Viktor
Well-known member
- Mar 19, 2019
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No Thielen. No Linval. No Waynes. And for a lot of the game, no Kline.
Hello, role players needing to fill in and step up. Next-man-up feels worn and trite, but you play with 11 no matter what, so guys come off the bench. I have my own take on how that all went, but what’s your take on the job that was done [in Dallas] by guys like Bisi [Johnson], Jaleel, [Mike] Hughes and Dakota [Dozier]? Clearly, [Kyle] Rudolph stepped up to take some of the receiving load.
— Jeff Kilty from Sacramento
Thank you, Jeff, for your question.
As far as the Vikings Sunday Night Football game against the Cowboys, plenty of guys stepped up, including the group you mentioned. I’ll single out Jaleel in that bunch, though. He was making just his second career start, and it came against a tough Dallas o-line. He played well and was a key reason why the defense shut down Elliott. Here is what Zimmer said about him on Monday:
“He’s got strong hands. He’s got kind of a lower center of gravity which helps him to sit down on the double teams. He’s a guy that’s going to go fight every play.”
I think your question can be applicable heading into Sunday’s game against Denver, as well. Although it looks like Waynes will be good to go, the other three you listed (in addition to Harris) will be sidelined for Minnesota’s final game before the bye.
While “next man up” may feel “worn,” as you suggest, it’s certainly the mentality that these players have, and they prepare as if they’ll be starting on any given Sunday. I agree that it’s never ideal to be missing key pieces of the roster, but fortunately for the Vikings, other players are prepared to step up.
“We’ve good players,” Zimmer told reporters on Friday. “They study, they work hard, they come out here [and get ready].”