Daily Clips Thursday, July 4, 2019
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DAILY CLIPS THURSDAY, JULY 4, 2019 LOCAL NEWS: Thursday, July 4, 2019 VIKING Update Irv Smith Jr. finds ‘mentor’ in Rudolph By Tim Yotter https://247sports.com/nfl/minnesota-vikings/Article/Irv-Smith-Jr-finds-Minnesota-Vikings-mentor-in-Kyle- Rudolph-133391914/ SKOR North How Teddy Bridgewater’s injury shaped the NFL in 2019 By Matthew Coller https://www.skornorth.com/vikings-2/2019/07/how-teddy-bridgewaters-injury-shaped-the-nfl-in-2019/ MULTIMEDIA LINKS: Thursday, July 4, 2019 Pick 6 Mailbag: Biggest Challenge Facing The 2019 Vikings? By Vikings Entertainment Network https://www.vikings.com/video/pick-6-mailbag-biggest-challenge-facing-the-2019-vikings Damien declares: Kirk Cousins will be best QB in NFC North By ESPN 2 http://mms.tveyes.com/PlaybackPortal.aspx?SavedEditID=35c0aeac-b90d-4b54-9323-99d592728cc1 Rudolph Judges FedEx Cares Competition By WCCO http://mms.tveyes.com/PlaybackPortal.aspx?SavedEditID=a03528e5-5968-432c-a45f-edb564fa4179 Rudolph Joins in as PGA Pros and Amateurs Hit the Links By WCCO http://mms.tveyes.com/PlaybackPortal.aspx?SavedEditID=e711fd36-783c-4ff2-bc6b-592631c0c032 PUBLICATION: VIKING Update DATE: 7/4/19 Irv Smith Jr. finds ‘mentor’ in Rudolph By Tim Yotter Irv Smith Jr. is expected to be a key new contributor to the Minnesota Vikings offense, but he’s leaning on a longtime producer at his position for help. Smith has been resolute since the beginning of spring practices that Kyle Rudolph is an experienced hand at tight end from which the rookie can soak up knowledge earned by years in the NFL. “He’s definitely been a mentor,” Smith said of Rudolph at minicamp last month. “I’m trying to go under his wing and just learn from him and whatever I can do to help this team and whatever he can do, we’re going to do it.” Smith started only four games for Alabama in 2017, gaining only 128 yards and three touchdowns after not being targeted at all the previous year. That all changed in dramatic fashion last year. He played nearly 600 snaps, caught 44 passes for 707 yards and eight touchdowns. More than half of his yards, 360, came after the catch, showcasing some of the elusiveness at his position that attracted the Vikings to make a him a second-round pick. But his selection brought about speculation that Kyle Rudolph could be on the trading block. That never happened – the Vikings eventually reached a contract extension with him – and Smith continued to get the most of what he could learn from Rudolph. “He carries himself as a pro out here. He’s been here for nine years in the league. He’s been there. He’s done a lot of things, made Pro Bowls,” Smith said. “Just watching him, seeing how he carries himself on the field and just trying to take it to my game, as well.” To his credit, Rudolph never squawked about the Vikings selecting Smith. Instead, Rudolph trumpeted the advantages of having another pass-catching tight end available and talking often about how having him and Smith on the field at the same time could be a problem for opposing defenses. Smith sees it the same way, even promoting the idea of the seldom-used three-tight end formations. “If you have that many big guys on the field, tight ends and stuff, you don’t know what we’re going to do – run the ball or pass the ball,” Smith said. “They can load the box if they want to, but that’s just going to open up the pass game some more. If they want to put [defensive backs] in there, we can run the ball. It opens up a lot.” Smith was used in several different roles at Alabama, including as a lead blocker in the backfield, which would give the Vikings options about who that third tight end on the roster would be, likely either David Morgan or Tyler Conklin. Of course, with his receiving prowess, Smith brings a varied skill set that has impressed coaches. “It’s definitely going to do a lot, create mismatches on the field,” he said of his varied abilities. “Whatever I can do – if they need me to block, run routes, whatever they need, I can do to help the team make plays on the field.” For now, Smith is enjoying some time away after the always-hectic time for rookies between the end of their college season and the end of minicamp at the start of their professional career. “Definitely. I came from, right after the combine, training for the combine, combine, pro day, the draft process, then coming here and starting. It will be good to have a little break and then just kind of let go for a little minute. But then you kind of have to revamp and get ready to come back,” he said. “Really just locking in on the playbook so when I come back in I’ll be ready to go for training camp. Hang out with my family some more because I didn’t have that much time after the combine, pro day, all that. Kind of just a little break and just getting ready.” PUBLICATION: SKOR North DATE: 7/4/19 How Teddy Bridgewater’s injury shaped the NFL in 2019 By Matthew Coller There has never been a time in the National Football League in which so many teams had an answer at quarterback. At any given moment in the league’s history at least one-third of the teams were searching desperately to fill the most important position in sports. Think of all the Chris Chandlers, Kerry Collinses and Vinny Testaverdes of the 1990s and early 2000s who bounced from club to club. Heck, it wasn’t too long ago that Mike Glennon and Brock Osweiler got big bucks to sign as starters. But in 2019 nearly every franchise can boast to its fans about having either a future Hall of Famer, Pro Bowler or QB on a rookie contract. The AFC has only one quarterback who doesn’t fit that description and he won the Super Bowl two years ago. In the NFC, the lone QB with a second contract but without a Pro Bowl is Jimmy Garoppolo, who signed a $137 million deal prior to last season. Even the most questionable quarterbacks are going to get a shot this year to earn franchise QB status — namely Jamies Winston and Marcus Mariota. It’s hard to say exactly why so many teams are set at QB these days. It might simply be caused by the intersection of a run of deep QB draft classes with legendary QBs like Drew Brees, Ben Roethlisberger and Tom Brady in the twilight of their careers. There’s also the fact that teams have grown very afraid of letting mid-pack quarterbacks like Andy Dalton walk out the door considering the alternative is the unknown and the unknown gets coaches and GMs fired. The Minnesota Vikings fall under the “proven Pro Bowler” category with Kirk Cousins. How they got there is a winding road that begins can be traced to August 30, 2016. But they are hardly the only ones. In fact, you can find roots in more than half the NFL’s QB situations to Teddy Bridgewater’s devistating injury three years ago. Sam Bradford When Bridgewater suffered a gruesome knee injury on a routine practice dropback just days before the 2016 season, the Vikings went into full-on scramble mode. In the press box during the team’s fourth pre-season game, general manager Rick Spielman held an impromptu press conference, saying that the team was confident Shaun Hill could lead them if need-be and that they would not make a panicked move to find another quarterback. Days later they made a panicked move, trading a first-round pick for Sam Bradford, whose reputation at the time was as an injury-prone bust who had managed just a 79.3 career rating in St. Louis despite making mounds and mounds of cash. Not to mention his one year in Philadelphia ended with Chip Kelly getting fired. The team quickly showed zero belief in Bradford by drafting Carson Wentz and Bradford became a punchline when he left voluntary workouts only to return to OTAs a few weeks later. Before we follow the bread crumbs to the present NFL, first let’s focus on an ancillary element of the Bridgewater injury: The perception of Bradford. Some folks might still make fun of his 34 wins for somewhere in the range of $130 million earned. That’s fair. However, it leaves out that the former No. 1 overall pick mostly ended his career having proven that he could be a quality NFL starting quarterback. Few believed that to be the case when he was acquired by the Vikings. In fact, ESPN wrote at the time that the Vikings should have stuck with Hill instead. Bradford came short of the playoffs but overall went 8-8 as a starter with 23 touchdowns, five interceptions, 7.2 yards per attempt and a 101.1 rating as a Viking. Pro Football Focus ranked him the 14th best QB in the NFL in 2016 and his performance on opening night 2017 against the New Orleans Saints (27-for-32, 346 yards, three touchdowns, 143.0 rating) goes down as one of the best single game performances in franchise history. He will be remembered in Minnesota for beating Aaron Rodgers at home in the first game ever at US Bank Stadium, showing toughness through numerous games in which he was pummeled because of a poor offensive line and nearly becoming the franchise QB if not for another knee issue.