“It’s good to see you all in person again,” he said.
That information was relayed to linebacker Anthony Barr, who followed Bradbury on the podium.
“Who said that?!?!” Barr said, wrinkling his forehead and drawing a laugh. “No, you guys are beautiful.”
After a year of virtual this and virtual that due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Vikings training camp feels a heckuva lot more like normal this year. The biggest difference has been the return of the fans.
“It’s super nice to have the fans back,” said Vikings fullback C.J. Ham, a Duluth native. “That’s something we missed last year. My wife was here yesterday, and my kids will be here later this week. It’s really fun.”
That’s not to say there hasn’t been some COVID craziness going on.
Much of the talk Tuesday was about the Vikings’ quarterback carousel after Kellen Mond reportedly tested positive for COVID-19 and fellow quarterbacks Kirk Cousins and Nate Stanley had to sit out for five days of quarantine before returning to camp. The Vikings quickly brought in a couple new guys so Jake Browning, suddenly the No. 1 guy, wouldn’t “throw his arm out,” according to new offensive Klint Kubiak.
“This stuff happens, and that’s part of our job, to get the next guy ready,” Kubiak said.
Ham said the whirlwind of activity affected him little. If a helmet was a lunch bucket, that would be him. He just goes about his business.
“I’m just going to keep doing exactly what I’m doing now,” he said. “Come out here and work. That’s all you can do, is control what you can control. You have to roll with the punches, and we have the players who are able to do that.”
Bradbury is one of those guys. He couldn’t wait to get back to work Tuesday as it was the Vikings’ first practice in full pads since last season. Kubiak said that’s what separates athletes from football players, when the pads come on and the hitting starts, especially for the big fellas up front.
“This is when the linemen really separate themselves with pads on, because that’s how they live,” Kubiak said.
Bradbury couldn’t wait.
“It’s just exciting to get back to some normalcy,” he said.
Perhaps some things will never return completely back to “normal.” Certainly, people seem more conscious and leery of germs. Each position group Tuesday had its own water bottles and hand sanitizer. Vikings public relations personnel asked the media to still keep a safe distance doing interviews, and fans in the stands spaced themselves out. By now, that only seems natural. You saw a few masks, but certainly, not many.
Vikings’ training camp is very interactive, with a fan zone geared towards families and kids being able to run around and enjoy being outside. There are rows of bean bag toss and all types of purple and gold inflatables and other props ideal for photo opportunities.
The Vikings haven’t put restrictions on fan attendance for training camp — it only seemed like it. Perhaps it was because it was a lazy midweek afternoon or people are still COVID-cautious, but Tuesday’s practice didn’t seem as bustling as two years ago.
That made it very fan friendly for those fans in attendance, with short lines and little congestion. TCO Performance Center was like a giant playground Tuesday.
“It’s been amazing, all the stuff there is to do here,” said 17-year-old Nick Zander of Hudson, Wisconsin, who attended camp with a couple of buddies.
The fans were glad to be back and let their favorite players know about it.
Superstar running back Dalvin Cook was going through drills on the near end zone and fans were yelling his name.
“Dalvin, here’s your youngest fan!” a man hollered.
By the man’s feet was a boy, maybe two, wearing a Cook jersey that draped to his knees. The tyke was holding a big leather football about the size of his torso.
Cook acknowledged him with a smile and a wave, right during practice, and the coaches were cool with it.
“That’s the man Dalvin is,” Ham said. “He comes out here and acknowledges the fans every single day. It’s special to see. It’s really cool seeing him interacting with them. That’s what training camp is all about.”
Jon Nowacki covers sports for the News Tribune. He can be reached at jnowacki@duluthnews.com or (218) 380-7027.
"again" - Google News
August 06, 2021 at 11:08PM
https://ift.tt/37mgNqh
Vikings training camp starting to feel like training camp again — for the most part - Pine Journal
"again" - Google News
https://ift.tt/2YsuQr6
https://ift.tt/2KUD1V2
Bagikan Berita Ini
0 Response to "Vikings training camp starting to feel like training camp again — for the most part - Pine Journal"
Post a Comment