On the offensive side, the consensus winner of the Minnesota Vikings’ opening preseason matchup with the Buffalo Bills was wide receiver Stacy Coley.
Coley caught three passes for 67 yards, one of which set the Vikings up for a touchdown, the other included a big chunk of yards after the catch.
“We’re seeing a lot of the same things that we saw from him in his college days,” offensive coordinator Pat Shurmur said. “He’s actually had a really good camp.”
Coley was a seventh-round pick from Miami, where he caught 63 passes during his senior season. He was mentioned by head coach Mike Zimmer as one of the leaders in the training camp fight for a depth wide receiver spot.
The only down moment for Coley in his debut was a miscommunication between he and quarterback Case Keenum in which the quarterback was looking for a “Go” route and Coley ran a comeback.
“It was all on me,” He said. “I didn’t see the safety come down, I just focused on my man and the high safety. We talked about it and got it right.”
While Coley took a clear lead in the race for a depth spot, fifth-round Rodney Adams also saw a good deal of playing time and caught a touchdown pass. The two saw the field much more than other receivers like Isaac Fruechte, Cayleb Jones, Moritz Boehringer and RJ Shelton.
During the draft process, some questioned Coley’s commitment to being an NFL player. His NFL.com draft profile included this quote from an NFC North scout:
“He needs a lot of work but I think he has enough talent to play in the league. I just have doubts that he loves the game. He is notorious over there for kind of coasting on his talent rather than putting in the work he should be. If he’s not committed to the NFL process, he will be gone early.”
In Mankato first, then in Buffalo, Coley has taken steps toward eliminating those concerns.
“[It’s about] dialing in, learning the concepts and staying focused under pressure,” Coley said.
Additional practice notes
– Laquon Treadwell practiced, but did not participate in team drills
– Alex Boone was not present, Nick Easton took a number of snaps with the first team at LG
– Kentrell Brothers did not participate in team drills
– Andrew Sendejo and Trae Waynes were out
– Riley Reiff took some first-team reps
The post Stacy Coley looking to build on strong preseason opener appeared first on 1500 ESPN Twin Cities.
Source:: 1500 ESPN Sportswire
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