Preseason football: The games don’t count, but that doesn’t stop fans from using them to predict which bottom-of-the-roster breakout stars could possibly make an impact on their favorite team.
SKOR North took advantage of this in 2014 by founding the Mr. Mankato Award. The award honors the player that has the most outstanding under-the-radar performance during the preseason and lives in the minds of Minnesota Viking fans.
But why stop there? Why not honor the players that put together Minnesota’s first winless preseason since 1979? It’s time to grab your tuxedos, because these are the 2021 Vikings Preseason Awards.
The Houdini Award
This award goes to the player whose promising career pulled a disappearing act during the preseason.
Winner: Cameron Dantzler
This year’s runaway has to be Dantzler. Vikings fans came into the preseason excited about Dantzler’s potential after he shined in games against Teddy Bridgewater and Mike Glennon. Even as the Vikings signed Bashaud Breeland, many felt Dantzler had a chance to start. Instead, Dantzler fell down the depth chart after allowing an 80-yard touchdown to K.J. Hamler. By the end of the preseason he was playing behind Kris Boyd.
Dantzler showed some intensity in the final preseason game, causing a pass breakup and making a pair of nice tackles. But it will take more than one good drive to get out of Mike Zimmer’s dog house.
The Dakota Dozier Award
This award goes to the preseason’s offensive line performance that makes Vikings fans the most nervous going into the regular season.
Winner: Dakota Dozier
Dozier lived up to his reputation as one of the worst guards in football this preseason, promptly allowing two pressures and holding Andre Patterson’s favorite nose tackle, Shamar Stephen, in the end zone for a safety against the Denver Broncos. Dozier was relegated to the second team over the final two preseason games but still doesn’t feel like he belongs on an NFL roster.
That’s not to say that Dozier didn’t have any competition for this award. Rashod Hill has been thrust into the Vikings’ starting lineup due to Christian Darrisaw’s groin injury. The Vikings’ first team didn’t play much, but after watching Colts rookie Kwity Paye run past him for a sack, it’s not a good omen for a team that has to play Trey Hendrickson, J.J. Watt, Chandler Jones, Jadeveon Clowney, and Myles Garrett in the first month of the season.
Most Surprising Pandemic Performance
Winner: Mike Zimmer
One year after blasting Gov. Tim Walz for not allowing fans to pack U.S. Bank Stadium to watch his 7-9 team, Zimmer has become the Vikings’ COVID warrior.
The offseason began with Zimmer blasting his players for not getting the COVID vaccine and cutting an immaculate promo when his entire quarterback room was knocked out before a training camp practice. Outside of repeatedly mentioning the benefits and bringing in Dr. Michael Olsterholm, Zimmer has done everything he possibly can to avoid a forfeit during the regular season.
Although Zimmer has waved the white flag on convincing his players to get the vaccine, it wouldn’t be surprising if he were hiding in the rafters at TCO Performance Center to jump down and shoot the vaccine into their neck. It’s a surprising turn for a coach whose job is on the line.
The Bryant McKinnie Award
This award goes to the Minnesota Viking who shows up to camp overweight and costs himself an opportunity. The award is dedicated to McKinnie, who, after a summer of partying in Miami in 2011, had cholesterol so high he couldn’t practice. The Vikings released McKinnie days later, costing him millions of dollars in the process.
Winner: Wyatt Davis
Davis’ case wasn’t as extreme as McKinnie’s, but he was overweight enough that it cost him an opportunity to start. The third-round pick started training camp with the third string and missed several practices with an undisclosed injury. Davis straightened up after Zimmer criticized his weight but hasn’t had the immediate impact the Vikings had hoped for.
The Titanic Award
This award goes to the player that could sink the entire ship.
Winner: Kirk Cousins
The original frontrunner for this award was Greg Joseph, as Vikings fans know how much damage a missed kick can do to their hopes and dreams, but Cousins has pulled off the first meaningful comeback of his career to win the award.
Cousins showed up to training camp with a mask, indicating he’s unvaccinated. After telling the media he would like to keep his medical history private, it was thrown out into the open when he missed five days of practice due to being a high-risk close contact. He then suggested he be entombed in a plexiglass case to keep it from happening again.
After watching Jake Browning and Kellen Mond attempt to play quarterback, it’s clear that the Vikings are completely screwed if Cousins goes down due to COVID or injury. It adds another layer of risk for a quarterback that iceberged the 2020 season by throwing 10 interceptions in the first six games.
The Taylor Heinicke Award
This award is in dedication to Heinicke, who had a strong preseason performance that didn’t mean anything in the long run. Although he ruined his own chances by kicking in a window during training camp in 2017, Heinicke resurfaced last year to nearly defeat Tom Brady and the eventual Super Bowl Champion Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the playoffs.
Winner: A.J. Rose
Rose could follow the same path after being one of the best players on the field during preseason games. After Kene Nwangwu went down with a knee injury, Rose ran for 100 yards in the preseason opener and was the only offensive Viking to find the end zone, with two touchdowns against the Chiefs.
With Dalvin Cook, Alexander Mattison, and Nwangwu on the roster, Rose is likely to be the odd man out. But with teams trending toward going to the local community college to find their next running back, Rose could latch on with another team and become a standout player.
