Some potential competition for Matt Wile"

Minnesota Vikings 2019 OffseasonReport: Vikings to bring in at least two punters on WednesdayNew Pat Elflein Jersey ,32commentsSome potential competition for Matt WileCDTNo sooner did yours truly get a 90-man roster done up for the Minnesota Vikings, under the assumption that there weren’t going to be any significant changes coming, did the team decide to potentially change that.According to Chris Tomasson of the St. Paul Pioneer Press, the Vikings will be bringing in at least two punters on Wednesday, when the team will be taking part in their mandatory minicamp. The punters named by Tomasson are Justin Vogel and Shane Tripucka, and there could also be a third. One of them could be signed to compete with incumbent Matt Wile during Training Camp.Vogel punted for the Green Bay Packers in 2017 Dalvin Cook Jersey , playing with the team for all 16 of their games. He was eighth in the NFL that year in net punting average at 41.6 yards/punt. He has not punted in the regular season since 2017, but has been signed by the Cleveland Browns and the San Francisco 49ers over the past couple of years.Tripucka, the nephew of former NBA player Kelly Tripucka, has never punted in a regular season game. He went undrafted out of Texas A&M in 2018 and spent the preseason with the Los Angeles Chargers before being let go.Wile was tied for ninth in the league in net punting average in 2018, averaging 41.5 yards/punt. According to Tomasson’s article, the concerns appear to be more with Wile’s ability to be the holder on field goals and extra points than with his punting abilities. Based on that Jalyn Holmes Jersey , it sounds like new special teams coach Marwan Maalouf will continue along the same road that Mike Priefer did with the Vikings, using the punter as a holder rather than a backup quarterback.In looking for pictures to use for this article, I did see pictures of Vogel holding on kicks when he was with the Packers in 2017. It appears as though Tripucka handled those duties in college as well.So, it appears as though there’s a chance that we’re going to have a big ol’ punting competition in Training Camp this year, folks. Tell me that doesn’t get the blood pumping, I dare you. Through three games last year Brian O’Neill Jersey , Vikings receiver Adam Thielen had 32 catches and 338 yards. Through three games this year, Thielen has only 11 catches and 173 yards.The reduced output “doesn’t matter to me, as long as we win,” Thielen told PFT via phone after Sunday’s 34-14 win over the Raiders. Thielen explained that he continues to focus on all the little things that go with running routes and getting open, and that he simply tries to make the most out of every opportunity that comes his way.“It’s definitely not harder,” Thielen said regarding the change in the focus from passing to running. “It’s just different.”The very different focus on running — led by the incredible skills of third-year running back Dalvin Cook — makes it easier to pass via play action. Which is exactly what the Vikings did in scoring their first touchdown of the day. With quarterback Kirk Cousins faking the handoff and rolling left Kyle Rudolph Jersey , Thielen popped wide open. So open that it almost became a problem.Thielen said it’s actually harder to catch a pass when he’s that open than when he’s blanketed, because there’s a chance he’ll loose his focus when he takes it for granted.He made the catch. And he scored again on a short running play at the goal line, punctuated with a spike so aggressive that it almost seemed like he was sending a message. Was he?“No,” Thielen said. “I just didn’t know what else to do.”The Vikings have shown they know what to do to win games: Combine old-school offense with old-school defense. It was a fitting combination on the day they recognized the ultra-old-school 1969 Vikings, who won the last NFL championship before the merger.