Viktor
Well-known member
- Mar 19, 2019
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"There's a lot of confidence in our tight end room and the depth we have there. It's just a great group, and when you have Dalvin and Justin [Jefferson] and Adam [Thielen], they're going to get their opportunities, too. But when the tight ends' number gets called, there's a lot of confidence in what they're going to bring. It's just week-to-week as to how that gets distributed, but yes, feel really good about our tight ends."
— Cousins
"It means I've had good luck over the last six years. I battled injuries early in my career. It wasn't that I wasn't working hard; I've just had some unfortunate things happen throughout the course of games. So it's exciting to be out there each week with my teammates. That's why we do this. I've said it multiple times in the past when asked about injuries. That's the toughest thing you deal with as a professional athlete, especially in football. We have 16 opportunities to go out and perform on Sundays, and you practice so many months leading up to that, starting in the middle of April. So, so much work goes into going out there and being on the field on Sundays, so I try to make sure I do everything so that I'm out there with my teammates."
— Rudolph just before he suffered a season-ending injury
"There's always things that I wish I could have done, or looked back on and say, 'Dang.' But I try to stay as positive as possible. We didn't win as many games as we wanted to, or finish that way, but as a positive outlook, just trying to make any play I can, but when my number is called, make the most of the opportunity."
"This is a league of opportunity. You never know when it's going to come. You never know when you're going to get your opportunity, so whenever you do, you've got to make sure you're prepared to take advantage of it to the best of your ability. I'm just trying to go out there and do what my team needs to help us win games, and I think I'm doing a good job right now."
— Conklin
Pressing Questions for 2021
1. The speculation about Rudolph's contract is already in the media. Is it warranted?
Stop me if you've heard offseason speculation about Rudolph's contract status before.
Media members began the 2021 installment before Rudolph's 10th season ended after the win against Jacksonville. When asked about his future in Minnesota, the tight end pointed out the fact that he's under contract for the next three seasons.
The 2021 salary cap will be affected by the loss of revenue that teams incurred when they were unable to welcome fans at full (or even any) capacity because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Teams' adjustments to fit under the cap will be a talker throughout the offseason in the days leading up to the new NFL year, which is scheduled to begin March 17.
Rudolph, 31, ranks fifth in team history with 453 receptions and 48 receiving touchdowns. He also is 10th with 4,488 yards and would love to continue his career in the community that has become his home.
2. Are Smith and Conklin able to continue their momentum?
Regardless of Rudolph's status, the Vikings could be in line to look for even more from Smith and Conklin.
Each player delivered 126 yards after the catch for the Vikings in 2020, capitalizing on opponents' needs to respect the run in the play-action game and devote resources against the impressive receiving tandem of Thielen and Jefferson.
They have both been committed to mastering all aspects of one of the most complicated positions in the NFL and have taken impressive strides, even without an offseason program before the 2020 season. It remains to be seen whether teams will have a more normal offseason program with on-field practices and a full-fledged training camp, but the Vikings are hopeful that will be the case.