The Minnesota Vikings are on to Cincinnati.
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Tight end Kyle Rudolph, a Cincinnati native who was recovering from a broken foot in 2013 when the teams last met here, is looking forward to the practices and any snaps in the game. “We’ll get a chance to go sharpen our skills and they’re going to sharpen their’s”. The VIkes starts off with a preseason tilt against the Cincinnati Bengals who have taken a step back in seems this season after some off season moves and the suspension to Vontaze Burfict but they will still be in the running as they have a deep team and could do some damage in the AFC.
“I think both guys are playing really at a high level, and I think both guys are good players, ” said Vikings offensive coordinator Norv Turner. “Guys start to get on each other’s nerves a little bit”.
Added Zimmer: “Obviously, they’re a good football team, and I have a great relationship with Marvin and the Browns”. Right now they have a great product on the field, a very optimistic year, you’re coming off of a playoff year, you’re going into a new stadium so there’s a lot of excitement for it and that’s really what drives those numbers more than anything. “I think that helped a lot, (plus) being able to get some good players in here”. Adrian Peterson will continue to be a top five running back and quarterback Teddy Bridgewater finally has the line and wide receivers to improve on being the 31st ranked passing attack in the league. “Marvin and I have been together for so long, I said, ‘What do you want to do?’ And he said, ‘How about we do this?’ And I said, ‘Fine.’ He sent me the script”.
“Things are different now”, he said. The difference? Treadwell caught 82 balls for more than 1,100 yards a year ago with 11 touchdowns while Core went 37, 644, four. While Bridgewater’s statistics have not been overly impressive, his ability to make smart decisions with the football and lead the team down the field during the waning moments of games, has.
Sullivan was Minnesota’s starting center for six seasons until missing all of a year ago because of back surgery.
It would appear the heat and humidity Wednesday in Cincinnati took a toll on the chance for Minnesota Vikings second-year cornerback Trae Waynes to make a bold statement about his chances of living up to his first-round draft status as the 11th pick in the 2015 draft. During this year’s camp, all reports have been dramatically different, and many believe that the game has slowed down for the young linebacker. The team came to Mankato to start to install a game plan and instill a culture, and they made progress.
The defense hasn’t changed a whole lot – most of the same players, most of the same schemes – while Zimmer has turned the Vikings back into a victor.
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Middle linebacker Eric Kendricks also is battling an undisclosed injury from Saturday night’s intrasquad scrimmage. Before the game, there’ll be a joint practice with their opponent.
