The Minnesota Fightin’ Vikings extended their undefeatedness to 5-0 as the Purple punched the Houston Texans in the mouth 31-13 Sunday at Historic US Bank Stadium. The Zimmer Hellfire Defense/Zim Reapers came to play again as Brock Osweiler and the Texans offense was up on blocks like a rusted out Pinto most of the day. We recap the game and give away a FREE Purple FTW! t-shirt courtesy of our friends Sota Stick Co.
Today’s 5-0 For Mike Yeo Talking Points Include
• Adam Thielen is WR1
• Cordarrelle Patterson is WR2!
• The Zim Reapers Do It Again
• The Running Back Position – COOL RUNNINGS
• Mandatory Sam Bradford Appreciation Talking Point
• TJ Clemmings Is Terrible Again
• Secondary Was Second to None
• Ya’ll Keep Sleeping on Marcus Sherels
• Hey Jarius Wright Actually Played (Treadwell Did Not)
• More Injuries Adding Up
• Blair Walsh Didn’t Miss a Field Goal or Extra Point
• This is a GREAT Team
Old friend and Houston Texans apologist Claire Millins (@theclariebear23) joins the show to preview Vikings-Texans. We talk about how losing JJ Watt (potentially) for the season changes the landscape of Houston, how all those high priced free agents and rookies are working on offense, why Nuk Hopkins was poopy and only got FOUR YARDS LAST WEEK, what she fears about the Zimmer Hellfire Defense, and if she’s looking forward to Houston hosting the Super Bowl. I also roast her about the disgusting things Sam Bradford did to her beloved Texans A&M Aggies while Sammy B was at Oklahoma and “Pead & Poo”. Lots of good football nuggets to take you into the long weekend.
Wow, four games and four wins for the Minnesota Vikings so far in this 2016 NFL season. Not many thought this was possible even before their starting quarterback’s leg fell off and their elderly running back crumbled to the ground.
But the Vikings are taking the lead of head coach Mike Zimmer and not worrying for a second about what could possibly prevent them from accomplishing their goals this year.
The game plan has varied in each of their four games, but each strategy shared one common nucleus.
Defense.
Most of Minnesota’s fans who are younger than 40 have not seen a Vikings defense ever play the way in which they are doing so in 2016. Minnesota’s current strategy is working for them so far, but that still does not mean that a few improvements cannot be made heading into their game on Sunday against the Houston Texans.
Antonio Brown, Demaryius Thomas, Jarvis Landry, Larry Fitzgerald.
All four of these players are some of the best wide receivers in the NFL and all four averaged less yards per reception than Minnesota Vikings wide receiver Stefon Diggs in 2015.
[Note: Want to see a list of every player featured in our “Draft Target” segment? Click here to visit the Offseason Tracker where there will be a list of all these players. Check back often as there are plenty more to come!]
With Keenan Allen now reportedly planning to be absent for California’s pro day because of a lingering knee issue, I have been advised by a number of our great Twitter followers that the first-round-receiver bandwagon is now full of DeAndre Hopkins advocates. Of course I planned on featuring Hopkins in this reoccurring segment at some point, but those Twitter conversations convinced me that tonight should be the night.
Hopkins is 6′ 1″ tall and weighs 214 pounds and displayed great speed and hands during his time at Clemson. He ran the forty in the 4.50 to 4.57 range at both the Combine and his pro day (which was Thursday) which only confirms he has the speed it takes to be a top receiver in the NFL. His big hands and long wingspan only add to the traits Hopkins possesses that will attract plenty of attention.
Hopkins is known as a receiver that runs very precise routes and displays solid instincts after making the catch, with the ability to make the most of every pass heading his way. He takes good care of the football, protecting it to prevent turnovers, while also showing incredible body control which allows him to make tough catches on jump balls or near the sideline. His presence of mind, combined with a very good vertical leap, makes him a genuine red zone threat.
Hopkins has had troubles with catching the football with his body throughout his college years, but any scout is also going to have to give him credit for improving as a hands catcher over time. This shows that he works to improve himself and is a coachable young man.
More worrisome, to me, is that he seems to be manhandled by defensive backs too often and is rerouted too easily. He may need to bulk up a bit in the NFL, which could cost him some speed, but he also needs to improve aspects of his fundamentals to make sure he isn’t consistently jammed at the line by bigger defensive backs. The coachability that I mentioned earlier, however, provides hope that Hopkins could improve his technique in this area over time.
Hopkins doesn’t really have any injury history or character issues that plague him as he enters the NFL, and actually has gained quite the reputation as a leader within Clemson’s offense. He’s the type of guy that is going to haul in that deep over-the-shoulder ball, make the occasional toe tapper on the sideline, and be a constant threat when the game is on the line.
Most seem to project Hopkins as a second round talent, like so many other receivers in this class, but the lack of red flags makes it very possible that he sneaks into the first round. A number of teams, like the Vikings, could end up feeling very comfortable investing their top pick in Hopkins.
