greylock
Thegn (1,926)
Apr 30, 2017
Valhalla
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Post by greylock on Aug 17, 2020 13:21:37 GMT -6
Read an article yesterday. Dennison looking to move elflein to right guard. The Vikings have a tendency to do this with their lineman. Granted Elf played center in college but then if you are going to move him why move him to a position of LG that he has never played before? Then a year later, after he stunk it up, move him to hi original position of RG. There was talk of moving O'Neill to LT, a position he has never played, and moving Reiff to RT a position he may have played early in his college career and a couple of years with Detroit. Jaylyn Holmes played defensive end in college but the Vikings think they can make him a defensive tackle. Now after that didn't work they are putting him back at end.
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Uncle
Berserker (7,565)
Feb 8, 2017
Valhalla
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Post by Uncle on Aug 17, 2020 14:48:15 GMT -6
Cam Dantzler got some strong reviews during the first few days of non-padded practices and the glowing reviews keep coming in on Monday, 8/17/20:
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Odin
Purp1eOne
Winning
Jarl (15,602)
Feb 3, 2017
Valhalla
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Post by Purp1eOne on Aug 17, 2020 14:50:40 GMT -6
Cam Dantzler got some strong reviews during the first few days of non-padded practices and the glowing reviews keep coming in on Monday, 8/17/20:
Just about the to post this, sounds like he is starting out good but he needs a new nickname.... the Needle?
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Uncle
Berserker (7,565)
Feb 8, 2017
Valhalla
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Post by Uncle on Aug 17, 2020 15:19:32 GMT -6
Sam Ekstrom from Zone Coverage provides a nice little writeup (again) for Day 3 (first practice w/ pads): linkNot too many things to share w/ the rest of the fans, but here's a few tidbits if you don't want to click on the link: - Justin Jefferson is looking good, but Bisi Johnson is holding down the #2 WR spot it seems and he's not giving it up. He stated that the game is slowing down for him (which is always a good sign) and earlier today I think it was Courtney Cronin who tweeted that Bisi Johnson worked out in Denver this offseason w/ Broncos QB Drew Lock and WR Courtland Sutton - another really good, young WR. Looks like it's paying off. - Cam Dantzler had a great day (and has already been mentioned) but UDFA Nevelle Clarke had a strong day, too, with several pass breakups. - D Hunter was out again today with what Zimmer called a "tweak" - WR D Mitchell stunk it up w/ 3 drops - Rookie Josh Metellus seems to be a lock for the #3 S job behind Harrison & Harris but it's all up for grabs beyond that. Zimmer mentioned they brought in Steven Parker off waivers for more competition and worked out someone I've never heard of before. - No changes at OL; still A Collins and Dozier rotating at LG and Elf still at RG. Zimmer mentioned he'd like to see the OL solidified this week so we should know the 1's by Friday.
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Uncle
Berserker (7,565)
Feb 8, 2017
Valhalla
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Post by Uncle on Aug 17, 2020 15:22:51 GMT -6
Here's a video of Cam "Needle" Dantzler not getting beat off the line by Thielen and staying with him stride-for-stride on a straight go-route on the sideline and breaking up the pass. This is the type of stuff apparently Dantzler has been displaying in camp so far...
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Uncle
Berserker (7,565)
Feb 8, 2017
Valhalla
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Post by Uncle on Aug 17, 2020 15:26:47 GMT -6
This video is Cousins doing a straight drop-back pass and finding Ham over the middle in a tight window - but the thing that stuck out to me the most is the protection Kirk gets; he drops back and gets all-day (in NFL time anyway) to scan the field and complete that pass. It's a very positive video for the OL as far as I'm concerned and I'll take that protection all day long during the regular season....
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Uncle
Berserker (7,565)
Feb 8, 2017
Valhalla
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Post by Uncle on Aug 17, 2020 19:03:51 GMT -6
Just a 1-min long video of today's first practice in pads...nothing really eye-popping; just some first looks at some of the new Viking players....
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Post by vikingfan52 on Aug 18, 2020 4:30:27 GMT -6
Read an article yesterday. Dennison looking to move elflein to right guard. The Vikings have a tendency to do this with their lineman. Granted Elf played center in college but then if you are going to move him why move him to a position of LG that he has never played before? Then a year later, after he stunk it up, move him to hi original position of RG. There was talk of moving O'Neill to LT, a position he has never played, and moving Reiff to RT a position he may have played early in his college career and a couple of years with Detroit. Jaylyn Holmes played defensive end in college but the Vikings think they can make him a defensive tackle. Now after that didn't work they are putting him back at end. Just saying what Denison was saying in the article I read. Figured he might be more comfortable. I suspect just checking options.
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Uncle
Berserker (7,565)
Feb 8, 2017
Valhalla
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Post by Uncle on Aug 18, 2020 6:08:46 GMT -6
Interesting statement from Justin Jefferson; I think he might want to wait until playing in actual NFL games before assessing that the NFL is the same as college football...they've had less than a week of organized practices in Training Camp - NFL games are night and day different than what he's experienced so far...
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Uncle
Berserker (7,565)
Feb 8, 2017
Valhalla
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Post by Uncle on Aug 18, 2020 9:34:04 GMT -6
Just curious if anyone has a subscription to The Athletic? Arif Hasan is a Viking writer that writes for The Athletic and he put out an article on his observations so far at Training Camp and since he's so detailed and thorough with his observations, I'd love to read through it and find out things on some of the other players that we haven't heart much about. So far it's all been Cam Dantzler, the secondary as a whole, Bisi Johnson/Justin Jefferson, Shamar basically claiming the NT job and figuring things out at the two OG spots...but not much on other rookies like KJ Osborn, DJ Wonnum, James Lynch or Kenny Wilikes - how are they doing? Someone might post the details in the SKOL forum on Reddit, but they don't post contents of all Athletic articles there.
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greylock
Thegn (1,926)
Apr 30, 2017
Valhalla
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Post by greylock on Aug 18, 2020 11:01:27 GMT -6
Anybody know anything about the new linebacker Nickerson? Camp fodder, special teamer, or will he push for real playing time?
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Uncle
Berserker (7,565)
Feb 8, 2017
Valhalla
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Post by Uncle on Aug 18, 2020 11:31:35 GMT -6
Anybody know anything about the new linebacker Nickerson? Camp fodder, special teamer, or will he push for real playing time? His father - Hardy Nickerson, Sr. - was a heck of a LB for the Steelers/Bucs in the late 80's/90's...not HOF material, but a solid "Ring of Honor" type of player (think Brian Robison or Everson Griffin)... The son went undrafted in 2017 and the Bengals signed him as an UDFA. He made their 53-man roster and has been a depth player at the LB level behind Kevin Minter and Preston Brown. While he made the Bengals 53-man roster in 2017/2018 as an UDFA, when he did see action (due to injury) he didn't play really well; I found this nugget last year in a PFF article ( link): In real life, Nickerson hasn’t played great and is actually the lowest-graded Bengals linebacker according to PFF graders, but he’s certain to see the field a lot.He's had a few games with a bunch of tackles (career 11 tackles in a game against Baltimore in 2018), but it appears he's nothing more than a depth player competing for Kentrall Brothers old depth/run-stopping LB role that Cameron Smith/Ben Gedeon were supposed to have (both are currently out, Smith having open heart surgery and Gedeon on the PUP I believe). He does play ST coverage like Brothers did too. Shouldn't see much playing time at all and his only shot to making the 53-man roster is through ST coverage, which is a tall order considering how young we are with all the late Rd / UDFA we brought in and the best way for nearly all of them (not including non-ST players like QB Nate Stanley) to make the roster is through ST.
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Uncle
Berserker (7,565)
Feb 8, 2017
Valhalla
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Post by Uncle on Aug 18, 2020 11:41:04 GMT -6
It's stuff like this that shapes my opinion that the interior of DL is seriously well below NFL average and will continue to be a weakness in 2020...Jaleel was drafted in 2017 in the 4th Rd; if he's still working through "confidence" and "technique" issues at this point entering his 4th NFL season and he actually becomes the Wk 1 starting 3T next to Shamar on the inside....yikes...
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IceRatz16
Fri-hals (669)
Aug 4, 2019
Valhalla
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Post by IceRatz16 on Aug 18, 2020 12:27:50 GMT -6
It's stuff like this that shapes my opinion that the interior of DL is seriously well below NFL average and will continue to be a weakness in 2020...Jaleel was drafted in 2017 in the 4th Rd; if he's still working through "confidence" and "technique" issues at this point entering his 4th NFL season and he actually becomes the Wk 1 starting 3T next to Shamar on the inside....yikes...
This is exactly why I don't get excited (as you posted earlier) about the offensive line holding serve and providing a pocket and time for Kirk to throw. Our dline is not a strength, as it may have been before. I was hoping to add Griff back to the mix and possibly play in the middle, especially since Pierce is twiddling his thumbs now . Now to Jaleel...really? I said this from the time he was draft that he won't amount to anything here. He's pathetic and the Vikings need to cut bait.
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OkieDokie
Surviving
Jarl (22,857)
Feb 5, 2017
Valhalla
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Post by OkieDokie on Aug 18, 2020 13:05:41 GMT -6
Speaking of DLine:
Cowboys DT Gerald McCoy (ruptured quad) will undergo season-ending surgery. Signed to a three-year, $18 million contract this offseason, 32-year-old McCoy was expected to head Dallas' overhaul in the trenches following the losses of Robert Quinn and Maliek Collins in free agency. Those duties will now fall to NT Dontari Poe and a host of rotational types, additionally fortifying DL Tyrone Crawford as a roster lock out of necessity. McCoy's absence is a huge blow after the veteran hadn't lost a step on tape during his final year with the Panthers.
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