After the Minnesota Vikings’ first day of mandatory minicamp on Tuesday, Brian Flores said this time of year is naturally more about chemistry and camaraderie than physicality. The young guys are learning from the wily veterans.
Jake Golday is learning from Eric Wilson. Domonique Orange and Caleb Banks are taking notes from Jalen Redmond. Jakobe Thomas is hanging on Josh Metellus’ every word, even the prepositions.
“Just trying to bring everyone together, get on the same page,” Flores said. “From a chemistry standpoint, from a vibe, from an energy standpoint, a willingness to work and learn and try to improve and get better.”
It’s kumbaya under the sun at the Vikings’ practice facility in Eagan. There are no pads. Players are in shorts. The only disruption is the planes overhead, spewing brain-controlling substances, at least if you believe Aaron Rodgers.
Still, one man is missing.
Harrison Smith. Dirty Harry. The Hitman.
For every year since the Vikings took him first-overall in 2012, Smith has been a stabilizing force on defense. For 14 years, he dissected opposing offenses with his workmanlike attitude and attention to detail.
He was a veteran any young player should emulate. Yet, he wasn’t at mandatory minicamp on Tuesday.
“Everyone knows how special [Smith has] been to me,” said Flores. “Our time together was fantastic. So, to lose a guy like that, it’s not easy.”
Flores spoke of Smith like he wasn’t returning. Still, Smith, 37, hasn’t officially retired. Stephon Gilmore showed up late to Vikings camp at age 34 two years ago and still had a productive year. Who says Smith can’t slink through the back door and take a stab at one last playoff run?
Regardless of whether Smith returns, Minnesota’s defense will have a significant say in the team’s success this year. The Vikings have plenty of offensive weapons, but the defense is their footsoldiers. They’re in the trenches, on the front lines, allowing the offensive artillery to create the fireworks that win the NFL’s battles.
The Vikings lacked explosives last year, primarily because J.J. McCarthy wasn’t ready to start after coming off a season-ending non-contact injury as a rookie. A late November trip to Wisconsin confirmed that, dropping Minnesota to 4-8 and out of the playoff picture.
Eventually, the Vikings’ decision not to franchise tag Sam Darnold backfired. In response, they brought in another veteran former top pick, Kyler Murray, to recapture some of that Darnold magic from two years ago.
Murray is technically in a quarterback battle with McCarthy. Still, he doesn’t seem too concerned about it.
“I’m not too worried about the competition side of things,” he said after Tuesday’s minicamp.
Instead, Murray is more concerned about making mistakes on a competitive team with high standards. The Vikings still aspire to compete this year, even after resetting the roster and paring back on spending.
The sportsbooks have Minnesota’s over/under win total at 8.5. They give the Vikings the worst odds to win the division at +510.
Still, they’ve overcome odds like this before. Two years ago, Vegas set Minnesota’s over/under at 7.5 games, and they won 14 games. Looking back, the Vikings should have kept Sam Darnold, but that’s neither here nor there. The point is that a comeback performance from a once-maligned quarterback lifted the team to new heights – until the season ended with a thud.
Think of that 8.5 number as the baseline Minnesota’s defense sets. Flores’ defense will always give his team a chance to go .500. The offense has to pick things up from there.
A year ago, some people thought McCarthy would become Minnesota’s first franchise quarterback since Fran Tarkenton retired in 1978. Others thought they should bring Rodgers to a practice facility located 6.5 miles from a major international airport. Ultimately, they brought in a Call of Duty-pilled quarterback to take command of an offense that should dominate an NFL battlefield.
Harrison Smith may not quietly, methodically return to Minnesota’s practice facility in Eagan. Still, the thing that may get him to put the pads on again is the promise of what this team could be if the offense holds up its end of the bargain. Because this defense should be good next year, with or without him.
