Tag: Kyle Rudolph

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It’s Tyler Conklin Time

Let’s Reid between the lines…

With Kyle Rudolph no longer a Viking, Minnesota’s remaining tight ends will need to step up big this season. Everyone is talking about Irv Smith Jr. having a breakout year, but fans shouldn’t sleep on Tyler Conklin either.

Conklin had plenty of success back in his college days at Central Michigan, and Minnesota’s scouts hoped it would translate well to the NFL when they drafted him back in 2018. The fifth round pick tallied over 500 yards and five touchdowns in his junior and senior seasons. Stats aside, he also had (and still has) a good build for a pass catching tight end at 6’3” and 254 lbs. Conklin is a capable blocker too!

It’s taken him a couple seasons to get his bearings in the NFL, but Conklin looked much more comfortable last year than he has in the past. He caught 19 passes for about 200 yards and also nabbed his first score. 200 yards is by no means gaudy, but that number should go up more now that Rudolph is gone and more reps are available. 

More importantly though, Conklin is a smart football player. He ran great routes last year and gave quarterback Kirk Cousins nice windows to throw into, especially on critical third downs. When the ball came his way, he was sure-handed with the catch and then used his body well to protect the ball from defenders.

As he enters his fourth season in the pros, Conklin will want to prove himself worthy of a long term contract. Conklin has indicated that he and his partner love the state and team that drafted him, and leaving would put his career in uncertain waters. Fans can expect to see some extra energy from #83 this year as he works to solidify his future as a Vikings tight end.

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Two Rookies’ Time to Shine in Revenge Game

As all football followers know, Kirk Cousins and the Minnesota Vikings have hit their stride over the last three weeks. Thanks to the success of Diggs, Cook, and Cousins, the rise of two Vikings rookies has gone somewhat unnoticed. With star receiver Adam Thielen ruled out tonight, these two will play a critical role in winning the “Revenge Game.”

When the Vikings nabbed tight end Irv Smith Jr. and wide receiver Olabisi Johnson in the 2019 draft, neither were expected to make a huge impact in year one. After all, the Vikings already had veteran tight end Kyle Rudolph as the clear starter, as well as a dynamic duo of wide receivers in Diggs and Thielen. Much to GM Rick Spielman’s delight, both rookies are already making an impact.

Through the first few games, both performed well at their respective positions. With the Vikings determined to use the rushing attack early and often, Smith proved valuable as a blocking tight end, something that wasn’t touted in his draft profile. Johnson was also relatively quiet on the stat sheet, but he was the only Vikings rookie receiver to make the roster after training camp, and he has consistently created separation in games.

After a slow but promising start, both have begun to emerge as aerial weapons these past three weeks. On the season, Smith has 153 receiving yards, while Johnson has 134 yards and a touchdown to his young name. With Thielen out last week, it was no surprise to see the coaching staff use these two more, as Diggs was often double or triple-covered. Now that offensive coordinator Kevin Stefanski knows he’ll be without Thielen for a whole game, I’m sure he has a heavy dose of Smith and Johnson in this week’s game plan.

Vikings fans know the reliability of Adam Thielen, but they might not know this is the first game he has ever missed as a pro. Minnesota supporters wish Thielen a speedy recovery, but it will be interesting to see how the two rookies use this rare opportunity for more targets. As Cousins faces his old team in a primetime matchup, this is the perfect stage for Smith or Johnson to fully break out. Catch the game at 7:20 central time, and maybe you’ll see Smith catching his first touchdown. I’m predicting the Vikings to win 32-16, with at least one of the two earning a score.

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A Bad Marriage for the Minnesota Vikings

The Minnesota Vikings seemed poised to win the NFC North last season, but a botched arranged marriage between John DeFilippo and Mike Zimmer quickly sent the team’s hopes south. With Gary Kubiak now at Zimmer’s side, the Vikings are poised to take back the north.

I was optimistic about the signing of “Flip” last year, but it ended up being a blind date gone wrong. John came to Minnesota with a short resume, and Rick Spielman’s gamble on the young offensive coordinator ended up costing the Vikings their spot atop the division. Gary Kubiak is more of an old-school coach and a much better match for Zimmer and the Vikings offense. He’s only listed as the “Offensive Advisor,” but I expect the veteran will be wearing the pants in this year’s offense.

You can already start to see Kubiak’s influence on the offense. Gary has an affinity for tight ends, and Minnesota opted to re-sign Kyle Rudoph after months of deliberation. I expect Kubiak to get a great season out of Rudy, even on the backside of his career. He also loves the ground game, so the Vikings spent a high draft pick on running back Alexander Mattison. Running the ball was a huge point of contention between Zimmer and DeFilippo last year. DeFilippo preferred a passing attack, while Zimmer wanted to control the tempo with the run. Obviously, Flip’s strategy didn’t work, and he’s still salty about his time in the north. The new Jaguars coordinator recently spoke to Jacksonville reporters about working for the Vikings:

“I’m not going to make a lot of comments about that, about some of the things that happened up there… Every play I’ve called in my tenure as an offensive coordinator has been what I think gives our team the best chance for success.”

Some analysts argue that the NFL is past the days of having a single “bell cow” running back. I agree that the Adrian Peterson era is gone, but juggernauts like the Patriots rode their running backs right into the playoffs last year. New England has one of the best quarterbacks of all time in Tom Brady, but they took pressure off of him by using an efficient committee of backs. You can expect Kubiak to replicate that this year with rookie Alexander Mattison and Dalvin Cook.

Any team looking to make a run at the Super Bowl needs to take care of business in their division. There will never be an easy path to the playoffs, but the Vikings now have the power couple capable of winning the NFC North.

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Cousins Taken Down During Practice

While fans and analysts are focused on trade rumors surrounding tight end Kyle Rudolph, they should be more concerned about the absence of starting right tackle Brian O’Neill. The second-year starter, who is paid to protect Kirk Cousins, was missing from practice Wednesday. In his absence, the $84 million man was taken to the turf by his own teammate.

O’Neill was a rare bright spot on Minnesota’s shaky offensive line last year, but he was sidelined during the second practice of the season with an undisclosed injury. Rashod Hill replaced O’Neill for the day, but he and his other linemen failed to protect the man in red. Quarterbacks always wear bright red jerseys during practice so adrenaline-filled defensemen don’t hit them.

O’Neill’s presence was certainly missed, but the line is also learning a new system brought in by Rick Dennison. The offensive line coach is teaching the squad to zone block vs man to man. As a result, Cousins was frequently under duress during the two-hour session, and at one point was inadvertently taken to the turf.

You never want to see the signal-caller down on the ground in his red jersey. An innocent practice can lead to a near career-ending injury, as it did with former Vikings quarterback Teddy Bridgewater in 2016. Accidents happen, but Cousins’ incident made me wonder if Teddy’s devastating knee injury was truly non-contact? After all, we never saw the tape.

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