Teams Minnesota Vikings - Skol Vikings

[Exe Gesis]

 

[A11dAtP0w3R]

Fun incorrect fact....

Ron Rivera?

 

[Exe Gesis]

 

[Exe Gesis]

 

[A11dAtP0w3R]

If looks s**t coz they're refusing to use Irv Smith as a stand alone TE1.

 

[Exe Gesis]

If looks sh*t coz they're refusing to use Irv Smith as a stand alone TE1.

Hes still not ready

 

[A11dAtP0w3R]

Hes still not ready

It's similar to the OJ Howard situation, Vikings will end up losing him when his rookie deal is up coz he wasn't given the reigns and he'll flourish elsewhere.

 

[Exe Gesis]

It's similar to the OJ Howard situation, Vikings will end up losing him when his rookie deal is up coz he wasn't given the reigns and he'll flourish elsewhere.

But you know it often takes several years for most TEs to come good. Jonnu Smith took multiple years, Delanie Walker still had to hang around, couldnt rely on Smith. Eventually he "got it" but flew the coop to NE. But look around NFL rosters, the amount of recently drafted highly touted TEs who are still struggling, cemented as a backup or third-stringer.

 

[A11dAtP0w3R]

Or maybe Tyler Conklin is a underrated beast..

 

[A11dAtP0w3R]

But you know it often takes several years for most TEs to come good. Jonnu Smith took multiple years, Delanie Walker still had to hang around, couldnt rely on Smith. Eventually he "got it" but flew the coop to NE. But look around NFL rosters, the amount of recently drafted highly touted TEs who are still struggling, cemented as a backup or third-stringer.

Sven agreed with me last year, he said himself Smith should be the Vikings clear #1 , if Sven says it too, I must be right. !

 

[Exe Gesis]

Players at such positions arent usually handed starting roles before theyve earned it, demonstrated clearly, hence competition at all positions. Njoku another similar reminder. Maybe theyre just trying to motivate Smith to beat out the competition. Often neg coach speak at camp is fuel for that fire aimed at a player. The coaching room knows more than fans anyway, they set goals and tasks/tests that we dont know about, they see who among a position group are achieving or under-achieving.

 

[Exe Gesis]

It would seem Smith's blocking and route running prowess are the reasons, and still has a role as a package TE inside the 40.

 

[A11dAtP0w3R]

Anyway, enough of my Smith agenda, will be inetesting to see how nepotism plays out and if Clint calls a bit more of an exciting brand of offense than his father did. If he's a chip off the old block Cook will be getting plenty of touches.

 

[A11dAtP0w3R]

It would seem Smith's blocking and route running prowess are the reasons, and still has a role as a package TE inside the 40.

Smith's route running is excellent. That's nonsense whereever you got that from. I'll accept that his blocking could be better however.

 

[A11dAtP0w3R]

Irv Smith Jr. Can Revitalize Career With Bengals

Cincinnati Bengals tight end Irv Smith Jr. finds himself in an intriguing spot. Smith Jr. is expected to receive an opportunity to step ...

thedraftnetwork.com

First sentence.

 

[A11dAtP0w3R]

The summary at the bottom of the scouting report is the best part.

BEST TRAIT – Route-Running/Blocking

WORST TRAIT – Contested Catches (more of a question mark)

RED FLAGS – None

 

[Exe Gesis]

But struggling with that in NFL schemes

 

[A11dAtP0w3R]

But struggling with that in NFL schemes

No, same draft class as Hockenson and Fant remember also, so you can't say he was up against nobodies either.

 

[Exe Gesis]

Then why?

 

[A11dAtP0w3R]

Then why?

Irv Smith is black remember GG. So obvious.

 

[A11dAtP0w3R]

Seriously tho, my thinking is because Zimmer is a defensive coach and old school kind of guy. He might not call the plays on offense but I reckon he's highly recommending two TE sets and a heavy run game. Hiring Kubiak snr to oversee the offense suggests that.

 

[A11dAtP0w3R]

Stefanski's offense for the Browns exactly the same. Got good TEs on the roster but wants them all utilised as blockers mainly.

 

[Sven]

Here's the TE target data from 2020. Unsurprisingly, the Vikings are in the bottom half. That being said Irv Smith Jr is was already TE1 for the Vikings in 2020, particularly in the 2nd half of the season. With Rudolph gone, Tyler Conklin moves into the TE2 role and he has proven to be a capable pass catcher with his role increasing year by year over the last 3 seasons.

That being said I would expect Irv to get a 60/40 split of targets compared to Conklin this season.

I would still expect the Vikings to be a run first team and don't see a big increase in TE targets this year - somewhere in the 100-120 range would be my expectation. 50 targets for Smith Jr is probably the ceiling for him this year.

TEAM	TE1	TARGETS	TE2	TARGETS	TOTAL TARGETS
Las Vegas Raiders	Darren Waller	145	Jason Witten	17	172
Philadelphia Eagles	Zach Ertz	72	Dallas Goedert	65	169
Kansas City Chiefs	Travis Kelce	145	Deon Yelder	11	167
Denver Broncos	Noah Fant	93	Nick Vannett	21	148
Cleveland Browns	Austin Hooper	70	Harrison Bryant	38	139
Tampa Bay Buccaneers	Rob Gronkowski	77	Cameron Brate	34	138
Tennessee Titans	Jonnu Smith	65	Anthony Firkser	53	138
San Francisco 49ers	George Kittle	63	Jordan Reed	46	137
Miami Dolphins	Mike Gesicki	85	Durham Smythe	29	136
New York Giants	Evan Engram	109	Kaden Smith	21	136
Chicago Bears	Jimmy Graham	76	Cole Kmet	44	135
Los Angeles Chargers	Hunter Henry	93	Donald Parham Jr.	20	130
Detroit Lions	T.J. Hockenson	101	Jesse James	22	128
Los Angeles Rams	Gerald Everett	62	Tyler Higbee	60	126
Indianapolis Colts	Trey Burton	47	Mo Alie-Cox	39	120
Washington Football Team	Logan Thomas	110	Jeremy Sprinkle	3	116
Pittsburgh Steelers	Eric Ebron	91	Vance McDonald	20	112
Jacksonville Jaguars	Tyler Eifert	60	James O'Shaughnessy	38	110
Baltimore Ravens	Mark Andrews	88	Nick Boyle	17	109
Seattle Seahawks	Jacob Hollister	40	Greg Olsen	37	108
Minnesota Vikings	Irv Smith Jr.	43	Kyle Rudolph	37	107
Dallas Cowboys	Dalton Schultz	89	Blake Bell	15	105
Atlanta Falcons	Hayden Hurst	88	Luke Stocker	11	104
Houston Texans	Jordan Akins	49	Darren Fells	28	100
Green Bay Packers	Robert Tonyan	59	Marcedes Lewis	17	95
New Orleans Saints	Jared Cook	60	Adam Trautman	16	86
Cincinnati Bengals	Drew Sample	53	C.J. Uzomah	11	72
Arizona Cardinals	Dan Arnold	45	Darrell Daniels	11	68
Buffalo Bills	Dawson Knox	44	Tyler Kroft	16	66
New York Jets	Chris Herndon IV	46	Ryan Griffin	12	62
Carolina Panthers	Ian Thomas	31	Chris Manhertz	8	41
New England Patriots	Ryan Izzo	20	Devin Asiasi	7	33

 

[Exe Gesis]

Its all guesswork till Sven posts

 

[A11dAtP0w3R]

Here's the TE target data from 2020. Unsurprisingly, the Vikings are in the bottom half. That being said Irv Smith Jr is was already TE1 for the Vikings in 2020, particularly in the 2nd half of the season. With Rudolph gone, Tyler Conklin moves into the TE2 role and he has proven to be a capable pass catcher with his role increasing year by year over the last 3 seasons.

That being said I would expect Irv to get a 60/40 split of targets compared to Conklin this season.

I would still expect the Vikings to be a run first team and don't see a big increase in TE targets this year - somewhere in the 100-120 range would be my expectation. 50 targets for Smith Jr is probably the ceiling for him this year.

TEAM	TE1	TARGETS	TE2	TARGETS	TOTAL TARGETS
Las Vegas Raiders	Darren Waller	145	Jason Witten	17	172
Philadelphia Eagles	Zach Ertz	72	Dallas Goedert	65	169
Kansas City Chiefs	Travis Kelce	145	Deon Yelder	11	167
Denver Broncos	Noah Fant	93	Nick Vannett	21	148
Cleveland Browns	Austin Hooper	70	Harrison Bryant	38	139
Tampa Bay Buccaneers	Rob Gronkowski	77	Cameron Brate	34	138
Tennessee Titans	Jonnu Smith	65	Anthony Firkser	53	138
San Francisco 49ers	George Kittle	63	Jordan Reed	46	137
Miami Dolphins	Mike Gesicki	85	Durham Smythe	29	136
New York Giants	Evan Engram	109	Kaden Smith	21	136
Chicago Bears	Jimmy Graham	76	Cole Kmet	44	135
Los Angeles Chargers	Hunter Henry	93	Donald Parham Jr.	20	130
Detroit Lions	T.J. Hockenson	101	Jesse James	22	128
Los Angeles Rams	Gerald Everett	62	Tyler Higbee	60	126
Indianapolis Colts	Trey Burton	47	Mo Alie-Cox	39	120
Washington Football Team	Logan Thomas	110	Jeremy Sprinkle	3	116
Pittsburgh Steelers	Eric Ebron	91	Vance McDonald	20	112
Jacksonville Jaguars	Tyler Eifert	60	James O'Shaughnessy	38	110
Baltimore Ravens	Mark Andrews	88	Nick Boyle	17	109
Seattle Seahawks	Jacob Hollister	40	Greg Olsen	37	108
Minnesota Vikings	Irv Smith Jr.	43	Kyle Rudolph	37	107
Dallas Cowboys	Dalton Schultz	89	Blake Bell	15	105
Atlanta Falcons	Hayden Hurst	88	Luke Stocker	11	104
Houston Texans	Jordan Akins	49	Darren Fells	28	100
Green Bay Packers	Robert Tonyan	59	Marcedes Lewis	17	95
New Orleans Saints	Jared Cook	60	Adam Trautman	16	86
Cincinnati Bengals	Drew Sample	53	C.J. Uzomah	11	72
Arizona Cardinals	Dan Arnold	45	Darrell Daniels	11	68
Buffalo Bills	Dawson Knox	44	Tyler Kroft	16	66
New York Jets	Chris Herndon IV	46	Ryan Griffin	12	62
Carolina Panthers	Ian Thomas	31	Chris Manhertz	8	41
New England Patriots	Ryan Izzo	20	Devin Asiasi	7	33

Can't wait to see Irv starting for the Panthers in a couple of years.