The Minnesota Vikings are just days away from the opening of training camp in Mankato – and starting the grind of the 2016 season.
After making a return to the playoffs and winning the NFC North in 2015, the expectations are high for the Vikings – and even the players are starting to feel it.
“The sky’s the limit for this team,” Vikings cornerback Captain Munnerlyn told Alabama.com during his seventh annual free youth football camp over the weekend. “We’ve got a great defense, great offense, great running back and a great head coach. I truly believe this is our year.”
If the Vikings are going to be successful and contend for the Super Bowl in 2016, their secondary might be one of the primary reasons for it.
In a division filled with gun-slinging quarterbacks from Aaron Rodgers in Green Bay, to Matthew Stafford in Detroit and Jay Cutler in Chicago – the Vikings have chosen to load up against the pass.
Munnerlyn is expected to play a big part in the secondary that helped the Vikings become one of the top defense’s in the NFL last season – but he’ll have to earn it because that group may even be better than last year.
He will be used primarily as a nickel back in a secondary that will also feature Xavier Rhodes, Terrence Newman and Trae Waynes at corner and Harrison Smith, Michael Griffin and Andrew Sendejo at safety.
Minnesota also used a second-round pick on cornerback Mackenzie Alexander out of Clemson – he didn’t allow a touchdown pass against him in the final 23 games of his college career.
It’s those moves that have Pro Football Focus’ Matt Claassen ranking the Vikings’ secondary seventh in the entire NFL – meaning some of those quarterbacks could be in for some long days.
