07-26-2018, 03:38 PM
New offensive coordinator John DeFilippo has the task of maximizing Cook’s versatile skill set. Before Cook was even ready to take part in practices, the Vikings’ OC was geeking out over the different places he could line up his playmaker.
“The thing we tried to work with Dalvin, coming in here, is getting him outside the numbers a little bit,” DeFilippo said. “Getting him out wide and getting him comfortable out there. We want our best players and all of our best players to be able to line up anywhere. The more jobs you can do and the more places you can line up eliminates decision making for the quarterback before he gets the ball in his hand.”
When DeFilippo was the offensive coordinator of the Cleveland Browns in 2015, he used his running backs successfully out of the backfield in the passing game. Duke Johnson caught 61 passes and Isaiah Crowell added 19 more catches.
“His offense he wants to get the best guys the ball in their hand every time,” Cook said. “He’s going to get the matchups he wants and that’s what we all want. We want to get the matchups and we want to make plays for our team to help us win football games. That’s just Coach Flip’s offense.”
Getting the ball in his hands and making plays is one thing, becoming a top-notch all-around back is another. There are only a handful in the league at any given time who can excel on the ground, through the air and in pass protection. The Vikings believe Cook has that potential.
“When he touches the ball or when he’s in the backfield protecting, it was fun to watch him pick up the blitz pattern, it’s fun watch him catch the ball and he keeps working on things and I just get really excited to be around that young man,” Polamalu said.
In order to meet that potential, Cook will first have to get out of the knee brace. He’ll have to get his explosiveness back, be sure he can trust the knee when he cuts like he did against Detroit last year and he’ll have to do so while mastering a new offense.
“Remarkable effort by him to date,” Sugarman said. “A lot of work still, the hardest part has yet to come.”
http://www.1500espn.com/vikings-2/2018/0...k-stardom/
“The thing we tried to work with Dalvin, coming in here, is getting him outside the numbers a little bit,” DeFilippo said. “Getting him out wide and getting him comfortable out there. We want our best players and all of our best players to be able to line up anywhere. The more jobs you can do and the more places you can line up eliminates decision making for the quarterback before he gets the ball in his hand.”
When DeFilippo was the offensive coordinator of the Cleveland Browns in 2015, he used his running backs successfully out of the backfield in the passing game. Duke Johnson caught 61 passes and Isaiah Crowell added 19 more catches.
“His offense he wants to get the best guys the ball in their hand every time,” Cook said. “He’s going to get the matchups he wants and that’s what we all want. We want to get the matchups and we want to make plays for our team to help us win football games. That’s just Coach Flip’s offense.”
Getting the ball in his hands and making plays is one thing, becoming a top-notch all-around back is another. There are only a handful in the league at any given time who can excel on the ground, through the air and in pass protection. The Vikings believe Cook has that potential.
“When he touches the ball or when he’s in the backfield protecting, it was fun to watch him pick up the blitz pattern, it’s fun watch him catch the ball and he keeps working on things and I just get really excited to be around that young man,” Polamalu said.
In order to meet that potential, Cook will first have to get out of the knee brace. He’ll have to get his explosiveness back, be sure he can trust the knee when he cuts like he did against Detroit last year and he’ll have to do so while mastering a new offense.
“Remarkable effort by him to date,” Sugarman said. “A lot of work still, the hardest part has yet to come.”
http://www.1500espn.com/vikings-2/2018/0...k-stardom/
