Questions Answered: QB Kevin Hogan, Cousins High on TE3, Free Safety Roles
Dustin Baker
|
The following questions are about current Minnesota Vikings topics, answered by PurplePTSD. Today is the August 5th edition, addressed in a from-the-hip fashion. If you have questions, please email them to [email protected].
Also, please note: These are opinion-based responses. Some answers will be incorrect from time to time. But we’ll try to keep that to a minimum.
[brid autoplay=”true” video=”1068976″ player=”26281″ title=”Perhaps%20We%20Misunderstood%20the%20Chris%20Reed%20Signing” duration=”627″ description=”Dustin Baker explains why Chris Reed’s role with the Vikings may have been misunderstood in March.” uploaddate=”2022-08-04″ thumbnailurl=”https://cdn.brid.tv/live/partners/19439/snapshot/1068976_th_1659634787.jpg” contentUrl=”//cdn.brid.tv/live/partners/19439/sd/1068976.mp4″ width=”16″ height=”9″]
Q: Is the Vikings interest in Kevin Hogan, the guy who tried out this week, reflective of not liking Kellen Mond and Sean Mannion?
A: No, not necessarily “disliking” Mond and Mannion.
Mond performed well at Friday’s practice but has not put a stranglehold on the QB2 job on the whole. Mannion is, well, Mannion.
The only weird part about the Hogan tryout is Nate Stanley’s release three weeks ago. Stanley must’ve been awful if the Vikings cut him — and auditioned Hogan soon after. Either that — or yes, they’re panicking a little bit over the Mond-Mannion sandwich.
Q: If Kirk Cousins is so high on Zach Davidson, do you think he can be like the 2021 version of Tyler Conklin?
A: No, he won’t get the target load that was afforded to Conklin in 2021.
Everyone is a bit spooked by the thumb surgery for Irv Smith. But, let’s face it. Not every injury is akin to Danielle Hunter’s in the summer of 2020. Smith will probably be ready to go for Week 3, and back to TE3 Davidson shall go.
The Vikings will likely lean on Johnny Mundt and Davidson if another injury besets Smith. Also remember — what Conklin did as a surprise TE1 isn’t the norm.
Q: Do you foresee Lewis Cine and Camryn Bynum basically splitting snaps at free safety in 2022?
A: We believe Cine will win the starting job, but both men will play a substantial role in Ed Donatell’s defense.
Minnesota is already showcasing three-safety sets at training camp, so the “loser” from the starting free safety job won’t be wholly ignored.
Let’s go with a prediction of the FS2 playing 35%-40% of defensive snaps in 2022, health permitting.
Dustin Baker is a political scientist who graduated from the University of Minnesota in 2007. Subscribe to his daily YouTube Channel, VikesNow. He hosts a podcast with Bryant McKinnie, which airs every Wednesday with Raun Sawh and Sally from Minneapolis. His Viking fandom dates back to 1996. Listed guilty pleasures: Peanut Butter Ice Cream, ‘The Sopranos,’ and The Doors (the band).
