Kearse steps into new role vs. 49ers, shows versatility of Vikings’ defense

[purplefaithful]

When Trae Waynes went down with a leg injury, it was unclear who would take over at cornerback.With Mackensie Alexander out already for the Minnesota Vikings in their Week 1 matchup with the San Francisco 49ers, they were down to only rookie Holton Hill as the remaining corner on the roster. Hill saw some playing time, but head coach Mike Zimmer quickly switched to third-year safety Jayron Kearse as his nickel corner option. First-round pick Mike Hughes moved from the slot to outside corner.

Kearse, who stood out as a cornerback at 6-foot-4, played the role admirably in a pinch. After the game, he said that playing three safeties on the field at once was actually part of the plan.
“We’ve been running that since camp started, it just happened that today was the day we were able to actually make it happen,” Kearse said. “It was good. It wasn’t like it was my first time stepping out there and being at nickel. It’s something we’ve been working on.”
http://www.1500espn.com/vikings-2/2018/0...s-defense/

[Guest]

Following the 24-16 win, Zimmer talked about why Kearse worked well as a nickel.
“He’s big and rangy,” he said. “I know he tipped one ball on a blitz one time. He’s tall and he’s quick. He’s really improved a lot from his rookie year to now…understanding concepts in the defense. I think that has helped him. Sometimes safeties when they go to nickel, they understand the pattern reads and all those things a little better than a guy coming in from corner that has never seen the different combinations.”

[Guest]

Funny thing is iloka is sitting in the wings waiting. Hopefully Waynes isnt out long.