Dallas Turner: Turning the corner?

[purplefaithful]

Rookie Vikings edge rusher Dallas Turner, a first-round pick out of Alabama, stepped into one of his largest roles of the season during Sunday’s 42-21 win over the Atlanta Falcons.

And Turner left feeling as if he’s headed in the right direction near the end of a quiet first year. Turner finished with three tackles and a hit on Falcons quarterback Kirk Cousins while being one of the primary backups behind starters Jonathan Greenard and Andrew Van Ginkel. The Vikings’ No. 3 edge rusher, Patrick Jones II, was held out because of a knee injury.

Turner started fast. He wrapped up Falcons running back Bijan Robinson for no gain on the opening drive. By the end of the first quarter, Turner drilled Cousins as the ex-Vikings quarterback threw an incompletion.

“Man, I’m just getting started,” Turner told the Minnesota Star Tribune. “I’m starting to get it. With the great group of leaders we have and the great group of coaches, I feel like the game is starting to slow down for me as a rookie at this point in the season. Honestly, just embracing my role on the team and being the best teammate possible. And we’re winning, so why be mad?”

Turner said he has had to be patient in a complex defense featuring four edge rushers, including Jihad Ward, with more experience than him.

On Sunday, the Vikings also turned to undrafted rookie edge rusher Gabe Murphy, who made his NFL debut after spending the first half of the season on injured reserve. Murphy came off the bench as an interior rusher on obvious passing downs. He also had a hit on Cousins and drew an offensive holding penalty.

When Turner hit Cousins, he smoothly transitioned from defending a possible handoff to attacking upfield. He wasn’t duped by one of the NFL’s best play-action passers.

“Knowing Kirk’s mannerisms with play-action and stuff like that,” Turner said, “I just seen an opportunity and took it.”

Source: Startribune

[AGRforever]

Isn't it wild. Turner was a man among boys his entire life on the football field. Now that he's in the NFL he's fighting for playing time. I hope he's able to really turn it on here in the last month and hit the ground running next year.

[StickierBuns]

Turner is young, only 21 years old trying to figure out a Flores D when all he did at Alabama was hunt. Him saying, "I'm starting to get it" bodes well for 2025.

[pattersaur]

Turner is young, only 21 years old trying to figure out a Flores D when all he did at Alabama was hunt. Him saying, "I'm starting to get it" bodes well for 2025.

That's exactly what stood out to me too. It's one thing for a coach to compliment a player and say he's figuring it out, but hearing a rookie say it about himself is impactful. That tells me he knows he's still learning and understands why he hasn't been playing more. It helps me as a fan understand too and of all the reasons for his lack of play time, this one is probably the least concerning possible longterm.

Great news and it was sweet to see DT making an impact!

[purplefaithful]

With guidance from Vikings veterans and Brian Flores, Dallas Turner is maturing into a future ‘elite player’

In a deep group of outside linebackers that includes veterans such as Andrew Van Ginkel and Jonathan Greenard, first-round draft pick Dallas Turner is soaking up the learning opportunities.

There’s an eight-year age difference between Vikings locker neighbors Dallas Turner and Andrew Van Ginkel.

It’s one of the things Turner, the 21-year-old rookie outside linebacker, said Wednesday has been the biggest adjustment from college to the NFL.

There’s also 27-year-old Jonathan Greenard a few lockers down, and 30-year-old Jihad Ward in the vicinity.

“I was always the youngest in my family with all my cousins, so I’m kind of used to that stuff,” Turner said. “It’s definitely a lot of adjustments, but I feel like, if you’re built for it, you’re built for it.”

Turner, a first-round draft pick out of Alabama, showed he is built for it as a young, backup contributor at a deep position on the Vikings roster during their 42-21 win over the Falcons..

He tied his season high with three tackles and landed a hit on Falcons quarterback Kirk Cousins in 26 snaps (35%) played. After the game, Turner told the Minnesota Star Tribune he felt he was “starting to get it.”

Even after a day that featured a handful of standout performances from young players, particularly on defense, Turner’s play attracted unprompted praise Monday from Vikings coach Kevin O’Connell.

“I thought Dallas Turner was really active, and you felt the athleticism and the juice,” O’Connell said while answering a question about fellow rookie outside linebacker Gabe Murphy, who made his NFL debut.

Turner said the most helpful advice he’s received from older teammates in his rookie year was something he didn’t feel applied to him at first.

Never get bored with the little things, veteran peers told him. Everything has to be consistent and intentional.

That’s easy to do the first few months in the building, when everything is shiny and new. Get to December, though, and there can be monotony.

Turner noted how much more intentional walk-throughs are in the NFL compared to college and the fact that pro teams spend less time in full pads as examples of when it’s important to be on top of the little things.

Van Ginkel called it being a sponge, able to soak up even the smallest of details each week within schemes and game plans. He said he’s seen Turner’s growth through the way he attacks practice and in the questions he asks while assessing film.

“As he continues to understand the game, understand Flo’s defense and how we’re trying to attack offenses — there’s so many layers to this [Brian] Flores defense,” Van Ginkel said. “He’s getting the hang of it, and when he gets full grasp of it, he’s gonna be an elite player.”

Flores himself has also been crucial to Turner’s growth.

This time of year, when rookies enter the months of the calendar they aren’t used to playing in — even with the college postseason experience Turner has from Alabama — Flores makes a point of checking in with them one-on-one.

Flores said Tuesday that he and Turner met individually on multiple occasions last week.

Turner was already at TCO Performance Center when the text came in from Flores saying he was coming by and wanted to chat. “I think it’s important for young guys to get on a routine,” Flores said. “I think it’s important for everyone to get on a routine just so you can kind of go back and tweak it week to week and say, ‘That helped me, that didn’t help me.’

“So the goal there was just, hey, over the course of this last end of the season, let’s make sure we’ve got really the right routine across the board.”

Sleep and wake times, tweaking activities to different days of the week and looking at what time of day players are lifting are some of the things Flores said he evaluates with young players.

The focus of the conversation, Turner said, was longevity. What habits could he build now that will set him up to someday be the veteran locker neighbor that Van Ginkel is to him?

“In 15 years, we’re looking back laughing at the conversation,” Turner said of his chat with Flores.

Turner’s not all alone, though. His position group has two other rookies, Murphy and Bo Richter. Richter said that it’s “hard to be a rookie by yourself” and that the three having each other to compete against has been “great.”

Richter played six snaps at linebacker against the Falcons. Murphy played 28, the most among the three rookies.

It brings another level of camaraderie and allows for some commiseration about the “rookie treatment,” which Turner said remains the same regardless of how you’re playing.

They have one another, but they also are plenty comfortable looking to their veteran teammates and being the sponge Van Ginkel encourages them to be.

“Just seeing us on the field together is kind of crazy. Young dudes taking over,” Turner said with a laugh. “It was definitely a good sign. But all we can do is sit back and learn and listen. A lot of the young guys here have the same thing in common: They are very eager to learn and are very hungry to better themselves as a player.”

Source: Startribune

[Mattyman]

Kwesi didn't trade for any defensive players at the deadline.....

Turner playing more, now, and contributing sure seems to point that there was tentative plan in place.

Van Ginkel and Grennard are showing wear.

[StickierBuns]

He'll be a bigger, stronger and smarter kid in the Flores D next year: I expect a nice leap. He needs to be more rugged.

[TheWinterSKOLdier]

Also good to hear positive developments on guys like Bo Richter & Gabe Murphy. With Pat Jones and Jihad Ward possibly leaving next offseason, having guys like that develop will be crucial for next season's depth behind AVG, Greenard, and DT.