This Brand of Vikings Isn’t Too High on Kellen Mond
Dustin Baker
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Kellen Mond was drafted by the Minnesota Vikings in 2021 from the 3rd Round as a typical raw, developmental prospect.
The man couldn’t edge Jake Browning – who doesn’t even play for the team anymore – in training camp, nor was Mond’s preseason very bright. So, Vikings fans tucked his candidacy as future QB1 in a drawer, presumably to have a peek later on.
Well, the 2021 Vikings disappointed every step of the way, mathematically encountering elimination from the postseason in Week 17 at Green Bay. Kirk Cousins missed the game due to COVID, and Sean Mannion was at the helm. Mannion wasn’t productive while the team struggled on the whole.
For a brief moment, Mond slipped into the offensive huddle, nearly throwing a pick-six dropped by a Packers defender. It was later revealed Mond played for a drive because of a mini-injury to Mannion.
Foremost, if Mond was not ready for the lights of QB2 – especially behind a quarterback like Cousins who never gets hurt – he likely isn’t held in high regard by this current Vikings regime. Mannion is not a special QB2, frequently looking like a slow-motion player who’s merely just taller than everybody else.
The Vikings cannot reach the postseason, so now would be an apropos occasion for Mond to develop and experience some playing time. But nope. Head coach Mike Zimmer shot that down in its tracks.
After this comment by Zimmer, the Vikings skipper was chided for “destroying Mond’s confidence” or something of the ilk as Zimmer was too blunt. Zimmer rarely opts for politician-speak, and some folks only want straight talk some of the time. Perhaps the crowd that believes Zimmer was too mean here would prefer a lie, fib, or “no comment.”
Regardless of whether Zimmer was too mean for people’s sensitivities, this is an indictment on Mond’s trajectory. If Zimmer liked Mond or had faith in his future capabilities, he could’ve easily pivoted to a response involving Kirk Cousins, like “We hope to have Cousins back; he’s our leader.”
Instead, Zimmer delivered the cold, hard truth, exposing his in-the-moment thoughts on Mond.
Mond could be terrible. He could be worse than Christian Ponder or Josh Freeman. Zimmer and other Vikings players are the only souls with a courtside seat to this practice development. In that case – no wonder Zimmer doesn’t want to see Mond in Week 18.
Yet, because Mond has youth on his side, is mobile, and is the anti-Cousins – fans hold a pristine vision of what Mond could be. He’s the theoretical future, so he’s bound to be good. Let’s have a look [is the mindset].
But the Vikings – this flavor of them, anyway, with Zimmer and Rick Spielman – don’t want a dip in the Mond Pond yet – or maybe ever.
Since the summer, this current regime of Vikings has done everything possible to imply it’s not high on Mond. Replay the clip above, if needed. That’s the smoking gun.
Dustin Baker is a political scientist who graduated from the University of Minnesota in 2007. He hosts a podcast with Bryant McKinnie, which airs every Wednesday with Raun Sawh and Sally from Minneapolis. His Viking fandom dates back to 1996. Listed guilty pleasures: Peanut Butter Ice Cream, ‘The Sopranos,’ and The Doors (the band).
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