Jul 30, 2021; Eagan, MN, United States; Minnesota Vikings head coach Mike Zimmer takes the field at training camp at TCO Performance Center. Mandatory Credit: Brad Rempel-USA TODAY Sports
The Minnesota Vikings 2021 training camp started off with a bang, showcasing a happy edition of Mike Zimmer along with a rookie Kellen Mond who was delivering bombs to fellow rookie, Ihmir Smith-Marsette. Third-year offensive line lineman Oli Udoh was scaling the depth chart for a crack at the RG1 gig. New kicker Greg Joseph had a perfect second day at camp. Michael Pierce’s calf injury was revealed as minor.
That feels like one million years ago now.
On Saturday, news hit the wire that WR3-WR4 Bisi Johnson was lost for the 2021 season with a torn ACL. He was injured the day before in practice but returned with a leg brace. Ordinarily, Johnson’s injury would sully a good first few days of camp – but that development was only the tip of the iceberg for awful news.
Next, details dribbled out that Kirk Cousins, Kellen Mond, and Nate Stanley would all miss Minnesota’s Saturday night practice, a paid event for fans to see the team under the lights. So, what the hell?
Well, that was the fallout of a budding COVID vaccination ordeal. Those three quarterbacks are evidently unvaccinated. So when Mond contracted the coronavirus, down went Cousins and Stanley for the NFL’s close-contact safety protocols.
And that ripped open the curtains on the Vikings vaccine standing. By implication, onlookers learned that Jake Browning – who is in the running for the QB2 job – is the only vaccinated Vikings quarterback. Ergo, he played the entire practice at quarterback for the Vikings last weekend, minus a few nifty wildcat packages involving Dalvin Cook.
When “team vaccination percentages” were unveiled a couple of weeks ago, the Vikings were not mentioned as offenders. The most egregious bunch was the Washington Football Team. Ron Rivera’s team since rallied, vaccinating 84% of players. Replacing the Football Team was the Vikings or so the reports mentioned yesterday.
For the moment, Minnesota is the NFL’s least vaccinated organization, drawing ire from the Vikings head coach and concern from ownership.
Here’s documentation of owner Mark Wilf’s feeling on the matter:
While the dirty little secret about the Vikings lack of vaccinations was announced to the world, the franchise was mitigating the Jeff Gladney situation. The rookie from 2020 allegedly caused trouble in Texas during April, arrested for a vicious assault on his girlfriend (or so the charges claim). On Tuesday, he was indicted by a Texas grand jury. That was enough for the Vikings as Gladney was released after four months of wait-and-see by the team.
The New York Giants had a widely-reported fight in practice this week that involved quarterback Daniel Jones. Then, the Indianapolis Colts lost two important players, Carson Wentz and Quenton Nelson, to spookily similar injuries for 5-12 weeks. Those teams have arguably encountered more turmoil than the Vikings, but that is severely debatable. Zimmer’s smiles from last Wednesday and Thursday have morphed into vocal frustration about the vaccine stuff. In that regard, his straightforwardness has returned as Zimmer is not known for diplomatic words on Vikings matters.
Thankfully, the Vikings current woes are redeemable. If leadership can figure out a plan for more vaccinations, a clear WR3 emerges instead of Bisi Johnson, and the cornerback room never really misses Gladney – these items will be distant memories.
But that’s a big to-do list.
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Vikings seek intelligence and character in their players -- and that is exactly WHY the players are choosing to not take that jab. Back off in your criticism, they have every right and reason to not take an experimental "vaccine" that is proving dangerous to many. I applaud the players saying no. Do some independent research on the topic if you seek to truly understand their decisions. Dig a little and you may learn a lot.
I disagree. The vaccinations serious side effects are proving dangerous to very few people. The vaccinations have saved more lives by far than the few who have died of complications.
I know the vaccination supporters are just sheep and little thought to really think ! I applaud the players not getting the vaccination! Anyone say it’s safe are complete idiots that get their facts from liberals news that lie on a daily basis!
To all you conspiracy theorists and morons who think science and reality are something to ignore, wait until the grim reaper comes knocking on your door. I wonder how fast you will come running to the nearest clinic to beg for a Covid shot.
Seriously? OMG, you crack me up!
And the earth is flat too, right? Just don't take any cruises, you just might sail off the edge
????
Exactly. Some of these ant-vax/pro-Covid whackos also think that dinosaurs helped to build the great pyramids. Good grief...
More than 97% of hospitalizations from COVID right now are of unvaccinated people, Dr. Rochelle Walensky, director of the Centers of Disease Control and Prevention, said at a press briefing, adding: "There is a clear message that is coming through: This is becoming a pandemic of the unvaccinated." Currently, 99.2% of COVID deaths are now of unvaccinated people.
Not sure where you get your ideas, be it from Trump, voices from heaven, or some strange concept of "freedom" (ugh...), but good luck with it. You'll need it.
And how are you doing your research? google.com? I assume it's not via Trump or you'd have consumed bleach by now.
Kirk Cousins is being paid an unbelievable amount of money to be a team leader. Period.
He's showing poor leadership by refusing to get vaccinated. He will be isolated from the vaccinated players on the team off the field too. If he can't do what's best for the team and he missed games as a result then it's a big problem.
If he insists on remaining unvaccinated how about he gives up 75% of his salary to allow the Vikes to sign others to compensate for his possible absence. SKOL!
Research? Do you mean by googling a few websites? The amount of misinformation online is staggering. It's not something that can be done on one's lunch break.
I know professional researchers who spend months or more looking into things like this. Proper research tends to be theoretically focused, and its findings are evaluated through peer review and made public through scholarly journals and academic conferences.
What you suggest is more akin to looking for a used car.
Independent amateur research? Like what, googling QAnon? You are Funny!
Do you even know long and hard trained professional researchers work to arrive at their results? You would be amazed.
Good article. These guys are professionals representing the state in Minnesota and they need to show better leadership. Get the shot it proven to be safe and effective . Great science. It’s a wonder how we ever accomplished feats such as traveling to space and prevailing in conflicts around the globe and we can’t even come together on a simple vaccine to end a world pandemic. Get the shot and quit being baby Cousins !
Let's not sell our constitutional and personal rights to make our own health care decisions. Today ironically could be vaccine and who knows what will be next. Just think before slinging condemnation.
Constitutional rights? OMG, you're kidding, right? Have you ever even seen a copy of the Constitution?
Let alone actually read any of it?
By being anti-vax/Pro-Covid you are making dangerous health care decisions for those you come into contact with on a daily basis. Whether they like it or not.
These players are obviously not getting their information from Facebook and Twitter. Facebook and Twitter censure information that’s against the vaccine. These are intelligent men doing their own research and not listening to what people on TV that obviously have motivation to promote the vaccine. These men are thinking of their personal health and safety and the health and safety of their family. They’re not just following the crowd because somebody tells them to. Whether you personally think the vaccine is good or not, I appreciate the fact that these men are thinking for themselves and doing what is right for them. I obviously want no one to miss any games and the Vikings to succeed but nobody criticized Michael Pierce for missing last season for his own personal health yet everybody seems to criticize other men making their decisions for their own personal health.
Research? Do you mean by googling a few websites? The amount of misinformation online is staggering. I know professional researchers who spend months or more looking into things like this. Proper research tends to be theoretically focused, and its findings are evaluated through peer review and made public through scholarly journals and academic conferences.
It's tough that Bisi Johnson is missing the season and I wish him a speedy recovery but I never thought he was going to be the WR3. Now with Westbrook signed, I think he's the main contender. The other stuff will work itself out.
Vikings aren't going to win a playoff game this year. So hopefully they'll have to forfeit 6 games and save $60M in payroll...enough to buyout Zimmer.
Susan Stuart Carlson, if that is your real name. Please enlighten us to the Scientific studies that show vaccines are dangerous to many. I’ll wait for your reply. Is it former Dr. Andrew Wakefield who had his license taken away because he lied in his research and was caught?
Or is this some huge conspiracy theory that only antivaxers know the truth? People like you are the real danger. Stop spreading your lies around. If you don’t want to take the vaccine, fine, but don’t lie to push your deranged agenda.
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-9866127/Hospitalized-Virginia-man-pleads-shots-COVID-bout.html
Very good article above for all you who anti- vaxx people.
This: