DAILY CLIPS

WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 24, 2018

LOCAL NEWS: Wednesday, October 24, 2018

Star Tribune Vikings defensive end Everson Griffen to rejoin team Wednesday By Ben Goessling http://www.startribune.com/vikings-defensive-end-everson-griffen-to-rejoin-team-wednesday/498356651/

Raiders sign former Vikings kicker Daniel Carlson By the AP http://www.startribune.com/raiders-sign-former-vikings-kicker-daniel-carlson/498373361/

Here's why the Vikings -- and every NFL team -- should never throw a backward pass By Michael Rand http://www.startribune.com/heres-why-the-vikings-and-every-nfl-team-should-never-throw-a-backward-pass/498331771/

Ex-Vikings offensive coordinator Norv Turner leads charmed life with Panthers By Mark Craig http://www.startribune.com/ex-vikings-offensive-coordinator-norv-turner-leads-charmed-life-with-panthers/498324461/

Film review: Vikings 'need to adjust quicker' as Thielen and Diggs draw attention By Andrew Krammer http://www.startribune.com/film-review-vikings-need-to-adjust-quicker-as-thielen-and-diggs-draw-attention/498303071/

Pioneer Press

Everson Griffen returning to Vikings after month-long absence for mental-health issue By Chris Tomasson https://www.twincities.com/2018/10/23/vikings-everson-griffen-to-return-after-one-month-absence-for-mental-health-issue/ Vikings to re-sign former Gophers CB Jalen Myrick to practice squad By Chris Tomasson https://www.twincities.com/2018/10/23/vikings-to-re-sign-former-golden-gophers-cb-jalen-myrick-to-practice-squad/ Broadcaster Al Michaels knows about miracles, especially Minnesota’s By Chris Tomasson https://www.twincities.com/2018/10/23/al-michaels-knows-about-miracles-excited-to-broadcast-rematch-of-minnesota-miracle/

Vikings.com Everson Griffen to Resume Team Activities Wednesday, October 24 By Vikings PR https://www.vikings.com/news/everson-griffen-to-resume-team-activities-wednesday-october-24

10 Vikings-Saints Numbers of Note: Brees is NFL’s All-Time Passing Yards Leader By Eric Smith https://www.vikings.com/news/10-vikings-saints-numbers-of-note-brees-is-nfl-s-all-time-passing-yards-leader Lunchbreak: Vikings Have Chance for Even Better Offensive Outputs By Eric Smith https://www.vikings.com/news/lunchbreak-vikings-have-chance-for-even-better-offensive-outputs

VIKING Update Waynes showed his talent versus pass and run By Tim Yotter https://247sports.com/nfl/minnesota-vikings/Article/Trae-Waynes-showed-his-talent-versus-pass-and-run-123710241/

1500 ESPN Everson Griffen to resume team activities with Vikings Wednesday By Matthew Coller http://www.1500espn.com/vikings-2/2018/10/everson-griffen-resume-team-activities-vikings-wednesday/

Vikings must improve on third downs, red zone to compete with Saints By Matthew Coller http://www.1500espn.com/vikings-2/2018/10/vikings-must-improve-third-downs-red-zone-compete-saints/

Willingness to adapt has helped Vikings right the ship on defense By Matthew Coller http://www.1500espn.com/vikings-2/2018/10/willingness-adapt-helped-vikings-right-ship-defense/

The Athletic Vikings Film Room: The good, bad and ugly from a Sunday in Turnover Town By Arif Hasan https://theathletic.com/609045/2018/10/23/vikings-film-room-jets-turnovers-trae-waynes-harrison-smith-kirk-cousins-xavier-rhodes/

NATIONAL NEWS: Wednesday, October 24, 2018

ESPN

Vikings' decision to keep Latavius Murray is paying off By Courtney Cronin http://www.espn.com/blog/minnesota-vikings/post/_/id/27473/vikings-decision-to-keep-latavius-murray-is-paying-off

Vikings DE Everson Griffen to resume team activities By Courtney Cronin http://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/25065033/minnesota-vikings-de-everson-griffen-resume-team-activities

How the Vikings could land Patrick Peterson

By Mike Sando http://www.espn.com/nfl/insider/story/_/id/25061076/nfl-how-minnesota-vikings-trade-arizona-cardinals-cornerback-patrick-peterson

NFL.com Vikings' Everson Griffen to resume team activities By Around The NFL staff http://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap3000000977815/article/vikings-everson-griffen-to-resume-team-activities

USA Today Griffen to rejoin Vikings after mental health evaluation By the AP https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/nfl/2018/10/23/griffen-to-rejoin-vikings-after-mental-health-evaluation/38254857/

Vikings defensive end Everson Griffen to rejoin team Wednesday By Ben Goessling Vikings defensive end Everson Griffen, who has been away from the team for a month while receiving treatment for mental health issues, will resume team activities Wednesday, the team announced Tuesday. Griffen was taken to a mental health facility by ambulance Sept. 22 after being picked up in his Minnetrista neighborhood. According to police reports, he had been kept away from Vikings practices earlier that week with a request to seek mental health treatment. "We have been in communication with Everson's medical professionals throughout this process," Vikings General Manager Rick Spielman said in a statement released Tuesday afternoon. "Our focus will continue to be on providing an ongoing support system for Everson and his family." Said Griffen in the statement: "While this is an exciting and positive move forward for me, it is only the next step in a longer process. My larger focus remains on addressing my personal health, and I'm hopeful the time will come when I feel comfortable sharing my story and using my platform to bring awareness to these issues." Griffen, who has missed the Vikings' past five games, drew police attention on the afternoon of Sept. 22 at the Hotel Ivy in downtown Minneapolis, where he was threatening to assault staff employees and lying on the lobby floor, according to a Minneapolis police incident report. Griffen had been staying at the hotel. Later in the day, Griffen met with police outside his home and agreed to be taken for an evaluation. The 30-year-old was not arrested nor accused of a crime. The capacity in which Griffen returns to the field remains to be seen. He last played Sept. 16 against the Packers, and has been away from the team for more than a month while receiving treatment. Indications on Tuesday evening, though, were that Griffen had a chance to be active Sunday night for the Vikings' game against the Saints. The Vikings selected Griffen in the fourth round of the 2010 NFL draft. He has been chosen for the Pro Bowl the past three seasons and received a four-year, $58 million contract extension from the team in 2017 that put him under contract through the 2022 season. He was elected a team captain for the third consecutive season in 2018. During his four weeks away from the team, his teammates expressed support when asked about the situation. "When the situation with Everson came up, we knew he was in tremendous hands," defensive end Stephen Weatherly said two weeks ago. With Griffen out, the Vikings moved Danielle Hunter to right end, starting Weatherly for the past five games at left end. Hunter has 7½ sacks this season, while Weatherly has two in his first substantive work as a starter.

PUBLICATION: Star Tribune DATE: 10/24/18

Griffen's usual seat inside the defensive line meeting room, the one right next to his position coach, remained empty. "Nobody else sits in that chair," defensive line coach Andre Patterson said. "He's still a part of us, and he always will be a part of us." The NFL has taken strides to address mental health issues, especially since 2012, when Hall of Fame linebacker Junior Seau died by suicide — "a pivotal moment," said Arthur McAfee, the NFL's senior vice president of player engagement. The league now has a 24-hour, confidential mental wellness and suicide prevention hotline for players and their families. Each player also has access to eight counseling sessions per year under their Cigna health insurance benefits. Since 2016, the NFL Players Association has had its own director of player wellness, Dr. Nyaka NiiLampti. Football has long fought the stigma that its players are too tough to talk about their mental struggles. But just the past year, former players such as Percy Harvin (anxiety) and Brian Dawkins (depression, suicidal thoughts) have opened up about battles from their playing days. "I wouldn't say I savor those moments, but the more that we are willing to have those conversations in a public space, the less stigma is attached," NiiLampti said. "And the more people are willing to reach out because they recognize they're not alone." Staff writer Joe Christensen contributed to this report.

Raiders sign former Vikings kicker Daniel Carlson By the AP ALAMEDA, Calif. (AP) -- The Oakland Raiders have signed kicker Daniel Carlson and waived Matt McCrane. Oakland also promoted receiver Marcell Ateman and offensive lineman Denver Kirkland from the practice squad Tuesday to fill open spots on the 53-man roster. Carlson was a fifth-round pick by Minnesota this season after setting the SEC record for career points in college at Auburn. He was released after two games with the Vikings. He missed three field goals in a tie against Green Bay on Sept. 16, including tries from 35 and 49 yards in overtime. McCrane kicked the game-winning field goal in overtime for Oakland on Sept. 30 against Cleveland, but has missed four kicks in three games and has struggled to generate touchbacks on kickoffs. The Raiders also signed running back James Butler to the practice squad and waived safety Obi Melifonwu from the injured reserve list.

PUBLICATION: Star Tribune DATE: 10/24/18

Here's why the Vikings -- and every NFL team -- should never throw a backward pass By Michael Rand NFL offenses are getting closer to mastering the forward pass, with completion percentages and passing yardage totals steadily ascending through the years. Maybe now is the time to turn our attention, instead, to the worst play in football: the backward pass. Instances where quarterbacks throw overhand and backward to running backs or wide receivers are high-risk, low-reward plays – with the Vikings offering specific evidence to that overall claim twice in the last three weeks. Let's take a closer look at the examples and the data: *According to data from Pro Football Focus, which charts plays from every game, there have been 55 such backward passes in the NFL since the start of the 2017 season. Those 55 plays have gained an average of 2.06 yards. Considering the average play overall in 2017 averaged more than double that at 5.3 yards and the average running play – which a backward pass technically is – gained almost exactly double that amount at 4.1 yards, you have a low reward. And because an incomplete backward pass is a live ball as a fumble instead of an incompletion, those 55 plays resulted in three turnovers — roughly one every 18 plays. In 2017, there was a turnover about once every 50 offensive plays overall in the NFL. So there's your high risk — almost three times the overall turnover rate, albeit in a pretty small sample size. By contrast, there have been 155 swing passes — similar plays thrown forward — since the start of the 2017 season. Those have gained 5.2 yards per attempt, which is both a decent and safe gain. But again per PFF, six of those 155 attempts resulted in dropped passes. If those were backward passes, they’d be fumbles. Instead, they were merely incomplete passes. *That said, there is a question of whether a backward pass in some cases is the intended design of a play. Sometimes a running back might run a bad route and find himself behind the quarterback when the ball is thrown, or a QB might not drop back as far as he should. But other times, the intent is clear: The QB turns and fires a backward pass — basically a longer overhand version of a toss pitch to a running back — in an attempt to exploit a defensive coverage on the outside. The benefit of any pass — forward or backward — that is completed behind the line of scrimmage is that it allows offensive linemen to block up the field. And it should be noted that a backward pass can be used as part of a trick play because the player catching the pass can still throw a forward pass from behind the line of scrimmage.

PUBLICATION: Star Tribune DATE: 10/24/18

*So there are clearly intentional and unintentional reasons backward passes happen. But it seems just as clear that the risks outweigh the benefits when they happen. The data in the first section mashes together all the intended and unintended consequences of 55 backward passes since the start of the 2017 season, but you can't just discard unintended consequences when examining results. In the case of the Vikings' backward pass Sunday against the Jets that lost seven yards but could have been so much worse if not for Stefon Diggs' heads-up play, New York's strong-side linebacker disrupted what the Vikings were trying to do by peeling outside instead of blitzing. Kirk Cousins admitted some blame, saying he was trying to just throw the ball away and should have made sure the pass was forward or just ran forward for a short loss. But watching the replay shows the intent appears to be a backward pass. Cousins sets to throw from between his own 26 and 27, while Diggs is running parallel to the 25-yard line. And on the other recent Vikings example against the Eagles, when Roc Thomas dropped the short backward pass from Cousins – and immediately knew it was a live ball but couldn't recover – the Eagles had four defenders charging at Thomas with just three blockers to handle them. Even if he handled it cleanly, he might have been dropped behind the line of scrimmage. If one small disruption or error can cause a potential disaster instead of merely an incompletion – particularly when the potential upside of a successful play is likely a modest gain at best – the flaw lies with the design more than the execution. The Vikings covered their mistakes in both cases, getting a defensive stand after the turnover against Philadelphia and a long punt to change field position after avoiding a turnover against the Jets. But the best plan for offensive coordinator John DeFilippo and the Vikings going forward would be this: don't throw it backward.

Ex-Vikings offensive coordinator Norv Turner leads charmed life with Panthers

By Mark Craig

The Panthers are a 63-yard field goal and a franchise-record comeback from a three-game losing

streak, a 2-4 record, a floundering season and pitchfork-wielding fans demanding that Ron Rivera be

fired for ending Norv Turner’s country music career by bringing him back for a 33rd NFL season.

Yes, the line that separates the NFL’s charmed season from its many charred ones is that fine. Just

ask the reigning Super Bowl champion Philadelphia Eagles (3-4), who seemingly passed the torch of

charmed seasons on to the Panthers (4-2), but not before setting their own season ablaze in Sunday’s

fourth-quarter meltdown at Lincoln Financial Field.

“I’ll be honest,” said Rivera, “winning covers up a lot.”

Rivera spoke those words after Graham Gano kicked his walk-off 63-yarder to beat the Giants three

weeks ago. He could have said the same thing Sunday as the Panthers came back from a 17-0

fourth-quarter deficit.

Trailing 10-0 at the half, the Panthers were a mess. They had 5 net yards passing.

Five.

Clearly, the modern spread game had whizzed past poor, 66-year-old Norval, the Panthers offensive

coordinator. His last job, as Vikings offensive coordinator, had ended two years earlier when his

resistance to making changes to accommodate a decimated offensive line led to his abrupt

resignation seven games into the 2016 season.

Turner spent last year out of coaching for the first time since he was Dan Fouts’ backup at the

University of Oregon in 1974. He was traveling the world with his wife. He co-wrote a country music

song — “Things I’ve Never Done” — with Stephen Ray, the son of former 49ers and Lions coach

Steve Mariucci.

Then Rivera raised some eyebrows when he hired Turner to replace Mike Shula and update the

league’s 28th-ranked passing attack. Critics argued the move was too comfortable in that all it did was

send Carolina back up the same Air Coryell coaching tree that bore them one of the league’s more

outdated offenses.

Rivera spent four years as Turner’s defensive coordinator in San Diego. When he got the Panthers job

in 2011, he hired Turner understudy Rob Chudzinski as his offensive coordinator. When Chud got the

Cleveland job in 2013, Shula was promoted from quarterbacks coach to maintain continuity in the

system.

PUBLICATION: Star Tribune DATE: 10/24/18

For three-plus quarters Sunday, Twitter’s pitchfork posse had all the ammunition it needed to do the

easiest thing in sports: Blame every play that doesn’t work on the offensive coordinator.

Then Turner’s offense scored 21 points in about nine minutes as the Panthers won 21-17. Cam

Newton completed 16 of 22 passes for 201 yards and two TDs in three possessions.

Suddenly, the Carolina offense wasn’t being compared to the time Jimmy Clausen had minus-5 net

yards passing at halftime of the Atlanta game in 2010.

Suddenly, Turner was adjusting wisely to a no-huddle attack, albeit a tad late perhaps.

Suddenly, that two-point conversion was a well-designed play that hid the smaller Jarius Wright in a

trips formation.

Suddenly, that 14-yard end-around touchdown run by Curtis Samuel was a genius quadruple-option

look in which Newton faked a handoff to C.J. Anderson, showed option right with Christian McCaffrey

and flipped the ball to Samuel running the other way.

Suddenly, McCaffrey was involved as the first option on third-and-2 — getting wide open for a 22-yard

swing pass when Wright ran a route designed to alter the linebacker’s coverage angle — and as a

distracting decoy at the goal line on the winning touchdown.

And, suddenly, Newton is a former league MVP with a chance to win another. He’d sure get Turner’s

vote after standing firm against two would-be tacklers and completing a pass to convert fourth-and-10

with 2:06 left.

“I haven’t been around a guy like him with his ability to keep things alive and make big plays,” Turner

said.

Before Sunday’s game, Newton was 0-15 when trailing by 15 or more points.

“This,” Rivera said, “can be one of those statement wins.”

He’s right. Winning covers up a lot. Even Jimmy Clausen comparisons and 5 net yards passing at

halftime.

Film review: Vikings 'need to adjust quicker' as Thielen and Diggs draw attention By Andrew Krammer On a day when Kirk Cousins moved the chains just twice on 15 third downs, he often looked toward his favorite targets. The Jets, coached by a well-respected defensive mind in Todd Bowles, were the opponent to finally give receivers Adam Thielen and Stefon Diggs the attention they deserved. After Thielen produced his seventh straight 100-yard game, tying an all-time NFL record to begin a season, Mike Zimmer immediately pointed to what his receiver was dealing with in critical moments of the Vikings’ 37-17 win on Sunday. The lopsided final score dwarfs a contested game the Vikings led just 10-7 at halftime. “Well, they were double covering him a lot,” Zimmer said of Thielen. “They doubled him and they doubled Diggs. So, we probably need to adjust to that a little bit quicker.” This is the balance coordinator John DeFilippo and Cousins will need to strike. One of the NFL’s top receiver duos demands the ball. Currently, Cousins is finding Thielen or Diggs on 54 percent of his passes this season. But when a defense, like the Jets on Sunday, throws consistent doubles on one or both, part of the Vikings’ next evolution is to adjust accordingly toward the better matchups. This Sunday night should provide many opportunities against the red-hot Saints (5-1), winners of five straight and yet allowing a league-worst 43 percent of passes to get first downs. Below we’ll break down the Vikings’ win against the Jets and some relevant elements heading into the Saints game. 1. Pressure report: The Vikings can’t rest easy after back-to-back successful blitzing days against two rookie quarterbacks in Arizona’s Josh Rosen and New York’s Sam Darnold. Drew Brees is the PhD program to those bowling classes. But the blitzes kept working Sunday as Zimmer was most aggressive on third downs. At one point in the second half, Darnold was 0 for 8 and took a sack on the Vikings’ first nine blitzes. He finished 2 for 10 for 31 yards and a sack as Zimmer hovered around the Vikings’ blitz average (27.8 percent) by sending extra rushers on 22.5 percent of Darnold’s drop backs. Defensive end Stephen Weatherly had the standout snap, and he wasn’t even rushing the quarterback when he dropped into coverage and ripped a deep ball out of tight end Neal Sterling’s hands. The Vikings’ defensive line had its most success against Jets right guard Brian Winters, who was beat by defensive tackles Sheldon Richardson and Tom Johnson. Richardson used a swim move on Winters that forced the initial pressure for the split sack by Danielle Hunter and Jaleel Johnson. Without nose tackle Linval Joseph for just the fifth time since 2014, the Vikings turned to Jaleel Johnson for his first NFL start and got some promising results. He had a hand in three run stops, showing some ability to anchor against the run. Hunter again led the Vikings’ pass rush with three hurries and a sack.

PUBLICATION: Star Tribune DATE: 10/24/18

On offense, guard Danny Isidora (61 of 69 snaps) stepped in for the injured Tom Compton (knee) and got his first prolonged playing time of his second NFL season. Isidora mostly struggled with holding his ground against Leonard Williams, Steve McLendon and Nathan Shepard. He was flagged for ineligible man downfield (declined). But he did make critical blocks on plays that netted 21 yards to Thielen and 23 yards by running back Roc Thomas. If the Vikings need to rely on Isidora for another game or more, they’ll field an athletic guard who remains susceptible to power rushers. The Vikings dropped Cousins’ pressured rate to roughly 32 percent (season avg. is 40 percent) against the Jets, according to Pro Football Focus, with factors including left tackle Rashod Hill’s steadier game, Cousins’ quick average throw time of 2.45 seconds and the Jets’ insistence on playing more coverage than blitz on obvious passing downs. The Jets’ coverage led to the lone sack as Cousins held onto the ball for 3.6 seconds before feeling the pressure. 2. The Vikings miss Dalvin Cook’s elusiveness. Cook’s health is paramount, and the Vikings should hope he’s ready to return soon because the offense’s short game is missing its slipperiness. The two games Cook played healthy — Week 1 and Week 2 — he led the league with 8 avoided tackles, according to Pro Football Focus. That mark is still tied for 12th even though he’s missed four games since. The Vikings turned to Diggs as that quick-play threat against the Jets, and he avoided just one tackle while averaging 4.1 yards on 8 catches and taking two runs for a loss of seven yards. Diggs leads the Vikings with nine avoided tackles on the season, per PFF, but he was unable to get much going against a Jets defense that often attacked underneath routes and run blitzed. Running back Latavius Murray showed off his vision on interior zone-blocked runs, cutting through holes for touchdowns from 11 yards and 38 yards away. Both came from behind blocks thrown by center Pat Elflein, who had perhaps his best game since returning to the starting lineup in Week 3. 3. Anatomy of a play: Cousins had one of his more inefficient outings, in part because of how the Jets sold out to prevent Thielen and Diggs from doing the damage. The Jets deployed aggressive doubles on more than a few third downs, including the two examples below. On this 3rd-and-14 in the second quarter, safeties Jamal Adams and Doug Middleton give a single-high safety look with Adams (circled at hash marks) inching toward Cousins. But after the snap, Adams runs straight to Thielen for the bracket coverage with his cornerback. The Jets do the same on the other side to Diggs. Watch the play below, and you’ll see Cousins’ best option is the out route by Laquon Treadwell (orange) that is five yards short of the marker. Cousins throws this one into the dirt and the Vikings punt. In the same quarter on third-and-8, the Jets dedicate both safeties to again hover over routes by Thielen and Diggs. Cousins again doesn’t have a great option. He flees the pocket to avoid Leonard Williams and throws this one away.

The Vikings adjusted better in the second half. Diggs and receiver Aldrick Robinson ran double go routes on 4th-and-8. The Jets doubled Diggs, leaving Robinson single covered. That’s when Cousins found Robinson for the 34-yard touchdown in the fourth quarter. 4. Linebacker Eric Kendricks is in for perhaps his toughest matchup on Sunday against Saints running back Alvin Kamara. Kendricks and his teammates will likely get cutups of last year’s Saints film that includes Kamara’s 14-yard touchdown catch over Kendricks that gave New Orleans a late 21-20 lead in the NFC Divisional round. The Vikings will need a little better from Kendricks than the two catches he allowed by Jets running backs to go for 56 yards on Sunday, including the 35-yard wheel route by Trenton Cannon during New York’s first-half scoring drive. Kendricks, who had an otherwise strong day, also missed a tackle on Isaiah Crowell during his 21-yard catch and run. Kamara’s 40 catches for 362 receiving yards this season trail only running backs Saquon Barkley and James White. 5. The Vikings’ sure-tackling secondary is heading in the right direction to face the Saints, an offense that features receiver Michael Thomas and Kamara in the backfield; both rank in the top 10 of their positions in yards after the catch. The defensive backs had a strong outing halting Jets receivers to less than 30 yards total after catches. Cornerback Trae Waynes continues to be a leader in run support, closing from the perimeter to force two run stops. He had an especially disruptive day in coverage, getting credit for four pass deflections, including his interception that was tipped into the air by Jets receiver Charone Peake. The other two Vikings interceptions were relative gifts from Darnold, who overthrew his target on the pick by cornerback Holton Hill. He made a very poor decision on the pass to receiver Robby Anderson, who was shadowed at times by cornerback Xavier Rhodes. Rhodes tipped the aforementioned pass into a Harrison Smith interception. Meanwhile, Brees will enter U.S. Bank Stadium as the only NFL quarterback to not yet throw a pick.

Everson Griffen returning to Vikings after month-long absence for mental-health issue By Chris Tomasson

Star defensive end Everson Griffen will return to the Vikings on Wednesday after being away from the team for a month to address a mental-health issue. The Vikings announced on Tuesday that Griffen will return after missing five games. He was listed as out because of a knee injury for the first one and as not injury related for the next four. Griffen had been away from the team since being hospitalized on Sept. 22. He was involved in several incidents that day, including one at a downtown Minneapolis hotel in which he allegedly threatened to shoot someone. No gun was found, and he was not arrested. “We have been in communication with Everson’s medical professionals throughout this process and have relied on his recommendations regarding the appropriate next steps for Everson,” Vikings general manager Rick Spielman said in a statement. “We are excited to welcome Everson back to the Vikings and to see him around teammates, coaches, and staff — people who care deeply about his well-being. Our focus will continue to be on providing an ongoing support system for Everson and his family.” Griffen released a statement Tuesday. “Being around my teammates and coaches is something I have missed for several weeks,” Griffen said. “While this is an exciting and positive move forward for me, it is only the next step in a longer process. I look forward to once again putting in the work with the guys and contributing to this team in any way I can. “My larger focus remains on addressing my personal health, and I’m hopeful the time will come when I feel comfortable sharing my story and using my platform to bring awareness to these issues. I continue to be extremely grateful for the constant support from my family, my teammates, the Vikings organization and our tremendous fans.’’ The Vikings (4-2-1) face New Orleans (5-1) on Sunday night at U.S. Bank Stadium, and how much Griffen might play is uncertain. In the five games he has been out, Minnesota has gone 3-2 with Stephen Weatherly as his replacement. Griffen, who has made three straight Pro Bowls, last played Sept. 16 at Green Bay. He then was ruled out Sept. 21 for the Sept. 23 game against Buffalo with a knee injury. According to a report filed by Minnetrista police Sgt. Michael Kokesh, the Vikings on Sept. 20 had sent Griffen and his agent a letter telling the defensive end he could not return to the team until he had a mental-health evaluation. The report said that Vikings executive director of player development Les Pico told Kokesh that Griffen had been “struggling for weeks’’ and had been “explosive, screaming and yelling at the workplace.’’ On Sept. 22, Griffen was involved in the alleged incident at Hotel Ivy in downtown Minneapolis. Media reports first surfaced about it on Sept. 24. According to the police report, after leaving the hotel, Griffen arrived at the west suburban home of teammate Trae Waynes. While the report said that Waynes’ fiancée told Griffen’s wife that Griffen broke into the house, Waynes said in a statement that wasn’t the case.

PUBLICATION: PIONEER PRESS DATE: 10/24/18

Later, Griffen returned to his home. A report by Minnetrista police officer Justin Thompson said police were told “Everson was acting crazy and he was dangerous.’’ With the Vikings having requested a welfare check, an ambulance took Griffen to Fairview Southdale Hospital in Edina, where he was placed on a police-ordered health and welfare hold. Before Tuesday, Griffen’s only public comment on his situation had been a statement released Sept. 27. He wrote that he wanted “to apologize to everyone who was impacted’’ and that he was “focused on resolving personal issues with which I have been dealing for a long time.’’ He vowed to “return as a much-improved person and player.” Vikings coach Mike Zimmer is expected Wednesday to address Griffen’s return to the team.

Vikings to re-sign former Gophers CB Jalen Myrick to practice squad By Chris Tomasson

The Vikings plan to re-sign former University of Minnesota cornerback Jalen Myrick to the practice squad, a source said Tuesday.

Myrick was released from the squad Oct. 16, and the Vikings signed cornerback Craig James to take his place.

It was not immediately known who the Vikings will release from the 10-man practice squad to make room for Myrick.

Myrick first signed with the Viking son Sept. 5. He was selected in the seventh round of the 2017 draft by Jacksonville, and played five games last season for the Jaguars.

HUGHES HAS SURGERY

Vikings rookie cornerback Mike Hughes had successful surgery Tuesday to repair a torn left ACL.

Hughes was injured in the fourth quarter of the Oct. 14 game against Arizona. He was placed on injured reserve Oct. 16, and is out for the season.

He was the No. 30 overall pick in April’s NFL draft. He started two games, and had a 28-yard interception return for a touchdown in the regular-season opener against San Francisco.

PUBLICATION: PIONEER PRESS DATE: 10/24/18

Broadcaster Al Michaels knows about miracles, especially Minnesota’s By Chris Tomasson Al Michaels figures there’s something about Minnesota and miracles.

The legendary broadcaster made the call “Do you believe in miracles?” when the U.S. Olympic hockey team beat the Soviet Union in 1980.

On Sunday night at U.S. Bank Stadium, Michaels will handle play-by-play for the Vikings’ game against New Orleans on NBC. It’s a rematch of January’s playoff game, won by the Vikings on the “Minnesota Miracle.”

“Minnesota has a big connection, too, with (the Miracle on Ice),” Michaels said Tuesday in a phone interview. “That team had (coach) Herb Brooks from the University of Minnesota and so many guys from the team (11 of 20) played at Minnesota colleges. There must be something in those 10,000 lakes up there.”

The Vikings beat the Saints 29-24 at U.S. Bank Stadium in January on Stefon Diggs’ 61-yard reception from Case Keenum on the final play. Fox broadcast the game, but Michaels was watching intently since he would be handling the Super Bowl three weeks later at U.S. Bank Stadium along with analyst Cris Collinsworth.

“I was like everybody else in the country,” Michaels said. “We don’t have a rooting interest but I went, ‘Oh, my God.’ ”

Michaels said the rematch provides a great storyline. It’s a bonus that the Saints (5-1) come in with five-game winning streak while the Vikings (4-2-1) have won three straight.

“We were all thrilled to get this game because every network politics for games they hope will wind up on their schedule,” Michaels said. “And the second the game ended last January, we were set on trying to get this game, so we’re thrilled. It’s a great matchup. Obviously, we have a fantastic storyline going in, and the teams are hot.”

It will be the fifth game Michaels and Collinsworth, in their 10th year as a duo for Sunday Night Football, broadcast at U.S. Bank Stadium. That includes the first regular-season game at the venue, between Minnesota and Green Bay in 2016, and Super Bowl LII, won 41-33 by Philadelphia over New England on Feb. 4.

The high temperature here on Super Bowl Sunday was 9 and the low minus-6. Michaels said that brought back memories of broadcasting Minnesota’s 10-9 playoff loss to Seattle in a playoff game on Jan. 10, 2016, when it was minus-6 degrees at kickoff, tying it for the third-coldest game in NFL history.

The Vikings lost when Blair Walsh botched a 27-yard field-goal attempt in the waning seconds

“Of course, I remember the Walsh field-goal miss, but how about (hall of fame Vikings coach) Bud Grant coming out for the coin flip in a golf shirt?” Michaels said. “That was my No. 1 memory from that game. I’ve seen a lot of crazy endings and all that stuff, but I’ve never seen a guy in his 80s and getting close to 90 walk out in minus-6 in a golf shirt. That was classic, but told you all you need to know about Bud Grant.”

Grant, now 91, is famous for his teams winning plenty of games from the late 1960s to the early 1980s in frigid weather at Metropolitan Stadium.

Although it wasn’t a cold-weather game, the first NFL game Michaels broadcast was from Metropolitan Stadium. He was a temporary hire for NBC when he handled Minnesota’s 19-0 win over Buffalo on Oct. 3, 1971.

“I was in my first year of announcing the Cincinnati Reds and in my mid-20s,” said Michaels, 73. “NBC hired me to do a couple of regional games. Curt Gowdy was the No. 1 announcer (for NFL games) and Jim Simpson was No. 2, and they were both doing the baseball playoffs. So they elevated some guys and needed some guys to fill out the bottom of the schedule.

PUBLICATION: Pioneer Press DATE: 10/24/18

“Buffalo at Minnesota was at the bottom end. There was a blackout rule then, so it wasn’t seen in Minneapolis, and it was only going back to Buffalo. But the NBC affiliate there was carrying baseball, so this game got farmed out to like a UHF station.”

Michaels has returned to Minnesota many times since. He’s done numerous NFL games, the 1987 World Series, Olympic hockey exhibitions and the 1991 U.S. Figure Skating Championships, won by Tonya Harding.

At some point, he wouldn’t mind seeing another Minnesota-related miracle.

“Hopefully, we’ll get another one down the line,” he said.

Everson Griffen to Resume Team Activities Wednesday, October 24 By Vikings PR Eagan, Minn. (October 23, 2018) – Minnesota Vikings DE Everson Griffen will resume team activities tomorrow, Wednesday, October 24. We have been in communication with Everson’s medical professionals throughout this process and have relied on his recommendations regarding the appropriate next steps for Everson. We are excited to welcome Everson back to the Vikings and to see him around teammates, coaches, and staff - people who care deeply about his well-being. Our focus will continue to be on providing an on-going support system for Everson and his family. – Vikings General Manager Rick Spielman Being around my teammates and coaches is something I have missed for several weeks. While this is an exciting and positive move forward for me, it is only the next step in a longer process. I look forward to once again putting in the work with the guys and contributing to this team in any way I can. My larger focus remains on addressing my personal health, and I’m hopeful the time will come when I feel comfortable sharing my story and using my platform to bring awareness to these issues. I continue to be extremely grateful for the constant support from my family, my teammates, the Vikings organization and our tremendous fans. – Everson Griffen

PUBLICATION: Vikings.com DATE: 10/24/18

10 Vikings-Saints Numbers of Note: Brees is NFL’s All-Time Passing Yards Leader By Eric Smith EAGAN, Minn. — The win streak is up to three. The Vikings remained perfect in the month of October with a 37-17 win over the Jets on Sunday that improved Minnesota’s record to 4-2-1. The Vikings will now get set for a nationally televised matchup on Sunday Night Football against the Saints. New Orleans is 5-1 and has won five straight games. Here’s a look at 10 numbers of note heading into Sunday’s matchup: 33 — The Vikings defense has stopped 33 of the last 38 third-down tries by opponents over the past four games. Minnesota had a streak of 20 straight stops on third down snapped against the Jets. 61 — Stefon Diggs caught a 61-yard touchdown on the final play of the Division Round playoff game between the two teams in January. The improbable sequence was dubbed, “The Minneapolis Miracle.” 4 — Vikings wide receiver Adam Thielen has a touchdown catch in four straight games. The All-Pro also leads the league with 67 catches for 822 yards. 72,315 — Saints quarterback Drew Brees is the NFL’s all-time passing leader with 72,315 yards. The future Hall of Famer also has 501 career touchdown passes, which ranks third all-time. 15 — The Vikings are 15-4 all-time at U.S. Bank Stadium, including the playoffs. A pair of those wins [the 2017 season opener and a January playoff game] are included in the win total. 19 — Vikings safety Harrison Smith has 19 career interceptions in Purple, which is tied with Karl Kassulke and Audrey McMillian for 10th in franchise history. 8 — Vikings quarterback Kirk Cousins is one of eight quarterbacks to have thrown for at least 2,000 yards so far in 2018. He currently ranks third in the NFL with 2,162 passing yards. 9 — The Vikings are tied for ninth in the league with a plus-3 turnover differential after getting four takeaways in Sunday’s win. New Orleans is tied for 18th with a minus-1 turnover ratio. 2 — New Orleans is tied for 30th in the NFL with just two total interceptions on the season. The Vikings had three interceptions Sunday and are tied for ninth with seven total picks.

PUBLICATION: Vikings.com DATE: 10/24/18

3 — Vikings wide receiver Aldrick Robinson has just four catches this season, but three have gone for touchdowns. He caught a 34-yard score on Sunday against the Jets.

Lunchbreak: Vikings Have Chance for Even Better Offensive Outputs By Eric Smith Vikings quarterback Kirk Cousins said Minnesota’s offense was “all over the map” in Sunday’s win over the Jets, as the unit was efficient in some stretches and sluggish in other areas during the game. Cousins’ assessment could probably be included for a season-long look at the offense so far, as the group has had mostly solid offensive outings mixed with a few poor performances. Matthew Coller of 1500ESPN.com recently wrote that while Minnesota’s offense has been among the league’s best at times, there are also areas for improvement. Coller wrote: Last season the Vikings finished 10th in points, eighth in percentage of drives ending in points, eighth in net yards per pass attempt, seventh in rushing yards, 12th in red zone touchdown percentage and No. 1 in third-down percentage. In the same categories this year, Minnesota’s offense sits ninth in points, 26th in percentage of drives ending in points, 16th in net yards per pass attempt, 25th in rushing yards, 19th in red zone touchdown percentage and 22nd in third-down percentage Considering that seven games is a small sample — and the Vikings offense was not one of the best in the league through seven weeks last year — there’s plenty of time to maximize the talents of quarterback Kirk Cousins and skills of his weapons. An improving offensive line and the return of Dalvin Cook would likely go a long way toward the Vikings producing points on a higher percentage of their drives. Coller noted that one area that could improve is Cousins’ yards per pass attempt, which could see an uptick with a collective effort. He wrote: In terms of yards per pass attempt, it is clear that the offense relies on moving the ball with short passes and hitting on the occasional bomb. Kirk Cousins is fourth in the fewest air yards per attempt and has the NFL’s second-lowest “Aggressiveness Percentage,” which is a NextGen stat tracking the [number] of passing attempts a quarterback makes that are into tight coverage. If the Vikings pass protection continues to show positive signs as it (mostly) did over the past two weeks, Cousins may work the ball downfield at a higher rate and see a jump in yards per attempt going forward. But this week against a dangerous pair of defensive ends with New Orleans, it’s likely that the Vikings will have to continue to rely on quick passes and every-once-in-awhile deep shots.

PUBLICATION: Vikings.com DATE: 10/24/18

Cousins is ranked second in the NFL with 2,162 yards. He is also tied for sixth with 14 touchdown passes and is one of four quarterbacks with a completion percentage of 70 percent or better. Hill listed as ‘unheralded baller’ of Week 7 When Vikings cornerback Xavier Rhodes went down with an injury in the fourth quarter against the Jets, his replacement didn’t miss a beat. Minnesota rookie cornerback Holton Hill, who signed with the Vikings as an undrafted free agent this spring, stepped right in and picked off his first career pass. ESPN writer Cameron Wolfe took note of Hill’s clutch play and included him in his list of the unheralded ballers from this past weekend. Wolfe wrote: The Vikings have been decimated at cornerback this season, losing Mike Hughes, Trae Waynes and Rhodes [at various times]. Guys like Hill have been called upon to step up, and they have shined. Hill's interception came on his first play after taking over for the injured Rhodes, derailing a promising Jets drive and leading to a Minnesota touchdown. Hill played a season-high 18 defensive snaps on Sunday. He has 38 total snaps on defense in 2018 and has also played 150 special teams snaps, which is the second-most on the team.

Waynes showed his talent versus pass and run By Tim Yotter As teams tend to shy away from throwing into Xavier Rhodes’ coverage area, Trae Waynes is proving to be adept in his own right, having a great game Sunday against the New York Jets in both pass coverage and run stopping. The Minnesota Vikings cornerback had his coverage responsibility targeted seven times and allowed only one reception, according to analytics site Pro Football Focus. Whether it was Robby Anderson, Jermaine Kearse, Charone Peake or Andre Roberts, none of those receivers had a catch against Waynes. Kearse was targeted twice with Waynes in coverage and each of the others was targeted once. In fact, Waynes had more catches than they did, pulling in his first interception of the season and returning it 24 yards to set up the final score of the game in a 37-17 win. It was one of three interceptions in the game, and the Vikings entered the contest with four interceptions on the season. “I think there were a couple where we kind of maybe confused [Jets QB Sam Darnold] a little bit, and a couple that guys just made good plays on,” Vikings coach Mike Zimmer said. In seven targets, Waynes allowed only one catch for four yards and that went to tight end Chris Herndon. Waynes had a chance at another interception but ended up with a pass defensed instead. For the day, he ended up with the interception, four passes defensed and three tackles. While the interception was the flashiest, Waynes was rock solid in run support, too. “One of the things we talked about all week long was perimeter run force because a lot of their big runs had come from bounce-outs to the perimeter with [Isaiah] Crowell. Trae made a couple really nice tackles coming off the perimeter,” Zimmer said. “I thought we were strong at the point of attack. I thought Jaleel Johnson played well. Sheldon [Richardson] played well inside. That helps. And then the linebackers were in the right place most of the time.” All tallied, the Jets averaged only 3.0 yards per carry and totaled only 71 yards. Crowell averaged only 2.6 yards on 11 carries. Prior to Sunday, the Jets had averaged 130.3 rushing yards and 4.5 yard per carry. Crowell had rushed for 430 yards, more than all the Minnesota running backs combined through six games. Two of Waynes’ run stops – one in the first quarter for a 2-yard gain on first down and another in the second quarter for a 1-yard run on second down – helped set up the Vikings’ league-leading third-down defense. “The worst thing we’ve been doing, defensively, is first and second down. We haven’t been very good there. Recently we’ve been better, but we work real hard at third downs,” Zimmer said. “We’ve been working real hard on first and second down in the last few weeks. And guys are

PUBLICATION: VIKING Update DATE: 10/24/18

executing. We change up some calls here or there every week and try to figure out what’s the best way to stop them and guys have executed.” Last year, the Vikings led the NFL in third-down defense, allowing only a 25-percent conversion rate. This year, they have improved to 23.4 percent. The Jets converted only two of 13 third downs – one was a 1-yard sneak by Darnold and the other was a 6-yard scramble on third-and-5. But Waynes was on point all game with his run defense. “A lot of it is reading your keys. That’s part of it is being able to read your keys,” Zimmer said when asked about Waynes. “Talking about young corners, if their eyes are in the wrong place, typically wrong things happen. He still has some issues sometimes when his eyes are in the wrong place, but the majority of the time now, really in the last couple years, he’s been really good with looking at his key. They get in all those different formations and you’ve got three guys over there, if you’re looking at the wrong one, you’re looking at the quarterback, you’re look at the running back, that’s where you get in trouble. If you focus on your key, typically that gives you a good read.” While many people look at cornerbacks and only judge them on their pass coverage, Waynes has been a good tackler in run support for much of the last two years. So far, PFF has him missing only two tackles this season and credits him with 10 stops, described as “losses” for the offense in relation to down and distance. “In today’s NFL, the way everybody’s playing in space now, if you’re not a good tackler in space, it makes it really hard to be a good defensive team because they don’t allow you, they don’t bunch everything up much anymore,” Zimmer said. “Everything’s rockets and don’t block this guy, leave this guy alone and five wide receivers. [The Jets] came out in three wide receivers and two tight ends a lot, and they had maximum protections, they had no backs, five guys out. It becomes a space game really. That’s part of why you want to get more cover guys in there if you can.” If they run out of those spread formations and come to Waynes’ side, he’s likely making a positive impact in run support.

PUBLICATION: 1500 ESPN DATE: 10/24/18

Everson Griffen to resume team activities with Vikings Wednesday By Matthew Coller Griffen has been away from the team since Week 3 while he deals with a mental health situation. The team released the following statements from GM Rick Spielman and Griffen. We have been in communication with Everson’s medical professionals throughout this process and have relied on his recommendations regarding the appropriate next steps for Everson. We are excited to welcome Everson back to the Vikings and to see him around teammates, coaches, and staff – people who care deeply about his well-being. Our focus will continue to be on providing an on-going support system for Everson and his family. – Vikings General Manager Rick Spielman Being around my teammates and coaches is something I have missed for several weeks. While this is an exciting and positive move forward for me, it is only the next step in a longer process. I look forward to once again putting in the work with the guys and contributing to this team in any way I can. My larger focus remains on addressing my personal health, and I’m hopeful the time will come when I feel comfortable sharing my story and using my platform to bring awareness to these issues. I continue to be extremely grateful for the constant support from my family, my teammates, the Vikings organization and our tremendous fans. -Everson Griffen

PUBLICATION: 1500 ESPN DATE: 10/24/18

Vikings must improve on third downs, red zone to compete with Saints By Matthew Coller When Sunday’s game wrapped up, Minnesota Vikings quarterback Kirk Cousins was conflicted. It’s hard to complain about a 20-point road win in which the offense produces 37 points, but he also realized that the Vikings did not effectively move the ball throughout the game, averaging just 5.6 yards per pass play and going 2-for-15 on third down and 1-for-3 in the red zone. “All over the map,” Cousins said after the win. “A lot of positives. I think any time you score 37 points on the road, you’re doing something right but there were a lot of places that weren’t good enough and when you have special teams giving you great field position and a defense creating turnovers and getting you the ball back then it probably makes it look better than it really was.” The Vikings needed three scores from more than 30 yards away from the end zone. While Cousins has proven to be outstanding at dropping deep balls into the basket and the Vikings have two of the best deep receivers in the game, it’s difficult to rely on bombs and 30-plus yard touchdown runs like the one they got from Latavius Murray. The question is whether we can chalk up Sunday’s rough patches to things like the road environment and wind or if there are long-term concerns to come out of the offense’s issues at MetLife Stadium. Let’s have a look… We’ll start with the third downs. One of the biggest issues in Sunday’s game was that 11 of the 15 third downs required eight or more yards for a first down. League wide, third downs of more than eight yards are only converted 23.1 percent of the time (per Pro-Football Reference). Overall the Vikings have the fifth most third down situations with more than eight yards to go and have converted 20.1 percent (9-for-43) while only averaging 3.4 yards per play, good for 29th in the NFL. The Jets were particularly good at taking away the Vikings’ best weapons on third-and long. In the example below, the Vikings run a common play around the NFL in which every receiver runs a hitch route of some type to the sticks. The receivers are spread out with the hope of creating space and throwing lanes for Cousins. But the Jets had a counter to this: double team. In a two-deep safety look, both Adam Thielen and Stefon Diggs had two defensive backs on them when they went into their breaks. Last week against Arizona, Cousins effectively rolled out of the pocket and made a play off script to Diggs for a first down. On this play, he might have been able to find Diggs or Laquon Treadwell breaking back in his direction while on the move, but he elected to throw the ball away. That decision is hard to criticize considering the shape of the game.

On another third-and-long situation, offensive coordinator John DeFilippo dialed up another bread-and-butter concept around the league, slant-drag. Against a single deep safety and off-man coverage, Diggs runs a slant while tight end Kyle Rudolph runs a drag route underneath. The middle of the field is there for the taking, but Cousins is late on the throw. If he makes the delivery on Diggs’ break, he likely gains a first down. A similar issue showed up in the red zone on a clever twist to slant-drag by DeFilippo. This time, Diggs goes in motion, which gives Cousins an indication of whether the coverage is going to be man or zone. Once he realizes the Jets are in zone, he understands that the running back will draw the attention of the nickel corner and Thielen will be able to find space in the end zone. Again the throw comes a tick late. Part of the solution here might simply be more reps. While Cousins has clearly been able to take advantage of Thielen and Diggs’ talents, that doesn’t mean they are perfectly in sync on every route all the time. If the Vikings continue to have troubles with anticipation throws in the red zone, they may turn to the run game more often. The average NFL team runs 44 percent of the time inside the opponent’s 20 (per Pro-Football Reference) whereas the Vikings have run 29 percent of red zone plays. Creating play-action opportunities in the red zone is key. With play-action this season, Cousins completes 76.6 percent of his passes at 8.6 yards per attempt. Overall Cousins is 17th in percentage of plays with play-action among QBs with more than 200 drop backs. Against the Saints the Vikings can’t leave points on the board or set themselves up with third-and-long situations. New Orleans is No. 2 in the NFL in points per game and sixth in yards per play. Zimmer acknowledged that Drew Brees is quite a different challenge from rookies Josh Rosen and Sam Darnold, who did not take advantage of the Vikings’ mistakes. One of the areas the Vikings could see instant improvement is the passing game to running backs. Last year they combined for 84 receptions by running backs. This year they have 32 through seven weeks — nine of which belonged to Dalvin Cook. If Cook returns from a hamstring injury, he provides a weapon in the short pass and screen game that could set up third-and-short situations and finish drives in the red zone.

PUBLICATION: 1500 ESPN DATE: 10/24/18

Willingness to adapt has helped Vikings right the ship on defense By Matthew Coller The Minnesota Vikings defense has been The Minnesota Vikings defense again over the past three weeks. Following a troublesome 465-yard passing game by Jared Goff and the Los Angeles Rams, neither the Philadelphia Eagles, Arizona Cardinals or New York Jets have put together 300 yards passing or 100 yards rushing against Mike Zimmer’s defense. After causing zero turnovers in weeks 2-4, the Vikings have picked up eight turnovers in their last three games. Quarterbacks Carson Wentz, Josh Rosen and Sam Darnold have combined for 57.8 percent completion percentage, three touchdowns, four picks, 10 sacks and a 73.0 quarterback rating. Here’s the craziest stat: The last three opponents are 4-for-32 on third down against the Vikings. Zimmer has mixed up pass rush looks on third down over the past three weeks, giving Wentz headaches and baffling the two rookie quarterbacks into submission. It isn’t so much that the Vikings are bringing more blitzes — they ran the same number of blitzes in Week 7 as Week 2 — it’s that a number of different pressure packages, one of which includes a three-man front, have been more effective than they were earlier in the year. “Usually with a four-down front in protection they’re identifying four guys and one more guy, and in the three-down front they have to identify three down and one other guy, that might be [Anthony] Barr, that might be [Eric] Kendricks, that might be [Eric] Wilson,” Zimmer explained Monday. “There’s different ways to rush the quarterback, but you also have other guys in coverage, so you may have a guy covering a back, covering a tight end, doubling a guy. I guess it’s a little more varied.” The Vikings’ head coach pointed out that his calling card double-A gap (or mug) look, in which players line up on both sides of the center, is now being used all over the NFL. That means that teams are spending all offseason preparing for that look as opposed to when he first started using it in Cincinnati. “Every team in the league now is running double A gaps, so five, six years ago, whatever it was, seven years ago when we started all that stuff, it was free runners all day long,” Zimmer said. “Now [they say,] ‘OK, we’re going to block it this way. We’re going to do this, we’re going to check to that, check to a screen, do this.’ Gives us something else to work on, and at some point we’ll be back to our old self.” As Zimmer adjusts to the adjustments, one thing he has to consider is how teams are scheming for space. Vikings offensive coordinator John DeFilippo has mentioned on numerous occasions that his goal is to create space for playmakers. In Week 4, Rams brilliantly created mismatches in

space against the Vikings for their running back Toddy Gurley and top receivers Cooper Kupp and Robert Woods. “Everything is rockets, don’t block this guy and leave this guy alone, five wide receivers,” Zimmer said. “Yesterday they came out in three wide receivers and two tight ends a lot, and they had maximum protections and they had no backs, all five guys out. It becomes a space game, really, and that’s partly why you want to get more cover guys in there if you can.” Zimmer’s use of different personnel packages has been noticeable. Last season he used a defensive back rotation that occasionally sent Mackensie Alexander in the game for Terence Newman and used linebacker Ben Gedeon when the opposing team had two tight ends on the field. This year we have seen safety Jayron Kearse play 90 snaps as a nickel corner as part of a “big nickel” package and Eric Wilson has seen 37 snaps, often times in a look that puts Anthony Barr on the edge. For all the adapting that’s going on, that doesn’t mean the Vikings’ defense has needed to become more complex. In fact, Barr said last week that some of the early-season issues may have been due to attempts at tweaks gone wrong and that the team has gone back to what they do best over the last few weeks. “The offseason you have so much time to come up with all these great ideas and I think sometimes it doesn’t go exactly how you drew it up,” Barr said. “Going back to who you are, knowing your identity, doing what you do well has helped us be successful.” Asked to be specific about which areas the defense had simplified, Barr couldn’t expand. “Yes but I can’t share that with you,” Barr said smiling. While the Vikings’ defense is no doubt causing more havoc than it did against Buffalo and Los Angeles, there’s something that Zimmer isn’t ignoring: The team crushed two rookie quarterbacks. Up next is no rook. Slowing down Drew Brees will require an even higher level of play from the Vikings’ defense. “It’s different than it has been in the last few weeks,” Zimmer said of preparing for Brees. “This guy is amazing. I’ve always thought when you talk about Hall of Fame quarterbacks, he’s going to be one, but he’s very cerebral, accurate. He’s moving well in the pocket. I was watching tape today and I thought, ‘How old is this guy? I thought he was getting old.’ He moves well in the pocket. He’s not really a runner, but he scrambles and usually to find guys open and he knows where to go with the football, he’s extremely accurate. “They’ve got a great scheme, all kinds of things. They’ve got all different kinds of personnel groups. They use their backup quarterback, [Taysom] Hill, as a tight end, they use him as a running back, they use him as a quarterback to run the options. There’s a lot of different things.”

PUBLICATION: The Athletic DATE: 10/24/18

Vikings Film Room: The good, bad and ugly from a Sunday in Turnover Town By Arif Hasan No stadium has seen more turnovers this year than MetLife. With 24 total turnovers in the shared Giants/Jets home facility, it’s been home to seven more turnovers than the next-most turnover-prone stadium in the NFL, Gillette. Yes, part of that total is because the shared facility has hosted more games than any other, but that isn’t the only reason for all the turnovers. Games involving the Jets alone have resulted in 18 turnovers — enough by itself to be the most of any stadium in the league. The Vikings saw fit to add to that reputation by taking the ball away four times against the Jets and nearly earned another by seeing one go through the hands of Trae Waynes. On the other side of the ball, Minnesota nearly gifted two to the Jets, and had either turnover converted for New York, MetLife’s title as the NFL home for turnovers would have been unassailable. Let’s take a look at the turnovers and the near-misses that defined an otherwise unremarkable game. Teamwork makes the dream work A lot of NFL turnovers come from converting opportunities provided by teammates instead of just creating on one’s lonesome. The Vikings have been pretty good at capitalizing on those chances over the years, and this provides one more excellent example. In this case, the Jets looked to have called the perfect play against the right coverage and can take advantage of the seam between the corner and the safety in Cover-2. Unfortunately for quarterback Sam Darnold, he doesn’t recognize that fact — the Vikings have disguised their classic zone look as a man coverage play with some safety help up top. As a result, Darnold throws to the wrong side of the field, likely assuming that Rhodes will try to stay on top of wide receiver Robby Anderson in man coverage, opening up the out route deep downfield. Instead, Rhodes is in zone and can shuffle back with his eyes to the quarterback and his back to the receiver because he has safety help up top. That gives him an opportunity to get into perfect position to grab the ball. He gets a hand on it, and Harrison Smith capitalizes, giving the Vikings possession in great field position. Trae tries … Vikings cornerback Trae Waynes disrupted more passes than anyone else on either team on Sunday, and he accomplished it in the same way all three times, nearly getting a turnover on two of those tries. Waynes is playing with significantly more awareness than he had a few years ago and now knows how to adjust his plan of attack for the coverage that the Vikings are running. This has allowed him to undercut routes and make plays on the ball.

In his final year at Michigan State, Waynes had eight total passes defended, three of them interceptions. This year, seven games in, he already has defended seven passes — on pace for his highest total in four NFL seasons — one of them a takeaway. In his most notable near-interception, the Vikings defense put themselves into a matchup zone against the Jets’ pseudo-bunch look. Though no eligible receivers are stacked, the Jets can run any bunch play they want out of this heavy look, mostly hoping that the Vikings bite on play action and that the jumbo formation with the run look will move people out of position. That didn’t happen, and the Vikings happen to benefit from a fairly easy set of assignments to pick up, with no deception or rub routes coming from the scheme. Very often, teams will check to a “box zone” or “banjo” defensive look against bunch, which creates a four-cornered rectangle, and each point on the rectangle takes the receiver entering their respective zone. The Vikings did a version of this in previous weeks, but in this look wanted to keep defenders close to the intended receivers. While there was likely something there for Darnold — linebacker Eric Kendricks begins to lose track of tight end Eric Tomlinson — Darnold chose to make the most difficult throw of the three, leading rookie tight end Chris Herndon into safety George Iloka. With Iloka right there, Waynes can freelance a bit more and make a play on the ball without having to worry that a miss will result in a giant gain for the receiver. He does this earlier in the game as well, with a pass deflection coming off of a version of one of the Jets’ favorite plays: the slant-flat. The quarterback’s job in this set of route combinations is to identify whether the slants have underneath linebackers preying underneath them. If they do, then throwing into the flats is usually the play. If there is no threat of an opportunistic linebacker, then the quarterback needs to throw the slant least likely to lead the intended receiver into a safety. Darnold doesn’t do that here. With a short square-in instead of the slant on the right side, Darnold has essentially the same read, but benefits from the cornerback backing off against a potential deep play. But it’s not enough, as Smith is lurking. Knowing that Smith has the square-in covered, Waynes attempts to undercut the route, something he probably wouldn’t have been able to do if it had been a traditional slant. It’s a good play by Waynes, but particularly smart of the defense to show zone on one side and man on the other — Darnold keyed man on one side and likely assumed he had man coverage on the other side, which would have been great because he had a pick essentially set up. Instead, the Vikings blitz gave Darnold the wrong information and nearly forced another pick. … Trae triumphs Waynes’ day wan’t entirely characterized by “almosts,” however. He earned a pick as well, though one could say he benefited from good luck in this play just as much as he was hurt by bad luck in the two plays above. Nevertheless, pick opportunities don’t often come as easy as this, and Waynes executed. The Jets run a play that the Vikings will later run as well, and it’s fairly common. It combines their proclivity for “slant-flat” with another backside tag, double-slant (instead of mirrored concepts).

In theory, it gives options for the quarterback to throw to a particular side of the field based off of what coverage he identifies. Many offenses run with a man-beater on one side and a zone-beater on the other. This play is no different, except the Vikings did again what they did earlier in the game; showing man coverage on one side of the field and zone on the other. Unfortunately for the Jets, they chose the zone-beater concept against the man side and the man-beater concept on the zone side. The Vikings played it correctly, but there was still space for Charone Peake on that slant. He just couldn’t reel in the ball and it popped up in the air. Waynes deserves credit for pouncing on it, though he did let Peake break free and get that extra potential yardage. That said, cornerback play is almost entirely about making up for mistakes and Waynes did that here and even got some karmic payout for his excellent play earlier. Holton sees one too The Vikings also got some help from a rookie cornerback, though it’s not the one they might have expected at season’s start. Undrafted free agent Holton Hill earned his first career interception after Darnold immediately attempted to pick on him as a result of an injury to Xavier Rhodes. The Jets have a fairly simple offense and have demonstrated as much through the past several weeks. In this case they run one of the better route concepts within that constraint: Dagger. They get to open a deep dig route up over the middle and try to force a safety to bite on the go route streaking upfield. To supercharge that effect, they have a receiver running a deep corner route that should occupy any single-high safeties and make life difficult for a corner in Cover-3 or the free safety in Cover-1. The Dagger concept isn’t meant to throw the deep go route, instead reading high-to-low from the dig route to the underneath drag route; linebackers will either not get enough depth to challenge the throw to the intermediate level or will give up too much space on the bottom. But as the route develops, the defense doesn’t necessarily know that and often overcommits deep. In this case, the Vikings already had a plan in place for route concepts like this in their Cover-3. Kendricks and Mackensie Alexander occupy the throwing lanes to the dig route and force Darnold to loop it over them, while Hill, who is a little out of position but is playing his assignment, now gets to turn back towards the ball and take advantage of the awkward throw. At the same time, Anthony Barr freed up Anthony Harris by taking on the deep crosser, putting more defensive backs deep downfield where the ball was thrown. Jets get ready to fumble The Vikings also recovered a fumble that was caused by a bad snap and a disrupted handoff. While they don’t “get credit” for creating the fumble, their ability to penetrate the backfield quickly gave them the opportunity they needed to create a turnover. The Jets run “duo,” a running play that pairs up offensive linemen against the interior of the defensive line, then peels off one from each pair of offensive linemen to get to the second level. It can create big holes up the A and B gaps if executed properly, but the Vikings didn’t give them the chance.

Jalyn Holmes moves over several gaps on his stunt and the double-team on Tom Johnson moves from a success to a liability as an unplanned peel has to take place. The tackle was supposed to move up to take on Holmes to his right, but with Holmes’ movement, he’s forced to hold on to Johnson with poor leverage. With such a great angle for Johnson to get to the ball, he immediately swims through. At the same time, Kendricks recognizes the the center will work his way up to him and cut him off from the play, so Kendricks takes a chance by abandoning his gap (and trusting Jaleel Johnson to squeeze it with only one offensive lineman to deal with it) and gets to the playside shoulder of the center in the A gap. All in all, the run would have died if the snap had been fine. With the snap going off-course, the Vikings instead put themselves into a position to win. Kirk’s confusing throwaway The Vikings offense was also at risk of creating turnovers, and the errors from Kirk Cousins will need to be corrected before future defenses end up being as opportunistic as the Vikings were in this game. The first one is easily explainable as a brief lapse in judgment, but it’s a surprising one given that the Vikings were in that situation just two weeks prior in a game against the Eagles, where a dropped Roc Thomas pass led to a takeaway for the Eagles. With that in mind, it’s a little confusing that Cousins decided to dirt the ball the way he did instead of throwing it out of bounds. If that were all, it would be a short breakdown, but Cousins did have other options on the play. He knows that with a blitz coming, a screen pass is his best shot, which is why Diggs was the primary read on the play. The blitzing linebacker, as Cousins explained to reporters after the game, peeled off and started approaching Diggs — meaning two defenders were near him, because Diggs also had a defender assigned to him in coverage. That forced Cousins to abandon the play, which by itself is a good decision. Though it’s worth bringing up the fact that how he chose to abandon the play could have created a big problem, it’s also worth noting that Cousins had a chance to turn the play into a big positive, as Aldrick Robinson was open on the backside for a huge gain. With blitzes like that, the Jets are in man coverage, and Robinson benefited from some pretty soft coverage. Avoiding bad plays is a big part of playing quarterback, but turning bad plays into good ones separates the great ones from the good ones. The batted-pass problem The final near-interception comes from what is now a familiar bogey for Vikings fans — Cousins’ batted passes. Cousins didn’t have a pronounced batted-pass problem in previous years. His 14 batted passes this year already exceed what he had last year (11), and is actually one shy of last year’s leader (Matthew Stafford, with 15). In 2016, Cousins only had 10 batted passes (tied for 16th-most). The year prior, he only had seven (17th-most that year). It’s unlikely anything that’s the result of arm trajectory or passing lanes and likely the result of defensive players and coaches scheming him

into particular throws — throws that can be anticipated by his stance (and he’ll occasionally pat the ball), on passes whose passing lanes can be predictable by defensive linemen. In this case, the Jets knew that by pushing pressure up through the defender normally assigned to the tight end, they could force a throw to Kyle Rudolph and trust that Lee had the athleticism to get to the sideline. It worked, and the Jets put their hands up in the passing lane, nearly creating a pick. A similar issue might have occurred earlier, when Cousins threw a ball on a slant to Diggs in the end zone that was batted down immediately. In both cases, Cousins stared down his receivers before the throw. Drawing up blitzes as a means of forcing a big play against the most common response to the blitz is a Mike Zimmer tactic — not blitzing for pressure’s sake but because he has the answers to the test in his back pocket — and it’s something the Vikings should reflect on offensively as they move forward. To be sure, there are some incredible defensive performances involved in these high pass deflection totals, but it’s also likely a combination of playcalling and quarterbacking that contribute to the problem. Without some means of addressing this issue, it could create problems at the worst times.

PUBLICATION: ESPN DATE: 10/24/18

Vikings' decision to keep Latavius Murray is paying off By Courtney Cronin EAGAN, Minn. -- Minutes after wrapping up interviews following the introduction of Kirk Cousins as the Minnesota Vikings' quarterback of the future, general manager Rick Spielman was back in his office trying to close another deal. The Vikings were up against the clock, aiming to work out a contract restructure with running back Latavius Murray ahead of a 4 p.m. ET deadline the following day (March 16). That's when $5.15 million of his 2018 salary would become guaranteed. The organization wouldn’t have the cap space to keep Murray at that price, but finding a way to extend his stay in Minnesota for at least another year was a top offseason priority. Murray agreed to the terms of a new deal, taking less money to stick around and eliminating the final year of his contract. It was important for the Vikings to set up their backfield in a way that didn’t force Dalvin Cook, who was coming off an ACL tear that cut short a promising rookie season, to handle too big of a load too soon. Coach Mike Zimmer said of Cook at the NFL combine in March that the Vikings didn't want to "wear him out." In Murray they had a proven backup plan back in the fold. After Cook went down four games into his rookie season in 2017, Murray assumed the lead-back role, rushing for 842 yards and eight touchdowns while averaging 4.8 yards per carry. The hamstring injury Cook sustained in Week 2 of this season has so far derailed his hopes of a strong comeback, limiting him to just 36 rushes for 98 yards over 10 quarters. Multiple league sources have indicated a belief that Cook will miss the Vikings' next two games against the Saints and Lions and remain sidelined through Minnesota's bye week. Murray once again finds himself as the Vikings’ No. 1 rusher, and the decision Minnesota made seven months ago is paying off for both parties. The Vikings’ run game finally broke open against the Arizona Cardinals in Week 6 with Murray rushing for a career-high 155 yards and two touchdowns. Until that point, Minnesota was the last team in the league without a rushing touchdown. The sixth-year running back followed up that performance with another two-touchdown day against the Jets in Week 7 when he rushed 15 times and averaged 4.6 yards per carry. After an inconsistent first half, the Vikings' persistence in sticking with Murray and the run paid off. "He’s a guy that needs carries, and the physicality of things," Zimmer said of Murray. "I’ve said it a million times, I like Latavius and the way he approaches the game. Typically he’s not a one-carry-every-quarter guy. He’s a guy that needs to get the football some." The Vikings weren’t looking to bring back Murray because of just his downhill rushing ability or his capability of handling a big workload. The approach Murray takes with his preparation is one offensive coordinator John DeFilippo initially noticed when he spent the 2013 season with Murray in Oakland and watched how the then-rookie handled being sidelined with a foot injury.

"The first sign that Latavius was going to be a really good pro, even though he wasn’t playing, he treated every day like he was a starter, even in Oakland back as a rookie," DeFilippo said. "You can tell, guys that usually have that mindset as a rookie have a tendency to find a way to find a niche in this league and carve a way out for themselves. Obviously here, much more mature player, just because he’s older and has played a lot of football." Murray brings balance to the run game through his experience and skill set. Early on when the Vikings weren’t able to generate the run the way they have the past two games, Cousins was still able to set up play-action without it. But having Murray takes the load off the quarterback on early downs to set up the passing attack and provides support in pass protection. "I have to do my job if I have the ball or not," Murray said. "If that means getting dirty and sticking your head in there to protect Kirk so he can throw the ball down the field to the playmakers we have, you have to be willing to do it." Murray’s physicality sets him apart. Whereas Cook is the every-down back, Murray is the bruiser who gets better as the game wears on and he can wear defenses down. "He’s very diligent about his work, practices hard, but he’s got good feet and acceleration," Zimmer said. "He stayed with the reads really well [against the Cardinals], I thought. He runs with his pads forward. When he gets a chance, very seldom is this guy going backwards when he gets hit. A lot of those things I really like." Another reason the decision has paid off is Murray’s willingness to do whatever is asked of him. His career experience has afforded him the opportunity to be the lead rusher and part of a committee of backs. Whenever Cook comes back, Murray knows his role may shift. And that’s something he’s OK with. "I can’t worry about how the carries are going to get split up or whether I’ll play if he’s [Cook] up or down," Murray said. "When they say ‘Latavius, go in the game,’ I go in the game and I do what I can do."

PUBLICATION: ESPN DATE: 10/24/18

Vikings DE Everson Griffen to resume team activities By Courtney Cronin Minnesota Vikings defensive end Everson Griffen, who has been away from the team since Week 3 to deal with mental health issues after a series of incidents, will resume team activities Wednesday. "We have been in communication with Everson's medical professionals throughout this process and have relied on his recommendations regarding the appropriate next steps for Everson," general manager Rick Spielman said in a statement. "We are excited to welcome Everson back to the Vikings and to see him around teammates, coaches, and staff -- people who care deeply about his well-being. Our focus will continue to be on providing an on-going support system for Everson and his family." The Vikings became concerned with Griffen's well-being prior to two separate incidents that occurred on Sept. 22, one day before he was slated to miss the Buffalo Bills game with a knee injury. According to a police incident report from the Minnetrista Police Department, Les Pico, the Vikings' executive director of player development, told police that Griffen had been "explosive, screaming and yelling" at the team facility and that he had been struggling in recent weeks. On Sept. 20, Griffen was told by the Vikings not to worry about practice or the Bills game and to instead place his focus on getting himself the help he needed. Contrary to what was listed in the police report, at no time was Griffen barred from the Vikings' training facility, according to multiple sources. Two days later, Griffen was involved in an incident at Hotel Ivy in downtown Minneapolis, where he had been staying for several days, in which he allegedly threatened to shoot someone if he was not allowed in his room. Griffen was later involved in a separate incident in which he showed up at Vikings cornerback Trae Waynes' home and, according to the police report, attempted to enter, an allegation that Waynes denied in a statement issued by the Vikings. The reporting officer placed a health and welfare hold on Griffen "based upon his actions and information I had acquired about him." The Pro Bowl defensive end released a statement on his Instagram ahead of the Vikings' Week 4 matchup with the Rams in which he said he is focused on resolving personal issues he has been dealing with for a long time. Griffen released a statement via the team Tuesday in which he said he hopes to share his story with everyone. "Being around my teammates and coaches is something I have missed for several weeks," Griffen said. "While this is an exciting and positive move forward for me, it is only the next step in a longer process. I look forward to once again putting in the work with the guys and contributing to this team in any way I can. "My larger focus remains on addressing my personal health, and I'm hopeful the time will come when I feel comfortable sharing my story and using my platform to bring awareness to these issues. I continue to be extremely grateful for the constant support from my family, my teammates, the Vikings organization and our tremendous fans." The Vikings face the Saints on Sunday night. The team has not yet said what Griffen's status for that game will be.

PUBLICATION: ESPN DATE: 10/24/18

How the Vikings could land Patrick Peterson By Mike Sando Both owner and head coach have emphatically said the Arizona Cardinals will not trade star cornerback Patrick Peterson, so let's assume a trade is about as likely as the 1-6 Cardinals overtaking the 7-0 Los Angeles Rams in the NFC West. Peterson does want out of Arizona, according to ESPN's Adam Schefter, and a deal is at least possible until Oct. 30, when the NFL's trade deadline arrives. That gives us a window to consider theoretical moves, including one that stood apart from the others when I exchanged ideas with league insiders following Schefter's report. This idea involved the Cardinals and Minnesota Vikings working out a swap that would include a handshake agreement resolving a separate high-stakes issue that is percolating behind the scenes but has rarely been mentioned publicly. In a way, all three parties could help themselves -- Arizona, Minnesota and Peterson. Patrick Peterson to the Vikings? Here's how such a deal could make some sense if Cardinals owner Michael Bidwill were to reverse his clear public stance. The potential trade Arizona would send Peterson to the Vikings for cornerback Trae Waynes, plus 2019 first- and third-round picks, with the Cardinals agreeing to keep Sam Bradford on their roster so that Minnesota will remain eligible for a 2019 third-round compensatory pick that would otherwise vanish. There's a lot to unpack under such a scenario. The Bradford component The contract Bradford signed when leaving Minnesota for Arizona last offseason was lucrative enough to tip the comp-pick equation to the Vikings' advantage, but that was under the assumption Bradford would remain with the Cardinals for most or all of the 2018 season. If the Cardinals were to release Bradford in the short term, which seems plausible with Josh Rosen in the lineup and Mike Glennon behind him, the league would no longer treat Bradford as a significant enough departure in free agency for the Vikings to qualify for that third-round comp pick. Not only that, but Arizona could gain its own compensatory sixth-round pick for letting Bradford go. The Bradford component has rarely been covered in the media beyond comp-pick projectors such as Nick Korte, who does analysis for overthecap.com and tweeted about this subject last month. While the NFL's precise equation for handing out comp picks is not public, the projections at overthecap.com are so solid that some in the league have said their own calculations are less necessary. The Vikings need Arizona to keep Bradford to get that pick, but it is not really in the Cardinals' best interest to play along -- unless they could get something from Minnesota to make it worth their while. Why it could work for the Vikings Vikings coach Mike Zimmer covets cornerbacks more than most coaches do. That was well-established even before Minnesota used a 2018 first-round pick for Mike Hughes at a time when the Vikings already had the highly drafted Waynes and Xavier Rhodes on the roster.

Hughes is now out for the season, a blow to the Vikings' depth at the position. Waynes is under contract through 2019, but it's not clear whether Minnesota will give him the kind of lucrative long-term deal other core players on the team have gotten. If the Vikings aren't going to re-sign Waynes, how great would it be for them to get a guaranteed upgrade in a potential Hall of Famer? "In Zimmer's mind, if you have Xavier Rhodes and Patrick Peterson on that defense, you should be elite," an evaluator said. "It is your answer for Trae Waynes also, and you keep that third-round comp pick. The problem for Arizona is that Waynes could basically be a rental." Why it could work for the Cardinals Peterson is a seven-time Pro Bowler and three-time first-team All-Pro who is still just 28 years old and under contract through 2020. He remains an elite corner by most accounts, the type of player any team would want to build around. To move him, Arizona would ideally get a competent replacement, plus future considerations to help the team rebuild quickly around new quarterback Josh Rosen. Otherwise, trading Peterson would signal to Cardinals fans that the team is essentially tanking. That would be a difficult public admission to make for an organization that has made great progress in building trust with its fan base but still cannot afford to take the paying public for granted. Bidwill surely noticed all those Denver Broncos jerseys in State Farm Stadium last week, even though Arizona is above .500 overall since the stadium opened in 2006, and seventh in winning percentage (.619) over its previous five seasons (2013-17). The Cardinals could drive a hard bargain with Minnesota while trying to capitalize on the Super Bowl-or-bust mentality the Vikings displayed when they signed Kirk Cousins last offseason. The Cardinals know the third-round comp pick is important to the Vikings, which would also work in their favor. "If you are Arizona, I think you can sell this trade to the owner by saying, 'Hey, we've got the QB and the running back, let's load up with offensive linemen,'" a longtime exec said. "With your own 1 [first-round pick] and Minnesota's 1, plus an extra 3, you can finally fix your line. That is what I'm selling the owner." So far, Bidwill appears closed to any such ideas. The league will be watching to see if he changes his stance over the next week.

PUBLICATION: NFL.com DATE: 10/24/18

Vikings' Everson Griffen to resume team activities By Around The NFL staff Vikings defensive end Everson Griffen is set to resume team activities on Wednesday after missing nearly a month as he battled a serious mental-health related issue. Griffen played in the first two games of the season, but the situation became unmanageable when he was ruled out prior to Minnesota's Week 3 game against the Bills, NFL Network's Tom Pelissero reported at the time. The same week, the Vikings sent Griffen and his agent a letter stating that he was not allowed to return to the team facility until he underwent a mental-health evaluation. "We have been in communication with Everson's medical professionals throughout this process and have relied on his recommendations regarding the appropriate next steps for Everson," Vikings general manager Rick Spielman said in a statement. "We are excited to welcome Everson back to the Vikings and to see him around teammates, coaches, and staff -- people who care deeply about his well-being. Our focus will continue to be on providing an on-going support system for Everson and his family." In a statement, Griffen said that he is looking forward to rejoining the team he has played for since 2010. "Being around my teammates and coaches is something I have missed for several weeks," Griffen said "While this is an exciting and positive move forward for me, it is only the next step in a longer process. I look forward to once again putting in the work with the guys and contributing to this team in any way I can. My larger focus remains on addressing my personal health, and I'm hopeful the time will come when I feel comfortable sharing my story and using my platform to bring awareness to these issues. I continue to be extremely grateful for the constant support from my family, my teammates, the Vikings organization and our tremendous fans." Griffen signed a four-year, $58 million contract extension with the Vikings in 2017.

PUBLICATION: USA Today DATE: 10/24/18

Griffen to rejoin Vikings after mental health evaluation By the AP

EAGAN, Minn. (AP) — Minnesota Vikings defensive end Everson Griffen is returning to the team after being out for the past month for a mental health evaluation. The Vikings say Griffen will resume team activities Wednesday. They didn't say when he would return to game action. Griffen, a three-time Pro Bowler, left the team in late September after a series of events that included a welfare check at a hospital. A police report described erratic behavior that included a threat of violence at a downtown Minneapolis hotel and a text message to his wife referencing suicide. General manager Rick Spielman said Griffen's return comes in consultation with his doctors. In a statement, Griffen called a return "the next step in a longer process" and said he hopes to eventually talk publicly about his issue.