The Minnesota Vikings opened rookie and first year training camp Tuesday morning at TCO Performance Center with a special appearance from the quarterbacks as well.
For the past handful of seasons, Mike Zimmer and the Vikings have held a rookie preview camp leading up to veterans reporting later in the week to give them a bit of a head start. This strategy has also been adopted by most other teams in the league to give rookies extra attention from the coaching staff and a few extra days to actually implement the playbook on the field before the veterans report.
Spielman highlights positions to watch
The first day of camp also gives us an opportunity, maybe our only opportunity to chat with general manager Rick Spielman and get a little update on personnel decisions and updates. During his time at the microphone Rick shared five position battles that he would be focused on as camp opens later this week.
CLICK HERE to read the full article and learn about Spielman's position battles to watch....
Holton Hill Suspended 4 MORE Games
Earlier this year, Vikings cornerback Holton Hill was suspended four games by the NFL for violating the league's rules against performance enhancing substances. It was a big blow as Hill contributed to the team last year as a rookie free agent and was figured to be a part of Minnesota's plans while Mike Hughes made the final touches on his return. Then yesterday, the NFL announced that Hill is going to be suspended an additional four games for violating the league's policy on substances of abuse. That's a total of 8-games, half the season for a guy that the Vikings were getting ready to factor in.
CLICK HERE to read more about Holton Hill's suspension...
Rookie Center Gets Important Extra Time With Kirk Cousins
While many teams are meeting early with rookies and young players, not all quarterbacks especially veteran quarterbacks have reported early for their teams. In Minnesota Kirk Cousins is on site and rookie center Garret Bradbury is appreciative of his extra time with his QB.
"It’s huge to just build that chemistry and he's really taken a lot to understand the protections and everything that we do," Bradbury explained yesterday. "Getting more comfortable with him and I mean I can't take enough snaps with the quarterback and other guys next to me, so thankfully, he's here and excited to leave him there and move forward."
CLICK HERE to hear more from Garret Bradbury on day one...