Vikings veterans and rookies working together for the first time this week

This week is the first time that Vikings veterans and rookies can work alongside each other during organized team activities at Winter Park.

During this second phase of the voluntary offseason program, coaches can do classroom work and some on-field instruction with players. That can be tricky for the coaches because many veterans are in their third year in the team's systems. The rookies, meanwhile, are starting at square one.

"It's been going really good," coach Mike Zimmer said this afternoon after a film session with reporters. "The good thing about our guys, and I see it with the rookies that are here right now going through this Phase Two, all of our older players take these guys under their wings and they continue to show them and teach them and talk to them about the different coverages or the way we run a route or the way we do things. There's no animosity."

While learning Zimmer's defense or Norv Turner's offense will prove to be a challenge for even the savviest of rookies, Zimmer believes it is a good thing that the coaching staff gets blank canvases when it comes to teaching rookies like Mackensie Alexander and Laquon Treadwell their techniques.

"The good part about [the offseason program] for the young guys is we get a chance to teach them what we believe technique-wise, the way we do things here, the way we work," Zimmer said. "[And we have] the older veteran guys help teach them to be professionals, which is really good."