#mnvikings

KEVIN O’CONNELL IS COACHING HIS WAY TO C.O.Y. AWARD

BY STEVE ROGERS   The Minnesota Viking’s first-year head coach Kevin O’Connell has been doing a phenomenal job thus far leading this team to a 6-1 record after the first eight weeks of the season.  He has almost seamlessly transitioned this Vikings football team from an old-fashioned defense dominant with a boring complimentary offensive scheme to an exciting up-tempo move the ball down the field…

Minnesota Vikings Bring 3-Game Hot Streak to South Beach #SKOL

By Steve Rogers    What: NFL MN Vikings @ Miami Dolphins When: 12:00pm CT Sunday, October 16, 2022 Where: Miami Gardens, FL Hard Rock Stadium How to watch: Fox   Week six is here and the Minnesota Vikings are taking their three-game winning streak on the road again to the east coast.  This time down south to Miami to face the Dolphins.  First things first this is a regular Sunday day game, at…

Minnesota Vikings vs. Green Bay Packers Preview

By: Steve Rogers    What: Minnesota Vikings vs. Green Bay Packers When: Sunday, Sept. 11, 3:25 pm CST Where: U.S.S.S. Bank Stadium Minneapolis, MN Coverage: Fox   Finally, the NFL season is upon us, and week one is going to be filled with firework-style matchups around the league.  Starting with the opening game on Thursday with the reigning Super Bowl L.A. Rams getting rolled by this year’s…

By: Steve Rogers The Minnesota Vikings are heading into week two of the preseason. With a home game on Saturday, August 20th at 6:00 pm against the San Francisco 49ers. Beforehand the two teams will hold a pair of joint practices on Wednesday and Thursday. This is where teams really start honing in on who is and isn't making the roster. It is also the week when the ones actually might see some playing time. So, this is the most measurable game with the players who probably will be suiting up on week one. With that in mind, here are some of my bold takes from what I have gathered.   Vikings Rookies Several of this year's draft class are making big impressions in camp so far. None bigger than LSU right guard Ed Ingram. He stands 6'3" tall and weighs 307 Lbs. Ingram has been consistently impressive thus far in camp. So much so that he has begun earning first-team reps. More and more. It sounds like he might get a chance on Saturday to work with the first team and earn the starting job outright by the end of the preseason. Not only do I believe Ingram will win the starting job, but in the supposed best-receiving draft class ever, he might win offensive rookie of the year. Ingram will do that by shoring up the right side of the interior and protecting Kirk Cousins from constant pressure. Ingram will open up holes for Dalvin Cook, and whoever else is running the ball this year. The Vikings used their first-round pick, number 32, to draft safety Luis Cine from Georgia University. His measurables are 6'2" tall, and he weighs 199 lbs. Not only does Cine fit perfectly alongside Free Saftey Harrison Smith, but he is versatile enough to play in the slot as a cornerback or as a linebacker. During his last season in Georgia, he logged over 100 snaps from the slot and more than 60 as a linebacker. So, Cine has experience moving around, which gives new defensive coordinator Ed Donatell more freedom to try different looks and move guys all over the field, keeping offenses guessing.

With their second pick, number 42 overall, they stayed on the secondary, the team's most significant need, and got cornerback Andrew Booth Jr. from Clemson. Booth is 6 ft tall and weighs 194lbs. His draft stock took a hit dealing with some injury issues that otherwise would have seen him projected as a first-rounder. Booth got his first playing time during the first preseason game against the Las Vegas Raiders. If he can earn a starting role, the Vikings will have taken a massive step towards solidifying their secondary issues.   Vikings On Defense Here's where I think things will get interestingly juicy as most of the attention is focused on the offense with the new offensive-minded head coach O'Connell, Donatell. On the flip side can surprise the whole league with the defense in the scheme and player personnel he will use to execute his masterplans. Switching from the previous four three to his three four is the first significant change. Over the last two years, this team that has always been known for its defensive prowess has seen it decline overall due mainly to injuries and some positional turnover, that hopefully has been addressed in this year's draft in which the team drafted a defensive guy with five of their first six picks. I'm sure the first two will make a splash as starters from week one. Not just because they fill a need at their position either. I'm going to say that Danielle Hunter being back to total health and moving to an outside linebacker might be what the doctor ordered. Along with Za'Darius Smith coming over from Green Bay this offseason, it creates possibly the most formidable pass-rushing duo in the NFC for sure. Hunter enjoyed his best years while another pass rusher of his equal was on the other side. With Smith set to be that guy this year, I see both of them enjoying career years of double-digit sacks for each 12 to 15. Yes, I predict the pair will combine for 24 to 30 sacks. Meaning as a team, they might get close to 60. Flipping this team's defense from the bottom eight in every category to possibly top eight in most categories might seem like asking too much, especially with most of the roster remaining from last year. However, the best way to take pressure off a secondary is a great pass rush by reestablishing that here might be what the doctor ordered to help a young secondary learn and grow into seasoned starters by season's end. Adding an extra linebacker to either pass coverage or pass rush will also pay dividends. Up and down, this defensive roster has the pieces in place at every level, from the D -line to the linebackers, the cornerbacks, and the safeties.   Vikings On Offense ESPN's Bill Barnwell ranks all 32 NFL teams based on their offensive playmakers. His results for this year put the Vikings at number four. I agree 100 percent. Dalvin Cook remains one of the most versatile and dangerous running backs in the whole league. Even though this will be a much more pass-heavy offense, that doesn't mean it will be abandoning the run, especially with Cook as the lead back. Cook will flourish with the defenses having to respect the pass. He will see far less loaded boxes dedicated to stopping him. Combine that with this new offense that will be looking to utilize Cook in the passing game finding him in space on mismatches more often. I predict that Cook will rush for over 1400 yards this season and have close to another 500 receiving yards; I believe Cook will flirt with 2000 all-purpose yards. The Tight End is probably the thinnest skill position with talent and depth. Wise, the Vikings are hopeful Irv Smith Jr. can get and remain healthy. If so, there's no reason he can't get near or over 500 yards receiving with around five touchdowns. Now to the bread and butter, the wide receivers. As the bonafide number, one receiver Justin Jefferson is set to take his game to yet an even higher level. Considering he has put up over 3000 yards in his first two years,  he has already put his name next to the likes of Randy Moss with his numbers. Jefferson came out swinging in his first year (he was a healthy scratch the first three weeks, too) with 88 catches for 1400 yards and seven TDs. He followed that up with 108 grabs for 1616 yards and 10 TDs.  That's 20 more catches for over 200 more yards and three more touchdowns. He's confident he can surpass those numbers again this year. Why not since he did so with an offense that purposely did not emphasize the pass?