Tag: Laquon Treadwell

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Pregame Post – Vikings at Cowboys

After losing a nail-biter to the Kansas City Chiefs, the Minnesota Vikings are getting ready to face “America’s team,” the Dallas Cowboys. Here’s everything you need to know for this marquee matchup.

Cowboys will be facing a different animal

It seems like yesterday, but in actuality, the last time Dallas played the Vikings was week 13 of 2016. That was the year Mike Zimmer nearly lost an eye to a laminated play card turned projectile, and he had to miss the Dallas game due to eye surgery. With Zimmer MIA, the Cowboys faced a Vikings team led by former special teams coordinator Mike Priefer. The assistant coach did an admirable job running the show, but his team ultimately came up short and lost 15-17.

Besides the coaching, the Vikings also had much different personnel on the 2016 squad. The defense still had guys like Chad Greenway, Terence Newman, Brian Robison, and Captain Munnerlyn. The offense was only just experiencing the emergence of Adam Thielen and Stefon Diggs, and they were still being led by quarterback Sam Bradford. It’s amazing how much a team can change in three years, and fans should be excited to see what this squad can do down south.

Two teams in similar standing

With the Vikings sitting at 6-3 and the Cowboys at 5-2, both teams have a good, but not guaranteed chance of making the playoffs. There’s still nearly half a season to be played, but analysts agree that this NFC matchup will be important for playoff positioning, whereas the Vikings’ AFC clash with the Chiefs last week wasn’t as significant.

Hostile environment

Back in 2016, the Vikings had the luxury of playing the Cowboys at home. This time around, they will be forced to take on America’s team in Dallas, which is just as rowdy as last week’s venue of Arrowhead Stadium. Given its proximity to Minnesota, the Vikings were lucky to see a decent pilgrimage of fans to Kansas City. Hats off to those supporters, as they even started a Skol chant in the midst of the battle. 

This Sunday, however, there probably won’t be much purple in the stands. The volume will also be turned up, as it’s an indoor matchup that will be nationally televised on Sunday Night Football. Fortunately, the Vikings were only a score away from victory against the powerhouse that is Kansas City, and they’re more than ready to storm AT&T Stadium. Even though it’s only week 10, this will have the feel of a playoff game.

No Thielen, time for others to step up

Adam Thielen has been working hard to get back on the field after suffering a hamstring injury against the Lions. Unfortunately, he managed only a few reps before taking himself out of the game last Sunday, as he felt he would re-aggravate his injury. It looks like he’ll be absent against Dallas, and Kirk Cousins will once again rely on backups like Laquon Treadwell and Olabisi Johnson to pick up the slack.

Surprisingly, Treadwell looked excellent when he was given opportunities last week, and fans are hoping he keeps the ball rolling against the Cowboys. Bisi Johnson also picked up his second touchdown of the year, and the Vikings may see the return of Josh Doctson too. He’s been on injured reserve since signing with the Vikings, but it’ll be exciting to see what he brings to the table.

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Vikings vs. Bears – Less Obvious Keys to Victory

After successfully shellacking the Oakland Raiders, the Minnesota Vikings have a crucial game coming up fast. As Vikings radio announcer Paul Allen would say, it’s a division collision with the Chicago Bears. A road win would be quite the statement from the purple and gold, so let’s look at some less talked about keys to victory.

Two New (Old) Players = Advantage Vikings

Soldier Field is a brutal place to play, but the Vikings will enter the game with reinforcements. For those of you who don’t know, GM Rick Spielman decided to get the gang back together. Yes, he brought back wide receiver Laquon Treadwell and punt returner Marcus Sherels in the same day. These signings may seem like nothing more than nostalgia, but they could be just enough to give the Vikings an edge against the Bears. More on that below:

Successful ‘Quon

Laquon Treadwell gets a bad rap for dropping passes. I couldn’t agree more, but let’s not forget his other talents. Treadwell is one of the best blocking receivers in the NFL. The Vikings have clearly moved away from an aerial attack, and they need as many blockers as they can get. With gritty tight end David Morgan still out, Treadwell can fill in as a blocker and create opportunities for Dalvin Cook.

The Uncuttable

After a brief stint with the New Orleans Saints, Marcus Sherels is back in Minnesota. The Vikings lost several players in their first few games, and they came calling for his services earlier this week. As most fans know, Sherels is an elusive punt returner and decent emergency cornerback. Some of his best games have come against the Bears, so let’s hope he mauls ‘em again on Sunday. Divisional matchups tend to be close, so scoring off a punt return would put the Vikings in a great position to win.

Lastly, Cook’s Compliment

You’d have to be blind to not notice Dalvin Cook these past three weeks. He’s been healthy (knock on wood) and leads the league in rushing yards. That said, fans might not be noticing the second man on the depth chart, rookie Alexander Mattison. When called upon, the third-round pick has churned out yards and made defenders miss. Cook can’t be the only one taking pressure off of Cousins, so I expect the Vikings to use Mattison as another weapon on third downs.

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Vikings Make Three Big Moves to Bring Roster to 53

After a long off-season, several weeks of training camp, and four preseason games, Rick Spielman has cut the Vikings roster down to 53 men. With so many talented players vying for a job, cut-day 2019 was one for the books.

Here are some of the top storylines:

“Sloterhouse” Has Fallen

Vikings fans love a good backup quarterback battle, and Kyle Sloter vs. Sean Mannion was no exception. In this case, the vast majority of fans were rooting for Sloter, creating the nickname “Sloterhouse” for his support group. Since coming to Minnesota in 2017, Sloter has been electric each preseason, earning a perfect passer rating of 158.3 during this year’s campaign. 

That said, he’s never given Mike Zimmer the confidence that a game-tested veteran could provide (e.g. Case Keenum, Sean Mannion). Fans will never know exactly what transpired behind closed doors, but reports say Sloter struggled to run the offense and often made the wrong play calls. During games, he could improvise and hide these issues from fans, but he couldn’t hide them from coach Zim. As of Sunday, Sloter is an Arizona Cardinal.

Hakuna Matata

The Vikings reached for Treadwell in the 2016 draft, and he never got into a groove in Minnesota. Despite success in college, the former first-rounder immediately had problems with dropping passes, and he quickly became a mainstay in Minnesota media. “Fans” and analysts have been so harsh on social media, Treadwell recently quoted the Lion King, saying he’ll be “Hakuna Matata,” or “alright” no matter what happened on cut day:

“I have no worries, I’m like Lion King. Hakuna Matata.”

After three middling years, Rick Spielman finally pulled the plug on Treadwell. Earlier reports said Spielman was trying to trade Treadwell for a late-round draft pick, but he wasn’t able to recoup any of his investment. I really hope a change of scenery gets Laquon back on track, and I’m sure on some level he’s glad to move on from Minnesota. Fans are rightfully disappointed in Treadwell and Spielman, but he wasn’t the only first-round bust from the 2016 draft. Wide receiver Josh Doctson, who many fans think the Vikings should have traded up for, was also cut by Washington on Saturday. I’m not saying Spielman made a great pick, but he wasn’t the only one to reach in that draft. 

Kicking Himself

In yet another attempt to solve the Vikings kicking woes, Rick Spielman recently sent a future fifth-round draft pick to Baltimore to acquire Kaare Vedvik. The dual-purpose punter/kicker was very intriguing, but Vedvik had the yips by his first preseason game in purple, and he only slightly improved in the next game. A few missed kicks was all it took for Spielman to pull the plug on the Norwegian prospect, and I’m sure he’s kicking himself for using a fifth-rounder on Kaare. I think it was too early to admit defeat, but I’ll trust Spielman on this one. Despite missing many of his kicks, Vedvik seemed overly confident in front of reporters. Maybe Spielman didn’t want that attitude in the locker room.

P.S., Slick Rick has already signed a new punter and added a rookie kicker to the practice squad since cutting Vedvik. Will this debacle ever end?

Many other football players saw their time in purple come to a close, and we wish them the best of luck elsewhere in the NFL. Hopefully, the Vikings made the right call with these higher-profile players, and we’ll find out in about six months if they put together a championship roster.

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Must-Watch Trio at Vikings Training Camp

Training camp has just begun, and these next two weeks will make or break many Minnesota Vikings careers. Three players in particular are vying for thee valuable roster spots, but there’s no guarantee they’ll make the team. With limited time to prove themselves, who will earn a gig with the purple and gold?

Laquon Treadwell

Saying that Treadwell has a lot to prove during training camp would be an understatement. He’s still chasing the third wide receiver spot, but his “prove it” season already passed and there are rookies nipping at his heels. Most of his money this year is guaranteed, but releasing him would free up a little bit of cap space and open a roster spot. That said, cutting a first round pick marks failure for GM Rick Spielman, and he may treat Treadwell like Cordarelle Patterson. Cordarelle was another botched first-rounder, but Spielman kept him around until his contract expired. Treadwell did train with Kirk Cousins during the offseason… perhaps they found some new chemistry. At the end of the day, everyone wants Treadwell to succeed.

https://twitter.com/mysportsupdate/status/1041378864931524608?lang=en

Aviante Collins

Some Vikings fans may not even know of offensive lineman Aviante Collins, but it’s time to pay attention. The backup guard and tackle received rave reviews from the late Tony Sparano last year, but he was quickly sidelined with an arm injury. Collins can play multiple positions on the line, which is valuable in the injury-plagued NFL. If he has a good camp, he might be able to steal the backup job from veteran Rashod Hill. At the end of the day, Aviante’s fate likely rides on new offensive line coach Rick Dennison.

Kentrell Brothers

Brothers is another name that Vikings fans may not be familiar with. Minnesota already has an excellent linebacker duo with Eric Kendricks playing in the middle, and Anthony Barr at strongside, so Brothers rarely sees the field. After the Vikings drafted him in 2016, the fifth rounder has mainly played on special teams. Special teams is a great place to start, but he hasn’t taken the next step and is heading into a contract year. With young linebackers like Devante Downs and Cam Smith in camp, Brothers has a lot to prove in the coming weeks. Hopefully this will be the year of the Brothers breakthrough.

Which of these three do you think will make the roster? Leave your comments below!

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