DAILY CLIPS

TUESDAY, JULY 7, 2020

LOCAL NEWS: Tuesday, July 7, 2020

Star Tribune

Vikings need to develop depth behind their stars By Sid Hartman https://www.startribune.com/hartman-vikings-need-to-develop-depth-behind-their-stars/571630442/

The Athletic

The rejected designs and the ‘big shard of ice’ that stuck for U.S. Bank Stadium By Chad Graff https://theathletic.com/1902636/2020/07/07/us-bank-stadium-rejected-designs-retractable-roof-big-shard-of-ice/

Vikings Training Camp Guide — QBs: Even more pressure is on By Arif Hasan https://theathletic.com/1906235/2020/07/06/vikings-training-camp-guide--kirk-cousins-sean-mannion- browning-stanley/

Purple Insider

For key players, lack of preseason shouldn't matter much By Matthew Coller https://purpleinsider.substack.com/p/for-key-players-lack-of-preseason

NATIONAL NEWS: Tuesday, July 7, 2020

NFL.com

State of the Franchise: Can Vikings deliver in Zimmer's contract year? By Adam Rank https://www.nfl.com/news/state-of-the-franchise-can-vikings-deliver-in-zimmer-s-contract-year

Maven Media

69 Days Until Vikings Football: Previewing Rashod Hill's 2020 Season By Will Ragatz https://www.si.com/nfl/vikings/news/69-days-vikings-football-countdown-rashod-hill-2020

Bleacher Report

IS THE NFL FINALLY LISTENING? By Kalyn Kahler https://bleacherreport.com/articles/2898339-is-the-nfl-finally-listening?share=other

VIKINGS ENTERTAINMENT NETWORK: Tuesday, July 7, 2020

Lunchbreak: CBS Sports Ranks Zimmer 10th Among NFL Head Coaches By Eric Smith https://www.vikings.com/news/mike-zimmer-ranked-10th-among-nfl-head-coaches

PUBLICATION: Star Tribune DATE: 7/7/20

Vikings need to develop depth behind their stars

By Sid Hartman

If the Vikings are going to win the NFC North in 2020, they are going to have to do it with a top-heavy roster of star players, because after a number of free agency departures and trades, the club most likely will not have the kind of depth it has relied on the past couple of years.

Over the past three seasons, the Vikings have sent nine players on the current roster to the Pro Bowl in Anthony Barr, , Kirk Cousins, C.J. Ham, , , Kyle Rudolph, Harrison Smith and .

In comparison, the defending division champion Packers have sent five players to the Pro Bowl since 2017: Davante Adams, David Bakhtiari, Kenny Clark, Aaron Rodgers and Za’Darius Smith.

The Vikings have more Pro Bowl players than the average NFL squad, but the players they have lined up behind them don’t have much experience.

That’s why more than even the average season, the Vikings need to have great health in 2020.

Offensive stars

Cook has one of the best backups in the NFL in , the second-year running back out of Boise State. But still the difference between the two players is large. Cook has 457 career carries for 2,104 yards and 17 scores while Mattison has 100 carries for 462 yards and one score.

Ham is one of the best fullbacks in the league, and his blocking is key for Cook and the Vikings offense. He also caught 17 passes for 149 yards, six first downs and a touchdown last year while rushing for two first downs.

The only backup fullback on the 2020 roster is rookie out of North Carolina.

Thielen is the equal of any wideout in the league, but without Stefon Diggs on the roster he is going to have even more attention given to him. And after appearing in every game from 2016 to ’18, Thielen appeared in only 10 games in 2019 while dealing with injuries.

This year his backup could be Tajae Sharpe, a great free-agent find by General Manager Rick Spielman.

And Rudolph, the Vikings’ great tight end, also has a solid backup in Irv Smith Jr., and most likely those two will play together more often than apart.

Iron man Cousins

Cousins is one of the most accomplished passers in the NFL, but also important is that he is one of the most durable.

Since 2015 he has started 79 of a possible 80 games, with his lone missed game coming in Week 17 of last season when the Vikings’ playoff situation was locked in place.

The only quarterbacks to start all 80 games over that stretch were Philip Rivers and Russell Wilson, and the only other with 79 starts was Matt Ryan.

In fact, only 10 NFL quarterbacks have started 70 games or more since 2015: Rivers, Wilson, Cousins, Ryan, Derek Carr, Tom Brady, Drew Brees, Matthew Stafford, Rodgers and Jameis Winston.

Cousins has a career 44-42-2 record, 24,107 passing yards and 155 passing touchdowns, but No. 2 Sean Mannion, whom the Vikings really like, has made only two career starts in five pro seasons and has attempted just 74 passes in 13 appearances.

DAVID DERMER, AP Second-year Cameron Smith is the backup to Eric Kendricks as Vikings middle linebacker. Defensive stalwarts

The defense lost two Pro Bowl players this offseason in Xavier Rhodes and Everson Griffen, so their remaining stalwarts are going to have to be ready.

Barr has made 85 career starts with 417 tackles, 15 sacks and five fumble recoveries. His backup might be DeMarquis Gates, who has never played an NFL regular-season snap and was most recently with the Houston Roughnecks of the XFL.

Hunter has become the best defensive end in the NFL, with 54 ½ sacks and 276 tackles in five seasons. His backup, Eddie Yarbrough, a 27-year-old free agent from Buffalo, could be another player the coaching staff can build up. He has one sack and 63 tackles in two seasons, with eight quarterback hits.

Kendricks has become the best linebacker in the league. He has the sixth-most tackles in the NFL since 2015 with 532, and he added 12 pass deflections last season.

His backup, Cameron Smith, a fifth-round pick in 2019, appeared in five games with eight tackles last season.

Lastly on defense is Harrison Smith. The great safety will somehow be asked to do even more this season after the team lost their two starting cornerbacks and nickelback.

Last year he posted 85 tackles, three interceptions, three forced fumbles, two fumble recoveries, a sack and two quarterback hits.

The only other players in the NFL to post at least 80 tackles, three interceptions and three forced fumbles were Patriots linebacker Jamie Collins and Titans cornerback Logan Ryan.

Smith’s backup could be Brian Cole II, a safety out of Mississippi State who was drafted in the seventh round.

The Vikings will have as many big-name players as any club in the NFL next season, but they won’t be able to afford any of them getting hurt.

Jottings

• Twins President of Baseball Operations Derek Falvey said training camp at Target Field could have a lot of intrasquad games. “Pitchers are sometimes throwing four, five innings at a time against your own hitters. I would expect that to be the predominant way we will keep those pitchers active and ready.”

• Twins pitching prospect Jhoan Duran made the 59-man roster and could be a big surprise. General Manager Thad Levine said about Duran at spring training: “He was one of the pieces that we acquired when we traded Eduardo Escobar to the Arizona Diamondbacks. That was a tough trade for us due to the popularity of Escobar. Duran was really the centerpiece of that deal. A righthanded starter, 6-5, 240 pounds, throws 94-98 with a four-pitch mix.”

• Pro Football Focus ranked the Vikings’ Harrison Smith and Anthony Harris as the best safety tandem in the NFL.

• Former Cooper and UNLV standout Rashad Vaughn recently signed with KK Buducnost in Montenegro for the 2020-21 season. Vaughn, 23, last played in the NBA in 2018. Also on that club is former Gophers guard Justin Cobbs. … Former Gophers guard Nate Mason has signed to play with Avtodor Saratov out of Russia for the 2020-21 season.

• ESPN has Cretin-Derham Hall point guard Tre Holloman ranked as the No. 59 boys’ basketball recruit in the Class of 2022. The Gophers have offered Holloman a scholarship.

• Jimmy Shapiro of BetOnline out of Las Vegas notes that the Twins’ Nelson Cruz is tied for the eighth-best odds to lead Major League Baseball in home runs this year at 20-1. Miguel Sano is tied for 21st at 28-1.

• One Gophers recruit to keep an eye on in football is Justin Johnson, a running back ranked as the eighth-best player in the state of Illinois for the class of 2021. PUBLICATION: The Athletic DATE: 7/7/20

The rejected designs and the ‘big shard of ice’ that stuck for U.S. Bank Stadium

By Chad Graff

In the four years since U.S. Bank Stadium opened, it’s been widely lauded as one of the premier sports venues in the country, one that has already successfully hosted a Super Bowl and Final Four.

The transparent roof has been praised for bringing an outdoor feel to indoor games, and the massive northwest doors — the world’s largest pivoting glass ones in the world — have become an attraction on warm days in the fall when they swing open leading to the field.

But it took years to eventually land on the design that was built in 2016. Before that, there were talks of a retractable roof. An ultra-modern, wavy roof was discussed. There were circular, bowl designs.

So as part of The Athletic’s series on architecture in sports this week, we thought it would be fun to chat with Bryan Trubey, the global director of HKS Architecture, the firm that designed U.S. Bank Stadium, and Don Becker, the team’s stadium project executive, about the alternative options for the stadium, how they eventually agreed on the design that was built, and their favorite compliment of U.S. Bank Stadium, which opened four years ago this month.

Brainstorming Before making an initial pitch to the team and city, Trubey first begins a study of the architecture that is around a would-be stadium. It’s important that the stadium not stick out as an anomaly among the other buildings, Trubey said.

When he designed Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis, it meant spending weeks picking out just the right bricks that would blend in with the other downtown buildings.

But in Minneapolis, it meant a chance at a modern stadium.

“The things we noticed that are totally unique to Minneapolis compared to the other major metro areas, is that almost all the civic architecture since the post-war period is modern architecture,” Trubey said. “That’s not the case in any other city.”

That essentially gave Trubey and his firm permission to begin renderings on modern designs for the stadium. They landed on “three or four radically different looking designs,” Trubey said, which were presented to the city’s authority that oversees the stadium and to the Vikings.

Becker, meanwhile, wanted to get a sense of several stadiums, so he flew out on the Vikings’ behalf to visit new stadiums and get ideas for what they liked. He happened to really like the natural light at Lucas Oil Stadium thanks to a wall of windows and retractable roof, which helped put Trubey’s firm on the Vikings’ radar.

Inspiration The team of designers put together a few pages of images for inspiration on the project. There were pictures of Vikings players in their uniforms and true Vikings. There were Viking longships and Nordic houses and ice-fishing houses. All of it, in some fashion, provided a frame of reference.

That’s why the designers don’t mind when fans approach them and proclaim they know what the stadium was modeled after.

“It’s interesting because I think the biggest compliment for us revolves around the fact that people think it embodies everything Minneapolis,” Trubey said. “People look at it and say, ‘Oh, it’s a Vikings ship.’ Which, of course, it isn’t. It’s very abstract, which is what modern architecture is always about. Or they’ll say, ‘Oh, it’s like a big Vikings longhouse.’ Or they’ll say, ‘Oh, it’s like a big shard of ice.’ All of those are true, aren’t they? It just depends upon the lens with which you’re looking at it.”

It’s funny to look back now, Becker said, and hear about the comparisons to longships because the main focus of those early meetings on design was about snow removal and how it would fall off the roof.

“It was definitely not a ship design,” Becker said. “But you can see now it does have that connotation.”

Other features stand out in hindsight. The stadium was originally built at an angle, Becker said, so that it would offer a view of the downtown skyline from the seats. But an unintended consequence is that the wall of windows at the west now offers impressive sunset and skyline reflections.

“Those reflections weren’t contemplated in the design,” Becker said, “but certainly a benefit of the way the building turned out.”

A retractable roof One of the initial requests from the Vikings, Trubey said, was for a retractable roof. It would allow for outdoor games during the fall, then a closed dome in the winter.

So Trubey’s team knew they needed to include a rendering for a retractable roof even if they didn’t think it was the best use of money and even if later legislation from the city outlawed such a design.

All of the pitches that the Vikings heard from firms included some form of roofless design. That’s what owners Mark and Zygi Wilf initially wanted.

“We challenged them to come up with something you would portray as open-air concept,” Becker said.

One design that still sticks with Becker was a tall stadium similar to where the Seattle Seahawks play with massive grandstands on either side of the field. But to accommodate the open-air feel, it had a never-been-done, accordion- like roof.

But after seeing the first renderings, Trubey didn’t feel like the retractable roof was the right fit for the project.

“They kind of work on ballparks … because you’re trying to get sun to the field,” Trubey said. “And the ballparks actually feel like open-air venues. Well, at most NFL venues, you’re not trying to get sun to grow the grass, so it would end up being a smaller opening. And then the question is what are you getting for that? Does it really feel like an outdoor venue?”

The mechanics of a retractable roof in the harsh Minnesota winters became problematic. Becker visited the Miami Marlins’ stadium since their retractable roof had to be able to withstand hurricanes. How the roof would handle the winters became a big deterrent for a retractable roof for a franchise that only a few years earlier had watched as the Metrodome’s roof collapsed.

U.S. Bank Stadium Whatever you think it looks like, in simple drawings, you can see the stadium’s final form taking shape. The finished product While the idea of a retractable roof never moved beyond a few looks at the drawings, it did bring to the forefront the idea of a transparent roof — perhaps U.S. Bank Stadium’s signature feature.

“That unlocked a whole discussion because we wanted to do something unique,” Trubey said. “That launched the whole discussion that the clear roof is the new retractable. That’s something we coined along the way. It just came in a meeting we were having with the authority one time.”

The idea was to provide the feel of an outdoor game that the Vikings initially wanted with the retractable roof. It’s why one of Trubey’s favorite parts of early Vikings games is seeing people wear sunglasses from inside the stadium.

“Goodness, it’s like you’re in the outdoors,” Trubey said. “There were people wearing sunglasses at the Super Bowl if you got there early enough. And it was like two degrees outside.”

Added Becker: “When you see a game on television, you honestly can’t tell it’s indoors.”

As fun as it may be to see the pictures of potential versions of the stadium that’s now an attraction in downtown Minneapolis, Trubey said his team was able to close in on the look of the stadium pretty quickly once the retractable roof was ruled out in favor of a transparent one and the single superframe was added at the top to provide a ridge.

Trubey doesn’t spend much time looking back at those old renderings and wondering what might have been if another avenue were chosen. He’s proud of the way the stadium turned out and of the reviews it’s received since. He still returns to Minneapolis every year and appreciates the architecture throughout.

That’s why his favorite bit of praise comes from those who appreciate that the stadium blends in — as much as a billion-dollar building can, anyway.

“The highest compliment we can be paid,” Trubey said, “is that it reflects their city.” PUBLICATION: The Athletic DATE: 7/7/20

Vikings Training Camp Guide — QBs: Even more pressure is on Kirk Cousins

By Arif Hasan

(Editor’s note: This is the first in a series of position-by-position articles breaking down every player on the Vikings roster as we build up to the start of training camp later this month. First up, the quarterbacks. Still to come: Running backs, wide receivers, tight ends, offensive line, defensive line linebackers, cornerbacks and safeties.)

The Vikings finally have stability at quarterback and the nature of the NFL is such that it might not be enough to sate fans. Modern football revolves around the quarterback and for the Vikings, that might be more the case than it has been in a long time given the defensive depletion this offseason.

Not many doubt that Kirk Cousins is a quarterback that can lead to winning football, but whether he can win in adverse conditions is up for debate. Like most teams, the Vikings don’t have many alternative options and will only rely on their backups to provide sideline support and injury relief, without much hope of a new dynamic player coming in to mix things up.

There’s always been pressure on him, but Cousins might be seeing more pressure this year than any other of his career, with his supporting cast diminished and no safety net on the other side of the ball. A new contract extension adds to that pressure, especially given the singular importance of the position.

Kirk Cousins It’s an unusual situation for a quarterback to be entering his sixth year as a starter without many completely sure about his place in the NFL. Statistically, Cousins should easily be considered the kind of starter that can win a Super Bowl, but there aren’t many analysts that hold this opinion very strongly. That said, the Vikings run into the playoffs last season was deeper than many expected, potentially providing fans with newfound faith. With a new contract for Cousins, the Vikings have signaled their thoughts pretty strongly but have had to make some sacrifices as a result, putting even more on the shoulders of a quarterback many are ambivalent about.

Strengths: Cousins boasts many features of textbook pocket passers, including fantastic pre-snap read capability and rock-solid mechanics. He has a quick understanding of defensive schemes, weaknesses and ability to quickly identify the most open option based on leverage. He’s accurate to all three levels of the field; regularly generates positive accuracy and his completion rate generally exceeds depth-of-target-adjusted expectation. His mechanics generate good arm strength, allowing him to thread tight windows and throw it deep. Generally avoids interceptions — many of them are a product of receiver error and interception rate stays low regardless. Consistently great play- action performance, a product of good ball-handling and understanding of the field. Improved situational awareness — third-and-long and third-and-medium conversion rates both rose significantly from 2018 to 2019 despite worse receiving corps for most of the season. He generated comebacks against Denver and New Orleans and significantly improved aggressiveness in 2019. His play against blitzes (12th in NFL in first down rate against the blitz) and play against pressure (seventh in adjusted net yards per attempt against pressure) both improved from the previous season.

Weaknesses: Despite the improvements, Cousins’ situational awareness is still an issue. In six comeback drive opportunities in the final five minutes, excluding overtime, the Vikings have converted just one into a score — their 2018 Week 2 performance against Green Bay. The situational awareness problem seems to be a symptom of “automatic” play style; rarely improvises in scramble drill or decisions to run. Defensive disguises impact him more than most pocket quarterbacks. Though generally good against pressure, he still gives up sack-fumbles at an alarming rate. Low sample size of improved third-down rates raises questions about sustainability. His strength- weakness profile points to a quarterback that can play well when even or ahead but poorly when behind.

Sean Mannion

(Charles Rex Arbogast / AP) The Vikings committed to a second year of Sean Mannion, only really using him in Week 17 after the Vikings were locked into their playoff spot. While Minnesota has often carved out two backup roles — one for a vet and another for a developmental option — Mannion leaves a lot to be desired as a veteran backup, with more value as a second set of eyes and game-planner than on-field quarterback. With Cousins’ durability, this might be irrelevant, but it nevertheless remains an area of concern.

Strengths: Mannion has a good understanding of defensive fundamentals and generally is a quick decision-maker. His career showcases good anticipation and willingness to exploit holes in defenses, and he usually makes the “right” decision in the progression. He challenges tight windows and showcases a willingness to throw deep against one-on- one matchups. General aggression has shown for most of his career. Improved throwing motion quickens his release.

Weaknesses: Despite good anticipation throughout his career, Mannion seemed late to throw in a Vikings uniform, both against Chicago in Week 17 and in the preseason. Same situational awareness problems as Cousins, having issues in end-of-half drives at finding completions that move the chains or stop the clock. Arm strength is a concern, primarily because of inconsistency. The ball can lag out of hand, allowing for defenders to close on the ball even if he throws before the break. Inconsistent trajectory leads to a high number of passes batted at the line of scrimmage. Poor accuracy, without a consistent bias for over- or underthrows; generally all over the place. Slow dropbacks from under center inhibit timing in West Coast offenses. He breaks down under pressure — accuracy degrades even further and ball velocity falls much more. His lack of athleticism decreases options; isn’t a threat to run in the rollout and can be caught from behind in scrambles.

Jake Browning

(Derick E. Hingle / USA Today) Winning the competition in camp between him and Kyle Sloter last year, Browning’s command of the playbook should give him an advantage once more against his competition this year in former Iowa quarterback . A much better college quarterback prospect in his junior year instead of his senior year, the Vikings are banking on developing the QB that impressed in Washington’s 10-win 2018 season. With only 14 dropbacks in the preseason, it’s difficult to update our priors on Browning, but he did mechanically look different there and in camp, and that could be a big difference for him entering this season.

Strengths: Browning is a remarkable processor both in structure and out of structure, at least through his first few progressions — quick to make decisions, usually makes the right ones despite the defensive design. He’s an anticipation passer, can throw to receivers before the break. Last year, we mentioned that slight mechanical improvements could dramatically improve his arm strength — preseason showing reflected that, with better ball velocity and capacity to reach sidelines. Boasts quick footwork in the pocket, which produces good dropback timing and the ability to escape pressure. Despite the system at Washington, he’s fairly good at throwing on the run. Genuine potential to overtake Mannion.

Weaknesses: Well-known for having a weak arm, though it looked like a solid shift in throwing motion established better ball velocity (this is subject to quick breakdown). Demonstrated very weak arm strength most of his college career and was put on the practice squad with explicit instructions to gain strength. If his “true” arm strength matches his college performance, he’ll have issues throwing outside the hashes or fitting in tight windows. Poor performance under pressure if he doesn’t get rid of the ball right away and will often dump off too quickly to checkdowns with the appearance of pressure. He often scrambles without vision and can’t sail the ball to targets when throwing off his back foot. Very few reps in camp or preseason to evaluate changes from college and a good chance that any new mechanics might not stick. Bails on the pocket when the first two reads are gone, often without pressure. Straight-line speed an issue, despite quick footwork. Won’t be a threat to run and needs to remain in the pocket.

Nate Stanley

(Daniel Bartel / Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) Less heralded as a prospect than Browning was the year prior, Stanley looks more like a camp body than a genuine threat to take the third quarterback position — though anything is possible once training camp starts. A traditional big-body, big-arm pocket passer, Stanley’s experience in Iowa’s system should make his transition easier than most college passers.

Strengths: Stanley likely has the strongest arm on the roster; will challenge tight windows. Three-year captain in college. Improved performance in high-leverage situations, especially third down. He does a great job of avoiding turnovers. Throws into pressure and steps up against defenders. Takes hits without seeming to degrade and has 39 straight starts. Iowa offense mirrors many NFL concepts, especially for the Vikings system with an emphasis on play- action. Seems to make good pre-snap reads.

Weaknesses: Not accurate to any level of the field, without much ball placement or consistency in error. He’s often far too conservative despite a big arm, choosing shorter passes usually over the middle. Not a particularly quick processor; takes time to get through his progressions or identify defenses post-snap. He often throws at open receivers instead of throwing receivers open. Stares receivers down. Potentially at the lower athletic threshold, where his inability to move invites pressure and makes it difficult to escape — may not even be able to roll out effectively — though a 4.81 40-yard dash suggests otherwise. When pressure arrives, loses throwing platform too easily and throws are even more off-course. PUBLICATION: Purple Insider DATE: 7/7/20

For key players, lack of preseason shouldn't matter much

By Matthew Coller

On August 24, 2019, quarterback Kirk Cousins played very bad football.

The Vikings faced the in the “all-important” third preseason game. The dress rehearsal, if you will. And Cousins went 3-for-13 for 35 yards and was sacked twice.

“If I play the way I did today, it’s going to be a long year,” Cousins said after the game.

Mike Zimmer ripped into his team at the postgame podium.

“I felt like there wasn’t much energy,” he said. “Defensively, we didn’t rush the passer well. We had guys not going to the huddle defensively, so they don’t know the call. Offensively, we had dropped balls, penalties, a bunch of three- and-outs. We missed two field goals. It was really a poor performance, and we need to play a lot better than that if we’re going to win football games.”

In the regular season opener the Vikings demolished the Atlanta Falcons and they went on to win 10 regular season games and a playoff game in which Cousins threw a game-winning touchdown in overtime. He set a career high in quarterback rating and nobody remembered what happened in Week 3 of the preseason when Cousins looked like Josh Freeman.

On the other side of the coin, Kyle Sloter dominated the fourth quarters of the preseason and the Vikings cut him in favor of , who barely appeared in actual games.

There’s probably some value in running plays against another team but training camp practices are where teams are made. Cousins threw a grand total of 25 passes in the preseason and completed 13 of them.

In total, his preseason starting career looks like this:

2019 — 13-for-25, 86.8 rating

2018 — 24-for-40, 86.0

2017 — 25-for-44, 72.0

2016 — 17-for-28, 107.3

2015 — 40-for-53, 103.9

The top performing 2019 preseason quarterbacks in PFF grade were Matt Barkley, Case Keenum and Mason Rudolph. Cousins graded 48th. Maybe that was in part because Stefon Diggs didn’t have a single preseason snap. He went on to average nearly 20 yards per reception in a new offense.

So if the NFL heeds the advice of the NFL Players Association, which reportedly requested the cancellation of the preseason, it isn’t likely to have much impact on the final results of the 2020 season.

Adam Schefter @AdamSchefter NFLPA board of player representatives voted unanimously on Friday to recommend skipping the 2020-21 preseason, a source told @DanGrazianoESPN.

Source: NFLPA board wants no preseason games The NFL shortened its preseason from four weeks to two to account for the coronavirus pandemic, but the league’s players don’t think that move went far enough. espn.com July 4th 2020

547 Retweets1,764 Likes No doubt late-round picks and undrafted free agents fighting for an end-of-the-bench or practice squad job will get a bad break. Maybe the next Adam Thielen or Anthony Harris will end up on the chopping block before they ever get a chance — though expanded practice squads may mitigate that issue.

Overall you would be hard pressed to find any evidence that starters are impacted by missed preseason games. Side note: PFF’s highest graded preseason team last year was the New York Giants.

The NFL owners reportedly agreed to hold two preseason contests, which could give teams just enough reps to rev up the engines for starters. But if coaches feel compelled to play starters for several quarters in each game, the net outcome for teams could be negative. Losing players to injury is far worse than having them start Week 1 sluggishly.

The Vikings have largely been lucky in this regard but last year Cam Newton suffered a foot injury in the preseason that derailed his 2019.

The idea of removing preseason games isn’t new by any means. In 2017 Roger Goodell said that teams have been finding them less and less useful.

“I’ve asked every football guy, ‘How many preseason games do we really need to prepare your team and develop players and evaluate players and get yourself ready for the season?” Goodell said. “And I think that has shifted dramatically in the last three years. I think that coaches and football people think that you could do this in three [games], and I actually think that’s better for the fans. I actually don’t think the preseason games are of the quality that I’m really proud of. From my standpoint, I think that would be a really healthy shift.”

The Los Angeles Rams simply stopped playing starters in preseason games. Quarterback Jared Goff hasn’t thrown a preseason pass since 2017. He led the No. 1 and No. 2 ranked regular season offenses in two of those years and reached the Super Bowl.

If you’re wondering: Has anybody studied this? Of course they have. PFF looked at whether preseason grades and schemes translated over to the regular season and — spoiler alert — they did not. Author of the piece Timo Riske points out that teams simply do not show their hand.

“During the preseason, teams hesitate to show off their route combinations over the middle of the field, a recent trend and a vital part of modern NFL offenses,” he wrote. “Instead, they have their outside receivers run simpler go routes, not showing any tendencies and their full arsenal of skills.”

And if the point wasn’t clear enough, there’s this tremendous factoid and quote from former Lions OC Jim Colletto concerning the team’s 0-16 season in 2008:

"We were 4-0 in the preseason," Colletto told ESPN. "But if you know enough about pro football, that didn't mean squat diddly."

PUBLICATION: NFL.com DATE: 7/7/20

State of the Franchise: Can Vikings deliver in Zimmer's contract year?

By Adam Rank

Where does your franchise stand heading into 2020? Adam Rank sets the table by providing a State of the Franchise look at all 32 teams, zeroing in on the key figures to watch and setting the stakes for the season to come.

Members of the Minnesota Vikings organization, Vikes fans around the world and those who believe that if Mr. Perfect truly did try out for the Vikings, he would have been the greatest of all time:

The Super Bowl window for the Vikings is still open. For now. Minnesota remains one of the most talented teams in the NFC, but a trip to the title game has eluded the franchise for quite some time now. Forty-three seasons, to be exact. Are the Vikings closer to the ultimate goal now than, say, when they reached the 2017 NFC Championship Game? That is something we are going to need to take a look at. The Vikings are talented. There is no denying that. But are they better than they were?

How the Vikings got here Let's take a quick look back at the highs and lows of the 2019 season.

The highs:

Topping the Cowboys in Dallas on Sunday Night Football in Week 10. The Vikings' defense made two huge stops late in the fourth quarter to preserve a 28-24 victory. This was a big deal, because quarterback Kirk Cousins is often mocked for not playing well in big moments. This was a big moment, and he played well. Overcoming a 20-0 halftime deficit to beat the Broncos in Week 11. The Vikings actually trailed 23-7 heading into the fourth quarter, but a furious rally helped them knock off Denver. Returning to the playoffs and beating the Saints (on the road) in overtime in the Wild Card Round. Just like everyone expected. (Narrator's voice: That is not what everyone expected.) It was the first overtime playoff victory in club history. The lows:

Posting a losing record against NFC North opponents. They were swept by the Bears and are now 0-4 against Chicago in the Matt Nagy era. Minnesota also dropped both of its games against the Packers, finishing 2-4 against division competition. Falling to the 49ers in the Divisional Round of the playoffs. The Vikings have had two pretty great wins over the Saints in the playoffs over the last three years. However, in both instances, they were blown out the following week. 2020 VIPs Head coach: Mike Zimmer. He's currently the longest-tenured coach in the NFC North, but he's also in a precarious position, being in the final year of his contract. Now, Zimmer has been very good at his job. He is 57-38-1 in six seasons with the Vikings. Minnesota finished a season with a record below .500 only once under Zimmer (in his first season with the Vikes, when they won seven games). But he hasn't gotten a team desperate for its first NFL title to the big game. I don't mean to say that he's coaching for his job this season. But stranger things have happened. I mean, look at Andy Reid. After he failed to bring Philadelphia a Lombardi Trophy over 14 years, the Eagles grew tired of him and sent him on his way. And Zimmer might be in an especially difficult spot, because he's an old-school defensive coach like Ed Gennero from Necessary Roughness (which is never mentioned in conversations about the greatest football movies, even though it belongs in the discussion), while the current NFL is skewing toward young, offensive-minded coaches like Kyle Shanahan, Sean McVay and Matt LaFleur. I'm not advocating for Zimmer to be put on the hot seat. I would just say that it seems he's at risk even though he's been consistently good over the years.

I guess that's the rub here. It's cool to good every year. But have the Vikings ever been great with Zimmer at the helm? Is there any chance that this year's team is going to be great? Again, I think Zimmer is a really good football coach. But this seems like a huge year for him and general manager Rick Spielman.

Quarterback: Kirk Cousins. Vikings fans can be so spoiled. Or at least, some of you on Twitter can be that way. The team extended Cousins' contract this offseason (as it should have), and some of you got big mad. Those folks are like the kid on that old MTV show, My Super Sweet 16, who had a meltdown because her parents got her a Lexus. And that kid wasn't mad that she got a Lexus. She was mad that they gave it to her on the wrong day. Yes, that's actually a thing that happened on that show. Hey, look: I'm as embarrassed as you that I still remember that.

Anyway, to be honest, I like to poke fun at Cousins because: 1) I'm a jerk, and 2) I root for the Bears, so it's what I'm supposed to do. But he's a good quarterback. He finished last season with 3,603 passing yards, 26 touchdowns and just six picks while completing nearly 70 percent of his passes. And for those of you knocking him for not winning big games, let me point out again that he went on the road in the playoffs to beat the Saints, a team many picked to go to the Super Bowl.

Heck, even Zimmer seemed to be getting into the disrespecting Cousins business a little bit last year, with the QB attempting just 10 passes in the season opener against the Falcons. TEN total passes in one game! This became somewhat of a trend, as he didn't attempt more than 30 passes in a win until he completed 24 of his 34 attempts for 338 yards and four touchdowns in a Week 7 victory over the Lions.

Let me bottom-line this for you: Cousins is a really good quarterback. Is he peak Aaron Rodgers? No. But who is? You have nothing to be upset about, Vikings fans. And if you want to give me that Lexus, then I will happily take it from you. (BTW, I'm still shook by that whole thing.)

Mike Rob: Why Cousins will have record-breaking '20 season Projected 2020 MVP: Dalvin Cook, running back. With all due respect to Cousins, Cook projects to be the most important piece of Minnesota's offense this season. He's one of the best in the game when healthy. The problem is, he's missed 19 games due to injury over his first three seasons. He did play in a career-high 14 games last year and became the first Vikings running back to top 1,000 rushing yards since Adrian Peterson in 2015. And to go a step further, the Vikings had a 3,000-yard passer, 1,000-yard rusher and 1,000-yard receiver in the same season for the first time since 2002. It is not lost on me that Minnesota got back to the playoffs during Cook's breakout season.

So, the most important thing you need to realize here is the Vikings have to run the ball. Cousins led the NFL with a 129.1 passer rating and 14 touchdowns on play-action passes last season. And that's what makes Cook's consideration of a holdout concerning. As many have pointed out, his leverage to get the contract he seeks from Minnesota is very limited by rules in the new collective bargaining agreement, but if Cook isn't around and the Vikings aren't able to establish the run to set up play-action for Cousins, it would have a huge impact on this team.

Projected 2020 breakout star: Ifeadi Odenigbo, defensive end. Minnesota has been a great defensive team over the years. Last season was no exception, with the Vikings tying for fifth in sacks. But with some significant turnover on the defense this offseason (more on that in a moment), the team will be counting on Odenigbo to make a bigger contribution in 2020. The good news is, Odenigbo showed major promise last season, recording seven sacks and 13 QB hits. The former seventh-round pick is ready to make that next step (we'll also have more on this later).

AND don't sleep on: Irv Smith Jr., tight end. Smith had 36 receptions last season, the most by a rookie tight end in club history. Just wanted to throw that out to you, in case you're looking for some production at the position in fantasy football. Let's move on.

A new face to know: , wide receiver. The Vikings used one of their two first-round picks in April on Jefferson, who is going to be counted on to replace one of the better receivers in the game, Stefon Diggs, after Diggs was traded to Buffalo. I really like Jefferson and feel he landed in the best possible position of all of the rookie receivers, at least in terms of ability to make an immediate impact. I also think Jefferson is the most pro-ready of the rookie receivers, having played for an LSU team loaded with NFL talent under passing-game coordinator Joe Brady (who was hired to be the Panthers' offensive coordinator this offseason). The only drawback is that Jefferson might be taking a step down at quarterback, going from first overall selection Joe Burrow to Cousins. OK, stop it. I'm kidding. But Jefferson is a good route runner. He's awesome on contested catches. How awesome? Well, he recorded a contested catch rate of 92.3, according to Pro Football Focus, while no other draft-eligible pass-catcher with at least 10 contested targets had a rate higher than 73.3. I have Jefferson leading all rookies in receiving, so you're going to be good here.

The 2020 roadmap The competitive urgency index is: ELEVATED. Which is going to happen when you put as much money into a quarterback as the Vikings have in Cousins. And you have a coach playing for an extension. The Vikings do have a lot of young pieces and some draft capital to play with in the future, and maybe 2021 might appear brighter. But I would never suggest such a thing to Zimmer.

Three key dates:

Week 1 vs. Packers. Let's go. You probably all know that I hate divisional games in the first month of the season -- give teams a chance to get settled! -- but any opportunity you have to put a loss on the Packers is a good thing. Green Bay's ripe for regression this season. Week 5 at Seahawks (Sunday night). I know I told you before that Cousins has indeed logged some quality performances in big spots. But people will still harp on that narrative (because people are lazy). This is a good chance to squelch any of that. Especially against a team you could be battling for a wild-card spot. Week 14 at Buccaneers. After this game, Minnesota returns home to face Chicago and then travels to New Orleans. The Saints, of course, might be a little fired up for that one, given the way last season ended for them. This feels like a stretch where, if the Vikings don't get two wins, that could cost them the playoffs. Will the Vikings be able to ... Continue their success with so many new faces? One of the drawbacks of having a great quarterback is that you inevitably have to pay him a lot of money. Which means that you have to skimp in some other places. Like if you know you're going to have Portillo's for dinner -- and you're for sure going to have a cake shake -- then maybe you opt for the salad at lunch. The Vikings were put in that spot this year; because of salary cap restrictions, they no longer have Stefon Diggs, Xavier Rhodes, Trae Waynes, Andrew Sendejo and some other key pieces. Diggs had been wanting to be traded for some time, so it's not a huge surprise. Though I will certainly miss his subtle trolling of the Vikings on his Twitter account. One wild card in this mix is Everson Griffen, who is still a free agent, though recent rumors had him potentially linked to Cleveland. All in all, that's a lot of quality pieces the Vikings are going to have to scramble to replace. But then again, Portillo's is so good, you're going to find a way to make it work.

Count on Mike Hughes to step up at cornerback? Minnesota's defense has been the reliable backbone of the team for years, the Marshall Eriksen of the team. You know: The low-key best part of How I Met Your Mother. (And if you thought you were getting through this without a HIMYM reference, you were mistaken.) The Vikings are great at safety with Harrison Smith and Anthony Harris (whose breakout season was successfully predicted in last year's State of the Vikings). The biggest question is at the cornerback position. The Vikings invested a first-round pick in Hughes, who is a gifted player, but whose development at the position has been slowed by injuries. Hughes did play 14 games last season, but he was on the field for less than 50 percent of the team's defensive snaps. He was a frequent target of opposing offenses when on the field, and Dak Prescott really took advantage of him in that Week 10 game the Vikings eventually won, but still. Hughes will be joined by first-round pick out of TCU. I was a little surprised to see Gladney go in the first round. He is very talented and has a lot of great quickness but looks a little undersized on film. He could be a great player once he fills out a little bit, but the NFC North has some of the best receivers in the game, including Allen Robinson, Davante Adams and Kenny Golladay. Zimmer's defense is also very difficult to pick up. This might be one of the most pressing issues for the Vikings this season.

Find some success in pass blocking? The Vikings' offensive line was statistically good last year, at least in terms of keeping the QB upright. Minnesota allowed just 28 sacks (fifth-fewest), down from 40 in 2018. That said, PFF only ranked this O-line 19th at the end of the regular season, noting that Cousins faced a lot of pressure down the stretch. (And the 49ers had six sacks against the Vikings in the Divisional Round.) In fact, the Vikings' line would've ranked even lower than 19th if not for the unit's strong run-blocking, which Football Outsiders backs up. The Vikings were also in the mix for former Redskins lineman Trent Williams this offseason, but instead had to settle for , a talented prospect selected in the second round of April's draft. The hope for the Vikings here is that Year 2 in Gary Kubiak's scheme will be a little easier for the team.

Game Theory: Toughest four-game stretches in the NFC North One storyline ...... people are overlooking: Danielle Hunter is great but needs help. First off, let me say Hunter is a great player, and he's never given enough credit for that. Hunter is the youngest player in NFL history with 50-plus sacks (achieved at 25 years, 40 days), which is amazing. Why is he not in the convo for best defensive player in the game? Fine, he was second-team All-Pro in 2018. But come on: second-team? And that was 2018. He got no All-Pro honors last year, despite racking up 14.5 sacks for the second straight season. I will tell you offensive coordinators are not going to overlook him. He's going to need some help this season if he wants to continue at this 14.5-sack pace. You know how I feel about Odenigbo. That's one guy. Another player I really like is rookie D.J. Wonnum, who was drafted in the fourth round. Feel like he was a steal. Watch some tape of South Carolina, and it's hard not to be impressed by Wonnum. (All right, he should have had Najee Harris on this touchdown, but still, he made a great effort to get to that spot.) He kind of flew under the radar, with Gamecocks teammate Javon Kinlaw getting most of the attention. He could be in a similar situation with Hunter on the NFL level, but Vikings fans will not be mad if he continues to produce.

... people are overthinking: Who is going to run routes from the slot? Adam Thielen ran out of the slot with Diggs split wide. And Justin Jefferson ran 92 percent of his routes from the slot at LSU, according to PFF. This seems like the kind of thing that fantasy football analysts like to talk about. But the Vikings were last in the league in 11 personnel (three receivers), so it's not going to be a huge issue. Jefferson does have experience playing outside, as he did in the years before Joe Brady arrived. If anything, this gives the Vikings a chance to be a bit more creative, moving their pieces around and drawing the kinds of matchups they are looking for. I'm pretty sure Kubiak isn't sweating this slot question. The Vikes just have to allow Jefferson to go out there and do some work.

For 2020 to be a successful season, the Vikings MUST: Make the playoffs. Again, I feel like that's the minimum. Especially when I check my Twitter mentions. And again, I don't feel like this should be the end for Zimmer if the Vikings don't make the playoffs. Especially with a youngish team. But it's a lot easier to sell the fans on the future coming off a postseason appearance (or even better, a win). In closing The Minnesota Vikings are in an interesting position. They are obviously in the top half of NFL teams. But are not in the top tier. They are good enough to make the playoffs. Even go on the road and beat the Saints. But they clearly looked out of their element against the 49ers. It was like the 2001 Royal Rumble, considered by some to be the best of all time. The final four of that match was The Rock, Stone Cold, Kane and ... Billy Gunn. Did anybody in their right mind think Billy Gunn was going to win the Rumble? Absolutely not. The NFC playoffs felt that way last year. The Vikes could certainly make a run at the NFC North. But do they look Super? PUBLICATION: Maven Media DATE: 7/7/20

69 Days Until Vikings Football: Previewing Rashod Hill's 2020 Season

By Will Ragatz

As we count down the days until the Vikings' opener against the Packers on September 13th, InsideTheVikings will be previewing every single player on the roster. The amount of days remaining corresponds with the jersey number of the player being examined on that day. Today is July 6th, and there are 69 days until kickoff for the 2020 regular season. That means our next player preview looks at the Vikings' swing tackle.

Countdown to Vikings-Packers on September 13th: 69 Days

Player Preview: Rashod Hill (No. 69, Offensive Tackle) USATSI_11329643_168388404_lowres College: Southern Mississippi Drafted: 2016 UDFA () NFL experience: Four years (2020 will be his fifth season) Age: 28 (Birthday was in January) Size: 6'6", 313 2019 PFF Grade: 62.6

Depth is important at every position in the NFL, but it's particularly crucial on the offensive line. The big guys up front are colliding with defensive linemen on every single play, and they're at constant risk of a 300-pound man falling on their legs the wrong way or suffering any number of other injuries. That makes Rashod Hill a valuable part of the Vikings' offense, even if the 28-year-old is unlikely to ever become a long-term starter at this point in his career.

Hill has spent the majority of the last few seasons as the Vikings' swing tackle, meaning he's the primary backup at both left and right tackle. It's a difficult job, as he has to be ready to go in on either side at the drop of a hat and face off against dangerous pass rushers. Being able to play on both sides of the line requires fluidity in dropping into pass sets in two opposite ways. Going from the left side to the right – or vice-versa – is a transition that some tackles can really struggle with, which makes Hill's solid play on both sides plenty worthy of a roster spot.

A free agent entering this offseason, Hill was brought back by the Vikings on a one-year, $1.05 million deal. He'll likely continue to occupy that swing tackle role, though he could face competition from an intriguing young player. , a sixth-round pick in 2019, probably offers more upside and could push for that job with a strong August. and rookie will also factor into the equation at the tackle position in training camp.

Hill grew up in Jacksonville, FL and was lightly recruited out of high school; 247Sports ranked him as a two-star recruit and the 109th-best offensive tackle in the class of 2011. He accepted an offer from Southern Mississippi, the alma mater of Brett Favre, and was a three-year starter for the Golden Eagles. During his redshirt senior year, Hill was named second team All-Conference USA.

After going undrafted in 2016, Hill was signed as a college free agent by his hometown Jaguars. After impressing during the preseason, he earned a spot on their practice squad. That November, the Vikings swooped in and signed him to their active roster, and he's been in Minnesota ever since. Hill made his Vikings debut in Week 17 of his rookie year, playing well in place of T.J. Clemmings.

During the next two seasons, injuries caused Hill's name to be called for significant action. He started seven games in 2017, mostly replacing right tackle . He then played every offensive snap at right tackle in the Vikings' two playoff games that year, with Remmers moving to guard after returning from injury. Hill opened the 2018 season as the Vikings' starting right tackle, then moved to the left side when got hurt. But with rookie Brian O'Neill playing well, Hill was demoted back to the No. 3 spot on the depth chart when Reiff got healthy. He started eight games in total in 2018, which was his second consecutive season playing over half of the Vikings' offensive snaps.

In 2019, Reiff and O'Neill stayed mostly healthy, and Hill's playing time dropped dramatically as a result.

The scouting report on Hill is that he's a reliable pass protector who doesn't have the athleticism to thrive in the Vikings' outside zone running scheme. Last season, he received PFF's 17th-best pass-blocking grade out of 102 tackles with at least 100 offensive snaps, while his run-blocking grade was 84th. That has been a consistent trend throughout his career, and it's the main reason why the Vikings don't view him as a starting tackle in the NFL.

In 2020, it's possible that the more athletic Udoh pushes Hill for the swing tackle job. However, it's also in play that Udoh could compete for a starting role at guard. Either way, Hill's spot on the 53-man roster seems fairly safe, and he'll continue to provide important depth with his ability to win in pass protection reps on both sides of the line.

Vikings Offensive Tackles Preview: Will Ezra Cleveland Start as a Rookie?

Previous OL player previews:

No. 78: No. 76: Aviante Collins No. 75: Brian O'Neill No. 74: Oli Udoh No. 73: No. 72: Ezra Cleveland No. 71: Riley Reiff You can find every single player preview to date – plus other offseason content – in this handy spreadsheet. PUBLICATION: Bleacher Report DATE: 7/7/20

IS THE NFL FINALLY LISTENING?

By Kalyn Kahler

No football questions.

If the 50-some NFL reporters on the Vikings' Zoom press conference call hadn't been muted, there would have been a collective audible gasp.

"We understand some people may have football questions," said Jeff Anderson, the Vikings' VP of strategic and corporate communications. "But we really want today to be about the significant events facing our community and the country. … We will have plenty of time to talk football in the coming weeks."

No football questions? There likely hasn't been a press conference or media availability organized by a team that has ever begun with these ground rules. The caveats are typically only football questions. Talk of "distractions" like politics, societal issues or anything "off the field" is usually discouraged.

That a team would mandate a press conference not revolve around football is a measuring stick of how far the league has moved—and of how far players have moved it—in the past month following the killing of George Floyd and the resulting protests that have gripped the nation. When Colin Kaepernick kicked off the social justice movement within the NFL four years ago, many got lost talking about his method—the kneeling—and not his reason. Though four years late, the league that botched the handling of Kaepernick's protests has now admitted it wasn't listening then. That something valuable was happening and the league failed to defend it and take up the fight.

"What the league is trying to express is the same sentiment that everybody is expressing: that that was a protest on behalf of police brutality before, and we missed it," Saints linebacker Demario Davis says. "Everybody has to admit that."

"I wasn't even sure if I would ever get to see that [apology]," says Texans safety Justin Reid, whose older brother Eric knelt alongside Kaepernick with the 49ers and faced an onslaught of criticism that stretched all the way to the White House. "But they did do that, and I give them credit for that, but now I need to see them back it up."

Videos you might like In one of the strangest offseasons in NFL history, teams and players have more time to spend talking about racism. The COVID-19 pandemic halted all the usual offseason activities—rookie camps, organized team activities, workouts. And with training camp still weeks away, and the regular season even further out, there's a lot of time to think and reflect on the killings that have shaken the nation and stirred many to understand systemic racism isn't a vestige of the past.

Andre Patterson, the Vikings' co-defensive coordinator and defensive line coach, is one of the 10 regular members of the Vikings' social justice committee and one of six gathered on the Zoom call. Now 60, he was born during the civil rights movement and has lived through several iterations of outrage and unrest in response to police brutality against Black people. He happened to be in L.A in the spring of 1992, recruiting high school football players for his job as defensive line coach at Washington State. While he was there, a jury acquitted four officers for use of excessive force in the arrest and beating of Rodney King, which led to several days of intense demonstrations and rioting over the verdict.

"This has been going on my whole life," Patterson says. "Through time, the Black community has been telling the world that this has been going on. And a lot of people didn't want to believe that it was going on, that the person had to do something wrong to either get choked to death or shot or whatever. OK? But this ... one's different: Because the whole world got to see the life leave that man's body. … Not only did they get to see him lose his life—they got to see it from start to finish. So that's why you see the protests the way you do."

Will the protests in the streets make their way back onto the field? How have the conversations changed within locker rooms? B/R Mag spoke to players and coaches around the league to figure out what this moment means in football.

Justin Reid is riding in an Uber in Austin, Texas, on his way to a 7-Eleven. The driver has just had to turn around to find a new route because several streets are blocked off due to protests. As the driver turns down a different street, the two start talking about the Black Lives Matter movement, and the driver, a white man, says he doesn't really agree with it.

The 23-year-old Texans safety is the younger brother of free-agent safety Eric Reid. He's been close to the social justice movement within football since its beginning. Then a student-athlete at Stanford, Justin watched his older brother protest to raise awareness of the oppression of Black people and specifically police brutality. Justin heard the message get drowned out by those who incorrectly conflated Eric's stance as a protest of the American flag. He witnessed the death threats on social media his brother received and the emails that labeled Eric and his family as "terrorists." He felt no one was talking about why his brother was kneeling during the anthem; they were only talking about the fact that his brother was kneeling.

Texans safety Justin Reid was reticent to kneel during the playing of the national anthem after witnessing the criticism his brother got for doing so four years ago. Texans safety Justin Reid was reticent to kneel during the playing of the national anthem after witnessing the criticism his brother got for doing so four years ago.Eric Christian Smith/Associated Press During the ride, Reid tells the driver that the primary focus of the BLM protests is to address police brutality against the Black community. He explains that, to him, "defund the police" doesn't mean to fire every police officer. "We're not trying to end the police; we're just saying the police are overfunded," he says. If some of that funding were directed toward areas like education and community programs, that might help prevent crime.

"But 'reallocation of resources of the police' doesn't have the same ring to it as defund the police. ... Nobody can disagree that officers that kill nonviolent, unarmed, non-resistant civilians should not be able to continue to walk freely and go out and do it over and over again. That officer, [Derek] Chauvin, it wasn't his first time even shooting. … He has a track record of [misbehavior]."

Reid sees conversations like this as his role right now. As he's been around the movement since the beginning, he knows the direction it's headed. He routinely uses his platform on Twitter to correct any misinformation circulating and, "Keep people straight and focused on the real issues at hand."

Before he was drafted, Reid's own team contributed to drowning out Kaepernick and his brother's message. In October 2017, ESPN's Seth Wickersham and Don Van Natta Jr. published an in-depth story on the NFL meetings between owners and players to discuss protests during the national anthem. In one of those meetings, Texans owner Bob McNair told the other owners that they "can't have the inmates running the prison."

McNair issued an apology that stated he was referring to people in the league office, not players. But the damage was deep and irreversible. Players around the league responded, saying the statement "showed his true colors" in signaling how he viewed players. Then-Texans wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins would later say the comment made him feel "like I'm a slave again." Some Houston players threatened to walk out of practice two days before their next game at Seattle. A number of players kneeled that Sunday, a protest directed toward McNair's comment, about which Eric Reid tweeted at the time: "Thank God not every inmate is incarcerated by racism and prejudice."

Reid was drafted six months after McNair's comment tore through the NFL. He says he was aware of that precedent and that it did impact him personally, but he declined to go into more detail.

McNair died a year later in 2018, and his son Cal now serves as the team's chairman and CEO. A little over a week after George Floyd was killed by a police officer, Cal recorded a video statement addressing the killings of Floyd, Ahmaud Arbery and Breonna Taylor. He acknowledged his own privilege and pledged to use the Texans platform to empower Black leaders in Houston. After he recorded his statement, Cal and his wife Hannah went to the Texans' front office with an idea for a video series to continue the dialogue about racism and racial injustice. In Conversations for Change, Cal, Hannah and his mother, Janice, host discussions with current and former Texans players and staff about the experiences of the Black community and changes that need to be made to fight racial injustice.

Cal has yet to speak with the Texans players directly, but Reid, who sat next to Cal and Hannah at Floyd's funeral in Houston, has noticed him joining the call to action, and he says it feels like the team is turning a new leaf. "I do give credit to Cal for that," he says. "He has been a lot more active. He has been a lot more receptive to us as players to what we have been trying to communicate. He has been willing to help create the change, which is all really big things, and I am really proud of him for that."

Texans head coach Bill O'Brien has also felt the pull of the organization's shift. Recently, he told the Houston Chronicle's John McClain that he'd kneel with his players this coming season. "I'm all for it," he said. "They're not taking a knee because they're against our flag. They're taking a knee because they haven't been treated equally in this country for over 400 years."

O'Brien, who told ESPN in 2018 that he supported "the players' right to express themselves," caught Reid by surprise because he hadn't told his players that he'd kneel with them.

"That is a very big step for the NFL," says Reid, who shot O'Brien a text telling him how much he appreciated his support. "Especially coming from where the Houston Texans started with some comments and things that I don't want to get into. But OB has really had our back through all of this. ... I think that will be a signal for other teams in the league and other people in the community that still have been missing the message about what that is really about."

Reid, for his part, has never kneeled for the anthem, preferring to do his work behind the scenes. "I just didn't want to be vocal about it because I didn't want to have to face the repercussions or consequences of speaking out against police brutality," he says. "But it has hit a boiling point to where myself and much of the rest of America just couldn't hold our tongue. Something needs to change, and it needs to change now."

Reid's voice is a welcome addition for some players who have become frustrated with the lack of progress in the social justice realm. Texans teammate Kenny Stills has been kneeling since 2017, and when he was with the Dolphins, he was an outspoken advocate, imploring the team to lend its weight to the cause while also working with the franchise to do so. While Stills has been active these past few months—attending a social justice rally in honor of Breonna Taylor—the Texans receiver hasn't done a single interview since Floyd's death. Through his agent, Stills declined to talk for this story. For those players who started this fight, the NFL's shift comes late.

"It's opened up a lot of wounds for him again," Reid says. "We've been fighting for all this time; we've been fighting for years. And we haven't gone anywhere since 2016. A fight for four years along with Kaepernick, my brother, and even [Texans safety] Michael Thomas. [Kenny] has done interviews all back then. He has done so many interviews. People always bashed him to the point where he just—he is just doing the work regardless. He is just doing the work, and he doesn't need to do the interviews along with it. They have been fighting the fight for a long time. It's kind of like, 'It's our turn now.'"

Reid hasn't decided whether he'll kneel this coming season, because it's too early to say where the movement will be in September. "Honestly," he adds, "if our head coach is kneeling, I am dead sure kneeling."

The Uber driver pulls up at the 7-Eleven. They're having such a good conversation that he decides to wait for Reid to run his errand and then take him back to his hotel. He's never heard BLM explained in this way before and never had a discussion about it where it didn't turn into a partisan issue in which everyone winds up pointing fingers. Reid's breakdown of the issues makes sense. He points out this is a humanity issue, not a partisan one.

"I am 100 percent for that," the driver tells Reid when he gets back into the car. Reid tells the driver that he knows Kaepernick through his older brother, Eric, and he's had a front-row seat to this movement for the past four years. When the driver pulls up at the hotel, he thanks Reid for the conversation, and Reid returns that thanks.

Dan Quinn is grateful to be back in his spacious office on the second floor of the Falcons' Flowery Branch, Georgia, facility. Now that the building is reopened, he's been able to catch up with his coaching staff and his players who are in rehabbing injuries. "It's been good to get back into it a little bit," he says.

Even though players and coaches were scattered across the country, Quinn says the team has had more in-depth conversations about racism and social injustice than ever before. The lack of real football activity has created more space for coaches and players to talk about the world outside of the game.

"All of us are becoming better listeners," he says. "Our natural reaction as a coach is to say, 'OK, here's a problem; let's go fix it.' I recognized early on that nobody was ready to fix it. They just wanted to be mad and have anger, and that's when I knew under the surface people are hurting. I wanted to give space to that. Would it have been the same space [if we were in-season]? Probably not. Would it have been the same time? Probably not. Would there have been space? Absolutely."

Quinn has been closely involved with the Falcons' social justice committee, which the team started in 2017 and put together in full force in 2018. He says it's been a "game-changer" for him to support causes his players were passionate about and to learn from them. Quinn pulls up an email with a list of all the initiatives the social justice committee has taken on in the last two years. They visited the Equal Justice Initiative's Legacy Museum in Montgomery, Alabama, spent time at the Dekalb County Jail in Decatur, Georgia, hosted the exonerated "Central Park Five" for dinner and a game, welcomed teens with incarcerated parents and more.

Falcons coach Dan Quinn struggled to understand the movement Colin Kaepernick helped spark but has come to see that merely giving players the space to speak about their concerns regarding social justice isn't enough. Falcons coach Dan Quinn struggled to understand the movement Colin Kaepernick helped spark but has come to see that merely giving players the space to speak about their concerns regarding social justice isn't enough.Todd Kirkland/Getty Images But Floyd's death convinced Quinn none of that was enough, so he joined the "Buckhead4BlackLives" march in June that ended at the governor's mansion. "I hope there is a before and after with this," he says. "Going to a protest just a couple weeks ago, you don't feel that passion on TV or on Twitter. You have to go and live it and be a part of it. It was my first protest that I had been a part of, but it is not going to be my last."

Quinn says he hasn't talked with Falcons owner Arthur Blank or general manager Thomas Dimitroff specifically about an organizational stance on kneeling, nor has he discussed the topic with his players yet, but recently he told a group of Atlanta media that if his players do choose to kneel, he'll be right there alongside them.

"Hell yeah, I'll support them," he says. "And I'll be with them in whatever they choose to do."

He admits that because of his close ties to the police and the military, it's taken him time to understand the motivation behind kneeling.

"I think a lot of the country recognized, no it wasn’t about the flag, but at that time maybe there was a part of us that was fighting for it being offensive to the military [and police], says Quinn, who has several family members who are police officers and a foundation that provides NFL game experiences to military families who are stateside and care packages to soldiers deployed overseas. "Well, you know what is really offensive? Racism. We were trying to make sure all parties were happy.

"I can remember thinking, 'Yeah, there are a lot of good cops, too. Then you are taking away from the issues we are discussing. … You are ... fighting for something that doesn't need fighting for. Of course there are great cops, but that's not the issue we are discussing right now. I have come to a better space on that: to not fight about the good in something but make sure the issue is the issue."

It was a few days after the president of the United States called Kaepernick and other NFL players who kneeled "sons of bitches" that Dontari Poe first took a knee during the playing of the national anthem. Then playing for Quinn and the Falcons, the veteran defensive lineman kneeled alongside teammate Grady Jarrett during the Falcons' Week 3 game in 2017.

Poe says Quinn made it clear to him that he supported him, and he saw the coach grow that season. A free-agent deal lured Poe about 250 miles northeast to Carolina, where he served on the Panthers' player impact committee in his two years with the franchise.

Now in Dallas, thanks to a contract he signed in March, Poe has been thinking about how to be active within the Cowboys' social justice initiatives while rehabbing a torn quad that landed him on injured reserve in November and required surgery. Per a team press release, in the last two years, Dallas players have met with local judges, police chiefs and attorneys to begin talks on how to restore trust between law enforcement and communities.

While Poe, who has been at the Cowboys facility nearly every day this offseason, says new head coach Mike McCarthy and defensive line coach Jim Tomsula both voiced their support for the Black community and the fight against systemic racism during Zoom meetings with players, he has yet to hear from owner Jerry Jones, and the silence is noticeable.

"Haven't talked to Jerry at all," Poe says. "I hope he comes out and shows his support. … You are an owner of an NFL team—you get what I'm saying? The majority of this team are these people that are being oppressed. So even if you are not going to be in the forefront, we need to know we have your support in that type of way."

Both Poe and Reid say that players are definitely taking note of which owners across the league are voicing support and which ones aren't. Washington owner Dan Snyder is another owner who has not released a public statement, but a team employee says a statement isn't needed, because Snyder has been extremely supportive behind the scenes, meeting with staff and players and backing any and all ideas. Washington recently launched the Black Engagement Network, whose mission is to develop, recruit and retain Black talent at every level in the NFL through career management and professional development. Snyder also donated $250,000 to help initiate a series of town hall meetings about social justice in the D.C. area.

More recently, Snyder received pressure from stadium sponsor FedEx to change the team's name, which many have long criticized as a racial slur against Indigenous people. While first saying he had "no official plans" to make a change, Snyder has since announced a formal review of the team name.

Jones' leanings are a bit more mysterious. Though the team shared a video on social media calling for social justice, Jones was neither in the video nor mentioned. And while the Cowboys say Jones approves every video or statement released by the team, (and the team told B/R it represents "ownership sentiment on the subject") the absence of one of the most visible and vocal owners in the league is impossible to miss.

After involving himself in his teams' social justice groups the past few years, Dontari Poe has noticed Jerry Jones' silence now that he is a member of the Cowboys. After involving himself in his teams' social justice groups the past few years, Dontari Poe has noticed Jerry Jones' silence now that he is a member of the Cowboys.Jacob Kupferman/Getty Images "His silence definitely means a lot because in any other situation [he] will have something to say about most things," Poe says. "I was once a proponent of doing stuff behind closed doors, and doing what I need to do not out in the forefront. ... So hopefully he is doing that, but who knows what he is doing. … Personally, I would hope that he comes out and says, 'OK, I am willing to help, I am willing to fight, and I am willing to be with y'all.'"

Fellow defensive lineman and first-time Cowboy Gerald McCoy also called out Jones on ESPN's First Take. "When things are not going well for the team, you can hear him screaming," McCoy said. "Well, this is life. This is bigger than just football. It's bigger than money. It's bigger than winning a Super Bowl. And something needs to be said."

Not all Cowboys players agree on this. Linebacker DeMarcus Lawrence said he isn't waiting for his team owner to chime in.

"This whole situation has nothing to do with Jerry or anybody in Jerry's position," Lawrence told the Fort Worth Star- Telegram's Clarence E. Hill Jr. "This is about us coming together and focusing on how we can make a change and how we can come together and be united. I don't see how one man in Jerry's position or any of those types of positions can make a change.

"The only thing they can do is give us money to make a change. What kind of help do we need from Jerry? We need to stand on our own two feet, be the [men] we are supposed to be and build foundations and build centers to help our youth."

No Cowboys player has ever knelt for the anthem, but Poe says he is "definitely leaning toward" doing so this season. "To be honest, if I did kneel, how could somebody say they don't understand it for what it is? If you don't understand it, then you just don't want to know it."

Demario Davis dials his phone and puts it on speaker. He's standing outside his hotel in Minneapolis, with fellow Players Coalition member Josh Norman. The two friends take turns talking fast, breathlessly describing a busy day in Minneapolis. "We are at ground zero, the heart of the problem," Davis says. "You are getting the exclusive from the heart of it."

They visited the corner of 38th Street and Chicago Avenue where Floyd was killed. They met with Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey and several groups of activists to discuss necessary changes to the Minneapolis Police Department. And they ate soul food for lunch. This is their fourth city in a nationwide social justice tour that Norman, the Bills cornerback, felt compelled to undertake. He asked Davis, the Saints linebacker, to join him, and they quickly moved out. Atlanta, D.C., Buffalo, Minneapolis, and then on to L.A. in the morning. Stops in Tulsa and Dallas would follow.

Over the past few days and weeks, they've marched and met with mayors and activists across the country and had many conversations with their own coaches, owners and teammates. "This is way different than any of us have ever experienced," Davis says. "I would say this movement certainly feels like it has the potential to be much larger than the Civil Rights movement."

When the two stopped in Buffalo, they attended Mayor Byron Brown's press conference announcing police reform in the city. Norman signed with the Bills as a free agent in March and hasn't moved there yet. Because of the coronavirus, he hadn't spent much time there before this recent visit.

"That's the first time I came there as an athlete, but I was embraced by the people as an activist," he says. "That is always going to resonate with me in my career. Nobody can take that back. ... I hadn't played one down for Buffalo. I was somebody like them; I was on the ground to help find a solution to the police problem of the injustices people are facing there."

Davis sees their trip as something they not only can do but should do. "We have a 70 percent African American worker base," he says. "So there is a unique opportunity for the NFL to be leaders in changing black communities because of so many players that have so much influence in those communities."

Davis and Norman have been involved in the Players Coalition from the start in 2017, and the support they have received recently from players, coaches, personnel and former players is unprecedented. The Coalition collected 1,400 signatures on a letter to the United States Congress supporting a bill to end qualified immunity (a legal doctrine that gives police officers legal protections in civil court when accused of violating someone's constitutional rights).

"People are really breaking barriers to come," Norman says. "I mean, Tom [Brady] even came into the fold and ... he signed. So when you look at these things, there are people that really are not going to sit on the sidelines and be quiet."

More white players and coaches and staff are using their platforms to stand with the Black community than ever before. Baker Mayfield wrote on Instagram that he will kneel and doesn't care if he loses fans for it, adding that the issue of equality has "been ignored for too long and that is my fault as well for not becoming more educated and staying silent." J.J. Watt, who has rarely spoken publicly about social justice issues, tweeted that Floyd's death is "disgusting and impossible for anyone to defend. The situation could have been remedied many other ways, and those responsible should be held accountable. George Floyd should be alive." He also attended Floyd's funeral. Matt Ryan has helped raise over $1.2 million in a GoFundMe dedicated to advancing the Black community in Atlanta. Colts general manager Chris Ballard admitted he had been ignorant of the real problems of racial injustice in the U.S. "Like everyone, we didn't listen," he told the local media. "I didn't listen in '17."

Neither Davis nor Norman have thought about whether they might protest this coming season, and frankly, they are tired of being asked about it.

"We really haven't discussed nothing about demonstrations," Norman says. "But what we have discussed is solutions to problems. At the end of the day, what we do in that moment, we couldn't tell you, because we are not in that moment. At this time we are talking about solutions, so whatever that looks like going forward, if that is going to help the cause, absolutely. But I can't tell you what it is now, because hey, we're still in it."

Adds Davis: "How does it benefit the cause to continually ask about it? ... Every time we get on these phone calls they continue to ask us about kneeling. They ask about when we protest. There's a protest going on right now worldwide; that's the only protest that matters. Let's talk about the now. What are we doing to create solutions?... We all have a responsibility towards that. That's you, me and everybody else. The longer we continue to talk about these other topics that don't talk about injustice—that don't talk about George Floyd, solutions to police brutality, solutions to racial injustice—we are doing a disservice, and we are dishonoring these families that have lost lives. And we cannot do that. We don't have the time or the luxury. This is 100-plus years of oppression, and we need to fix that."

Davis heads into the hotel to speak with one of the oldest activists in Minneapolis. Norman has one last point to emphasize before he hangs up.

"I don't know what is going to happen in the next month or years to come," he says. "But I do know that this one moment in time, 2020, I'm stepping into my history. And whether you want in it or not, you are in it. Which side of the fence are you going to stand on?"

PUBLICATION: Vikings Entertainment Network DATE: 7/7/20

Lunchbreak: CBS Sports Ranks Zimmer 10th Among NFL Head Coaches

By Eric Smith

Believe it or not, Vikings Head Coach Mike Zimmer is already entering his seventh season at the helm in Minnesota.

And Zimmer, who was hired in January of 2014, is now tied for seventh among head coaches with the longest tenure with their current team. Houston's Bill O'Brien was hired two weeks before Zimmer).

Zimmer has built the Vikings into a consistent and successful franchise, as Minnesota has won 50 games over the past five seasons.

Sean Wagner-McGough of CBS Sports recently praised Zimmer for the job he has done, as he ranked the 64-year- old as the league’s 10th-best head coach.

Wagner-McGough wrote:

It still feels like Mike Zimmer is underappreciated. Here's what he's done as the Vikings' coach for the past six seasons:

He's won 59.9 percent of his games, good enough for a 57-38-1 record. He's been to the playoffs in half of his six seasons, even though he's been stuck in the same division as Aaron Rodgers.

As a defensive-minded coach, he always gets the most out of the Vikings' defense. In his six seasons, the Vikings' defense has ranked in the top-10 in points allowed five times. The only time they didn't finish in the top-10 came in his first season in charge, when they ranked 11th.

Zimmer isn't a perfect coach. He probably needs to win more playoff games to get more respect. But he's a defensive-minded coach who always gets results out of his defense.

As Wagner-McGough mentioned, Zimmer is 57-38-1 in Minnesota, which is good for the third-most wins and third- best winning percentage, trailing only Bud Grant and Dennis Green.

Vikings 2020 Coaching Staff View photos of the Vikings 2020 coaching staff.

And since the Vikings went 7-9 in Zimmer's first season in 2014, Minnesota has not finished below .500 in the five seasons since.

New England's Bill Belichick is the league's longest-tenured coach with his current team, as he was hired in 2000. Belichick is followed by Sean Payton in New Orleans (2006), Pittsburgh's Mike Tomlin (2007), Baltimore's John Harbaugh (2008), Seattle's Pete Carroll (2010) and Kansas City's Andy Reid (2013).

Zimmer and O'Brien are next on the list. Those two head coaches are scheduled to meet in Week 4 in Houston.

Visiting the Booth at Canterbury with P.A.

Paul Allen's been cemented as the "Voice of the Vikings" for more than two decades, but his style in calling football games on KFAN found its footing at Canterbury Park (and other horse racing tracks where Allen developed his style).

Chad Graff of The Athletic recently visited Allen in the booth at Canterbury Park for an in-depth profile.

Allen spent his first three years at the track rotating between Canterbury in the summer, then back to Bay Meadows for winter racing. A job at KFAN got him to move to Minnesota full-time and three years after that, he landed the gig calling Vikings games.

But Allen had never been a play-by-play announcer. He had called plenty of races but not a single football game.

PA Joins 'NFL Now' To Talk Dalvin Cook's Contract Situation, Expectations For Kirk Cousins In 2020, More "So for better or for worse in the early stages, when I was wilder and less refined than I am now, there were some plays in games that were rodeos," Allen said. "I was so up and down. I mean, I had bosses at KFAN tell me, you have to stop getting so depressed on the radio when they're not doing well, because we're losing listeners."

But as Allen refined his style, he leaned on what he knew. Announcing horse racing is all about building a crescendo and so is each play in football. That part came easy. So he took more of what he learned at the horse track and brought it to the football field. His calls sounded different because of it.

"And he crosses the 50, makes a man misses at the 40 and so-and-so isssssss goneeeeeeee, as opposed to 50, 40, 30, 20, 10, touchdown," Allen said as an example. "So then I have other play-by-play guys being like, 'Whoa, man, we've never heard that.' So I brought a bunch of stuff like that that nobody had ever heard. But I had been doing it here. It was just unconventional."