Vikings defensive coordinator Brian Flores gathered the guys on his side of the ball at the end of Friday's walk-through period and did something that really seems to have impressed some of his veteran employees, particularly defensive lineman Harrison Phillips.
Vikings' defensive coordinator Brian Flores is learning to mesh with his new team
Brian Flores is showing a willingness to learn from players and they're taking notice. Plus a rookie is bringing competition to Greg Joseph at kicker.
July 28, 2023 at 11:48PM
"One of the things I like best about him early on in this camp is how quickly he's willing to adjust," Phillips said between walk-through and practice Friday. "He just brought up to us after walk-through that, 'Hey, we're going to change one of the [practice] install periods.'"
Phillips then smiled, snapped his fingers and said, "Completely changed it just like that."
As a six-year veteran and team leader, Phillips has been in the NFL long enough to not share too many details with reporters. But the gist of his point was Flores admitting his way in that situation was wrong based on the players' execution and feedback.
"There's versatility in his defense, for sure," Phillips said. "And I think you can see a lot of that in his personality.
"Sometimes, you'll be practicing, and a player will mess up. Let's say a guy is supposed to be in the A gap and he goes through the B gap. Even though it's a [missed assignment], [Flores] might be like, 'Hey, let's put that in. I like how it looked.' That's really cool. I think you have to have that forward-thinking approach to defense because this league is always adjusting."
Kicking competition?
Vikings special teams coordinator Matt Daniels said undrafted rookie kicker Jack Podlesny isn't just a camp leg to keep incumbent Greg Joseph fresher for the regular season.
"Last year we had [veteran punter] Jordan Berry and we had [rookie] Mr. [Ryan] Wright. It was a punting competition," said Daniels, referring to Wright's unseating of Berry. "This year, we have Greg Joseph and Jack Podlesny, and it's a kicking competition.
"So, you know, the goal is the way this roster has been built out, we're looking to compete at every single aspect and every single level of every position. … So it is a kicking competition between those two."
Joseph has been the team's kicker the past two seasons. He was dependable in clutch, end-of-game situations, kicking a franchise-record 61-yard field goal to beat the Giants, but did see his percentage dip from 86.8% to 78.8% in field goals and from 90.0% to 87.0% on extra points.
Podlesny was Georgia's kicker the past three seasons. He missed two field goals in the national semifinal win over Ohio State. He also made only 54.0% of his kicks of 40 or more yards at Georgia.
Hunter, O'Neill, Nailor out again
The Vikings practiced again Friday without edge rusher Danielle Hunter, right tackle Brian O'Neill and receiver Jalen Nailor. Hunter isn't practicing until his contract impasse is settled. O'Neill continues to rehab his Achilles injury. And Nailor is out for an undisclosed reason.
Pat Williams, Cris Carter at practice
A couple of pretty good former Vikings — Hall of Fame receiver Cris Carter and defensive tackle Pat Williams — were on the sidelines to watch Friday's practice.
Carter is in town as part of this weekend's "Down For The Challenge" event, a fundraising effort in which nearly 200 people will be repelling down the 14-story Viking Lakes Omni Hotel to raise money for the Salvation Army's battle against homelessness. Fellow Hall of Famer John Randle will be among those who are scheduled to repel down the building.
Etc.
The Bills waived former Vikings cornerback Cameron Dantzler with an injury designation.
Mike Conley was in Minneapolis, where he sounded the Gjallarhorn at the Vikings game, on Sunday during the robbery.
