Consistency name of game for offense

Sam Bradford brought the Minnesota Vikings consistency, accuracy and most exciting of all: the deep ball. Teddy Bridgewater was a fine quarterback, but he could not force the ball downfield as effectively as Bradford can. With a shiny new pair of running backs and a receiving group ready to step up their production in a big way, the potential is oozing from this offense.

Adrian Peterson got cut by the Vikings due to a huge contract Peterson was under that Minnesota simply did not want to pay with his age not getting any younger. Everyone outside of the state of Minnesota thought the rug was being pulled out from under the team when he was cut, but there was a sense in the area that this was the time to move on and by the time Peterson was cut, most fans were not surprised. To ease the pain even further, the team decided to spend its first selection in the draft this year on a running back. The Minnesota Vikings made fans happy when the team selected Dalvin Cook in the second round. Cook has the potential to one day be a three-down running back which is so coveted in today’s NFL. Cook can catch effectively to compliment his excellent running abilities.

The difference this year however will be Sam Bradford getting a full offseason to build chemistry with his wide outs and learn the playbook inside and out so he can make proper calls on the fly out on the field. When I asked Sam what this offseason did for his chemistry with the wide outs, the former first overall pick did not hesitate to emphasize how much it has helped them as a group.

“You know it’s big. Obviously being able to work in the spring with those guys and just talk about routes and talk about depths, you know talk about where I expect them to be and get their feedback on where they expect the ball to be and how they expect it to be thrown. I think it is a big part of the game, being able to trust each other. I think there is a lot to be said for that wide receiver/quarterback chemistry and I think that this time of year is great to find things to get better at and work on together to build that chemistry,” Bradford said.

The difference maker in 2017 may be whomever comes out ahead on the depth chart between Michael Floyd and last year’s first-round pick, Laquon Treadwell. Obviously, Treadwell will get the early look and advantage as Floyd is suspended the first four games for violation of the NFL’s substance abuse policy, but look for Floyd to potentially pass him on the depth chart when he is back. Floyd has impressed everyone so far in camp and even has been looking like a true number one receiver which would be huge for an offense with a couple of true two’s in Diggs and Thielen.