12-16-2019, 03:46 PM
Vikings development system on display in Los AngelesCARSON, Calif. — In training camp it was clear that Ifeadi Odenigbo was determined to make the Minnesota Vikings’ roster this time around.
He had been cut twice by the Vikings since being picked in the seventh round of the 2017 draft and had a cup of coffee with several other teams. But he was making plays on the inside and outside of the defensive line and consistently standing out. He ultimately made the team but didn’t see much playing time early in the year. Recently, however, the ex-Northwestern star has been a key playmaker for the defense and the biggest play of his career came on Sunday.
The Vikings turned the ball over with under one minute left in the second quarter of their 39-10 win over the Los Angeles Chargers and appeared to hand Philip Rivers a chance at producing points on each side of halftime. But superstar Danielle Hunter stripped Rivers and Odenigbo picked it up and ran 56 yards for a game-changing touchdown.
“It’s pretty neat especially doing it against the Chargers because I grew up a Chargers fan because of LaDanian Tomlinson to watching Philip Rivers,” Odenigbo said after the game. “Now being able to play them and score my first touchdown, it’s pretty cool. I’m very grateful.”
“Ifeadi has played well all year, he did a nice job coming in and getting in the nickel,” head coach Mike Zimmer said. “That was a big play, he hustles all the time. That was great for us. The game was kind of going back and forth at that point, for us to get that right before the half was really big.”
Odenigbo also picked up his fifth sack of the season, which you wouldn’t have imagined when he saw just 12 snaps on opening day and only seven snaps in Week 7.
He is hardly the only player to develop from either the late rounds or undrafted to make an impact on the Vikings’ season and their win over the Chargers. Former fourth-round pick Jaleel Johnson also sacked Rivers and saw a large percentage of snaps on the interior. On the offensive side Mike Boone scored his first two career touchdowns.
“We have all of our guys who have done a nice job stepping up too, like today Boone and Olabisi Johnson has played well throughout the course of the year,” Zimmer said. “We’ve had a lot of guys come in and it’s a credit to the scouts and the coaches doing a nice job getting these guys prepared. Watts has played quite a bit lately, Jaleel Johnson, all those things are good".
https://www.skornorth.com/vikings-2/2019...s-angeles/
He had been cut twice by the Vikings since being picked in the seventh round of the 2017 draft and had a cup of coffee with several other teams. But he was making plays on the inside and outside of the defensive line and consistently standing out. He ultimately made the team but didn’t see much playing time early in the year. Recently, however, the ex-Northwestern star has been a key playmaker for the defense and the biggest play of his career came on Sunday.
The Vikings turned the ball over with under one minute left in the second quarter of their 39-10 win over the Los Angeles Chargers and appeared to hand Philip Rivers a chance at producing points on each side of halftime. But superstar Danielle Hunter stripped Rivers and Odenigbo picked it up and ran 56 yards for a game-changing touchdown.
“It’s pretty neat especially doing it against the Chargers because I grew up a Chargers fan because of LaDanian Tomlinson to watching Philip Rivers,” Odenigbo said after the game. “Now being able to play them and score my first touchdown, it’s pretty cool. I’m very grateful.”
“Ifeadi has played well all year, he did a nice job coming in and getting in the nickel,” head coach Mike Zimmer said. “That was a big play, he hustles all the time. That was great for us. The game was kind of going back and forth at that point, for us to get that right before the half was really big.”
Odenigbo also picked up his fifth sack of the season, which you wouldn’t have imagined when he saw just 12 snaps on opening day and only seven snaps in Week 7.
He is hardly the only player to develop from either the late rounds or undrafted to make an impact on the Vikings’ season and their win over the Chargers. Former fourth-round pick Jaleel Johnson also sacked Rivers and saw a large percentage of snaps on the interior. On the offensive side Mike Boone scored his first two career touchdowns.
“We have all of our guys who have done a nice job stepping up too, like today Boone and Olabisi Johnson has played well throughout the course of the year,” Zimmer said. “We’ve had a lot of guys come in and it’s a credit to the scouts and the coaches doing a nice job getting these guys prepared. Watts has played quite a bit lately, Jaleel Johnson, all those things are good".
https://www.skornorth.com/vikings-2/2019...s-angeles/
