The First Rule of Vikings Training Camp
Mitchel Massman
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Training camp is in full swing at TCO Performance Center for the Vikings. With training camp underway, we will see some amazing and not-so-amazing highlights. Because of these highlights, fans will jump to conclusions, which is why we must discuss the first rule of training camp.
What is the first rule of training camp? Simple, don’t get too high or too low about what you see.
Yesterday, Andrew Booth Jr. made an incredible play on the ball to intercept Kirk Cousins. Of course, following this, social media users instantly split into two camps.
- Camp 1 – Wow, that was a horrible throw by Cousins. I knew he really sucked at this sport.
- Camp 2 – That was an amazing play by Andrew Booth! It is incredible that he is playing at this level on the first day of camp after missing all of OTAs and mini-camp.
Both of these camps need to take a step back and evaluate what we see. First, Kirk Cousins is a human who will make poor throws. Literally, every quarterback in the league will make bad throws from time to time.
Secondly, you can be stoked about Andrew Booth making a great interception. However, you should temper your enthusiasm until you consistently see this type of play. We can be excited if Booth continues to make these types of plays throughout camp.
Nonetheless, we can begin to extrapolate some information from this play.
Andrew Booth Jr. Might Be a Dawg
When Booth entered the draft process coming out of Clemson, the thing that stood out most in his tape was his explosiveness. When he makes a read, he explodes toward it with no regard for human life. Most notably, he will absolutely wreck any screen or swing pass that comes to his side of the field.
What does this have to do with the play we saw in training camp?
While it is difficult to tell exactly how the play transpired from the video, it appears Booth was in one of those “see it and break” modes. Both Booth and Jefferson seem to be coming back towards Cousins to make a play on the ball. However, it was Booth getting to the ball first.
This confirms precisely what draft analysts saw in him coming out of college. When he makes the read, he attacks it. Perhaps, maybe, just maybe, this is the type of play Booth can bring to the Vikings.
However, we do not know how he fared the rest of the practice. Did he get torched a bunch? Or was he consistently in tight coverage and making plays?
If it is the latter, we might have reason to be excited. The Vikings might have found an absolute DAWG at cornerback. Something they have been lacking since Rhodes was at his peak.
However, as noted at the beginning of this article, we must temper our expectations from the highlights we see in camp. Let’s wait and see if Booth can make this consistent.
Mitch Massman is a life-long Vikings fan. His first heartbreak was the 1998 NFC championship game. His full-time job is as an economic development professional in rural Minnesota. He fantasizes about the Vikings winning a Super Bowl one day, but until then he will write about the Vikings. Follow him on Twitter @skol_vikings3
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