What’d They Say: Falcons Ryan Expects Vikings to Pressure ‘From Anywhere’

[Viktor]

“One of the things I’ve been impressed with for a long time with Thielen, just his ability to track a deep ball,” Quinn said. “He can run full speed and then, at the last second, throw hands up. And Diggs, on the intermediate cuts, him and Calvin [Ridley] have a lot of similarities – guys who can really burst after the catch and accelerate. Anybody [who can get] their hands on the ball and then get even faster? That’s a problem, for sure.”


A healthy Dalvin Cook can be a dangerous Dalvin Cook to opposing defenses, which Quinn knows full well.


Interestingly, Cook attended the same Miami high school – and college (Florida State) – as Falcons Pro Bowl running back Devonta Freeman. The two are three years apart, but Quinn sees plenty of similarities between the two backs that extend past their alma maters.


He pointed out that both can be incredibly tricky to take down.


“All of a sudden, you think you have the right leverage on somebody, and then they put their foot in the ground and violently explode into another direction, which is what Free’ does. Both of them are difficult to tackle, especially when they get to the next level,” Quinn said. “In-line, it’s one thing, and then all of a sudden you see these guys break out, and here’s a safety or a linebacker with space, they go right after them and then can break them off.”


He later added that the Miami natives are “multipliers” and can pose a threat on multiple levels.


“It’s not just in the run game, but it’s catching passes out of the backfield or when they line out in an empty formation,” Quinn said. “The energy that both players bring to their teams, I think, is something that may not show up on the stat sheet, but you feel it. It’s tangible.”