Cheesehead
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- Mar 19, 2019
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The greater unknown is at corner, where the Vikings used first- and third-round draft picks on Gladney from TCU and Dantzler from Mississippi State, respectively, in a huge youth movement at the position.
Speaking with the Green Bay media, Vikings coach Zimmer called his young corners eager and competitive, and he's been relying on veteran safeties Harrison Smith and Anthony Harris to "teach 'em how to be pros."
Zimmer doesn't seem to be sweating the idea of working new players into key roles, and in fact he mentioned feeling rejuvenated as a coach to prove he can succeed with new personnel. His defenses are routinely among the league's best, and he pointed out how one of the Dallas defenses he coordinated 15-plus years ago ranked fourth in the league without much fanfare heading into the season.
From the Packers' perspective, the challenge is figuring out how the two rookie corners are going to fit into Zimmer's scheme, and/or if he has some surprises in store.
"There's film on Holton Hill and Mike Hughes, but the two young rookies, there's just not a lot to go off of," Head Coach Matt LaFleur said. "Anytime you've got some new players, it's tough to really know what to expect. Certainly, we've got a lot of familiarity with the coverage schemes and Coach Zimmer's defense.
"Everybody evolves in the offseason, so I'm sure there's going to be new wrinkles or unscouted looks that we've got to be prepared for and be able to handle."