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- Mar 19, 2019
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4. A note on receivers | By Craig Peters
There will be plenty of speculation as to the status of Adam Thielen for Sunday night’s game. The receiver worked his way back into the starting lineup at Kansas City after missing a game for the first time in his career in Week 8.
“We’ll have to see how this week goes,” said Zimmer, who added that Thielen “was not rushed back too soon.”
Zimmer spoke in February at the NFL Scouting Combine about hamstring injuries and said they cause the second-most time lost of any injury behind a torn ACL. He also said the NFL was conducting a study on hamstring injuries.
“I just had to sit in a meeting the other day, the second-most time lost for any injury is hamstrings. For some reason, that injury takes five or six weeks. Obviously, the ACL is number one. That’s the next-longest missed time. When a runner, especially these track guys, which Dalvin basically is, these guys, for them to get right, it just takes a long time, typically, so I think he had a better in the second half of the year, obviously. He struggled some early.”
Each injury is of course different, and each player’s recovery path is also unique. Last season the NFL average for hamstrings to players was 14.5 per team, and the Vikings dealt with 14.
Zimmer said what is learned from an MRI and player input factor into decisions.
[Vikings Vice President of Sports Medicine/Head Athletic Trainer] Eric Sugarman does an outstanding job,” Zimmer said. “It’s just one of those things where he got in the game, and it grabbed a little bit. But I wouldn’t say it’s a long-term deal.”
Also within the position group, receiver Josh Doctson, was designated to return from Injured Reserve last week. Doctson joined the team after his release from Washington. He was inactive in Week 1 and suffered a hamstring injury in Week 2. He is currently in the period of evaluation that the Vikings have before making a roster move.
Zimmer was asked about why Doctson interested the Vikings and said that the team talked with his former Washington teammate, QB Kirk Cousins, about the receiver.
“Thought he understood the route combinations, I think they had a good relationship as far as on the field and the things he could do in the passing game,” Zimmer said. “I guess the biggest thing, he’s got good deep speed, he can get in and out of the break at the top of the route, he catches the ball well – a good leaper, good 50-50 guy.”