By Matthew Coller
EAGAN — The Minnesota Vikings wrapped up their second joint practice with the Ravens. Let’s dive into it…
What I heard
Chemistry with Kyler Murray
During the joint practices, Murray and Jefferson connected on several passes, including a long TD to end practice on Wednesday and an accurate throw over the middle on Thursday that was typical of O’Connell’s offense. For Jefferson, the two days of working against the very physical Ravens defense was very helpful toward getting locked in with Murray before Week 1.
“It's just all about him understanding in me and how I run my routes, my timing, how fast I'm running, and just getting on the same page,” Jefferson said. “That just comes with time….that's why these joint practices are so important just because we're not getting those game reps until the season actually starts. So getting those game reps with [Marlon] Humphrey and [Nate] Wiggins on the other side, it was great work.”
TJ Hockenson, who nabbed several passes from Murray during joint practices, said that the Ravens’ defense is different from the Vikings’ scheme, so it allows them to work through how they are going to deal with a lot of different looks.
“Being able to talk through looks we haven’t been able to get, it makes you closer and get on the same page and it’s just about the communication and seeing what [Murray] is seeing and understanding that and applying it,” Hockenson said. “That’s all we’re doing in camp. Trying to communicate and be on the same page with him as receivers as much as we can and those are great conversations, especially when you go against a different defense.”
Starters won’t play vs. Ravens, McCarthy likely to start
O’Connell said that he will not be playing starters against the Ravens on Saturday.
“Just based upon the volume of work more so than anything. If we could just plug them in and recharge the batteries, I’d love to play everybody and keep getting great work,” O’Connell said. “But we’ll have a good group that goes out there, but we’re going to be smart with some guys too.”
KOC did say that he expects JJ McCarthy to start the game.
Having Randy Moss around
For the second straight day, Randy Moss watched practice from the sidelines. O’Connell said that he wants Moss to be around as much as possible.
“One of my goals when I got this job was to make sure that Randy was back around the team, our players, this organization, and not only for us to show him the love, but shoot, he sat in with the receivers yesterday with Keenan,” O’Connell said. “Randy’s become a guy that I talk to quite often… I love him. I love him to death and all his experiences and what he’s been through personally. He’s got so much perspective to share on and off the field and he’s willing to share it. And I hope to have him around here as much as we possibly can.”
What I saw
Kyler Murray went 14-for-23 on the day as the Vikings did a lot of red zone work. Here’s where his throws went:
Murray highlights:
— Hit TJ Hockenson with a pass up the seam that showed some of his velocity. The ball went into a relatively tight window and was grabbed by the tight end. Murray’s connection with Hockenson has shown up more since he became QB1.
— Under duress, flipped a ball up over defenders and into the hands of Jauan Jennings for a touchdown during a red zone drill.
— Connected with Justin Jefferson on a crossing pass that had good timing and accuracy.
— Hit Jennings down the sideline during the situational drill that set up a “game-winning” field goal. It was a vertical route that required good touch where only the receiver could get it.
Murray lowlights:
— Had four straight incompletions during a red zone drill
— Threw a dirt ball in front of a wide open Jennings as he was trying to escape the pocket and make a play.
— Overthrew a deep shot to Jordan Addison.
— Didn’t connect with Jefferson as much as you would have liked to see.
Overall:
It was an up and down day against a defense that has a lot of talent and played very physically with the Vikings’ wide receivers. Murray’s precision hasn’t been quite where you’d expect it to be, yet the big plays and key moments were there against the Ravens on both days.
Additional observations:
— Dallas Turner crushed the Ravens. He created consistent pressure on Lamar Jackson with a number of plays that could have been sacks. He has looked exactly how the Vikings would have dreamed about at this time in camp. What has stood out the most is the improvement in play strength. He seems to be setting stronger edges and not just relying on quickness to beat linemen.
— Caleb Banks had his best day of training camp thus far. He took a ton of reps and made several flash plays into the backfield where you saw his power and speed combo, including one TFL on a run play and another where he contributed to a sack. Domonique Orange also got a lot of work with the 1s and had a clean win against a Ravens guard for a sack.
— Overall the defense flat-out dominated. Baltimore barely moved the ball all day as the D-line and blitzers were creating a lot of pressure and the secondary held up against a team with a lot of weapons. Levi Drake Rodriguez, Ty Ingram-Dawkins and Jay Ward were among the developing players who stood out.
— Theo Jackson got banged up but it did not appear to be serious. Jacob Thomas got work with the first team even before Jackson’s injury. He is getting legitimate consideration from Flores.
— JJ McCarthy had his ups and downs. He had touchdown passes to Dillon Bell, Gavin Bartholomew and Myles Price in the red zone drill but threw a pick-six later in practice. We did not see Carson Wentz get any 11-on-11 reps.
— Demond Claiborne closed practice with a pitch play that he ran for a long touchdown. It clearly demonstrated his breakaway speed.