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- Mar 19, 2019
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Maalouf on returnees and options at returner
On the spectrum of experience, the Vikings special teams unit has both ends pretty well covered.
A major benefit for Minnesota is the return of all three specialists from last season. Kicker Dan Bailey, punter Britton Colquitt and long snapper Austin Cutting worked together as a well-oiled machine in 2019, which makes all the difference heading into a 2020 without any preseason games.
But the Vikings also will be relying on some rookies and fresh faces to make contributions on special teams.
Vikings Special Teams Coordinator Marwan Maalouf explained his anticipation for how everything comes together for the young group Sunday.
Maalouf specified that he's looking for the guys to "play fast" and to see their style and approach to the game.
"Everybody's got to carve out their own special kind of style, and this is going to be the first chance that we're going to see, everybody is going to see how that guy translates everything to a game-day atmosphere," Maalouf said. "That's probably the most exciting thing for me, as far as being a coach goes, and hopefully our fans, too. Hopefully they can start picking out their favorites like they always do and cheer for those guys.
Maalouf was asked about fifth-round draft pick K.J. Osborn. Although the former Miami receiver/returner is listed as the punt and kickoff returner on Minnesota's unofficial depth chart that the team released earlier this week, Maalouf noted that it's "going to depend on the situation."
"We've got a great group of guys who have done it before, which is always nice to have," Maalouf said. "You think about the situation we were in last year, we were still looking for that guy, so the good thing about K.J. is he's had some veterans, even at practice, he can kind of watch and emulate, and I think that's really helped him since we haven't had those game reps yet.
"With that being said, if he gets the opportunity, I know that he's ready, and we've been putting a lot of pressure on him in practices and making sure that there are guys in his face if he's going to be out there catching a punt, or even if he's going to be out there catching a kickoff," Maalouf added. "The good thing is we've got some guys who have done it before in games that we feel really comfortable with."
Ameer Abdullah (kickoff) and Chad Beebe (punt) have both served as returners for Minnesota. Abdullah, who averaged 25 yards per return in 2019, also plays gunner for the Vikings punt coverage teams.