Minnesota Vikings News and Links: Depth Already Being Tested

The Vikings added Linebacker Sione Takitaki and Cornerback Tyrek Funderburk to the practice squad after placing Blake Cashman and Ty Chandler on IR. Cashman has had some battles with injuries throughout his career which is unfortunate. I do not know if this site is accurate but it shows several times where he missed games due to hamstrings. He did have a Inguinal Groin Tear is 2021 causing him to miss 10 games. It’s tough. Eric Wilson will probably start for Cashman while he is out. Zavier Scott gets the call for Chandler.

Since Van Ginkel is out this game, we get the chance to see Dallas Turner play a lot more snaps.

I am expecting the Falcons to try and get the ball to Bijan Robinson more this game. The defense is going to have it’s hand full trying to stop the Falcons run game and containing Drake London especially with Okudah out. Cornerback depth is already being tested.

Oh well, there will be some rain this season. I still am predicting the Vikings to win. What say you?

College football promotion note: If you watch college football, there is a post about players we might want to check out.

“I absolutely love it when I see that type of emotion,” said Brady when talking about the emotions McCarthy displayed during the Vikings’ 21-point fourth quarter. “I think it brings you to kind of a higher level of focus. Stands in there, takes a hit, makes a great throw. That game is all about emotional being at kind of a feverish pitch, but also controlled.”

Down 17-6 heading into the fourth quarter on Monday night in his hometown of Chicago, McCarthy led three touchdown drives over a 10-minute span that helped spur the Vikings to a season-opening win. McCarthy’s emotional reaction after scoring the game-sealing touchdown on a 14-yard run went viral, as the 22-year-old quarterback was visibly jacked up, pumping his arms and screaming. He was then swarmed by teammates and coaching staff following the touchdown.

“That was an eruption a little bit of our sideline and kind of what was keeping it together kind of let out in that moment,” said Vikings head coach Kevin O’Connell. “It was big-time to see the team. They voted him a captain. They clearly see something in him. We do as well. This is one game. He did an unbelievable job leading this team back to win. It was a total team effort. But we will use this as a major, major growth moment, and we’ve got a short week and got to get ready to go.”

“I could get there emotionally in a way that probably didn’t look like it on my face,” Brady said. “I think J.J. expresses that a little bit more.”

“I just think that emotion, when you’re electrified as a player, you play with the most focus, the most anticipation. Everything ends up being at the highest sense of alertness,” Brady continued. “So, I love that aspect of his game. You know, he’s just got to keep that going for a long time. That, I believe, is part of your conditioning and that ability to elevate your teammates as well in those big moments.”

“It’s going to be really special,” Jefferson said when asked about playing his first home game of 2025. “Our fans are definitely one of the top, if not the top fan base in the league, so to be able to be in that ‘Bank’ again and to hear that loud noise – and then it’s Sunday night; [Adam Thielen] back in the building. I know the whole stadium is gonna be loud and energetic. I can’t wait for the standing ovation of having J.J. in there for the first time [and] having (No.) 19 [back] in there. Juices are gonna be flowing.”
…
Okudah and Van Ginkel are in the concussion protocol. The Hitman missed several weeks due to an illness and is listed on the injury report. Smith shared recently that his primary focus now is conditioning and that he expects to be back within the month.

Third-year safety Jay Ward nearly eclipsed his single-season high for defensive snaps by logging 25 in the Windy City (he played 35 and 28 total in 2023 and 2024), and held his own, with a 72.8 coverage grade and 79.4 tackling score per PFF. He primarily aligned at free safety and had a few reps in the box and slot.
…
Believing in the prep

Internally, it was never in doubt McCarthy and Co. could reach the flowstate the group hit in the fourth quarter last week. That belief though – fairly or not – didn’t extend to the entire audience until they witnessed it.

That’s a reflection of the world wanting proof before buying into something. It’s hard to argue.

In sports, however, and especially in a scene where snap-neck decisions can amount to six points the wrong way or fuel a 21-point final frame (with a 149.5 passer rating no less), it’s important to invest belief in the person, qualities, execution, and preparation that exists long before the results occur.

Frankly, it’s why McCarthy’s demeanor never changed in his NFL debut in his hometown with an estimated 200-250 family and friends on site to celebrate his knighting as the Vikings new quarterback. It’s why he didn’t react to a ghastly three quarters aside from asking his teammates “Where else would you rather be?” It’s why McCarthy’s teammates rallied; the defense stiffened; the offense came alive; and Head Coach Kevin O’Connell and his staff never wavered from the belief they held before the night.

McCarthy is going to meet more adversity. He won’t win NFC Player of the Week honors every time he graces the gridiron. But the team’s belief in him and the power of manifestation will reap positive results.

“I’ve just tried to lean on the fact that a lot of the guys that have the belief they do and had it before we took the field on Monday night, they hopefully have reasons why – beyond just the fact that we all believed J.J. is made of the right stuff, and we all believed he would respond in those moments,” O’Connell detailed his mental philosophy and its greater effect. “But that’s my hope with a lot of things, not just the young quarterback. That’s my hope with our football team, where we can start to really believe deep down inside and expect good things to happen based upon how we have prepared with training camp and the whole offseason to make sure in those moments we shouldn’t be shocked by it, we should be expecting it and getting in the huddle and getting ready to snap the ball again and do it again and again, as a football team, and do whatever it takes to try to win.”
…
Beware: Bijan Robinson

Nine NFL players, including the Falcons running back, notched 100 or more receiving yards Week 1.

In other words, Bijan Robinson is an all-purpose threat.

Last year, leading into the Week 14 contest against Atlanta, O’Connell recalled studying Robinson in the 2023 draft process: “I remember really watching, a couple times, him and [Jahmyr] Gibbs, and just really thinking, ‘Either one of these guys are gonna be incredibly impactful’,” he said about the ascending back.

That assessment was on the nose.

Through two seasons and a game, Robinson is responsible for 3,474 scrimmage yards and 24 touchdowns. The only players with more yards from scrimmage in that span are Derrick Henry (3,677) and Saquon Barkley (3,609). Robinson, however, has touched the ball fewer times than both of them.

Robinson snared both of Michael Penix, Jr. ‘s pass attempts on the Falcons game-opening drive that he ended with a 50-yard score.

“The touchdown catch was a checkdown in space, and [Bijan] turned it into a massive explosive play – breaking tackles, finding grass, and scoring (from midfield),” O’Connell described Robinson’s playmaking.

That’s why he’s “one of the best at his position,” the coach affirmed.

Flores added: “In space [he’s] as hard to tackle as there is in the National Football League.”

Robinson possesses great vision, plus speed to outrun defenders to the perimeter, agility to make them tackle air and physicality. He also has a receiver-like route tree, enabling him to “ruin the game,” Flores commented. “So we’ve got to pay very close attention to him. … We need 11 hats running to the football. We’ve got to play with good technique, good fundamentals. We’ve got to set edges. We’ve got to do everything. But you can do everything right and he can still bounce out of there. That’s likely to happen. And so that’s where you build in your resilience as a team and you line up and play the next play and do that over and over again for 60 minutes, one play at a time, and see what happens at the end.”
…
Top Quote of Week 2
Special Teams Coordinator Matt Daniels on rookie punt returner Myles Price’s fearlessness

“I tell the guys all the time about the ‘Man in the Arena’. Surely everyone’s seen Gladiator. There’s only so many man-in-the-arena [situations] in the NFL, when you start talking about 70,000 people looking at one person on a play. Really, the returner is that, the quarterback is that, the kicker is that. So it takes a lot of mental toughness and grit to kind of be that person. And the mental makeup of Myles says a lot about who he is and what you really appreciate, and it’s something you really look for in that position.”

Kevin O’Connell on Christian Darrisaw, Defensive Line, Defense’s Depth, Home Opener vs. Falcons & More
https://www.vikings.com/video/kevin-o-connell-on-christian-darrisaw-defensive-line-defense-s-depth-home-opener-vs-falcons-more

CAN THE FALCONS RUN THE FOOTBALL?
The Falcons feature one of the NFL’s best running back duos, but Bijan Robinson and Tyler Allgeier combined for just 48 yards on 22 carries (2.18 yards per carry). A lot of that has to do with a stout Tampa front that was top four in the NFL last season in rushing yards allowed (97.8), but Sunday night will offer another daunting test.

The Vikings had the league’s second-best run-stuffing unit last season, allowing a paltry 93.4 yards per game and league-best EPA/rush allowed.

“I feel like the first game, we weren’t able to get the run game going,” offensive coordinator Zac Robinson said this week. “We’ve got two of the best backs in the league, so that’s something that we definitely always want to make sure that we have, and being able to go out there and display that. This past week, we didn’t do the best at that, but I know the guys will be determined and ready for this week and the coming up weeks.”

Will Ragatz: Vikings 34, Falcons 24
After knocking off three quarters of rust and coming to life in the fourth quarter on Monday, I’m expecting the Vikings’ offense to hit the ground running in this one. J.J. McCarthy’s big finish should give him all kinds of confidence heading into his first home game. Jordan Mason figures to be more heavily involved in the first half than he was last week. And even with A.J. Terrell across from him, Justin Jefferson typically doesn’t stay quiet for long. This Falcons defense, outside of a few players, isn’t very good.

On the other side of the ball, the Vikings not having Andrew Van Ginkel and Blake Cashman is a bit concerning, but they should still be able to generate plenty of pass rush with Jonathan Greenard, Jonathan Allen, Javon Hargrave, and Dallas Turner. At linebacker, Eric Wilson is a capable fill-in for Cashman. Michael Penix Jr. and Bijan Robinson will put up yards, but Brian Flores’ defense will also come up with a key takeaway or two in a 10-point win.

Joe Nelson: Vikings 42, Falcons 17
There is no possible way the Falcons are leaving Minneapolis with a win. If Atlanta can’t beat the Bucs at home when they controlled the ball for 35 minutes and didn’t turn it over, they sure as heck aren’t coming to U.S. Bank Stadium to beat the juggernaut Vikings. I’m predicting at least four touchdowns for J.J McCarthy in a performance that will leave future opponents shaking in their boots.

Tony Liebert: Falcons 27, Vikings 23
Jonathan Harrison: Vikings 28, Falcons 14

Vikings 23, Falcons 21 – Pete Prisco, CBS Sports

The Falcons lost a tough one at home to the Bucs, while the Vikings rallied to beat the Bears. J.J. McCarthy played well in the fourth quarter to lead the Vikings back. The Falcons did some good things on offense, and I think that will keep them in this one with another solid showing. Vikings will win a close one, but Michael Penix, Jr., will keep his team in it.

Vikings 21, Falcons 20 – Bill Bender, Sporting News

Vikings 30, Falcons 20 – Vinnie Iyer, Sporting News

Michael Penix, Jr., and J.J. McCarthy get a good chance to test their Year 2 skills against each other in similar offensive schemes. Penix was meh in connecting with his top targets in Week 1, while McCarthy will be more locked in at home with Justin Jefferson and with his defense creating some short fields.

5 of 5 experts pick the Vikings, NFL.com

Analysis from NFL.com’s Dan Parr:

Michael Penix, Jr., has had some tough luck in the early going of his NFL career, losing his last three starts — two in overtime — despite leading drives to put the Falcons in position to tie the game in the last two minutes of regulation in all three contests. I’m just not sure his luck will change against Brian Flores’ defense in Minnesota.

If J.J. McCarthy has indeed put his shaky start to Week 1 completely behind him, the game could boil down to how Penix handles the blitz. No team brings extra rushers at a higher rate than the Vikings since Flores was hired before the start of the 2023 season (45.7%). Penix fared well against the Buccaneers blitz in last week’s loss, but his performance in those situations since entering the league (yes, it’s a small sample size) has left something to be desired (1:1 TD-INT ratio, 58.3% completions, 79.8 rating on 48 dropbacks).

2 of 7 experts pick the Vikings, Bleacher Report
Bleacher Report analysis by Gary Davenport:

The Vikings and Falcons are polar opposites when it comes to pressuring opposing quarterbacks, and that’s going to matter a lot in Week 2.

Add in watching J.J. McCarthy go from totally overmatched to record-setter on the road in his hometown in his NFL debut, and the Vikings are just better.

Bleacher Report analysis by Brent Sobleski:

A missed field goal cost the Falcons dearly in Week 1. However, the offense moved the ball with 358 yards against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Michael Penix Jr. is a far more decisive thrower than Caleb Williams, which will make the Vikings job far more difficult on defense in Week 2, because the Bears QB had multiple throws and plays he outright missed during Monday Night Football.

Penix is more likely to take advantage of those situations, especially against a suspect secondary versus Atlanta’s talented group of skill-position performers.

“I can promise you guys that my excitement for Dallas Turner, every time I’ve had a chance to talk with you, has been real. It’s been authentic. It’s been genuine,” said O’Connell on Friday. I hope you think all the things that I say to you guys is real, authentic and genuine, but I’m so excited for him, just because there is a personal football journey that takes place with every player in the NFL, and the jump that he is currently experiencing will be highlighted clearly with Gink [Van Ginkel] being out this week, but we have viewed it from day one as three potential starters.

“The one downside is we loved the fact that we had all three of them on the field together in so many situations last week in different personnel groupings. Dallas will clearly take on a bigger role. Flow [Brian Flores] already mentioned it. In our minds, he played more than the snaps he even did on Monday night, and that snap count is clearly going to go up this weekend. Should stay up with keeping such a strong position on our team rested and ready to go in and make an impact, and using those guys in that rotation.”

His versatility gives Flores a lot of different options on defense, especially with that added strength.

“I thought he played very well last week,” said Flores during his Thursday press conference. “When I look back and saw the snap counts, I thought he played more, and we should have gotten him in more. He’s doing a lot of good things.

“[We are]very confident in Dallas, and I think he’s taking a lot of steps forward. At the end of the day, we got to see that performance on the field. But he was confident last week. He played physical. He did a lot of good things. And we’re going to need that from him, you know, regardless of who’s here. So hopefully, he’s doing a lot of positive things.”

Five words foreshadowed J.J. McCarthy’s future.

“The process is the progress,” the quarterback said more than a year ago.

McCarthy was passing along the team mantra of Head Coach Kevin O’Connell’s choosing. The youngster shared the sentiment during his first training camp chat with media not long before tearing his meniscus.

Well, close enough anyway.
…
On Wednesday of this week, with McCarthy’s inspiring comeback in his hometown Chicago on Monday Night Football still fresh in the sporting world, Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer included a question and answer pertaining to O’Connell’s success with a litany of quarterbacks in his Week 1 NFL mailbag article.

In an attempt to shed light on O’Connell’s formula (folks, it’s simpler than you’d imagine), Breer dug through the archives of his conversations with the reigning NFL Coach of the Year and stuck on a quote he liked from August 2024, prior to Minnesota’s QB battle being determined out of McCarthy’s control.

“I’ve used this term — progress is the process,” O’Connell remarked to Breer last year. “I’ve always said process over results, but what is process? It’s just progress. Good, bad, how do I get better? Compartmentalize the results as you’re learning, but never miss the chance to stack some confidence from the s—t you’re doing well. That’s where it’s really cool, the intangibles, the work ethic, the physical traits of playing the position, the athleticism. I’ve seen all the things I hoped to see from J.J. and more.

“Now it’s just a matter of how comfortable and how second nature we can get him playing the position at an NFL level from a consistency standpoint,” the former quarterback continued. “Everybody thinks that when [J.J.] eventually plays, it’s going to be perfect. No plan involves no adversity when you start playing quarterback in the NFL. Talk to Patrick Mahomes. He experiences it every single week. That’s the nature of quarterback development that I don’t think everybody always understands every layer to it.”
…
In doing so, McCarthy aligned himself with what O’Connell strives to unearth in his quarterbacks.

“It’s not just, OK, ‘How are you going to respond to an interception?’ It’s stacking plays of doing your job, regardless of the result, and then when the results don’t happen, identifying why and moving forward to make sure you try not to make the same mistake twice. You try to make sure you’re able to do some things to help that player get back into a rhythm, get back into a place where they can consistently operate,” O’Connell explained his scope of practice to Breer early last season. “I don’t know if that always happens without some litmus test of millions of people deciding that this guy can or can’t in that moment. That’s always what I have viewed as one of the main issues with how these situations play out.”

Right or wrong, the litmus test happened quick, and Breer took notice of the outcome:

[It] says everything about how O’Connell works with his quarterbacks. He balances leaning into what they do well while continuing to develop them and prioritizing their confidence in playing the position as well as anyone. What’s resulted from it, of course, tells you all you need to know about O’Connell as a coach.

Reaching the NFL

Vershon Lee is not yet a household name, but his story is compelling.

One of 16 players on Minnesota’s practice squad, Lee joined the Vikings after going undrafted out of South Carolina and bouncing around a couple different rookie minicamp tryouts. He’s got the size, at 6-foot-4 and 318 pounds, and the versatility, evidenced by starting at three separate positions over 40 games in the SEC (18 at center, 16 at left guard and six at right tackle). But that’s not his greatest trait.

Lee’s real superpower is resiliency.

David Fawcett of InsideNova shared a story this week about the 23-year-old Woodbridge, Virginia, native. Specifically, it’s the account of Lee pushing through NFL Draft preparations after the most difficult moment in his life – the unfathomable sudden passing of his father, best friend and mentor, Vernon Lee.

Vershon’s father died in a car accident in early February, two days before his 58th birthday.

“I think about him all the time,” Vershon said. “He always believed in me.”

Here’s an excerpt from Fawcett’s feature on Lee:

(Vershon’s mother) Chantelle sees positives coming out of Vernon’s death. Coming from a Christian family, Vershon reads his Bible every day and soaks in its promises to help carry him through tough times.

Vernon’s death, she believes, prompted Vershon to rely on God even more and know there’s more to our lives than just the here and now.

One scripture, Chantelle says, comes to mind. It’s from 2 Corinthians 5:7-9: “For we live by faith, not by sight. We are confident, I say, and would prefer to be away from the body and at home with the Lord. So we make it our goal to please him, whether we are at home in the body or away from it.”

Although his father is no longer here in person, Vershon still knows Vernon is a part of him and that he and his mother and sister “were loved by one of the best people God ever created,” Chantelle said.

Predictions
Lewis: Vikings 20, Falcons 17. It helps to have center Ryan Kelly. If he weren’t active, it’d probably push me to pick Atlanta. That’s how valuable I view him. In the end, this is a pick based on home-field advantage and coaching edge. The Vikings’ corners must tackle, and turnovers must be avoided.

An afternoon practice in late August had just ended and Ryan Kelly was sauntering off the field smiling with his neck roll jutting out from the top of his large pads and the 2025 season in sight.

Moments later, still dripping sweat in 75-degree weather, Kelly scoffed and said, “Oh, dude – easy!”

He rattled off the names like each was his current quarterback: Andrew Luck, Scott Tolzien, Jacoby Brisset, Brian Hoyer, Phillip Rivers, Carson Wentz, Matt Ryan, Sam Ehlinger, Nick Foles, Anthony Richardson, Gardner Minshew and Joe Flacco. Twelve starters he snapped to over a nine-season span with the Colts, who drafted him 18th overall in 2016 to shore up the offensive line in Luck’s prime.

Kelly amazingly recalled each. Unbelievably, he did so in precise order and included their correct years.

His 13th different starting quarterback, of course, is J.J. McCarthy.

We caught up with the four-time Pro Bowl center and father of three to gather his thoughts on heading into his 10th season, reconnecting with teammates and building bonds in Minnesota’s locker room.

Q: So you’re entering Year 10 – what do you love so much about football?

A: I heard Jason Kelce say it one time, you start to get toward the end of your career – maybe not the end, but you’re certainly closer to the end than the beginning – and it’s still the game where you can be the best at what you do in the world. I had missed some time last year with a knee injury and came back strong at the end of the season and really felt like I could still do this at a high level. Ultimately, I ended up in Minnesota and I feel like it’s a rebirth for my career, just a change of pace, which I feel like I needed. It’s great to be surrounded by great players and proving yourself. I knew a lot of the AFC, but I wasn’t really proven to a lot of the NFC. You come to a different team, a different division, and you’ve got to prove who you are again. I think that’s an exciting thing as a veteran guy, and certainly a challenge.
…
Q: I’m assuming it’s fun starting this chapter with your former Colts teammate Will Fries. How glad were you to reunite with the person who played right beside you over the past four seasons?

A: First of all I don’t call him Will. I call him Spud. He got to Indy as a rookie, and I was like, ‘Oh, I don’t really like calling you Will or Fries.’ Neither of them really roll off the tongue. I was like, ‘All right, well, Fries, Potato – Spud.’ And sure enough, Spud stuck. I haven’t called him Will in five years now. So that nickname has taken over here. Pretty proud of that one. When he got to Indy, I viewed him as a big guy who was very passionate about getting better. I think you could see the hard work. When he got to Indy, no one knew – was he a tackle? Was he a guard? And he kind of got thrust in ‘22 into being a right guard. And the work that nobody saw that he put in and how much he cared about his craft, doing things for his body, his mind, learning the game, learning how to be a technician inside the game is really impressive.
…
Q: You’ve previously mentioned that J.J. McCarthy’s maturity amazes you. Can you elaborate?

A: Fans just see the player and they can see how he talks during interviews. Obviously, he does the little things extremely well, and I think that carries over in the locker room, but what people don’t see is his ability and understanding that it’s not just the offense he has to connect with. It’s the training staff, it’s the equipment staff, it’s the defense, it’s the PR people – everybody who makes up the organization. When you have a true quarterback, a true leader, I think he understands at a young age what that does for the team; he’s that franchise guy. When you start to look at his daily routine of what he does and who he talks to it’s not just the guys who directly impact his career. It’s everybody. I think that goes a long way for the whole organization. And then certainly, he’s got a deep, deep love for the guys up front. Whether it’s golfing or going out to dinners and stuff like that, he has always been amazing. He came to an on-line dinner in Nashville for the preseason when he could have been with family. He makes the sacrifices and understands the concrete you build carries and pays big dividends in the long run.

Q: Not to age you or anything, but being 10 years older than J.J., what is some advice you’ve shared?

A: It’s just little nuggets along the way. Whether it’s a 3x1 formation and I’m telling him, ‘In my experience, this is how coordinators think in 3x1 versus 2x2’ – things like that, that involve on-field stuff – or if it’s the way you command the huddle. In a play call, the only person that needs to know everything for the most part is the quarterback. At some point, the offensive line doesn’t need to know the route; wide receivers don’t need to know the protection. Everybody’s got a piece of this long huddle call. And the way that he pronounces it and looks everybody in the eye at different times gives everybody in the huddle the assurance that this is the best play. This is the touchdown play. This is the next one. I’ve been around great quarterbacks, I’ve been around a lot of them, and I think those guys have the ability to speak to each person without looking each one in the eye, right? It’s the way to tell them with the inflection in your voice that this is gonna be the best play we got. That’s such a special thing. So small things like that, and he’s gonna be a father soon, so some dad stuff along the way, too.

Q: What are the little ‘dad nuggets’ you have passed to him?

A: I told him, ‘Man, everybody thinks that at some point they’ll be ready.’ That’s the biggest myth in life: ‘I’ll be ready to get married. I’ll be ready to have a kid or two kids or three kids.’ No one’s ready for that. There’s not a handbook for how to be a dad. You just learn how to be adaptable in your life because there’s things that you can’t control that are gonna happen. Whether it’s professionally, being a father, being a husband. And I think it makes you a better football player, how you’re able to adjust, because you do it every day. I think the game means more when you become a father. You appreciate things differently. There’s the diaper questions and all those, too, but he’s got to figure that out on his own.

Colin Cowherd has flipped his opinion of J.J. McCarthy faster than McCarthy led the Vikings to a comeback victory over the Bears in his NFL debut on Monday night. But it’s not because he suddenly believes McCarthy has all the traits to be a great player.

“I don’t know how good J.J. McCarthy is. I don’t know how good Bo Nix is. But I suspect they’re both going to win their division a lot, and over the course of 15 years they’re going to win a bunch of games,” Cowherd said Thursday.

Why, after spending the past year criticizing McCarthy and questioning his arm talent, does Cowherd think McCarthy is going to lead the Vikings to a bunch of division titles and wins?

“Because I think Kevin O’Connell is the best young offensive coach in football,” Cowherd explained.

“J.J. McCarthy: Jim Harbaugh to Kevin O’Connell. I’m sorry, a part of his success is that,” Cowherd said.

“It’s not fair. Baker Mayfield got Cleveland and Hugh Jackson. (Patrick) Mahomes got Andy Reid and the Hunt family,” Cowherd continued. “Listen, man, we all know this the longer you live: Parenting is not fair. Some people get bad parents and bad bosses and bad coaches.”

Again, we all know the rules, but in case someone is new:

0 Comments