DAILY CLIPS

WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 17, 2018 LOCAL NEWS: Wednesday, October 17, 2018

Pioneer Press

The perfect pregame speech, featuring Vikings QB By Dane Mizutani https://www.twincities.com/2018/10/16/the-anatomy-of-a-perfect-pregame-speech-featuring-vikings-qb- kirk-cousins/

Star Tribune

Six down, one left as tries to catch a Charlie from '61 By Mark Craig http://www.startribune.com/six-down-one-left-as-adam-thielen-chases-a-charlie-from-61/497714321/

Owatonna middle school students do the 'Kirk Cousins dance' By Michael Rand http://www.startribune.com/owatonna-middle-school-students-do-the-kirk-cousins-dance/497691781/

Film review: How well-timed blitzes helped Vikings regain NFL's top third-down defense By Andrew Krammer http://www.startribune.com/film-review-how-well-timed-blitzes-helped-vikings-regain-nfls-top-third-down-defense/497683811/

Flags aren't flying as grounds By Mark Craig http://www.startribune.com/flags-arent-flying-as-danielle-hunter-grounds-quarterbacks/497797091/

Vikings.com

Game Preview: Vikings at Jets By Craig Peters https://www.vikings.com/news/game-preview-vikings-at-jets

10 Vikings-Jets Numbers of Note: Hunter Tied for NFL Lead with 7 Sacks By Eric Smith https://www.vikings.com/news/10-vikings-jets-numbers-of-note-hunter-tied-for-nfl-lead-with-7-sacks

Chris Doleman Gifts Hall of Fame Bust to Vikings Museum By Eric Smith https://www.vikings.com/news/chris-doleman-gifts-hall-of-fame-bust-to-vikings-museum

Anthony Barr Announces 4 ‘Raise the Barr’ Scholarship Recipients By Lindsey Young https://www.vikings.com/news/anthony-barr-announces-4-raise-the-barr-scholarship-recipients

Vikings Bring Back DT David Parry By Craig Peters https://www.vikings.com/news/vikings-bring-back-dt-david-parry

Lunchbreak: Thielen’s TD Listed Among Week 6’s Game-Changing Plays By Eric Smith https://www.vikings.com/news/lunchbreak-thielen-s-td-listed-among-week-6-s-game-changing-plays

Statement on the Passing of Seahawks Owner Paul Allen By Ownership https://www.vikings.com/news/statement-on-the-passing-of-seahawks-owner-paul-allen

VIKING Update

Assessing batted passes, latest Cousins By Tim Yotter https://247sports.com/nfl/minnesota-vikings/Article/Assessing-Cousins-fumble-batted-passes-123407049/

1500 ESPN

Prepping for another rookie: How the Vikings’ defense slows inexperienced QBs By Matthew Coller http://www.1500espn.com/vikings-2/2018/10/prepping-another-rookie-vikings-defense-slows-inexperienced-qbs/

The subtle effectiveness of the Vikings’ tight ends By Matthew Coller http://www.1500espn.com/news/2018/10/subtle-effectiveness-vikings-tight-ends/

Vikings bring back DT Parry, add James to practice squad By Matthew Coller http://www.1500espn.com/vikings-2/2018/10/vikings-bring-back-dt-parry-add-james-practice-squad/

The Athletic

Vikings Film Room: This is what excellent execution looks like By Arif Hasan https://theathletic.com/593633/2018/10/16/vikings-film-room-cardinals-excellent-execution-kirk-cousins-adam-thielen-defense/

NATIONAL NEWS: Wednesday, October 17, 2018

USA TODAY

Vikings place rookie CB Hughes on IR, re-sign DT Parry By AP https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/nfl/2018/10/16/vikings-place-rookie-cb-hughes-on-ir-re-sign-dt-parry/38176933/

PUBLICATION: Pioneer Press DATE: 10/17/18

The perfect pregame speech, featuring Vikings QB Kirk Cousins

By Dane Mizutani

To the shock of most of his teammates, Kirk Cousins barreled into the pregame huddle a couple of weeks ago with the Vikings ready to run onto the field for kickoff against the Philadelphia Eagles.

“I’m changing it up today!” Cousins screamed. “I’ve got it, guys!”

With everyone’s eyes fixated on him, the 30-year-old ripped off his helmet, fixed his hair, and dove headfirst into a passionate 30-second sermon. The son of a preacher, he mixed fire and fury with a few choice words (sorry, Dad) following his grand entrance.

“We talked all week about finishing!” Cousins hollered as his pregame speech built toward a crescendo. “Finish every block! Finish every tackle! Finish every play! Finish the damn game!”

Minnesota Vikings ✔ @Vikings That's our quarterback.#Skol

3:11 PM - Oct 7, 2018 9,060 2,517 people are talking about this Twitter Ads info and privacy That got the Vikings pumped and headed toward a rousing 23-21 victory over the reigning Super Bowl champions. They didn’t look anything like the team that lost its previous two games.

Coincidence?

Well, nose tackle Linval Joseph, who is more or less in charge of the Vikings’ pregame speechifying, wasn’t ready to mess with the juju. Instead, he implored Cousins to take the mic again before last week’s game against the .

“He told me on the flight back, he said, ‘You got it next week,’ ” Cousins recalled, noting he quickly obliged. “In pregame he looked at me and pointed. That was enough for me to know I better bring it. I gave him the thumbs up.”

Once again, Cousins managed to set the Vikings ablaze, this time turning his focus to the defense.

“I’ve been a rookie quarterback before,” Cousins said, referring to Cardinals signal-caller Josh Rosen. “You can suffocate him! Make his life miserable! All game long! Get us the ball back!”

At that point, it seems, Cousins could have started speaking in tongues and it wouldn’t have mattered. He was preaching to the choir. He closed sermon with an ode to legendary wrestler Dan Gable.

“I shoot, I score!” Cousins shouted, imploring his teammates to join in. “You shoot, I score!”

Minnesota Vikings ✔ @Vikings "When I shoot, I score. When you shoot, I score."

Another week, another    pregame speech from @KirkCousins8.

11:55 AM - Oct 14, 2018 12.2K 3,243 people are talking about this Twitter Ads info and privacy What followed was another stellar performance from the Vikings (3-2-1), who beat the Cardinals 27-17.

For those keeping track at home, that means the Vikings are 2-0 when Cousins gives a pregame speech. Not bad for a guy who refers to himself as “a reluctant leader” when it comes to being a vocal presence.

Maybe that’s what has made the pregame speeches so effective.

“Well, a guy like Kirk he doesn’t really say much, so when he gets in there, he gives us that juice,” safety said. “It’s like, ‘Dang. This is Kirk saying this.’ It’s different from when a guy like is saying it because he’s always juiced up. It’s different when it comes from a guy like Kirk because he usually doesn’t say much.”

While some players, including Kearse, have been surprised by Cousins’ recent outbursts, left guard Tom Compton has come to expect them from one of his best friends.

“That’s just Kirk,” Compton said with a laugh. “He gets fired up. I’ve seen it before. That’s just how he is on game day. He’s always ready to go. He’s got really good energy, and when a guy has that, he can say pretty much anything to get the guys going.”

It raises the question: What is more important in a pregame speech, the words or the energy?

“Just as long as it’s from the heart,” receiver said. “It has to be real. You have to feel the truth behind it. There’s some guys that just got through the motions up there and say whatever. If it’s from the heart, we can feel it. That’s what he does a good job of. He just speaks from the heart and says what’s on his mind at the time.”

“It’s a healthy combination of both,” defensive end Stephen Weatherly added. “Sometimes guys have too much passion and their words get lost. Other times guys have the right words and not the right gusto. He has a great balance of both.”

Since becoming the face of the franchise after signing a three-year, $84 million contract in the offseason, Cousins has been navigating the best ways to lead from his new role. He praised the team for handing him the keys right away and giving him a license to lead. That said, he wanted to make sure he didn’t step on toes along the way, especially considering the team has a locker room full of leaders.

“In Week 6 going into Week 7, I think we’re past tiptoeing in,” Cousins said. “In April and May there was kind of time to feel my way through things. Maybe a little bit even in July. As soon as the season gets going, it is full steam ahead. I’ve got to be me and lead anyway I can.”

He has been doing that with his stellar play. But lately, that’s meant giving the pregame speeches, something Cousins has no problem doing moving forward.

“You’ll have to ask Linval,” Cousins said when asked if he plans to continue the trend next week against the New York Jets. “It’s his show. I just do what he tells me. I try to keep him happy.” PUBLICATION: Star Tribune DATE: 10/17/18

Six down, one left as Adam Thielen tries to catch a Charlie from '61

By Mark Craig

The late Charlie Hennigan would have loved Adam Thielen.

That’s good to know, but, uh, who the heck was Charlie Hennigan?

Well, for starters, Charlie Hennigan is the only player in the NFL record book to start a season with seven consecutive 100-yard receiving games. Thielen can tie that mark when the Vikings visit the Jets on Sunday.

Secondly, Hennigan was the Adam Thielen of yesteryear in terms of a small-school nobody seizing a sliver of opportunity and becoming a big-league somebody.

Undrafted by the NFL out of Northwestern (La.) State in 1958, the 6-1, 187-pounder tried the CFL. He lasted one month with the Edmonton Eskimos.

He was done with football. Back in Louisiana, he was teaching high school biology and making less than $3,000 a year.

In 1960, the upstart League needed players for a new brand of football. Hennigan hitchhiked from Louisiana to Houston to try out for Bud Adams’ Oilers.

He got the job. But few noticed. The news of the day was Adams outbidding the NFL’s Los Angeles Rams for , the LSU running back, 1959 Heisman Trophy winner and No. 1 overall draft pick.

John McClain, a longtime Pro Football Hall of Fame selector and one of the country’s most respected NFL reporters, was 8 years old in 1960. Living in Waco, he was 90 miles from Dallas, where the expansion Cowboys were going 0-11-1 in the NFL, and 180 miles from Houston, where the Oilers and 33-year-old quarterback were slinging the ball all over the yard en route to the AFL’s first two titles.

“We were crazy about the Cowboys, but they didn’t win a game and they wouldn’t throw the ball,” McClain said. “CBS showed the Cowboys. NBC put on this new , and the whole idea was to not just be 3 yards and a cloud of dust. They were fun to watch.”

It was a forward-thinking concept that would force a merger with the NFL a decade later. And with that merger came the AFL’s statistics.

And, boy oh boy, did the Oilers put up futuristic numbers. A five-time All-Star and member of the AFL’s all-time team, Hennigan’s 1,746 yards receiving in 1961 stood as a record until Jerry Rice had 1,848 yards 34 years later.

Blanda, the future Hall of Famer, was the key. Having already played 10 seasons with the Bears, he was retired in 1959, but came back and played 16 more years, until he was 48.

“George wanted to throw it every down, and he had a lot of pull with the coaches,” said receiver , who still lives in the Houston area. “And Charlie and I were ex-track guys. I was a 100- and 220-yard sprinter. He was a quarter-•miler. He went to LSU on a track scholarship but transferred when they wouldn’t let him play football.

“I came from an even smaller school, Heidelberg College in Tiffin, Ohio. But you couldn’t double either one of us or the other would make you pay.”

Groman had 50 catches for 1,175 (23.5 average) and 17 in 1961. Hennigan, who died last December, had 12 touchdowns and averaged 21.3 yards on 82 catches. His 10 100- yard games in a 14-game season stood until 1995, when Michael Irvin had 11 in a 16-game season.

But Hennigan’s three 200-yard games that year still stand as a record. So does Groman’s mark of 27 receiving touchdowns in his first 25 games.

As a team, the ’61 Oilers started 1-3-1 before firing coach . They replaced him with former assistant Wally Lemm, who had retired after the 1960 AFL title game, and didn’t lose another game that season.

“After Lemm took over, Blanda and those receivers really took off,” McClain said. “And this was a time when they didn’t have all the rules protecting the receivers. Hennigan and Groman were one of the greatest receiving duos in history.”

Hennigan’s historic start has gone untouched for 56 seasons. Thielen can catch him on Sunday. PUBLICATION: Star Tribune DATE: 10/17/18

Owatonna middle school students do the 'Kirk Cousins dance'

By Michel Rand

Welcome to the Tuesday edition of The Cooler, where sometimes you start a revolution without even knowing it. Let’s get to it:

*The Vikings have made celebrations a thing, and quarterback Kirk Cousins … well, he displayed a very special brand of partying on Sunday after scoring in a 27-17 win over the Cardinals.

You’ve surely seen by now what Cousins calls the Dead Arm Dance — borrowed from Adam Thielen, who brought it from his college days in Mankato, where local boys probably learned it from watching their fathers awkwardly try to dance at VFW wedding receptions through the years.

Listen: Soccer section playoffs open the door to fall madness Listen: Soccer section playoffs open the door to fall madness In the latest Talking Preps podcast, prep writers Jim Paulsen and David La Vaque discuss city vs. suburban soccer supremacy on the road to state and set up Wednesday as the final night of regular-season football. Mock Cousins if you must, but know this: If imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, then he has some big fans in Owatonna.

Josh Storm, the head boys’ hockey coach at Owatonna High and a physical education teacher at the middle school, posted a video Monday of some of his weight training class students doing the Cousins Dance in tribute.

I’m not sure if this will quite catch on like the Skol clap, but let’s take a look at the video:

josh storm @joshuajstorm @Vikings @KirkCousins8 Weight training students working on the Kirk Cousins dance today in Owatonna

2:55 PM - Oct 15, 2018 229 28 people are talking about this Twitter Ads info and privacy *Former Cowboys tight end Jason Witten has had a rough transition to the broadcast booth, and on Monday night he became a Twitter punchline when he declared that, in the midst of a comeback win over San Francisco, the Packers’ Aaron Rodgers pulled another rabbit out of his … head?

Yes, that’s what he said.

I fully expect this to become a novelty T-shirt within 48 hours, but in the mean time give Witten credit for this: Shortly after the game ended, he went on Twitter and owned the amusing gaffe with a tweet of his own.

Jason Witten ✔ @JasonWitten Aaron Rodgers pulls another rabbit out of his head!! � ♂️� ♂️ 

10:48 PM - Oct 15, 2018 14.5K 1,973 people are talking about this Twitter Ads info and privacy *Sometimes things get lost in translation when athletes talk. But I still keep circling back to this quote from Wild wing Zach Parise after Monday’s 4-2 loss at Nashville.

“I know we didn’t win the game,” Parise said. “But at least we were involved.”

It sounds worse than it is, of course, with Parise trying to express that despite the loss the Wild can take some positives out of the way it played — particularly in comparison to the first four games of the season when Minnesota was badly outshot.

But it still doesn’t sound good, particularly for a team in Game 5 of a pivotal season for the direction of the franchise. It’s a message of hanging on, not moving forward.

*Nobody cares, and nobody asked, but you all will bear witness to my fantasy football relief nonetheless. In the midst of Jimmy Butler Drama this week, I neglected to set my fantasy football lineup before Thursday’s game in both my leagues.

Sometimes that’s not a problem; this week it was less than ideal given that the Eagles played Thursday and injured running Jay Ajayi was in both of my starting lineups.

But I am pleased to report: My stupidity didn’t cost me. I eked out a win in one league and lost in another where a replacement running back wouldn’t have helped change the outcome. I have learned zero lessons about actions and consequences, but I feel better.

*This tweet from ESPN’s Darren Rovell about the vision of the late Paul Allen — Microsoft co- founder and owner of the NBA’s Blazers and NFL’s Seahawks — is worth examining. PUBLICATION: Star Tribune DATE: 10/17/18

Film review: How well-timed blitzes helped Vikings regain NFL's top third-down defense

By Andrew Krammer

Mike Zimmer had the Vikings on a hot streak.

Three straight blitz calls, spanning the end of Sunday’s first quarter into the first drive of the second half, landed a sack on Cardinals quarterback Josh Rosen. Three for three.

All three designs varied in which linebackers, or safeties, blitzed. Each call sent a different player into a different gap. Two of the three plays led Rosen, the rookie quarterback making his third ever NFL start, and his rookie center, , into bad protection schemes that left open lanes for the Vikings.

Lanes so open that all four sacks on Rosen happened in less than 2.5 seconds, according to Pro Football Focus. No other quarterback was sacked more than once in 2.5 seconds or less in Week 6.

“The whole game is about adjusting and talking about the blitzes, the protections and ‘all right, now we have to run this one,'” head coach Mike Zimmer said. “So, you have to have enough bullets in your holster that you can pull some out and you hope you pull the right ones out.”

Blitzing wasn’t a massive part of the Vikings’ game plan. Zimmer called 10 blitzes on Rosen’s 35 dropbacks (28.6 percent). But it was a particularly effective part. Extra Vikings rushers at key moments stopped three Cardinals drives on third downs, helped derail a fourth down and threw a hapless offense into a further tailspin.

The Vikings held the Cardinals to without a third-down conversion on 10 attempts, meaning Minnesota once again has the league’s top-rated third down defense at 25 percent allowed (16 of 64) through six games.

1. Pressure report: Timing and disguise were critical elements toward the Vikings winning 6 of 10 blitzes against a rookie quarterback. Linebacker Anthony Barr led the extra pass rush with a disruptive seven attempts, netting two hurries, a hit and a deflection on a rare Cover-0 blitz we’ll break down later. The rest of the blitz attempts broke down as such: linebacker (4), safety Harrison Smith (4), (2) and safety George Iloka (1). It didn’t always work. Running back David Johnson’s longest run went for 10 yards as the Cardinals caught the blitzing Vikings off guard with a run on 2nd-and-10.

Defensive end Danielle Hunter had the only standout game as a pass rusher among Vikings linemen. His two sacks, both one-on-one wins against left tackle D.J. Humphries, puts him atop the NFL leaderboard with seven on the season, tied with Texans star J.J. Watt. He added a hit and four hurries on Rosen.

Quarterback Kirk Cousins took seven hits on 41 dropbacks, which should be considered a successful day behind this Vikings offensive line. , starting at left tackle for the injured Riley Reiff, surrendered two of those hits, a pass deflection and a forced fumble to All-Pro defensive end Chandler Jones. The Cardinals made a clear emphasis on getting their arms up to bat down Cousins’ quick throws. Arizona deflected six passes at the line of scrimmage, while Cousins’ 2.44 seconds to throw was the 8th fastest on Sunday, according to PFF.

Hill, making his second-ever NFL start at left tackle, was the Vikings’ biggest liability with the toughest matchup. Jones’ disruption vs. Hill led to more than the aforementioned woes as Jones also blew up a 3rd-and-12 attempt and forced pressure on a third-down sack by defensive tackle Corey Peters. Left guard Tom Compton had another uneven day. One of the four sacks on Cousins could be pegged on the quarterback as he didn’t get the ball out in time. Making his first NFL start, rookie tackle Brian O’Neill held up well in pass protection by allowing just one hit — when defensive end Benson Mayowa got a hand in Cousins’ collar on a 5-yard completion to Adam Thielen.

Cousins’ was one of his worst decisions of the season, lobbing a prayer over the arms of defensive end Benson Mayowa that was easily picked off by safety Tre Boston.

2. Defenders had a remarkably good day against Cardinals running back David Johnson, who took his first eight carries for 15 yards and a fumble forced by Barr. Defensive end Stephen Weatherly contributed to three run stops, showing some power against the flimsy ex-Vikings tackle Andre Smith on the right side. Hunter shot into the inside gap on the 4th-and-goal stop, with cornerback Xavier Rhodes cleaning up the tackle on Johnson.

Vikings defensive backs missed just a couple tackles in front of them. Four — Iloka, Alexander, cornerback Trae Waynes and safety Jayron Kearse — had open-field stops of 2 yards or less. They played nearly as well in coverage. The Cardinals’ biggest play, a 40-yard throw to tight end Ricky Seals-Jones, was an underthrown ball by Rosen that Smith lost in coverage. The 35-yard pass to Christian Kirk also appeared to be an issue with safety coverage.

The Vikings, oddly enough, had Rhodes shadow Cardinals receiver Chad Williams, who entered Sunday with four catches on the season. He was targeted twice Sunday, catching one pass for five yards vs. Rhodes.

3. Anatomy of a play: Backed up to their own end zone, the Vikings get the first blitz call from Zimmer on the game’s fifth snap. Notice safety George Iloka (circled) and the play clock (circled with 7 seconds left). At this point, Rosen and Cole, the rookie center, have little time to adjust the play or protection against what looks like a standard blitz.

As the play clock ticks down to one second (circled below), Iloka has already crept from his centerfield alignment down into the box. Iloka and Smith (both circled in green) stand next to each other, disguising which safety is coming. The surprise to the Cardinals: they both will, along with Kendricks and Barr off the opposite side in a rare Cover-0 blitz that leaves no deep defender and only three corners to cover three receivers. It’s an aggressive move that perhaps Zimmer wouldn’t make against a more experienced quarterback.

Watch the Vikings’ red-zone stop below. Both Barr and Iloka rush unblocked, despite the Vikings only outnumbering Cardinals blockers 8 to 7. That’s the sign of a successfully designed and disguised blitz. The result is a Barr pass deflection as Rosen tries to get rid of the ball.

If you’ll recall from the game, Smith got a third-down sack in the third quarter while blitzing untouched off left tackle.

On the Cardinals’ next third down, the Vikings baited Rosen off the previous result.

On this third-and-6, Smith faked a pass rush from the opposite end until about four seconds remained on the play clock. He darted backward into deep coverage, and safety Anthony Harris crept forward toward Arizona’s bunch formation of three receivers.

The Cardinals have a clear-out pattern drawn up designed to have two receivers carry Vikings corners out of the shallow space and let receiver Larry Fitzgerald make a quick grab on an inside move.

Rosen apparently never saw Harris coming downhill. Since Harris stayed in his single-high safety look until the last possible seconds, Rosen threw right to him as Harris made an excellent break on Fitzgerald’s inside route.

Harris came away with his first career NFL interception.

“Part of it is just knowing the situation, down and distance, usually offenses try to wait until the last second to get you to show their hand,” Harris said. “So, we just try to use the play clock when we disguise. Harrison did a good job of showing down. He’s down a good bit. [I was] just coming with the late rotation and dropping in, was able to make a play.”

4. Cornerback again shadowed Stefon Diggs for the majority of the game. Peterson, the seven-time Pro Bowler, wasn’t thrown at very often. Diggs had one true one-on-one route vs. Peterson that was targeted, which turned into a 10-yard tiptoe grab on the sideline. Diggs had three catches on four targets for 33 yards as nearly half of Cousins’ throws went to receiver Adam Thielen.

Thielen couldn’t be contained by Cardinals cornerback Bene Benwikere or any defensive back thrown on him. His most impressive catch during his sixth 100-yard game this season was a diving 13-yard grab to convert on 3rd-and-13. He also ran a marvelous stop-and-go route down the seam for a 13-yard touchdown on the same drive after halftime.

5. Give some credit to the maligned O-line for Latavius Murray’s career-high 155 rushing yards. Murray was decisive, hitting the holes hard for four runs of at least 20 yards. The key is there were holes to run through against an aggressively positioned Cardinals defense. Arizona flooded eight in the box on Murray’s 21-yard touchdown run, made possible by his sharp cut outside of Jones and toward the gap between tight ends Kyle Rudolph and David Morgan. His 26-yard run saw a solid trio of blocks from center Pat Elflein and guards Mike Remmers and Compton. Running back Mike Boone found a hole between Remmers and Elflein for his 20-yard run in the third quarter. Remmers, in his first full season at guard, was involved in the most positive run plays of any lineman. PUBLICATION: Star Tribune DATE: 10/17/18

Flags aren't flying as Danielle Hunter grounds quarterbacks

By Mark Craig

With two more games until he turns the ripe old age of 24, Vikings defensive end Danielle Hunter is deadlocked with J.J. Watt for the NFL lead in sacks with seven.

At 29, Watt already has a resume that’s ready for consideration in Canton, Ohio. He has three Associated Press NFL Defensive Player of the Year honors, four first-team All-Pro nods and 83 sacks in 94 games.

Hunter, meanwhile, has 32 1/2 sacks in 52 games, which includes just 23 starts. With two sacks last week — the fourth multi-sack game of his career — Hunter now has the fourth highest sack total by someone before age 24 since the NFL made sacks an official stat in 1982.

NFL sack leaders: Hunter and Watt at the top NFL sack leaders: Hunter and Watt at the top Here are the NFL sack leaders through the first six weeks of the season. Only Shawne Merriman (39 1/2), Aldon Smith (38), Robert Quinn (34 1/2) and Terrell Suggs (33 1/2) are ahead of him. In two seasons before his 24th birthday, Watt had 26 sacks.

While looking more closely at Watt, Hunter and the limitations placed on today’s pass rushers, a question came to mind:

Has Hunter ever been penalized for roughing the passer? Can’t seem to recall many flags for any reason being thrown at his feet since he entered the league in 2015.

The answer: No.

In fact, in his 52 games, Hunter has drawn only five penalties for 37 yards. Here’s the breakdown:

–2018: One penalty for defensive holding. Five yards.

–2017: One penalty for neutral zone infraction: Two yards.

–2016: One penalty for illegal use of hands: Five yards.

–2015: Two penalties. One for illegal block above the waist on special teams (10 yards) and one for facemask (15 yards).

Watt leads the Texans with eight penalties this year. Four of them are for roughing the passer.

PUBLICATION: Vikings.com DATE: 10/17/18

Game Preview: Vikings at Jets

By Craig Peters

The Minnesota Vikings (3-2-1) are heading to the Big Apple to face the New York Jets (3-3) on Sunday at MetLife Stadium. The game, scheduled to kick off at noon (CT) Sunday, will be just the 11th contest between the two franchises and the sixth played in New York.

The Jets are coming off a 42-34 home win vs. Indianapolis, their second consecutive win. The Vikings captured their second straight victory in a 27-17 win vs. Arizona at U.S. Bank Stadium, giving Minnesota a 6-1 record in October the past 2 seasons (4-1 in 2017, 2-0 in 2018).

Minnesota enters Week 7 ranked 10th in the NFL in total yards per game with an average of 391.2 through six games. Vikings QB Kirk Cousins has thrown for 1,921 yards, the 4th-highest total in the NFL. Cousins is one of four QBs (, Phillip Rivers and Matt Ryan) league- wide to rank in the top 10 in each of the following categories: completion percentage, passing yards and passing touchdowns.

WR Adam Thielen is on a record-breaking pace, recording 58 receptions (first in the NFL), the most in NFL history through the first six games of a season. Thielen's 712 receiving yards, also 1st in the NFL, are tied for the third-most through the first six games of a season in NFL history. Thielen and Stefon Diggs join Steelers WRs Antonio Brown and JuJu Smith-Schuster as the only WR duos in the league to each rank in the top 10 in receptions.

The Vikings defense, which ranks 16th in yards allowed (359.8 per game) in 2018, has held opponents to a conversion rate of 25.0 percent on third downs, the lowest in the NFL. Vikings DE Danielle Hunter is tied with Texans DE J.J. Watt for the NFL lead in sacks with 7.0 and is tied with Colts DE Margus Hunt for the NFL lead in tackles for loss with nine.

TELEVISION:

FOX (KMSP in Minneapolis/St. Paul)

Play-by-Play: Thom Brennaman

Analyst: Chris Spielman

Sideline Reporter: Shannon Spake

LOCAL RADIO:

KFAN-FM 100.3/KTLK-AM 1130

Play-by-Play: Paul Allen

Analyst: Pete Bercich

Sideline Reporters: Greg Coleman and Ben Leber

Pre-Game Show: Mike Mussman – 10 a.m. (CT)

KFAN and KTLK serve as the flagship stations for the five-state Vikings Radio Network.

SATELLITE RADIO

Sirius: 106 or Streaming 819 (MIN); 133 or Streaming 823 (NYJ)

XM: Streaming 819 (MIN); 231 or Streaming 823 (NYJ)

NORSE NOTES

WR Adam Thielen has six games with at least 100 receiving yards in 2018, trailing only Randy Moss (eight in 2003, eight in 2000, seven in 2002, seven in 1999) and Cris Carter (six in 2000) for the most in a single season in Vikings history.

Thielen’s three games with at least 10 receptions this season trails only Cris Carter in (four in 1994 and four in 1995) for the most games with 10-plus catches in a single season.

Vikings DE Danielle Hunter is the only player in the NFL to record a sack in every game in which he's played this season and his six-game streak is a career high for consecutive games with a sack.

In Week 3 vs. Buffalo, TE Kyle Rudolph caught his 17th touchdown pass since the start of the 2016 season, tied with Packers TE Jimmy Graham and Buccaneers TE Cameron Brate for the most among tight ends in the NFL.

Since the start of the 2017 season, S Harrison Smith has six and 4.5 sacks. He is the only player in the NFL to have at least five interceptions and at least 3.0 sacks in that span.

QB Kirk Cousins' 1,921 passing yards are the second-most passing yards through the first six games of a season in team history. Daunte Culpepper threw for 1,949 yards in 2004.

WR Stefon Diggs' 40 receptions are tied for eighth in the NFL, and his 435 receiving yards rank 19th.

Rudolph (349 receptions) ranks eighth all-time in Vikings history, Diggs (240 receptions) ranks 16th and Thielen (238 receptions) ranks 17th.

Rudolph has started a league-leading (among TEs) 55 consecutive games, which is the longest streak for any TE all-time in Vikings team history. Rudolph's 27 catches in 2018 mark the most in his career through the first six games of a season.

STAT OF THE WEEK

Vikings WR Adam Thielen has set an NFL record (Super Bowl era) with six consecutive games with 100-plus receiving yards to start a season. Thielen's 6-game streak is by far the longest active streak in the NFL.

1. Adam Thielen, 6

2t. Antonio Brown, 2

2t. Taylor Gabriel, 2

VIKINGS-JETS CONNECTIONS

Jets tight ends coach Jimmie Johnson held the same position with the Vikings from 2006-13.

Jets assistant strength and conditioning coach Aaron McLaurin held the same position with the Vikings from 2012-13.

Vikings Offensive Coordinator John DeFilippo served as the Jets assistant quarterbacks coach in 2009.

Vikings DT was drafted by the New York Jets 13th overall in the 2013 NFL Draft. Richardson, who played in 58 career games (56 starts) for the Jets, won the 2013 _AP_ Defensive Rookie of the Year and was named to the 2014 Pro Bowl while in New York.

Vikings S Andrew Sendejo had a brief stint with the New York Jets in September of 2011. Sendejo signed with the Vikings in November of 2011 and has been with the team since.

Local Connections

The Wilf family, who has led the ownership group of the Vikings for the last 14 seasons, hails from New Jersey and is deeply rooted within the community.

The Vikings have two New York natives on roster: RB Latavius Murray (Nedrow) and DT Jaleel Johnson (Brooklyn). Tashawn Bower is from Somerville, New Jersey, which is about 45 miles southwest of MetLife Stadium.

VIKINGS TOP PERFORMERS VS. JETS

Offense

Latavius Murray: 2 games, 20 carries, 113 yards, 1 reception, 6 rec. yards

Defense

Xavier Rhodes: 1 game, 4 tackles, 3 passes defended

Andrew Sendejo: 1 game, 1 tackle, 1 forced fumble

Harrison Smith: 1 game, 8 tackles, 1.0 sack

VIKINGS BIG DAYS VS. JETS

RB Latavius Murray totaled 113 rushing yards on 20 carries in a 34-20 win against the Jets (Nov. 1, 2015) as a member of the Raiders.

S Harrison Smith had eight tackles and 1.0 sack on QB Geno Smith against the Jets (Dec. 7, 2014) in a 30-24 OT win. In the same contest, S Andrew Sendejo recorded his only career forced fumble after knocking the ball loose from Jets RB Chris Ivory.

CB Xavier Rhodes broke up three passes in the Vikings past matchup with the Jets (Dec. 7, 2014).

VIKINGS-JETS SERIES NOTES

The Vikings trail the all-time series with the Jets, 8-2, having lost the seven of the past eight games, dating back to 1979.

The Vikings 10 games against the Jets are the fourth-fewest games against any opponent (Texans, 4; Ravens and Jaguars, 6).

Minnesota’s first win over the Jets was back in 1975, a game played in Minnesota with Bud Grant’s Vikings claiming a 29-21 victory. Chuck Foreman caught two touchdowns in the third quarter and rushed for one in the fourth.

The Vikings last visited the Jets in 2010 for a game on Monday Night Football. Brett Favre threw his 500th career touchdown pass — a 37-yarder to Randy Moss. Minnesota, however, fell 29-20 for its third loss in four games to open the season. PUBLICATION: Vikings.com DATE: 10/17/18

10 Vikings-Jets Numbers of Note: Hunter Tied for NFL Lead with 7 Sacks

By Eric Smith

EAGAN, Minn. — Make it two straight wins for the Vikings.

Minnesota, which picked up a 27-17 home win over Arizona in Week 6, will now hit the road for Sunday’s game against the Jets in the Big Apple.

Kickoff against New York is noon (CT) Sunday.

The Vikings are 3-2-1 entering Week 6, and New York is an even 3-3.

The Jets earned a 42-34 win over the Colts on Sunday as New York has also won two straight games.

Here’s a look at 10 numbers of note heading into Sunday’s matchup:

0 — The Vikings defense didn’t allow the Cardinals to convert a single third down on 10 tries Sunday at home. Minnesota leads the league with an allowance rate of 25 percent on third downs.

7 — Danielle Hunter is tied for the NFL lead with 7.0 sacks. The Vikings defensive end has at least a sack in all six games this season.

6 — Minnesota is 6-1 in the month of October over the past two seasons. The Vikings went 4-1 in October in 2017 and are 2-0 so far this season.

3 — Vikings wide receiver Adam Thielen already has three games with 10-plus receptions so far in 2018, trailing only Hall of Famer Cris Carter, who had four games with 10-plus receptions in 1994 and 1995, for the franchise record. Thielen leads the league with 58 catches for 712 yards and also has four scores.

155 — Vikings running back Latavius Murray set a career high with 155 rushing yards Sunday against the Cardinals and garnered a nomination for FedEX Ground Player of the Week. He had 24 carries and a touchdown as Minnesota set a season-high with 195 yards on the ground.

Minnesota Vikings ✔ @Vikings Vote @LataviusM for @FedEx Ground Player of the Week!

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NFL ✔ @NFL VOTE for the @FedEx Ground Player of the Week!

3:02 PM - Oct 16, 2018 201 32 people are talking about this Twitter Ads info and privacy 9 — Jets rookie quarterback Sam Darnold as thrown for nine touchdowns so far in 2018. The third overall pick of the 2018 NFL Draft, Darnold has thrown for 1,346 yards and has started every game for New York in 2018.

500 — The teams’ most-recent meeting in New York was highlighted by former Vikings quarterback Brett Favre throwing his 500th career touchdown pass. That historic touchdown pass was caught by fellow Hall of Famer Randy Moss in 2010 on Monday Night Football.

14 — Vikings quarterback Kirk Cousins recorded his 14th career rushing touchdown in Sunday’s win over Arizona. Cousins ranks third in the NFL in quarterback rushing touchdowns since 2015, trailing only and Tyrod Taylor.

2 — The Vikings have just two wins in franchise history against New York. Minnesota is 2-8 all- time against the Jets and is 0-5 in road games.

18 — Minnesota’s defense ranks tied for fifth in the league with 18 total sacks. Defensive tackle David Parry, who was with the Vikings early in the season and brought back Tuesday, has one of those sacks.

PUBLICATION: Vikings.com DATE: 10/17/18

Chris Doleman Gifts Hall of Fame Bust to Vikings Museum

By Eric Smith

EAGAN, Minn. — Chris Doleman sat for a moment and soaked in the image of his own face looking back at him.

“That boy is good looking,” Doleman quipped on Saturday at the Vikings Museum.

While some items on display are on loan from individuals, Doleman gifted his bronze Hall of Fame bust to the new museum’s collection through an incredible act of generosity.

Doleman, who is celebrating his 57th birthday today, explained why he chose to gift the bust to the organization rather than just loan it.

“It’s very meaningful,” said Doleman, who ranks fifth all-time with 150.5 career sacks and was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2012. “There are three icons when you become a Hall of Famer. One is the [gold] jacket. The second one is your ring, and the third one is your bust.

“To be able to give [the bust] to the team that drafted me, it means everything to me. I wanted them to have it,” added Doleman, who is one of 318 members of the Hall of Fame. “I want them to know how much I care about them. There are 310, 315 of us in the Pro Football Hall of Fame, so to be able to share that with the club means so much.”

Doleman traveled from the Atlanta area to the Twin Cities over the weekend to see his bust installed as the newest item in the Vikings Museum, which opened in July, and attend Minnesota’s win Sunday against the Cardinals. chris-doleman-feature-1-101618 The bust is in a section that celebrates the 1987 team, which marched to the NFC Championship Game. Doleman moved from linebacker to defensive end that season. He had 11 sacks and six forced in just 12 games and garnered his first of four consecutive selections to the Pro Bowl.

Doleman is currently undergoing treatment for glioblastoma, a type of brain cancer. He sounded the Gjallarhorn prior to Sunday’s victory, which was the Vikings Crucial Catch game, to represent those fighting cancer and those who have lost their battle with the disease.

Doleman’s wife, LaTresa, said her husband’s two main priorities in life are fighting cancer and keeping up with the team that drafted him fourth overall in 1985. Doleman was diagnosed with glioblastoma in January and underwent surgery soon after.

“All he talks about are the Vikings,” LaTresa said with a laugh. “I’m from Detroit, so I love my Lions, but he always talks about the Vikings, so now I’m a Vikings fan because of him.

“But he’s so positive. What he’s going through is tough, but he keeps a positive outlook. And even still, he’s always looking to help other people,” LaTresa added. “He’s working very hard with his physical therapy and his occupational therapy, but he still is trying to find ways to give back, and that really inspires me.”

LaTresa Doleman said her husband had been looking forward to his trip to Minnesota for weeks.

“It means the world to him to travel and be here,” LaTresa said. “He couldn’t wait to come see his bust in here and donate his bust to you guys.

“[The Vikings] are his family, and that’s all he talks about,” she added. “For him to see this, it just means the world to both of us.”

Doleman played for the Vikings for 10 of his 15 professional seasons, racking up 96.5 career sacks in Purple. He was inducted into the Vikings Ring of Honor in 2011.

The man with double-digit sacks in eight different seasons said he hopes his bust inspires current Vikings players to strive for lofty goals.

“When they come through here, they realize, ‘I can do this, too. I can be a part of this,’ ” Doleman said. “My focus was to be able to go out and make plays. It means so much to me to be a part of this. It really does.”

Doleman spent more than 15 minutes in the museum admiring his bust as Vikings fans in the space kept peering over for a look at the Hall of Famer.

As Doleman left the museum, he passed by a young fan who looked at him quizzically as if he was trying to figure out who the legendary Vikings player was.

“My bust is around the corner,” Doleman said, drawing a smile from the boy. PUBLICATION: Vikings.com DATE: 10/17/18

Anthony Barr Announces 4 ‘Raise the Barr’ Scholarship Recipients

By Lindsey Young

Vikings linebacker Anthony Barr has announced four single parents who are receiving 2018-19 tuition scholarships from his Raise the Barr Foundation.

The recipients are all single mothers completing their post-secondary educations at Twin Cities schools:

Jamie Shultz, mother of two | University of Minnesota

Katie Her, mother of four | University of Northwestern – St. Paul

Judy Yang, mother of two | Herzing University

A’Bryna Ware, mother of one | Herzing University

Raise the Barr is continuing to accept applications from single parents in Minnesota and California until Nov. 15, 2018. Raise the Barr also provides emergency grants to single parents in partnership with local charities.

Applications for both opportunities are available online at RaisetheBarr.org

Barr established his foundation in 2016, his second year in the NFL, to help break the cycle of poverty for single-parent families by providing access to post-secondary education. Since that time, Raise the Barr has provided 12 scholarships in excess of $48,000 in tuition and childcare support.

Now in his fifth season with the team, Barr upped the ante a bit when he launched a fundraising campaign for his foundation.

For every tackle Barr makes this season, he will personally donate $100 toward the fund. Fans and others can pledge either a flat amount or per-tackle donation. Pledges can be made here.

Through six games this season, Barr has totaled 32 tackles (coaches’ tally), 3.0 tackles for loss, three quarterback hurries, a forced fumble and a pass defensed.

The funds will be split between Raise the Barr and the Jeremiah Program, both of which focus on helping single mothers out of poverty and have been recipients of Barr’s regular involvement.

Together, Raise the Barr and the Jeremiah Program are working to raise funds to support single- parent scholars and their children through a two-generation model by providing a five-pillar model: a career-track college education, quality early childhood education, safe and affordable housing, empowerment and life skills. PUBLICATION: Vikings.com DATE: 10/17/18

Vikings Bring Back DT David Parry

By Craig Peters

EAGAN, Minn. — The Vikings on Tuesday announced that they have re-signed defensive tackle David Parry and placed cornerback Mike Hughes on season-ending Injured Reserve.

Parry spent the 2018 offseason and first two games of the season with Minnesota. He was released when the Vikings signed defensive tackle Tom Johnson after the veteran was released by Seattle.

Hughes suffered a torn ACL on Sunday against the Cardinals, ending a promising campaign for the rookie.

Parry (6-foot-2, 317 pounds) recorded two tackles, a sack and quarterback hit for the Vikings against the Packers in Week 2.

A native of Marion, Iowa, Parry entered the league with the as a fifth-round selection (151st overall) in the 2015 NFL Draft. He spent the 2015 and 2016 seasons with the Colts, starting in all 32 of their games.

After spending all of the 2017 offseason with Indianapolis, Parry was released during final roster cuts and joined the Saints practice squad on Sept. 4, 2017. The Stanford graduate spent the 2017 season with New Orleans. He has totaled 81 tackles (50 solo), nine tackles for loss, five sacks, and 12 quarterback pressures in his 35 career games.

Additionally, the Vikings signed cornerback Craig James, a rookie out of Southern Illinois, to their practice squad. Cornerback Jalen Myrick, a former Minnesota Gopher, was released from the practice squad.

James (5-10, 195) spent the 2018 offseason with the Vikings before his release on Sept. 1, 2018. The Edwardsville, Illinois, native totaled 67 tackles (50 solo), five interceptions, and 25 passes defensed in 20 career games for the Salukis. James also spent two seasons at the University of Minnesota prior to his time at Southern Illinois, where he played in 18 games as defensive back and punt returner.

PUBLICATION: Vikings.com DATE: 10/17/18

Lunchbreak: Thielen’s TD Listed Among Week 6’s Game-Changing Plays

By Eric Smith

It’s no secret that Adam Thielen is on a historic streak, having racked up at least 100 receiving yards in six straight games to open the season.

But the Vikings wide receiver is also on a three-game touchdown streak, as well, as Thielen has found the end zone once in the past three games against the Rams, Eagles and Cardinals.

Danny Kelly of The Ringer recently wrote that Thielen’s Week 6 third-quarter score, a 13-yard touchdown pass from Vikings quarterback Kirk Cousins, was one of the biggest game-changing plays from the weekend.

Thielen’s score is below:

Minnesota Vikings ✔ @Vikings .@athielen19 is a straight up superstar. #Skol

1:59 PM - Oct 14, 2018 4,649 900 people are talking about this Twitter Ads info and privacy Kelly wrote:

We can’t end this column without mentioning Vikings receiver Adam Thielen, who notched his sixth straight game of 100-plus yards — just the second player in NFL history to do that in his team’s first six games. The 28-year-old pass catcher has 58 receptions on the year, the most ever through six weeks, and is on pace for 155 catches, 1,899 receiving yards and 11 touchdowns. Not shabby for a guy who played D-II and didn’t get a combine invite.

It seems like we’re already running out of ways to describe just how good Thielen’s been this season, but the Vikings aren’t running out of ways to deploy their go-to pass catcher. In Sunday’s 27-17 win over the Cardinals, this play from early in the third quarter stood out: Thielen lined up with a very tight split — inside tight end Kyle Rudolph — a tweak that got him matched up in coverage against Arizona linebacker Josh Bynes. You can probably guess how that went.

That touchdown capped a 10-play, 75-yard drive, put the Vikings up 20-10, and pushed their win probability to 87 percent. Minnesota never looked back.

The Vikings have been up and down in almost every respect over the first six weeks, with wild performance swings from just about every unit, whether that’s the pass rush, the secondary or the run game. But Thielen’s been a constant for Minnesota: a dependable playmaker who’s posted elite production every single week regardless of opponent or weather. And there’s no sign that he’s slowing down.

Thielen leads the league with 58 catches for 712 yards and also has four touchdowns, which is one off his career-high set in 2016.

The Minnesota native was a Second-Team All-Pro and first-time Pro Bowler in 2017.

Vikings on right course after 2 straight wins

The Vikings are above .500 since getting a Week 1 win over the 49ers.

Minnesota followed with a tie and a loss before picking up two straight wins over Philadelphia and Arizona.

Dan Graziano of ESPN recently wrote that the Vikings are one of a handful of teams who have overcome sluggish starts to get back on track as the season nears the midway point.

Graziano wrote:

Another preseason darling, Minnesota was 1-2-1 after a Week 4 loss to the Rams. The Vikings rebounded with a signature Week 5 victory in Philadelphia, avenging their NFC Championship Game loss to the eventual Super Bowl champs, then beat the Cardinals on Sunday to move within a half-game of the first-place Bears.

Kirk Cousins is red-hot to start the season, completing 71.2 percent of his passes while ranking fourth in the league in passing yards with 12 touchdown throws against just three interceptions. No one is playing the receiver position better than Adam Thielen, the ground game finally got going in Week 6, and the defense appears to be putting it together after a rough start. Minnesota's Nov. 25 rematch with the Packers could loom large, as the winner (if there is one!) will hold a tiebreaker edge over the loser. Of course, that will matter only if the Bears drop a few more puzzlers like they did Sunday in Miami.

The Vikings will look for their third straight win on Sunday as they play the Jets in New York. PUBLICATION: Vikings.com DATE: 10/17/18

Statement on the Passing of Seahawks Owner Paul Allen

By Ownership

“The NFL lost an incredible leader with the passing of Paul Allen. Under Paul’s guidance, the Seahawks became an organization that others wanted to emulate. He advocated for making the game safer for players, brought new fan traditions to home games and focused on ways to strengthen this league. While Paul’s contributions to professional sports were significant, they pale in comparison to his philanthropic endeavors and profound generosity. Paul was passionate about using his platform and his resources to create positive change and dedicated his life to protecting and improving the world in which we live. He leaves a lasting legacy through the countless non-profits and research projects that will continue to thrive as a result of his kindness. Our prayers are with the entire Allen family and the Seattle Seahawks organization.” - Mark & Zygi Wilf PUBLICATION: VIKING Update DATE: 10/17/18

Assessing batted passes, latest Cousins fumble

By Tim Yotter

When talking about his fumbles, Minnesota Vikings quarterback Kirk Cousins said recently he concentrates on controlling what he can control. His latest fumble on Sunday and some of his six batted passes were things he could control.

Cousins has been a quality performer for the Vikings most of the season, but imagine how much better his 24-for-34 passing performance Sunday would have been had six of those passes not been batted at the line of the scrimmage and instead completed. Ultimately, a win is a win, but if the Vikings hope to continue their upward march in the win column, every opportunity will count.

In reviewing the six batted passes and his fumble, it was a combination of the depth of his drops, the offensive line getting beat, a running back not cutting down a defender or Cousins having a lack of ball security while working his way back up the pocket.

First, the costliest of the errors – the fumble. It came late in the second quarter, with the scoop- and-score allowing Arizona to tie the game, 10-10.

Cousins’ fifth lost fumble of the season can be put on Rashod Hill getting beat around the edge by Chandler Jones, but also on Cousins for another instance of loose ball security. He sensed the pressure and tried to step up in the pocket, but in doing so he let his right hand get away from his body for an easy punch-out from Jones from behind. scooped it up and scored from 36 yards out.

“I was climbing the pocket, I didn’t want to take another sack, I had two people I could dump it to in front of me and I was just trying to dump it to him and I was just trying to pull my hands apart to dump it,” Cousins said. “The minute you don’t have two hands on the ball now it’s free reign for the defensive lineman to grab it and I thought he had me more on my lower half and I thought I could get rid of it, but he clearly was able to punch it out.”

Cousins is currently third in the league with six fumbles through six games, with Deshaun Watson and each having seven. For two of the three, it’s a product of pressure. Watson has been pressured a league-high 125 times and Cousins is second at 119. Wilson is way down at 19th with 66 pressures.

Cousins had 13 fumbles in Washington last year, and the NFL record is 23 by Kerry Collins in 2001 and Daunte Culpepper in 2002, so Cousins certainly isn’t on that sort of a pace. But in his career, Cousins has fumbled 43 times and recovered 17 fumbles.

“All fumbles are different and I think when you have ones like I had against the Bills, where I was running forward and the ball was not secure against my body and it got punched out from behind, that’s unacceptable. That’s 100 percent on me,” he said. “When you’re in the pocket, there’s two hands on the ball, when you’re having to see down the field and something happens, that’s a little different. If I’m going to drop back scared about fumbling I’m never going to make a throw or a play. There were completions [on Sunday] that we made that the only reason they’re being made is because I’ve got to be aggressive and fight to keep the play alive and find a completion. So finding that balance of protecting the football while being aggressive is ‘welcome to quarterbacking in this league.’”

Cousins talked earlier this season about finding the right depth in his drops, keeping it inside of 10½ yards. The vast majority of the time, he has been within that window and therefore allowed his pass-protecting tackles to send a defensive end wide and behind him.

On Sunday, however, Cousins had six passes that were batted down at the line of scrimmage or behind it. Many of those were with a shallow dropback.

“I thought it was more a credit to the Cardinals defense and their scheme and the way they played and they were ready to bat balls down than it was anything we were doing,” Cousins said.

Somewhere between dropping too deep to allow a sack around the edge and too shallow is the sweet spot, but, just like the fumbles, there were differing reasons.

On Cousins’ first deflected pass at the line of scrimmage, he set only 6 yards deep and fired a third-down stick throw to the sideline intended for Aldrick Robinson, but backup defensive end Benson Mayowa settled in for a quick throw and avoided the cut block of Latavius Murray, enabling Mayowa to still jump in the air.

The second batted pass came at the end of the Vikings’ first drive. Facing fourth-and-2, head coach Mike Zimmer called for the Minnesota to go for it and Cousins had Adam Thielen open for first-down yardage. Instead, Corey Peters pushed Mike Remmers back within a couple yards of Cousins and batted the pass back at the quarterback, who caught it and ran toward the line of scrimmage before being tackled for a 1-yard loss.

“There were a couple times where we got pushed back a little bit and guys got their hands up,” Zimmer said. “One of the early ones, maybe the third down or fourth down early in the game I think we got pushed back on those two.”

On the third batted pass, Mayowa was one of seven defenders flooding the line of scrimmage after a play-action fake. He and another defender jumped to deflect the intended target to Stefon Diggs and Mayowa got it. This time, Cousins was only four yards behind the line of scrimmage.

The fourth time, late in the first half, Cousins was seven yards behind the line of scrimmage and the Cardinals brought a blitz off the end. Cousins fired that way for an out-breaking Kyle Rudolph and the free-running blitzer, Haason Reddick jumped to knock down the pass as he was bearing down on Cousins.

The fifth time, in the third quarter, Chandler Jones split the double team of Hill and Remmers. Hill was left standing in space and Remmers was walked back to the quarterback before Jones was in the face of Cousins and knocking away a third-down pass intended for Thielen.

The final one came midway through the fourth quarter when Cousins play-action faked to Murray, ran a naked bootleg to the right and fired for C.J. Ham. Instead Marcus Golden was right in the throwing lane and leaped to record the sixth pass knocked down at or behind the line of scrimmage. That one can likely be put on Cousins for not creating a better throwing lane.

“One was a keeper, so I attribute it to an unblocked end that we’re trying to influence with the run fake, he doesn’t buy it and then I’ve got to touch it up and over,” Cousins said. “If I touch it too much, the safety drives down and blows up C.J. [Ham], so I was just trying to get it up and over quick. I made that throw several times this season, but that one he got.”

Most likely, this was an anomaly of a game with six Cousins passes batted at the line of scrimmage, but Cousins and the offensive line will have to take note and be sure it doesn’t become a trend.

“Some of them were quick passes, right, where the line was sliding one way and the back was going the other way and we were cutting the defensive end with the back. There was two times they jumped over the top of them and tipped the ball down,” Zimmer said. “One time he ended up sacking him, there was one when we ran a naked [bootleg] and we left a guy alone on that side who wasn’t blocked, so basically a few of the times were when we didn’t block.” PUBLICATION: 1500 ESPN DATE: 10/17/18

Prepping for another rookie: How the Vikings’ defense slows inexperienced QBs

By Matthew Coller

The Minnesota Vikings have only faced one veteran quarterback this year.

On Sunday in the Meadowlands, former USC star Sam Darnold will become the third rookie quarterback to face the Vikings in seven weeks. Two other foes, Jared Goff and Carson Wentz, are entering their third years in the NFL and Jimmy Garoppolo made just the eighth start of his career on opening day.

While the Vikings shockingly lost to Josh Allen and the in Week 3 and gave up 465 yards to Goff, they atoned for their letdown by beating Wentz in Philadelphia and mauling rookie Josh Rosen last Sunday.

Head coach Mike Zimmer has generally dominated unseasoned quarterbacks. Last year, the Vikings defeated Mitch Trubisky and Brett Hundley twice, easily beat DeShone Kizer and slowed Jared Goff to seven points.

That trend isn’t new. Quarterbacks in their first, second or third years in the NFL have only beaten Zimmer five times in 22 tries. Fifteen of those games have featured multiple sacks, 11 have gone under 200 yards and six have included multiple interceptions.

Those numbers don’t include Garoppolo, who went 15-for-33 with 261 yards, one touchdown and three interceptions.

Sunday’s win over Rosen and the Cardinals was the perfect demonstration of why it’s been so darn difficult for young QBs to beat the Vikings since Zimmer came aboard in 2014. Let’s have a closer look at some of the ways they slowed Rosen and will likely attempt to frustrate Darnold…

Multiple looks on third down

On the first third down of the game for Rosen, the Vikings showed their classic double-A gap “mug” look in which linebackers Eric Kendricks and Anthony Barr line up inside the two defensive tackles over the A gap.

At this point, the Vikings have innumerable options. They can send one after the quarterback or both or drop both back in coverage and send a rusher from somewhere else — notice Harrison Smith is playing at the line of scrimmage. But this time, the Vikings play man-press coverage with their corners, man coverage with Smith and nickel corner Mackensie Alexander and drop both Barr and Kendricks into zones.

While the Vikings’ front four creates some push, Rosen appears to get rid of the ball earlier than needed and forces it to a receiver who wasn’t open for an incompletion.

The sheer concern over pass rushers coming from all angles is enough to make an inexperienced — and even sometimes quality quarterback — struggle against the Vikings, especially since Sheldon Richardson and Danielle Hunter both entered the game in the top 10 at their position in QB pressures.

When Rosen made his first appearance in the red zone, the Vikings threw something at him that they do not use all that often: Cover-0.

On the play below, Zimmer sends the house, rushing everyone except for three DBs playing man coverage. There simply wasn’t enough bodies blocking to stop every rusher in purple and linebacker Anthony Barr came unblocked. The moment of hesitation causes Rosen’s pass to get knocked down.

There’s more where this came from.

Zimmer pulled out a 3-4 Zone Dog blitz on a third-and-6 in the first quarter. Notice again that the linebackers are up at the line of scrimmage, but they drop back. Only Danielle Hunter, Linval Joseph and Stephen Weatherly are on the D-line and DBs Mackensie Alexander and Anthony Harris come after the passer.

In this case, there are enough Cardinals to block the Vikings’ rushers, but the O-linemen are unable to pick up the blitz quick enough, leaving a massive hole for Alexander. It’s possible Rosen could have found a quick outlet if he had picked up on the blitz quick enough, but blitzes off the bunch formation side are not always the easiest to spot.

On Rosen’s third quarter interception

Even when Zimmer isn’t sending more than four rushers on a key third down, there’s always some type of unique look. On Rosen’s interception, they run a twist with the defensive tackles and rotate safeties.

The rookie quarterback sees Harris as the lone deep safety, but at the last second Smith scampers back into that role allowing Harris to become a robber and step into the passing lane for the interception.

Personnel matters in the equation, too.

Even without Everson Griffen, there are few teams that can boast the type of front-four rush as the Vikings. Xavier Rhodes and Trae Waynes are also very capable of handling top receivers one-on-one in man coverage and Smith is the type of chess piece that makes it all tick.

So far, Darnold has had some serious ups and downs. Going by ESPN’s 1-100 QBR metric, he’s posted two games over 80, which is spectacular, and two games under 20, which is very poor. The one difference between him and Rosen is a gunslinger mentality that both makes him dangerous and reckless. Zimmer will be looking to take advantage of that, especially in big spots.

PUBLICATION: 1500 ESPN DATE: 10/17/18

The subtle effectiveness of the Vikings’ tight ends

By Matthew Coller

If you drafted Kyle Rudolph on your fantasy team because you were expecting him to put up Zach Ertz-like numbers under offensive coordinator John DeFilippo, you are probably disappointed so far.

There are currently 11 tight ends with more receiving yards and Ertz has 21 more receptions than Rudolph. But if you aren’t focused on fantasy, it’s apparent that DeFilippo’s usage of the Minnesota Vikings’ tight ends has been one of the driving forces of success on offense. That was especially clear in the Vikings’ 27-17 win over the Arizona Cardinals.

Before we look at some of the plays in which the tight ends’ impact can only be seen with a closer look, it’s worth pointing out that Rudolph’s efficiency numbers have never been better than in the first six games of this season.

According to Pro Football Focus, Kirk Cousins is 27-for-30 with 8.6 yards per attempt and has a 125.8 quarterback rating when targeting Rudolph. He has a catch of at least 15 yards in every game except Week 1, in which his lone catch was a touchdown, and on third down he has caught eight passes on nine targets and gained six first downs. Rudolph is 5-for-5 on third or fourth down with fewer than three yards to go.

The Pro Bowl tight end has also cleverly been used as a blocker. In the past he has been criticized for his run blocking, but the way in which DeFilippo has used him in mismatches has helped the Vikings spring key plays.

One common theme in Rudolph’s usage has been blocking on wide receiver screens. On Sunday he helped open a hole for Adam Thielen, who gained nine yards on first-and-15. Rudolph is matched up against a defensive back and takes care of business by flooring the smaller player.

Later in the game DeFilippo dialed up another clever blocking scheme using Rudolph, this time on a read option play for Cousins.

The right side of the Vikings’ offensive line double teams the defensive tackle and leaves the defensive end. When the D-end draws in, Cousins simply runs right past him. But the play doesn’t work if Rudolph can’t handle safety .

The Vikings’ tight end again uses his size advantage on the smaller defensive back and drives him into the end zone, allowing the quarterback to walk in for an easy seven.

On the receiving side, Rudolph has been well known as a red zone threat, producing 16 touchdowns over the past two seasons. On Sunday, DeFilippo used Rudolph as a red zone decoy on a Thielen touchdown.

The Cardinals rush four and have seven defenders in coverage. The linebackers and nickel corner play zone underneath, so the nickel does not carry Rudolph, leaving the safety in a bind when both Rudolph and Thielen run vertical routes. He can either help the linebacker with Thielen or cover Rudolph — either way is advantageous for the Vikings. (Also notice also that both outside receivers run quick hitches, leaving more space for Rudolph to operate).

So even though Rudolph did not end up with a touchdown catch, his role on this play was vital.

Tyler Conklin’s role was important as well. The No. 3 tight end is lined up at the top of the screen. Covering him is a defensive back, which indicates the Cards are going to play zone coverage. The play wouldn’t be as effective if the nickel was playing man coverage and following the Vikings’ starting tight end.

Rudolph ended the day with four catches for 37 yards — sorry fantasy owners –but one of the catches was a key third-down grab with under one minute remaining in the first half that ultimately led to a field goal.

Meanwhile No. 2 tight end David Morgan had a big impact as a blocker on Sunday.

Here are two explosive runs by Latavius Murray, both broken open in part by strong Morgan blocks:

On the first run, the Vikings are in a bunch formation with two tight ends and strong-blocking receiver Laquon Treadwell. Morgan hits the linebacker and drives him back, opening up a huge gap. On the second play, the Vikings’ backup tight end is asked to match up with the defensive end. He gets a little help from tackle Brian O’Neil, who then quickly works out to the cornerback and drives him all the way to the sideline as Murray is scampering for a huge gain. Morgan played 24 run snaps on Sunday, his highest total of the year.

With an offensive line that has given up a great deal of pressure on the quarterback, Morgan has also played a helpful role in protection, allowing just one pressure (per PFF) on 31 pass blocking snaps.

What we come away with is: DeFilippo might not be getting his tight ends the same types of numbers as Ertz had in Philadelphia or Gary Barnidge in Cleveland, but he’s using tight ends as chess pieces to set up other playmakers. And when Rudolph gets his number called, good things have happened. PUBLICATION: 1500 ESPN DATE: 10/17/18

Vikings bring back DT Parry, add James to practice squad

By Matthew Coller

The Minnesota Vikings announced Tuesday that they have signed defensive tackle David Parry, who played the first two games of the season with the Vikings prior to being released. The roster spot was created by defensive back Mike Hughes being placed on injured reserve.

The Vikings also signed Craig James, who had a strong preseason and camp with Minnesota, and released former Gopher Jalen Myrick.

Since Parry’s release, the Vikings had been playing without a true backup nose tackle to spell Linval Joseph. The move suggests that may remain at defensive end going forward. Holmes was a defensive tackle in training camp and preseason but was forced to the edge because of an injury to Tashawn Bower and the absence of Everson Griffen.

The move could indicate the team will go forward with their current crop of corners rather than replacing Hughes by signing a veteran free agent. PUBLICATION: The Athletic DATE: 10/17/18

Vikings Film Room: This is what excellent execution looks like

By Arif Hasan

The Minnesota Vikings may have righted the ship against the Arizona Cardinals and may have proven that they are the same team that made the difficult journey to the NFC championship game a year ago. They’ll need to string together some more dominant performances in the coming weeks to really confirm what people are seeing, but with two straight games of high-level play and full control of the game, Minnesota may be hitting its stride.

It does help, however, that the Vikings seemingly played a team that couldn’t call a coherent defensive gameplan and relied on a rookie quarterback with a bad offensive line to beat one of the more complex defenses in the league — even after Mike Zimmer “simplified” it. With a coaching mismatch as big as this and the talent gap wider than one should see in the NFL, we get a rare opportunity to see what excellent execution looks like.

Taunting the Tampa-2 The Cardinals, forced into a tough choice between Adam Thielen and Stefon Diggs, ran quite a bit of Cover-2 and Tampa-2 concepts — plays where there would be two high safeties, with the Tampa variation dropping a middle linebacker deep. Vikings fans might be familiar with this defense given that it was the defense de rigueur of former head coach and defensive coordinator Leslie Frazier, and it made its heyday in 2002 with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

The Cardinals used a version of this Cover-2 quite a bit in the weeks leading up to the game, and when faced with multiple big-play threats, they went with the “safe” defense.

The most common threats to the Tampa-2 concepts are well known, however, and offensive coordinator John DeFilippo didn’t need to get too cute attacking them. Isolating the middle linebacker with a man- coverage mismatch lets the “seam route” (the seam referring to the gap in coverage between both deep safeties) win every time. Most teams will collapse their safeties in response to that threat, but the Cardinals could not do that on Thielen’s 13-yard touchdown in the third quarter — the Vikings had Kyle Rudolph run a vertical route to occupy that safety and crack that gap open even wider.

Interestingly, Thielen runs something usually called “Y-shake,” a route often reserved for tight ends. Players like Vernon Davis, Greg Olsen and Tony Gonzalez terrorized the league with that route, and often the Vikings were victims given their preferred style of defense. The Vikings lined Thielen up on the inside of Rudolph to enable this route combination. It’s very likely that if the Cardinals were going to play a different coverage, that this unusual formation would have forced a different defensive alignment — meaning the Vikings probably had another play in the playbook designed to attack man coverage or another defensive front. As it is, they ran a Tampa-2 beater to the left of Cousins as well as to the right of Cousins, where Stefon Diggs would be tasked with attacking the coverage gap between the corner and the safety — a gap that Jon Gruden famously called the “turkey hole.”

The Cardinals vacillated between some version of Cover-2 throughout the game or Cover-1 with man coverage on all receivers. Usually, they only called Cover-1 if they were blitzing, which was a pretty good giveaway that they would be blitzing.

The Cover-2 didn’t always fail for the Cardinals — they did get a sack-fumble out of it.

Zoning laws The Vikings did a fantastic job running their zone plays, both using inside and outside zone running setups to gash the Cardinals for big gains. Their 21-yard touchdown from Latavius Murray came from an inside zone while a 34-yard rumble came off of an outside zone.

Update: We’ve received a correction from a former offensive lineman who points out that the below play is more likely a “duo” play that doesn’t feature the characteristic double teams from offensive linemen as a result of the defensive front. This is because Elflein works up to the weakside linebacker, which happens more often in duo than in inside zone plays. The Vikings here practice “bucket” steps so it does contain characteristics of inside zone, and there are times when the center would work up to the weakside linebacker on inside zone plays, but the play is more likely a duo play that looks unusual because of the uncharacteristic defensive front. Traditionally, on duo plays, the running back reads the middle linebacker but instead has to read “color” as if it were zone because the middle linebacker attacks immediately off the snap.

Zone running rules are usually pretty simple. If an offensive lineman is “covered,” that means there is either a defender right on top of him, head-to-head, or that there’s a defensive lineman in the playside gap. On the touchdown play above, Rudolph, Hill and Tom Compton are “covered” by head-up linemen, while Brian O’Neill and Pat Elflein are “covered” by linemen in the playside gap. With Mike Remmers “uncovered,” he has the ability to help out Elflein before moving upfield to take on a linebacker. They all take their first step laterally to gain ground and then move upfield when they’ve established leverage.

As it is, David Morgan and Rudolph open up big spaces so while Murray is reading his gaps, he sees a wide open lane that he can take to the end zone. Having a brutal stiff arm only helps. The outside zone play was even better.

The Vikings shifted the gap assignments of the Cardinals linebackers and safeties by motioning a tight end across the formation, which is a fairly typical defensive response to the motion. Unfortunately for Arizona, it leaves a safety to take on O’Neill to seal out that gap. The Cardinals likely either have to rely on defensive end Benson Mayowa to beat tight end Morgan or for defensive tackle Olsen Pierre to beat Remmers to the point of attack.

Neither of those things happen, and O’Neill lays out a highlight-reel run block to create a massive running lane that Arizona practically invited the Vikings to attack. Morgan’s performance on both zone blocks in the plays above highlights his importance to the Vikings as a run-blocking tight end, and his ability to take on linebackers as well as defensive linemen is rare at his position.

Conversely, the Cardinals seemingly couldn’t find a way to line up their players in the right gaps or prevent the simple exploits that consistently put athletic tackles on run assignments against safeties. They didn’t find a way to maintain leverage on zones and consistently saw themselves carved up by Murray.

Cousins concerns It wasn’t all perfect — Kirk Cousins’ fumbling problems have become a problem. With the third-most fumbles in the NFL (and the most fumbles lost), his habit has become a liability for the Vikings — he ranked sixth in the league in fumbles from 2015 to 2017, and this play is a good demonstration of why that might be the case.

Cousins doesn’t benefit from a strong offensive line in Minnesota, just like he didn’t in his final year at Washington. In this case, it means pressure off the edge comes faster and flatter — meaning players don’t have to turn as wide of an arc to get to the quarterback — and for someone who doesn’t have the preternatural ability to sense pressure off the backside, like Tom Brady, Aaron Rodgers or Russell Wilson, it can create significant liabilities.

Cousins, though, should still have some intuition to step up in the pocket when a defensive end careens off the edge. As it is, his lack of awareness, and the issues seeing a downfield option that could actually convert on third down meant that Jones had easy access to Cousins and used it to smartly strip the quarterback of the ball.

Apprentice alarm Defensively, the Vikings took advantage of rookie quarterback Josh Rosen’s lack of experience. Even on plays where it looked like the Vikings may be misaligned, they were able to distract and counter what Rosen thought he saw with something much deadlier than he anticipated. In the sack above, the Vikings respond to bunch coverage with their planned defensive call against that look — one can see Mackensie Alexander, Xavier Rhodes and Harrison Smith all signaling in the same manner to each other, while Alexander checks in with Stephen Weatherly to make sure he’s on board with the unusual assignment of dropping into coverage.

While all of that communication is happening, Rosen senses that he may have an advantage while the Vikings line up and quickly tries to get the ball snapped so he can get the ball to one of his bunched receivers. Unfortunately, while he does this, he doesn’t change the protection to account for the Vikings blitz-heavy look overloading the left side of the offense.

The running back’s job is to make sure that any of the linebackers rushing up the middle are accounted for, which means someone needs to account for Smith. It’s perfectly reasonable to expect left tackle D.J. Humphries to take him on while the guard takes on Danielle Hunter, but none of that happens without communication — typically, tackles will let blitzing defensive backs go because quarterbacks either have a plan for them by throwing into the hole in coverage left by the blitz or the running back takes him on.

Without that conveyed to the protection unit, a free rusher is left to take Rosen to the ground deep in Arizona’s territory on third down. Even without Smith, Sheldon Richardson looks to run free on his stunt and Linval Joseph happens to be bearing down as well.

But even when Rosen could call the protections, the Vikings had an answer for it.

Protection panic The Vikings knew that if Rosen did see where the blitz was coming from, the most common response is to slide half the line to one side and ask them to play “area” protection where they aren’t assigned a specific player but a general area to pick players up in, just in case they twist into new gaps. The other portion of the line is in man-to-man protection, where they take on an assigned lineman. Very often, this “half” of the offensive line can consist of four instead of just two or three, and that’s exactly what the Vikings force here with their defensive alignment.

By doing so, they encourage the left guard to move to the right and leave a wide open gap for Anthony Barr to rush, giving him free rein with only a running back to stop his progress. Even though David Johnson is by and large successful in preventing Barr from getting direct pressure on the quarterback, Barr’s presence in the pocket forces Rosen to drift away, and right into Hunter, who was in the process of putting a clinic on the left tackle Humphries.

Plays like these are exactly what a combination of talent and scheme can do, defensively. The Cardinals thought they had the answer to what the Vikings were doing, but Minnesota was thinking a few steps ahead. Meanwhile, the pieces they had on the board were just better.

Attacking Mack One of the few areas where the Cardinals thought they had an advantage was in the nickel matchup, with Larry Fitzgerald against Mackensie Alexander. Fitzgerald was targeted six times while Alexander was in coverage, and the young nickel corner responded to the call, generating incompletion after incompletion. In this case, Alexander recognizes the route that Fitzgerald runs and commits to it to close out any space that Rosen might have to lead Fitzgerald upfield.

At the same time, Alexander knows that if the ball is coming, he doesn’t have an extra step, so he can’t turn his head around and try to deflect an otherwise perfectly-placed ball. Instead, he plays Fitzgerald’s hands.

Fitzgerald is a savvy receiver that knows how to keep his hands at his sides until the ball is coming, but Alexander still finds a way to time his disruption perfectly. This play, on 4th-and-2 early in the fourth quarter, was one of the biggest swings of the game — a would-be 1st-and-goal instead gave the Vikings the ball back in great field position, still up 17.

When there’s no schematic advantage for one side or the other, and even when one would expect a talent mismatch to hurt them, the Vikings found ways to execute.

This type of talent and coaching gap may not be found for the rest of the season, but if the Vikings can execute when those things aren’t a factor, they’ll be favorites by year’s end. PUBLICATION: USA TODAY DATE: 10/17/18

Vikings place rookie CB Hughes on IR, re-sign DT Parry

By AP

EAGAN, Minn. (AP) — The Minnesota Vikings have placed cornerback Mike Hughes on injured reserve, following the ACL injury to the rookie's left knee that will keep him out for the remainder of the season.

The Vikings re-signed defensive tackle David Parry on Tuesday to take the open roster spot, increasing their depth on the interior. Rookie Jalyn Holmes has worked primarily at defensive tackle, but he has taken turns at defensive end with backup Tashawn Bower sidelined the past two games and starter Everson Griffen out for the past four games.

Parry played in the first two games and had a sack against Green Bay. He was cut in favor of defensive tackle Tom Johnson on Sept. 19.