09-19-2018, 01:36 PM
http://www.inforum.com/sports/football/4501186-thielen-learned-trick-randy-moss
Thielen learned trick from Randy Moss
MINNEAPOLIS—When Randy Moss was getting ready
to be inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in July, former NFL
defensive back Corey Chavous was asked about what made the former
Vikings receiver so great. It wasn't just athletic ability, Chavous
said. Moss used plenty of tricks.
Chavous, who played
with and against Moss, mentioned one skill in particular. Moss, he said,
was adept at not tipping his hand when he saw a pass coming his way.
"He would never put up his hands right away to catch the football, so you might not know the ball was coming," Chavous said.
Vikings receiver Adam Thielen, who grew up idolizing Moss, picked up that aspect of his game.
"You
look at all the great receivers," Thielen said. "You look at Cris
Carter, I watched him forever, and Randy and Jake Reed, those guys —
that's what they do. They let the defender just chase them, and if
they're face-guarding them, they go late hands."
Moss, Carter and
Reed all had four or more 1,000-yard receiving seasons for the Vikings;
Thielen had his first last year. In Sunday's 29-29 tie at Green Bay,
Thielen used that lesson when he scored the touchdown that sent the game
to overtime.
With the Vikings trailing 29-21, quarterback Kirk
Cousins threw a pass to the right end-zone pylon. Cornerback Jaire
Alexander was covering Thielen but had his back turned to the ball.
Safety Kentrell Brice also was closing in on the play. Thielen saw the
pass coming and waited to extend his hands before snagging it ball for a
22-yard TD reception with 31 seconds left in regulation.
Cousins then threw a 2-point conversion to Stefon Diggs to tie the score 29-29.
"I
saw the ball," Thielen said. "I knew it was going to get over the
defender's head. I didn't see the safety, but I knew he was probably
going to be closing in on me. But for me, it was just make sure that I
have really late hands, so the defender can't come across and put his
hands up and knock it down. And I knew that if it could just sneak over
his head, it was going to be a catch."
Thielen said learning when to show his hands when a ball is in the air has become second nature.
"(Wide
receivers coach Darrell) Hazell does a good job of talking about it a
lot," Thielen said. "We do drills in practice. (Stefon) Diggs and I and
the other receivers in the room talk about it."
Thielen runs drills in which he practices putting his hands up at the last possible moment.
At times, however, late hands can backfire.
"Sometimes it gets you in trouble," he said. "There are times when I
try to have late hands and (the ball) hits the defender in the back of
the head (and) if I had gone up and got the ball, or gone back to the
ball, maybe I get a (pass-interference call) or catch the ball.
"...
I had a play (in the Sept. 9 opener against San Francisco) where I
probably could have gone back to the ball, and I was trying to do late
hands."
There haven't been many errors for Thielen, who looks
bound for another 1,000-yard season. Through two games, he is tied for
fourth in the NFL with 18 catches, and tied for sixth with 233 receiving
yards.
As for the key touchdown reception against the Packers, Vikings coach Mike Zimmer called it a crafty play.
"It's
hard, especially if you're running with your back turned to the
quarterback, which a lot of times you are," Zimmer said. "But that's
something a lot of the good receivers do, and it was a great play."
Thielen learned trick from Randy Moss
MINNEAPOLIS—When Randy Moss was getting ready
to be inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in July, former NFL
defensive back Corey Chavous was asked about what made the former
Vikings receiver so great. It wasn't just athletic ability, Chavous
said. Moss used plenty of tricks.
Chavous, who played
with and against Moss, mentioned one skill in particular. Moss, he said,
was adept at not tipping his hand when he saw a pass coming his way.
"He would never put up his hands right away to catch the football, so you might not know the ball was coming," Chavous said.
Vikings receiver Adam Thielen, who grew up idolizing Moss, picked up that aspect of his game.
"You
look at all the great receivers," Thielen said. "You look at Cris
Carter, I watched him forever, and Randy and Jake Reed, those guys —
that's what they do. They let the defender just chase them, and if
they're face-guarding them, they go late hands."
Moss, Carter and
Reed all had four or more 1,000-yard receiving seasons for the Vikings;
Thielen had his first last year. In Sunday's 29-29 tie at Green Bay,
Thielen used that lesson when he scored the touchdown that sent the game
to overtime.
With the Vikings trailing 29-21, quarterback Kirk
Cousins threw a pass to the right end-zone pylon. Cornerback Jaire
Alexander was covering Thielen but had his back turned to the ball.
Safety Kentrell Brice also was closing in on the play. Thielen saw the
pass coming and waited to extend his hands before snagging it ball for a
22-yard TD reception with 31 seconds left in regulation.
Cousins then threw a 2-point conversion to Stefon Diggs to tie the score 29-29.
"I
saw the ball," Thielen said. "I knew it was going to get over the
defender's head. I didn't see the safety, but I knew he was probably
going to be closing in on me. But for me, it was just make sure that I
have really late hands, so the defender can't come across and put his
hands up and knock it down. And I knew that if it could just sneak over
his head, it was going to be a catch."
Thielen said learning when to show his hands when a ball is in the air has become second nature.
"(Wide
receivers coach Darrell) Hazell does a good job of talking about it a
lot," Thielen said. "We do drills in practice. (Stefon) Diggs and I and
the other receivers in the room talk about it."
Thielen runs drills in which he practices putting his hands up at the last possible moment.
At times, however, late hands can backfire.
"Sometimes it gets you in trouble," he said. "There are times when I
try to have late hands and (the ball) hits the defender in the back of
the head (and) if I had gone up and got the ball, or gone back to the
ball, maybe I get a (pass-interference call) or catch the ball.
"...
I had a play (in the Sept. 9 opener against San Francisco) where I
probably could have gone back to the ball, and I was trying to do late
hands."
There haven't been many errors for Thielen, who looks
bound for another 1,000-yard season. Through two games, he is tied for
fourth in the NFL with 18 catches, and tied for sixth with 233 receiving
yards.
As for the key touchdown reception against the Packers, Vikings coach Mike Zimmer called it a crafty play.
"It's
hard, especially if you're running with your back turned to the
quarterback, which a lot of times you are," Zimmer said. "But that's
something a lot of the good receivers do, and it was a great play."
