TUESDAY, AUGUST 31, 2010
Vikings Offensive Coordinator Darrell Bevell
It’s kind of hard to believe that we’re here at the end of training camp getting ready for our last preseason game. We’ve got a nice day out here to practice, get the guys running around, moving around, get them ready and prepared for this last game and start to see the roster shape up. We’re excited for this last game and ready to move ahead.
Q: Will the starters get any time on Thursday night?
A: Originally I think that coach said he wasn’t going to, but in the team meeting right before the game he said he reserved the right to put them in if he thought he needed to. I’m not sure he’s made a decision on that, he hasn’t told us yet. The guys performed pretty decent early in that game. He’ll end up making that decision here, probably pretty quick.
Q: Would you be comfortable going with a rookie guard in the opening game in New Orleans?
A: 
Q: Are you expecting John Sullivan to be back?
A: I don’t think it’s at that point yet. We’ve got to get him back out here after this preseason game. We knew that we weren’t going to have him through this game. Pretty much, [we’ve got to see] if it can hold up, just pushing off, the physical strain. He’ll be fine conditioning-wise, because they’re still working on him with that, whether it’s in the pool or those other things they can do with him. We’ll just have to see if it can hold up.
Q: Is it difficult not knowing how this is going to line up?
A: Fortunately, it’s been going on for a while. Sullivan hasn’t been in there in quite a while. We’ve been able to move the combinations around a little bit. It gave us an opportunity to look at some different guys and different combinations. All we can do is look on the bright side of it and see how we can make adjustments, moving Anthony, putting Cooper in, and some of those other adjustments. That’s just the way it is right now.
Q: Will you be looking for some continuity once the regular season starts?
A: That’s obviously the ideal situation, to have those five guys going in. Going in we thought we were going to have five healthy guys and ready to move forward with that, which didn’t end up being the case. At some point we’ll get Sullivan back, we’ll get him fully healthy. At that point, if it’s this first game, or if it’s down the road, we’ll have to see down the road how well it’s been functioning to that point.
Q: Bernard’s been healthy this preseason, how do you assess his performance Saturday night? Was it an off-night for him?
A: Early in the game we came out throwing the ball a little bit. We were trying to get the perimeter players involved. We wanted to get Percy involved, we wanted to get Bernard involved, we wanted to get Shiancoe involved; some of those perimeter players. We knew it wasn’t hard to turn around and hand it to Adrian. We wanted to try to accomplish that. We threw some balls his way. I know he caught one. We were off just on a couple. I think if you ask Brett and you ask Bernard, they would say they are way ahead of where they were at this point last year. I think he has a lot more confidence in Bernard. He knows where he’s going to be. He has a feel for how he’s going to come in and out of his breaks. I think there’s some confidence there.
Q: Do you know how you’re going to handle you’re third-down back?
A: We were in a great situation last year. We had two guys who were very special backs. Chester Taylor was able to do a lot of things for us, whether it was a second runner or whether it was a third-down back. It may end up having to be by committee. There will be times when Adrian’s in there, there will be times when Albert’s in there, depending on the game. It may have to be Toby that’s in there. We’ve been trying to go kind of like that, in terms of getting all three of them ready, seeing what the strengths and weaknesses are of all those guys. We haven’t had Albert in there all the time on third down to take a look at how he handles it, or to see how fast Toby can pick it up. I think it’s still formulating itself right now.
Q: Are the running backs interchangeable enough that you feel comfortable going into the season?
A: I wouldn’t say at this point that they are just interchangeable. I feel like I’m gaining a better understanding of what their strengths and weaknesses are. It was good to see Adrian pick up after the 49ers game to pick up a couple pressures last week. He was strong at the point. He did some good things there. I kind of know where Albert is. We’ve been able to move Toby in there a little bit as well. [We’re] learning their strengths and weaknesses but it may depend on how the game plan shapes up. It may depend on who’s up and down. Sometimes we only went with two backs last year and that may solve your problem.
Q: Albert said yesterday that none of them have gotten a lot of carries, but they have been able to show other things. Is that as much a part of the evaluation, seeing what they do when the ball is not in their hands?
A: Exactly. The biggest thing for us, particularly with that second guy, is to be able to handle all the pressures and different looks that they can give us. Albert’s been here for a while, he’s been in coach Bienemy’s meeting rooms. He’s well versed in it. That’s just half of it. You have to be physically strong enough to stand in there and take the pounding, step up and pick up a linebacker. Sometimes you’re going to be blocking a defensive end. [We have] to see if he can hold up in those situations. We know Albert’s running skills. We know Toby’s running skills. We need to see them in those other situations.
Q: Regarding reports on
A: I think it’s probably better to ask Head Athletic Trainer Eric Sugarman about those. He’s not the only one that takes those. I know that they have helped some people and they feel comfortable with it. I think it helps them move around a little bit and take some of the soreness out. I don’t know if it’s going to end up being a normal thing or not, or if it was a one-time deal.
Q: Do you have a feel with where
A: I think we’re getting a better understanding. The ball he caught in the game was a great ball. It looked like something
Q: Could you keep four QBs?
A: I’m sure there is a possibility. It all depends on how the numbers shake out at all of the different positions. You can’t just think about the quarterback position. You have to think about who the 53 and then who the 45 will end up being. It really takes a lot of forward thinking. That is Coach Childress and Rick Spielman being able to formulate all of that down the road. Is it a possibility? Obviously it is. A lot of teams go with three and some teams go with two, so we’ve seen it all.
Q: Can Ryan D’Imperio play in this league at FB?
A: I think the thing that he’s probably flashed the best is his ability to catch the ball and his ability to get up the field. He’s had two in the last game particularly that I’m thinking of. I think there was another one earlier in the preseason. He’s done a nice job with that. There’s really a lot to playing fullback. Not just being able to catch the ball out of the backfield, but being able to stick your nose in there. We tell that guy to run his head into a wall 15-20 times a game and being able to hold up there. Then there are some very subtle adjustments that you have to make on the fly, as you are moving. You have to be able to see that. You have to be able to make those adjustments. Some of the ability flashes, but you have to be able to see the whole picture.
