I do recall that Cousins used the same self-teaching method of listening to himself call the plays (while he was driving to/from work). Also, Cousins said it wasn't until Game 8 (I think) that he started to really grasp KOC's offense. That's a realistic self-assessment. So the work that Darnold is putting in to learn this offense is not a quick fix...being realistic, it's going to take some time and energy.