Adrian Peterson to undergo knee surgery Thursday
By Kevin Patra
Published: Sept. 21, 2016 at 11:48 a.m.
Updated: Sept. 21, 2016 at 02:03 p.m.
Adrian Peterson will undergo surgery on his injured knee.
The Minnesota Vikings' star running back is having surgery to repair his torn meniscus on Thursday, coach Mike Zimmer confirmed. Peterson is expected to be out several months, but there's a chance he could potentially return for a December playoff run, NFL Network Insider Ian Rapoport reported, per a source informed of Peterson's situation.
"(I'm) doing it with faith and optimism," Peterson told ESPN's Josina Anderson, who first reported the news of his surgery.
To replace Peterson, the Vikings have signed running back Ronnie Hillman, Zimmer said. The Vikings coach also added that tackle Matt Kalil (hip) is being placed on injured reserve.
All Day is famously a fast healer. He returned from an ACL tear to rip up the NFL for 2,097 yards in 2012. But in 2016 at age 31, will his body bounce back quick enough to salvage even part of the season?
With Peterson sidelined, the Vikings will roll with explosive Jerick McKinnon, Hillman and power back Matt Asiata in the backfield with quarterback Sam Bradford. After a magnificent first game, Bradford will need to stack solid outings now that he no longer has the strongest workhorse in the NFL at his disposal.
"Obviously, it's hard to replace a running back like Adrian Peterson," Vikings quarterback Sam Bradford said. "When Adrian is in the game, everyone is loading the box, trying to stop the run, which gives us a lot of one-on-one matchups on the outside. It also makes our play action pretty effective. When they see him coming downhill, everyone is stepping up to stop the run. There are some things we took advantage of with him in the game. We'll have to see how defenses will play us from here on out."
Coach Mike Zimmer has plowed through adversity before. Now the Vikings coach will try to defy the odds of marching to the playoffs without his preseason quarterback or star running back.
Sam Bradford gives Minnesota Vikings' offense new dimension
By Jeffri Chadiha
Published: Sept. 20, 2016 at 11:57 a.m.
Updated: Sept. 21, 2016 at 12:06 p.m.
MINNEAPOLIS -- It might have been only one game, but an undeniable message was sent on Sunday night. Minnesota Vikings quarterback Sam Bradford used the national spotlight to remind us all of his potential, as well as the reason why he's managed to keep finding work after so much turmoil. When he came to this franchise just over two weeks ago, it seemed like an impulsive response to a catastrophic emergency. Today, it feels like something more real, more rewarding -- the type of blessing that nobody saw coming when Minnesota's season was on the verge of early collapse.
The Vikings acquired Bradford in a trade with Philadelphia on Sept. 3 because they lost their former starting quarterback, Teddy Bridgewater, to a freakish knee injury. Now, two games into the season, star running back Adrian Peterson is sidelined indefinitely with a torn meniscus in his right knee. Normally, this would be the time for any franchise to start thinking about the 2017 NFL Draft. Instead, the Vikings should be thinking about all the possibilities that now exist, because Bradford's debut was literally that impressive.
It wasn't merely about the numbers he produced in Sunday night's 17-14 win over Green Bay (Bradford completed 22 of 31 passes for 286 yards and two touchdowns). This was about the way he dropped passes into tight coverage, the ease he displayed in firing darts across the field, the toughness he revealed when he went to the locker room in the first half with an injured left hand and returned to do even more damage. Bradford also thrived as the Vikings were christening the new U.S. Bank Stadium against their hated NFC North rivals. It was the type of performance that put Minnesota right back into the conversation as postseason contenders. It also said something that Bradford was more eager to celebrate his teammates than his own success in such adverse circumstances.
"The guys here have been awesome," Bradford said in his postgame press conference. "Any time you join a new locker room, it's not easy at first. But these guys have had my back since Day 1. [Backup quarterback] Shaun Hill has been right there with me the last two weeks, every step of the way. He was with me with a previous team, so he can relate things [about this offense] back to what we did in the past. All the guys have been great, and I just wanted to come out and play well for them."
This is the best Bradford has looked in years. He played well in the second half of last season, but most people likely remember how that year started, with Bradford struggling to find his way in the offense run by former Eagles head coach Chip Kelly. Before that, Bradford was best known for his health problems in St. Louis, when he missed all of the 2014 season and nine games in 2013 because of two ACL tears in his left knee. Bradford was well on his way to journeyman status in the league. He'd already seen the Eagles give up on him after they selected Carson Wentz second overall in this year's draft.
This is why Bradford -- who cost the Vikings a first-round pick in next year's draft and a conditional later-round selection in 2018 -- deserves ample credit today. Critics bashed him for being brittle. They scorned him when he couldn't live up to the trade that brought him to Philadelphia. He also absorbed ample abuse when he signed a two-year, $36 million extension with the Eagles and then became angry after they made a blockbuster deal with Cleveland that led to the drafting of Wentz. (Bradford voiced his displeasure by demanding a trade and skipping part of Philadelphia's offseason workout program.) But the man never lost his faith, his focus or his fight.
That much was apparent when Bradford threw a 25-yard touchdown pass to Stefon Diggs just three plays after Peterson hurt his knee in the third quarter. That score gave Minnesota a 17-7 lead and represented the type of game-changing plays Bradford made all night. Head coach Mike Zimmer even sounded pleasantly surprised at how well his quarterback performed in such a difficult situation. He wanted to give Bradford some snaps in Week 1's 25-16 win at Tennessee -- Hill started instead -- but the opportunity never arose.
When asked after Sunday's win when he knew Bradford was ready, Zimmer said, "How do you know if a guy is ready? I knew he could throw the ball pretty darn good. He knew the offense pretty good. He could call the plays out and he knew the protections. I don't know if there was ever a point where I said [he's ready], but we are going to ride with him."
The irony of Sunday night is that Bradford also looked better than Bridgewater ever has in his two years of running the Vikings' offense. Bradford was sharper, more capable of producing explosive plays and fully in sync with Diggs, who finished with nine receptions for 182 yards and a touchdown. When Bridgewater was lost for the season, it was logical to think the Vikings' best chance of winning games came down to the same formula that led to their NFC North title last year: running the ball, playing tough defense and eliminating mistakes. Bradford's performance opened the door to the possibility that Minnesota doesn't have to be nearly as cautious as we once thought.
This isn't to say Bridgewater's job is in trouble. It's simply apparent that the price of acquiring Bradford from Philadelphia indicates that the Vikings have to be concerned about how long it will take Bridgewater to recover from an injury that traumatized many of the teammates who witnessed it. If Bradford can keep playing as he did on Sunday, the Vikings might have to ask themselves some tough questions down the road. For the moment, they should feel fortunate that they found a 28-year-old former Offensive Rookie of the Year who wasn't ready to give up on himself.
Bradford did acknowledge that there is still plenty of work to be done on his end.
"When you've been in a system for a while, there's a lot more focus on what the defense is trying to do, how they're going to try to stop us," Bradford said. "This [past] week [of preparation], there was still a lot of focus on what the defense was doing, but there also was a lot of talk about what we were doing. I'm still in a phase where I have to translate things to what they were in a previous offense. That's how my brain functions. The longer you're in an offense, the smaller that translation becomes from week to week."
Bradford basically was saying that not every game is going to look as great as the one he produced against Green Bay. There will be some ups and downs, and there will be days when the Vikings will have to rely more on that rugged defense that stifled Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers most of the night. Bradford still hasn't even spent a month with his current employer. He's been around the NFL long enough to understand the regular season is a marathon and not a sprint.
The good news for the Vikings is that Bradford finally seems to be back in a mental state that once created so much hope about him, back when he was the first overall pick in the 2010 NFL Draft. He couldn't make good on that promise in St. Louis, and he left Philadelphia as the odd man out after one season. Now Bradford finds himself with a franchise that needs a beacon of hope at a time when two of its biggest stars are hurt. Thus far, it already feels like the ideal spot for him to prove that there's still plenty to like about his own future.
Larry Fitzgerald, Eric Decker among top slot receivers [OUB: Check out #7]
By Chris Wesseling
Published: Sept. 21, 2016 at 01:16 p.m.
Updated: Sept. 21, 2016 at 01:38 p.m.
When Percy Harvin became the first slot receiver to win the NFL's Offensive Rookie of the Year award in 2009, he was the exception to the prevailing wisdom that the position was solely the domain of smaller, shiftier wideouts unable to survive outside the numbers.
Seven years later, there's no such thing as a prototypical slot receiver along the lines of Wes Welker.
We still see undersized joysticks such as Julian Edelman, Randall Cobb and Cole Beasley. We also see physical receivers who used to win primarily on the outside such as Larry Fitzgerald, Anquan Boldin and Eric Decker. Even skyscrapers along the lines of Vincent Jackson and Jordan Matthews frequent the slot these days.
One new player set to join the ranks of the great inside threats is Giants rookie Sterling Shepard, who has spent as much time in the slot as any receiver through two games.
Shepard has been so impressive so early in his career that a rejuvenated Victor Cruz is now playing almost strictly on the outside.
If Cruz and Odell Beckham are to be trusted, Shepard is a heavy favorite to join Harvin's exclusive company.
"Lights out every game," Beckham said after Shepard's impressive Week 2 performance. "[Shepard] comes up with the big catch, makes the big plays. He's going to be Rookie of the Year."
With Shepard as the inspiration, let's examine the NFL's premier slot weapons:
1) Larry Fitzgerald, Arizona Cardinals: Let's pause to appreciate greatness 13 years into the extended prime of a Hall of Fame career. Once the NFL's gold standard as an "X" receiver consistently beating cornerbacks downfield, Fitzgerald has remade himself by using the greatest hands of his generation to come down with contested catches in tight spaces. The plaudits don't stop there. Fitzgerald is also the best blocking wide receiver, the most productive postseason star and perhaps the foremost model of stability as the face of the Cardinals franchise.
When will we learn to stop writing the 33-year-old legend off as a difference-making talent? Even after Carson Palmer posted a gaudy 119.5 passer rating on throws to Fitzgerald in 2015, conventional wisdom suggested younger teammates Michael Floyd and/or John Brown had surpassed Fitzgerald in Arizona's pecking order entering the 2016 season. Through two weeks, Palmer has increased his passing rating to 134.2 on Fitzgerald targets. He's the class of one of the NFL's most dangerous wide receiver corps.
2) Doug Baldwin, Seattle Seahawks: Embarking on his sixth NFL season, Baldwin has already earned his third professional contract with a four-year, $46 million deal that recognizes his status as a team leader and unheralded star. Responsible for the NFL's top passer rating when targeted (139.9) in 2015, Baldwin was the most efficient receiver in the league last season. Of the 87 receivers to play at least 25 percent of their teams' snaps and accrue an average depth of target beyond 10 yards, per Pro Football Focus, Baldwin's completion rate of 79 percent was No. 1.
A crafty route runner without fear over the middle, Baldwin has emerged as Russell Wilson's go-to target in high-leverage situations. While he plays nearly 90 percent of his snaps in the slot, he isn't limited to shallow routes. In fact, only Sammy Watkins scored more touchdowns on deep passes (20 or more yards in the air) in 2015 (Watkins had eight to Baldwin's five). Slot receivers don't just come in all shapes and sizes these days, they also have varying pedigrees. Baldwin went undrafted out of Stanford, while Fitzgerald was selected at No. 3 overall in the 2004 NFL Draft.
3) Julian Edelman, New England Patriots: It's no coincidence that Edelman has succeeded former Patriots receiver Wes Welker as the league's "option-route" master. High-profile veterans such as Joey Galloway and Chad Johnson quickly flamed out in New England because Tom Brady's offense is so heavily reliant upon reading coverages and improvising routes based on defensive tendencies in the crowded mid-section of the field. Edelman is a better athlete than Welker, which allows Brady to dial up "man-beater" routes whenever he sees a favorable matchup versus a bigger cornerback unable to match Edelman's trademark quickness off the line of scrimmage.
Consult the Super Bowl XLIX game tape and watch Edelman trash the greatest secondary of the 21st century -- all the while talking smack to remind Seattle's accomplished defensive backs that there was nothing they could do to stop him. A converted college quarterback, Edelman is the active leader in punt-return average -- and sixth in NFL history. He's a kamikaze with the ball in his hands, and his playing style too often results in injuries. Fortunately, the Patriots also boast Danny Amendola and Chris Hogan, two more receivers capable of excelling in the slot.
4) Jarvis Landry, Miami Dolphins: Landry is a polarizing receiver. Boosters point to his record-setting receptions pace (194 in Years 1 and 2, the most ever in a player's first two seasons), vise-grip hands, physical toughness and rare ability to force missed tackles when he has the ball. Detractors note that the majority of his catches are manufactured by the play-caller near the line of scrimmage. Landry is excellent when he's schemed open on quick-hitters such as slants and bubble screens. Can an offense thrive with that limited skill-set as the focal point?
Landry entered the league in 2014 with Hines Ward comparisons, but I see a more reliable, less explosive version of Percy Harvin. He can exploit openings and threaten deep on occasion. At the same time, he doesn't run a full route tree and rarely is tasked with beating press-man coverage. If he was paired with a true No. 1 receiver, Landry's volume numbers would drop -- and the Dolphins would start winning more games.
5) Eric Decker, New York Jets: The NFL's preeminent second fiddle for the past half-decade (with two different teams, no less), Decker is essentially a power forward in the red zone and down the seam. Since 2012, only Dez Bryant and Decker's Jets teammate Brandon Marshall have bested Decker's 43 touchdowns. Marshall and Decker each found the end zone nine times last season, breaking the NFL tandem record set by Cris Carter and Randy Moss with the historically explosive 1998 Vikings. A picture of consistency, Decker has hauled in a touchdown in 15 of his last 18 games.
It's rare to see slot receivers doing as much downfield damage as Decker did to the Bills' cornerback duo of Stephon Gilmore and Ronald Darby last week. He generated five different plays of over 15 yards, not including a 53-yard reception that was nullified by penalty. For years, Decker's production was discounted as a byproduct of Peyton Manning's prodigiousness in Denver. But how many receivers would have been able to match Decker's prolific level of play catching passes from Kyle Orton, Tim Tebow and Ryan Fitzpatrick?
6) Randall Cobb, Green Bay Packers: Cobb is the trickiest evaluation on this list. Will this season more closely resemble 2014, when he was the best slot receiver in football, or 2015, when he was a season-long liability while playing through a painful shoulder injury?
At his peak, Cobb's greatest assets are his versatility (he aligns primarily in the slot, but also in the backfield and outside), the run-after-catch elusiveness of a punt returner and a mind meld with Aaron Rodgers on broken and improvised plays. That Rodgers-to-Cobb connection generated an NFL-high 134.3 passer rating in 2014, as Cobb finished in the top 10 in catch percentage, yards after catch and forced missed tackles, per Pro Football Focus.
Last season was a different story. Forced to play outside more often while drawing extra coverage with Jordy Nelson out of the lineup, Cobb contributed to the first dysfunctional offense of the Rodgers era. "Last year you had one guy [Cobb] for Aaron to throw it to," one NFL assistant coach explained this past offseason. "It was, OK, cover that guy, and after that [Rodgers] had to make everything up."
Four years ago, Rodgers predicted Cobb would ultimately be regarded as "one of the best picks in [Packers general manager] Ted Thompson's career, if not the best." Through two games this season, we've yet to see evidence that the sixth-year veteran has found his way back to that ascendant career path.
7) Sterling Shepard, New York Giants: Wide receiver guru Matt Harmon billed Shepard as not only the most NFL-ready route runner in the 2016 NFL Draft, but also as someone who is uniquely gifted for a slot prospect. Shepard has generated a steady stream of hype for his hands, speed and explosive athleticism since landing with the Giants in the second round.
"I just feel like I really know what he's capable of," Beckham raved in June, "and I'd rather let him just shock the world than spill his secrets. ... He was definitely a steal, a guy that could have gone first round."
It's telling that Shepard has already displaced Cruz, the league's most dangerous playmaker out of the slot in 2011 and 2012. Through two NFL games, Shepard boasts a 91.7 catch percentage -- behind only Travis Benjamin (100.0) and Quincy Enunwa (92.9) among receivers with at least 10 targets. With Cruz back on the field and Shepard replacing an inefficient Rueben Randle in the pecking order, the Giants now rival the Cardinals and Jets for the NFL's top wide receiver trios.
8) Jordan Matthews, Philadelphia Eagles: Former Saints star Marques Colston paved the way for Matthews as a large-framed slot receiver capable of beating the occasional cornerback over the top and safeties down the seam. Matthews -- a second-round pick in 2014 -- had a special role under former Eagles coach Chip Kelly the past two years, working between the numbers to exploit size mismatches as a possession receiver with long arms, huge hands and the ability to come down with contested catches in high-traffic areas.
Although he's lining up outside more often in new Philadelphia coach Doug Pederson's offense, Matthews is still primarily a slot receiver mixing spectacular catches with flagrant drops.
9) Willie Snead, New Orleans Saints: Drew Brees has found his new version of Lance Moore, a jack-of-all-trades wideout with a knack for finding open spaces against zone defenses. Uncanny route running allows Snead to move the chains underneath coverage and sneak up on safeties and linebackers with a double-move to separate on deeper and intermediate routes. Throws in Snead's direction led to a team-best 111.1 passer rating last season. Though two games this year, that mark has skyrocketed to 158.0. Even if we attribute the bulk of that to the Raiders' coverage woes in the season opener, Snead is here to stay as a productive slot receiver.
10) Cole Beasley, Dallas Cowboys: If you're looking for Beasley, you can find him at the sticks. Rookie running back Ezekiel Elliott and the dominant offensive line garner the spotlight for Dallas' ball-control offense, but it's Beasley who has been a first-down machine as rookie quarterback Dak Prescott's security blanket. Much like Edelman, Beasley wins with rare suddenness before and after the catch on option routes. It's Beasley -- not All-Pro wideout Dez Bryant or 10-time Pro Bowl tight end Jason Witten -- who leads the Cowboys in receptions as well as receiving yards early in the season.
Special mention: Allen Hurns, Jacksonville Jaguars; Quincy Enunwa, New York Jets; Mohamed Sanu, Atlanta Falcons; Anquan Boldin, Detroit Lions; Jamison Crowder, Washington Redskins; Kendall Wright, Tennessee Titans; Danny Amendola, New England Patriots; Eli Rogers, Pittsburgh Steelers; Tyler Boyd, Cincinnati Bengals.
By Kevin Patra
Published: Sept. 21, 2016 at 11:48 a.m.
Updated: Sept. 21, 2016 at 02:03 p.m.
Adrian Peterson will undergo surgery on his injured knee.
The Minnesota Vikings' star running back is having surgery to repair his torn meniscus on Thursday, coach Mike Zimmer confirmed. Peterson is expected to be out several months, but there's a chance he could potentially return for a December playoff run, NFL Network Insider Ian Rapoport reported, per a source informed of Peterson's situation.
"(I'm) doing it with faith and optimism," Peterson told ESPN's Josina Anderson, who first reported the news of his surgery.
To replace Peterson, the Vikings have signed running back Ronnie Hillman, Zimmer said. The Vikings coach also added that tackle Matt Kalil (hip) is being placed on injured reserve.
All Day is famously a fast healer. He returned from an ACL tear to rip up the NFL for 2,097 yards in 2012. But in 2016 at age 31, will his body bounce back quick enough to salvage even part of the season?
With Peterson sidelined, the Vikings will roll with explosive Jerick McKinnon, Hillman and power back Matt Asiata in the backfield with quarterback Sam Bradford. After a magnificent first game, Bradford will need to stack solid outings now that he no longer has the strongest workhorse in the NFL at his disposal.
"Obviously, it's hard to replace a running back like Adrian Peterson," Vikings quarterback Sam Bradford said. "When Adrian is in the game, everyone is loading the box, trying to stop the run, which gives us a lot of one-on-one matchups on the outside. It also makes our play action pretty effective. When they see him coming downhill, everyone is stepping up to stop the run. There are some things we took advantage of with him in the game. We'll have to see how defenses will play us from here on out."
Coach Mike Zimmer has plowed through adversity before. Now the Vikings coach will try to defy the odds of marching to the playoffs without his preseason quarterback or star running back.
Sam Bradford gives Minnesota Vikings' offense new dimension
By Jeffri Chadiha
Published: Sept. 20, 2016 at 11:57 a.m.
Updated: Sept. 21, 2016 at 12:06 p.m.
MINNEAPOLIS -- It might have been only one game, but an undeniable message was sent on Sunday night. Minnesota Vikings quarterback Sam Bradford used the national spotlight to remind us all of his potential, as well as the reason why he's managed to keep finding work after so much turmoil. When he came to this franchise just over two weeks ago, it seemed like an impulsive response to a catastrophic emergency. Today, it feels like something more real, more rewarding -- the type of blessing that nobody saw coming when Minnesota's season was on the verge of early collapse.
The Vikings acquired Bradford in a trade with Philadelphia on Sept. 3 because they lost their former starting quarterback, Teddy Bridgewater, to a freakish knee injury. Now, two games into the season, star running back Adrian Peterson is sidelined indefinitely with a torn meniscus in his right knee. Normally, this would be the time for any franchise to start thinking about the 2017 NFL Draft. Instead, the Vikings should be thinking about all the possibilities that now exist, because Bradford's debut was literally that impressive.
It wasn't merely about the numbers he produced in Sunday night's 17-14 win over Green Bay (Bradford completed 22 of 31 passes for 286 yards and two touchdowns). This was about the way he dropped passes into tight coverage, the ease he displayed in firing darts across the field, the toughness he revealed when he went to the locker room in the first half with an injured left hand and returned to do even more damage. Bradford also thrived as the Vikings were christening the new U.S. Bank Stadium against their hated NFC North rivals. It was the type of performance that put Minnesota right back into the conversation as postseason contenders. It also said something that Bradford was more eager to celebrate his teammates than his own success in such adverse circumstances.
"The guys here have been awesome," Bradford said in his postgame press conference. "Any time you join a new locker room, it's not easy at first. But these guys have had my back since Day 1. [Backup quarterback] Shaun Hill has been right there with me the last two weeks, every step of the way. He was with me with a previous team, so he can relate things [about this offense] back to what we did in the past. All the guys have been great, and I just wanted to come out and play well for them."
This is the best Bradford has looked in years. He played well in the second half of last season, but most people likely remember how that year started, with Bradford struggling to find his way in the offense run by former Eagles head coach Chip Kelly. Before that, Bradford was best known for his health problems in St. Louis, when he missed all of the 2014 season and nine games in 2013 because of two ACL tears in his left knee. Bradford was well on his way to journeyman status in the league. He'd already seen the Eagles give up on him after they selected Carson Wentz second overall in this year's draft.
This is why Bradford -- who cost the Vikings a first-round pick in next year's draft and a conditional later-round selection in 2018 -- deserves ample credit today. Critics bashed him for being brittle. They scorned him when he couldn't live up to the trade that brought him to Philadelphia. He also absorbed ample abuse when he signed a two-year, $36 million extension with the Eagles and then became angry after they made a blockbuster deal with Cleveland that led to the drafting of Wentz. (Bradford voiced his displeasure by demanding a trade and skipping part of Philadelphia's offseason workout program.) But the man never lost his faith, his focus or his fight.
That much was apparent when Bradford threw a 25-yard touchdown pass to Stefon Diggs just three plays after Peterson hurt his knee in the third quarter. That score gave Minnesota a 17-7 lead and represented the type of game-changing plays Bradford made all night. Head coach Mike Zimmer even sounded pleasantly surprised at how well his quarterback performed in such a difficult situation. He wanted to give Bradford some snaps in Week 1's 25-16 win at Tennessee -- Hill started instead -- but the opportunity never arose.
When asked after Sunday's win when he knew Bradford was ready, Zimmer said, "How do you know if a guy is ready? I knew he could throw the ball pretty darn good. He knew the offense pretty good. He could call the plays out and he knew the protections. I don't know if there was ever a point where I said [he's ready], but we are going to ride with him."
The irony of Sunday night is that Bradford also looked better than Bridgewater ever has in his two years of running the Vikings' offense. Bradford was sharper, more capable of producing explosive plays and fully in sync with Diggs, who finished with nine receptions for 182 yards and a touchdown. When Bridgewater was lost for the season, it was logical to think the Vikings' best chance of winning games came down to the same formula that led to their NFC North title last year: running the ball, playing tough defense and eliminating mistakes. Bradford's performance opened the door to the possibility that Minnesota doesn't have to be nearly as cautious as we once thought.
This isn't to say Bridgewater's job is in trouble. It's simply apparent that the price of acquiring Bradford from Philadelphia indicates that the Vikings have to be concerned about how long it will take Bridgewater to recover from an injury that traumatized many of the teammates who witnessed it. If Bradford can keep playing as he did on Sunday, the Vikings might have to ask themselves some tough questions down the road. For the moment, they should feel fortunate that they found a 28-year-old former Offensive Rookie of the Year who wasn't ready to give up on himself.
Bradford did acknowledge that there is still plenty of work to be done on his end.
"When you've been in a system for a while, there's a lot more focus on what the defense is trying to do, how they're going to try to stop us," Bradford said. "This [past] week [of preparation], there was still a lot of focus on what the defense was doing, but there also was a lot of talk about what we were doing. I'm still in a phase where I have to translate things to what they were in a previous offense. That's how my brain functions. The longer you're in an offense, the smaller that translation becomes from week to week."
Bradford basically was saying that not every game is going to look as great as the one he produced against Green Bay. There will be some ups and downs, and there will be days when the Vikings will have to rely more on that rugged defense that stifled Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers most of the night. Bradford still hasn't even spent a month with his current employer. He's been around the NFL long enough to understand the regular season is a marathon and not a sprint.
The good news for the Vikings is that Bradford finally seems to be back in a mental state that once created so much hope about him, back when he was the first overall pick in the 2010 NFL Draft. He couldn't make good on that promise in St. Louis, and he left Philadelphia as the odd man out after one season. Now Bradford finds himself with a franchise that needs a beacon of hope at a time when two of its biggest stars are hurt. Thus far, it already feels like the ideal spot for him to prove that there's still plenty to like about his own future.
Larry Fitzgerald, Eric Decker among top slot receivers [OUB: Check out #7]
By Chris Wesseling
Published: Sept. 21, 2016 at 01:16 p.m.
Updated: Sept. 21, 2016 at 01:38 p.m.
When Percy Harvin became the first slot receiver to win the NFL's Offensive Rookie of the Year award in 2009, he was the exception to the prevailing wisdom that the position was solely the domain of smaller, shiftier wideouts unable to survive outside the numbers.
Seven years later, there's no such thing as a prototypical slot receiver along the lines of Wes Welker.
We still see undersized joysticks such as Julian Edelman, Randall Cobb and Cole Beasley. We also see physical receivers who used to win primarily on the outside such as Larry Fitzgerald, Anquan Boldin and Eric Decker. Even skyscrapers along the lines of Vincent Jackson and Jordan Matthews frequent the slot these days.
One new player set to join the ranks of the great inside threats is Giants rookie Sterling Shepard, who has spent as much time in the slot as any receiver through two games.
Shepard has been so impressive so early in his career that a rejuvenated Victor Cruz is now playing almost strictly on the outside.
If Cruz and Odell Beckham are to be trusted, Shepard is a heavy favorite to join Harvin's exclusive company.
"Lights out every game," Beckham said after Shepard's impressive Week 2 performance. "[Shepard] comes up with the big catch, makes the big plays. He's going to be Rookie of the Year."
With Shepard as the inspiration, let's examine the NFL's premier slot weapons:
1) Larry Fitzgerald, Arizona Cardinals: Let's pause to appreciate greatness 13 years into the extended prime of a Hall of Fame career. Once the NFL's gold standard as an "X" receiver consistently beating cornerbacks downfield, Fitzgerald has remade himself by using the greatest hands of his generation to come down with contested catches in tight spaces. The plaudits don't stop there. Fitzgerald is also the best blocking wide receiver, the most productive postseason star and perhaps the foremost model of stability as the face of the Cardinals franchise.
When will we learn to stop writing the 33-year-old legend off as a difference-making talent? Even after Carson Palmer posted a gaudy 119.5 passer rating on throws to Fitzgerald in 2015, conventional wisdom suggested younger teammates Michael Floyd and/or John Brown had surpassed Fitzgerald in Arizona's pecking order entering the 2016 season. Through two weeks, Palmer has increased his passing rating to 134.2 on Fitzgerald targets. He's the class of one of the NFL's most dangerous wide receiver corps.
2) Doug Baldwin, Seattle Seahawks: Embarking on his sixth NFL season, Baldwin has already earned his third professional contract with a four-year, $46 million deal that recognizes his status as a team leader and unheralded star. Responsible for the NFL's top passer rating when targeted (139.9) in 2015, Baldwin was the most efficient receiver in the league last season. Of the 87 receivers to play at least 25 percent of their teams' snaps and accrue an average depth of target beyond 10 yards, per Pro Football Focus, Baldwin's completion rate of 79 percent was No. 1.
A crafty route runner without fear over the middle, Baldwin has emerged as Russell Wilson's go-to target in high-leverage situations. While he plays nearly 90 percent of his snaps in the slot, he isn't limited to shallow routes. In fact, only Sammy Watkins scored more touchdowns on deep passes (20 or more yards in the air) in 2015 (Watkins had eight to Baldwin's five). Slot receivers don't just come in all shapes and sizes these days, they also have varying pedigrees. Baldwin went undrafted out of Stanford, while Fitzgerald was selected at No. 3 overall in the 2004 NFL Draft.
3) Julian Edelman, New England Patriots: It's no coincidence that Edelman has succeeded former Patriots receiver Wes Welker as the league's "option-route" master. High-profile veterans such as Joey Galloway and Chad Johnson quickly flamed out in New England because Tom Brady's offense is so heavily reliant upon reading coverages and improvising routes based on defensive tendencies in the crowded mid-section of the field. Edelman is a better athlete than Welker, which allows Brady to dial up "man-beater" routes whenever he sees a favorable matchup versus a bigger cornerback unable to match Edelman's trademark quickness off the line of scrimmage.
Consult the Super Bowl XLIX game tape and watch Edelman trash the greatest secondary of the 21st century -- all the while talking smack to remind Seattle's accomplished defensive backs that there was nothing they could do to stop him. A converted college quarterback, Edelman is the active leader in punt-return average -- and sixth in NFL history. He's a kamikaze with the ball in his hands, and his playing style too often results in injuries. Fortunately, the Patriots also boast Danny Amendola and Chris Hogan, two more receivers capable of excelling in the slot.
4) Jarvis Landry, Miami Dolphins: Landry is a polarizing receiver. Boosters point to his record-setting receptions pace (194 in Years 1 and 2, the most ever in a player's first two seasons), vise-grip hands, physical toughness and rare ability to force missed tackles when he has the ball. Detractors note that the majority of his catches are manufactured by the play-caller near the line of scrimmage. Landry is excellent when he's schemed open on quick-hitters such as slants and bubble screens. Can an offense thrive with that limited skill-set as the focal point?
Landry entered the league in 2014 with Hines Ward comparisons, but I see a more reliable, less explosive version of Percy Harvin. He can exploit openings and threaten deep on occasion. At the same time, he doesn't run a full route tree and rarely is tasked with beating press-man coverage. If he was paired with a true No. 1 receiver, Landry's volume numbers would drop -- and the Dolphins would start winning more games.
5) Eric Decker, New York Jets: The NFL's preeminent second fiddle for the past half-decade (with two different teams, no less), Decker is essentially a power forward in the red zone and down the seam. Since 2012, only Dez Bryant and Decker's Jets teammate Brandon Marshall have bested Decker's 43 touchdowns. Marshall and Decker each found the end zone nine times last season, breaking the NFL tandem record set by Cris Carter and Randy Moss with the historically explosive 1998 Vikings. A picture of consistency, Decker has hauled in a touchdown in 15 of his last 18 games.
It's rare to see slot receivers doing as much downfield damage as Decker did to the Bills' cornerback duo of Stephon Gilmore and Ronald Darby last week. He generated five different plays of over 15 yards, not including a 53-yard reception that was nullified by penalty. For years, Decker's production was discounted as a byproduct of Peyton Manning's prodigiousness in Denver. But how many receivers would have been able to match Decker's prolific level of play catching passes from Kyle Orton, Tim Tebow and Ryan Fitzpatrick?
6) Randall Cobb, Green Bay Packers: Cobb is the trickiest evaluation on this list. Will this season more closely resemble 2014, when he was the best slot receiver in football, or 2015, when he was a season-long liability while playing through a painful shoulder injury?
At his peak, Cobb's greatest assets are his versatility (he aligns primarily in the slot, but also in the backfield and outside), the run-after-catch elusiveness of a punt returner and a mind meld with Aaron Rodgers on broken and improvised plays. That Rodgers-to-Cobb connection generated an NFL-high 134.3 passer rating in 2014, as Cobb finished in the top 10 in catch percentage, yards after catch and forced missed tackles, per Pro Football Focus.
Last season was a different story. Forced to play outside more often while drawing extra coverage with Jordy Nelson out of the lineup, Cobb contributed to the first dysfunctional offense of the Rodgers era. "Last year you had one guy [Cobb] for Aaron to throw it to," one NFL assistant coach explained this past offseason. "It was, OK, cover that guy, and after that [Rodgers] had to make everything up."
Four years ago, Rodgers predicted Cobb would ultimately be regarded as "one of the best picks in [Packers general manager] Ted Thompson's career, if not the best." Through two games this season, we've yet to see evidence that the sixth-year veteran has found his way back to that ascendant career path.
7) Sterling Shepard, New York Giants: Wide receiver guru Matt Harmon billed Shepard as not only the most NFL-ready route runner in the 2016 NFL Draft, but also as someone who is uniquely gifted for a slot prospect. Shepard has generated a steady stream of hype for his hands, speed and explosive athleticism since landing with the Giants in the second round.
"I just feel like I really know what he's capable of," Beckham raved in June, "and I'd rather let him just shock the world than spill his secrets. ... He was definitely a steal, a guy that could have gone first round."
It's telling that Shepard has already displaced Cruz, the league's most dangerous playmaker out of the slot in 2011 and 2012. Through two NFL games, Shepard boasts a 91.7 catch percentage -- behind only Travis Benjamin (100.0) and Quincy Enunwa (92.9) among receivers with at least 10 targets. With Cruz back on the field and Shepard replacing an inefficient Rueben Randle in the pecking order, the Giants now rival the Cardinals and Jets for the NFL's top wide receiver trios.
8) Jordan Matthews, Philadelphia Eagles: Former Saints star Marques Colston paved the way for Matthews as a large-framed slot receiver capable of beating the occasional cornerback over the top and safeties down the seam. Matthews -- a second-round pick in 2014 -- had a special role under former Eagles coach Chip Kelly the past two years, working between the numbers to exploit size mismatches as a possession receiver with long arms, huge hands and the ability to come down with contested catches in high-traffic areas.
Although he's lining up outside more often in new Philadelphia coach Doug Pederson's offense, Matthews is still primarily a slot receiver mixing spectacular catches with flagrant drops.
9) Willie Snead, New Orleans Saints: Drew Brees has found his new version of Lance Moore, a jack-of-all-trades wideout with a knack for finding open spaces against zone defenses. Uncanny route running allows Snead to move the chains underneath coverage and sneak up on safeties and linebackers with a double-move to separate on deeper and intermediate routes. Throws in Snead's direction led to a team-best 111.1 passer rating last season. Though two games this year, that mark has skyrocketed to 158.0. Even if we attribute the bulk of that to the Raiders' coverage woes in the season opener, Snead is here to stay as a productive slot receiver.
10) Cole Beasley, Dallas Cowboys: If you're looking for Beasley, you can find him at the sticks. Rookie running back Ezekiel Elliott and the dominant offensive line garner the spotlight for Dallas' ball-control offense, but it's Beasley who has been a first-down machine as rookie quarterback Dak Prescott's security blanket. Much like Edelman, Beasley wins with rare suddenness before and after the catch on option routes. It's Beasley -- not All-Pro wideout Dez Bryant or 10-time Pro Bowl tight end Jason Witten -- who leads the Cowboys in receptions as well as receiving yards early in the season.
Special mention: Allen Hurns, Jacksonville Jaguars; Quincy Enunwa, New York Jets; Mohamed Sanu, Atlanta Falcons; Anquan Boldin, Detroit Lions; Jamison Crowder, Washington Redskins; Kendall Wright, Tennessee Titans; Danny Amendola, New England Patriots; Eli Rogers, Pittsburgh Steelers; Tyler Boyd, Cincinnati Bengals.
