EAGAN, Minn. — The Vikings will visit the Titans in the third week of the preseason, but they already had a five-piece band go through some rehearsals in Music City.
T.J. Hockenson makes is offseason home in Nashville and invited fellow Vikings tight end Josh Oliver and second-year quarterback J.J. McCarthy to come down for some offseason workouts. Running backs Jordan Mason and Ty Chandler, who are both Middle Tennessee natives, were glad to have some company enrich their workouts.
"J.J. wanted to come down, and I had been bugging him since January after the season, to come down and hang out and just see what kind of vibe we have," Hockenson said. "Because we train hard in the offseason. We try to get better every single day. And so to have him come out down there, my quarterback, just to be able to pitch balls with him and kind of have him see how we work and how we train, was awesome."
McCarthy explained, "The more reps, the better," especially since the team's spring program was the first opportunity for the QB to throw to Hockenson (who was rehabbing an ACL tear this time last year and didn't return until after McCarthy's torn meniscus) and Mason, the offseason acquisition via trade with San Francisco.
"A lot of this offense is based off of timing and rhythm, and being able to get as many reps as possible is going to pay the utmost importance going into this camp and this season," McCarthy said Wednesday during his first media session of training camp.
"It was good little group," he added. "We had a lot of fun this summer."
Venues for the workouts included visiting 49ers tight end George Kittle's "barn," a workout facility that features a custom-built field.
"That was an awesome spot," said Oliver, who signed an extension with Minnesota this offseason. "It's sweet, man.
"[T.J.] welcomed us in, stayed out there for around four days, and just got to really bond and then go work out and just hang out," Oliver said. "I mean, we were in the weight room, then we were on the field for probably three or four hours day, and so we're just working and hanging out together. It was an awesome time."
Mason appreciated the opportunity to connect with his new teammates.
"It was just good to be around everybody, throw the ball, giggling and laughing on the side," Mason said. "It was a good time."
Chandler, who stayed on the field for about 30 extra minutes after Friday's practice, said it's "very cool to have another Nashville guy in the building."
"He's such a hard worker," Chandler said of Mason. "Just being in the same room push and learn from him.
"It was great being back home," Chandler said. "And I was even telling the guys, 'Man, it feels great to just be able to work out in the country.' It's kind of like being out here, being able to see those guys having fun."
After challenging each other during workouts, the fun extended to the golf course, where Hockenson was the clubhouse leader. Asked about McCarthy's golf game, Hockenson pointed out the hockey roots.
"He can blast the ball off the tee, but that short game, he still needs to work on," Hockenson said. "We had fun on the golf course for sure.
"It was fantastic. Just to be able to run routes with my quarterback [and play some golf]. I wasn't able to do [either] last year," Hockenson said in comparing this offseason to last year. "So to be able to kind of get your mind away from things for just a second and then have those four or five hours of hard work, and then to have the rest of the day instead of going to rehab and doing all your stuff. ... Feel great coming into camp and just excited about the season."
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