>>>ALL THINGS VIKINGS<<<

I have REAL high hopes for KOC that he turns out to be a good NFL coach....we will see time will tell

 

Definitely feels good so far. New schemes, versatilities, 3-4 defense is going to be fun and new... I never seen that in Minnesota before that I can remember anyway. Just having an offensive minded coach for a change is refreshing and KOC has credentials also. Im also liking the familiarity between KOC and Kirk from the Washington days... this could be a unique and productive season.

Packers are the team to beat and week 1 cant get here soon enough... Im fired up already and there is forever to wait, lol.

Get on board the Vikings ship, bitches!

 

Minnesota Vikings quarterback Kellen Mond is having a good spring this offseason. "Kellen's having a good spring so far, working incredibly hard, digesting the system. He made a couple checks yesterday at the LOS that he wasn't prepared play by play for...he just instinctively did it. Those are the little things you look for," new head coach Kevin O'Connell said. The 22-year-old got into just one game as a rookie last year and went 2-for-3 for five yards in one series. With Kirk Cousins likely staying in Minnesota for at least a couple more seasons, Mond will work to become his direct backup in 2022. The Vikings also have Sean Mannion in their quarterback room.--Keith Hernandez - RotoBaller

 

No more mediocre brand of football time for Capt Kirk to step up and why is Shaun Mannion still on the roster? is he someone that Capt Kirk needs to play well?

 

I wish the Vikings could have found a way to keep Tyler Conklin really hated losing him

 

Two-time Super Bowl champion picking Vikings over Packers in NFC North



There are still skeptics regarding the dramatic facelift the Minnesota Vikings experienced in the offseason. But there are people out there, including a former two-time Super Bowl champion, that believe this is the year the team takes the NFC North.

When appearing on CBS Sports HQ, former Pittsburgh Steelers cornerback Bryant McFadden picked the Vikings not only to end the season with double-digit wins, but he also picked them to overthrow Aaron Rodgers and the Packers for the NFC North throne.

“I think when you look at the roster, when you look at the schemes on both sides of the football—the experience in key positions—this is a team that’s set up nicely to get at least 10 wins,” said McFadden. “And I’ll say this also, even though you didn’t ask me. I’m giving you my opinion. …I believe the Minnesota Vikings will win the division this season.”

Part of that opinion stems from what the Vikings have done in the offseason. They’ve completely changed the culture in the locker room by going out and hiring Kwesi Adofo-Mensah as general manager and former Los Angeles Rams offensive coordinator Kevin O’Connell as the head coach.

They’ve also made some intriguing personnel moves in free agency and the draft.

However, the other part to that opinion is the fact that the Green Bay Packers have taken some losses in the offseason, including the trade that sent their star receiver, Davante Adams, to the Las Vegas Raiders.

Rodgers has gone from his No. 1 option being arguably the best receiver in the league to the oft-injured Sammy Watkins or rookie first-round pick Christian Watson.

The Boogeyman Packers might still be dangerous, but they aren’t as scary as they used to be. This is as good as any time for the Vikings to overtake the division.

YAHOO/VIKINGS WIRE

 

I believe him about the Vikings being a playoff team, but the Packers are still a very good team. The only way that the Packers don’t win the division is if Rodgers misses a few games.

 

Well, the Pack did take a huge hit by letting Adams go and I think that brings them down a notch or two. Week 1 is huge as the Vikings open up the 2022 campaign with the Packers.

 

Like to believe Bryant McFadden is right but there still a dangerous team not to taken lightly, no more of this getting outcoached and slow azz starts in the first half then a furious 2nd half only to come up short, a real test for KOC div. game against Packers 1st game hope you pass this test

 

When Vikings head coach Mike Zimmer was asked if he wanted to take a look at quarterback Kellen Mond in Week 18 after a brief mop-up appearance in Week 17, his answer of “not particularly” added to a list of comments he made over the year that suggested the coach wasn’t thrilled about the choice to add Mond in the third round of the 2021 draft.

Given that, Mond’s answer about whether he thinks the change to Kevin O’Connell as the team’s head coach will be good for him probably won’t come as much of a surprise.


“I think so,” Mond said, via Chris Tomasson of the Pioneer Press. “I think Kevin, he’s obviously a young guy and he has some youth, especially with his offense. I think he’ll add a little bit more flavor. I think that’s something that the fans were missing a little bit last year.”

Mond said he never spoke to Zimmer after those late season comments and didn’t take offense to them before adding that it is “all fun and games” in a new year with a new coach. That coach had some positive things to say about Mond recently, so it’s hard to argue that the O’Connell era is shaping up to be a better one for the quarterback.

 

Minnesota Vikings cornerback Patrick Peterson has been in the NFL for over a decade, and in all of that time, he has never been a part of a team with a pass-rushing combination quite like Za’Darius Smith and Danielle Hunter.

Both men are two-time Pro Bowlers with the rare ability to wreck an entire offensive game-plan. That’s something the Vikings didn’t have last season. But more importantly, all of those Arizona Cardinals teams Peterson played for didn’t have it, either.

As a defensive back, the legendary eight-time Pro Bowler has a front row seat to something he believes is on the verge of being “special.”

“That’s going to be special man because I’ve never had the privilege to have two dynamic pass rushers coming off both edges,” said Peterson on All Things Covered. “Going through those six practices now, although we don’t have any pads on right now, so guys are getting their first two-step bursts and kind of shutting it down there, but just seeing how fast that pocket collapse, when we do have those team periods, it’s magical to watch.

“I’m happy to finally have an opportunity to experience some dogs that can really put some heat on a quarterback.”

Hunter amassed 14.5 sacks in back-to-back years the last time he was fully healthy for an entire season. Meanwhile, before an injury kept him out in 2021, Smith was coming off a 12.5-sack season in 2020.

Those two defensive monsters being up front will set the tone for the entire defense. It was a defense that was getting pushed around and bullied by nearly everyone they faced last season.

That obviously won’t be the case in 2022 with the Vikings now having two of the league’s biggest defensive bullies in the lineup.

Here’s to hoping the rest of the NFL is hungry. If Smith and Hunter can both stay healthy next season, they’re going to be handing out some serious sack lunches to opposing quarterbacks.

VIKINGS WIRE

 

Good Luck to Danielle Hunter and Za'Darius Smith and Kellen Mond, hope the injury bug stays far far away cause it can just destroy your team GO VIKINGS

 

Fans are getting a look at the gentle version of Lewis Cine for right now, but make no mistake, the Minnesota Vikings didn’t draft him with the No. 32 overall pick because he has a nice smile and waves at the cameras.

When he puts on the helmet, pads and steps in between the numbers, he turns into a human battering ram. If you’re a receiver or running back, Cine is not the player you want to see coming downhill on the field.

When appearing on the All Things Covered podcast, the former Georgia Bulldog was asked which offensive player he looked forward to hitting the most in the NFL.

Cine’s response was just as chilling as the hit he put on tight end Kyle Pitts in college.

“I don’t have one person in particular. My head is, I just want to stack bodies. That’s it,” said Cine.



It’s a terrifying thought that any would-be ball-carrier will have to deal with both Cine and Harrison “The Hitman” Smith in the Vikings’ defensive backfield.

Even Patrick Peterson looked a bit surprised to hear his teammate talk like that in the video. But that’s the kind of confidence the Vikings want to see from a young player they expect to play a crucial role in their defense.

There was a time when the Vikings had one of the most feared defenses in the league. A return to those days might not be too far off with a player like Cine on the roster.

VIKINGS WIRE

 

@gidion72

Your a Bulldog fan... is Cine for real or is he just talk? What did he look like at Georgia?

 

is he like a Joey Browner or a Robert Griffin now that would be a good thing his hair is a trip

 

I only watched the NCAA championship. So I’m not really sure how good any of the defensive players from Georgia are. But I’m sure some of them will be really good and some will look out of place in a defense that’s not as dominating as Georgia was in the NCAA. That defense was ridiculous but I’m sure not all of them will be studs in the NFL. I think Cine will be in the top half of the league in rookie production.

 

Did Jeff Gladney die what happened?

 

Yes... car crash.

 

Terrible so young I found out he was only 25 RIP

 

Vikings WR Adam Thielen feels 'rejuvenated' as he enters his 10th season in Minnesota

Back from an injury and playing under a new coach, Adam Thielen is ready to get back on the field for his 10th year with the Vikings.

"I feel fresh, I feel energetic, I think the culture that's been created here is just a breath of fresh air," the wide receiver said in an interview with Fox 9 Minneapolis-St. Paul. "It just makes it exciting to be here and work."

Thielen's 2021 season was hindered by an ankle injury that first popped up in a Week 13 game versus the Lions and was reaggravated three weeks later in his first game back, leading to season-ending surgery. He had been on track to possibly hit 1,000 receiving yards for the first time since 2018, but the injury left this goal unfulfilled.

Now healed up and on the field for last week's organized team activities, Thielen said he's been itching to get back after missing games down the stretch for Minnesota.

"[The ankle] is great, it feels good to be out here and feeling young again, and fresh, and not having to worry about my ankle," Thielen said. "To not be out there, it's tough. ... I'm not taking my reps out here for granted, because who knows when I'll be done and won't be able to play this game anymore."

The 31-year-old played at Minnesota State before joining his hometown team as an undrafted free agent in 2013. He gradually established himself as a consistent force on the offense, finishing every season with an average of over 10.0 yards per catch, and has hauled in double-digit touchdowns the last two seasons even despite the ankle injury.

Despite the relative consistency over the course of his career, Thielen said he has heard discussion about his production slowing down in the last couple years. But he also said he can usually ignore the outside noise, recognizing that it's something that can fuel him instead of causing doubt.


"Honestly, I'm just worried about my team, and trying to be the best football player I can be to help my team win," Thielen said. "I'm not really worried about what other people think about me, because if I would have worried about that, I never would have made it here."

Thielen will be running drills this offseason with a new head coach after the Vikings hired Kevin O'Connell in February. O'Connell most recently worked as an assistant coach for the 2021 Super Bowl-champion Los Angeles Rams. Thielen said the hiring has completely reinvigorated the Vikings as a team, creating a culture shift that can be felt around the locker room.

"When you hear about the news [O'Connell being named head coach], you kind of look back at the track record and you look back at what [the Rams] did, and you're excited, right?" Thielen said. "But then you get in here, you start learning the system and you start getting on the field -- really, when you get on the field and you start running through stuff, you're like man, this is fun. This is exciting.

"When I talk about a breath of fresh air and kind of rejuvenation, it's because when you get out here, it's like stuff makes sense and it's exciting."

And as he returns to his 10th year of OTAs amidst this renewed team focus on creating a winning culture, Thielen believes the Vikings are in a position to make a move upward in 2022 as long as they continue putting in the work.

"We have a great team, we have a great locker room, we have great coaches, we have great leadership," Thielen said. "So, we just got to make sure we keep working hard and keep gaining ground because there is a lot of learning. So there's a lot of extra work, a lot of details we got to focus on right now that will help us in the long run."

NFL.com