49ers WR Not Impressed by Vikings Joint Practices
Dustin Baker
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Left up to San Francisco 49ers WR Brandon Aiyuk, joint practices with the Minnesota Vikings would be a one-hit-wonder, as the third-year veteran was not impressed by the event.
The Vikings and 49ers scrimmaged for two days in Eagan at the Vikings facilities, prepping for a preseason showdown this weekend.
Aiyuk told reporters after the joint practices ended, “I feel like it was a waste of time, personally. It was boring for sure.”
It is unclear what Aiyuk expected from the festivities.
Traditionally, NFL teams use joint sessions as a medium-paced walkthrough of operations, simulating action at half speed as means to change up the scenery. For weeks, players practice against teammates, so swapping the grind for another set of players, in theory, is beneficial for coaches and players.
But Aiyuk evidently believed the process was silly.
For what it’s worth, Aiyuk has been a dazzling performer at 49ers training camp, so perhaps he thought the action against the Vikings would be accelerated. He elaborated to Jennifer Lee Chan of NBC Sports, “I feel like it was a little boring because it was a little of Day 1 stuff. The basic stuff. I was getting a little irritated having only touched the ball like three times in the past two days but that’s beside the point.”
Aiyuk was the 25th overall pick in the 2020 NFL Draft. He’s tallied 116 receptions for 1,574 receiving yards and 10 touchdowns in 29 career games. Aiyuk is considered a fantasy-football darling by some heading into 2022.
Just don’t get him started on blasé scrimmages.
Minnesota and San Francisco play on Saturday at U.S. Bank Stadium in the second preseason game of the year. 49ers QB1 Trey Lance is not expected to play. The Vikings have not announced if any starters will suit up as most core players rested last week at the Las Vegas Raiders.
Sportsbooks forecast the 49ers to 9.5 games in 2022 — the same total as the Vikings.
Dustin Baker is a political scientist who graduated from the University of Minnesota in 2007. Subscribe to his daily YouTube Channel, VikesNow. 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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