With Pro Bowlers on both sides of the ball, the Vikings are hoping a competitive training camp can better prepare them for the regular season.
EAGAN, Minn. — Minnesota Vikings right tackle Brian O’Neill has had his hands full in training camp.
“Every day I get to block an All-Pro edge rusher and then an edge rusher who was a Pro Bowler and, who probably should’ve been an All-Pro who led the NFL in pressures,” O’Neill told KARE 11’s Will Hall. “I certainly feel like they’re making me better, and I hope that me, and the other tackles, are helping them as much as they’re helping us.”
The edge rushers O’Neill is referencing are Andrew Van Ginkel and Jonathan Greenard, who have certainly been making their presence felt in just one week of training camp. On the first day of practice, Van Ginkel jumped a pass from quarterback Brett Rypien, and took it back for what would have been a touchdown if it weren’t training camp.
Coming off a season where he was named a second-team All-Pro and a Pro Bowler, Van Ginkel appears poised to continue – or perhaps improve upon – last year when he finished with career highs in sacks (11.5) and tackles for loss (18). He also had a career-best two touchdowns after intercepting a pass, strikingly similar to the pass he jumped from Rypien.
Greenard is also coming off a career season after leading the team with 12 sacks, while also recording career bests in tackles for loss (18) and total tackles (59). Both Greenard and Van Ginkel received votes for the Associated Press Defensive Player of the Year, but the award ultimately went to Denver cornerback Patrick Surtain II.
“The trenches make each other better,” said new Vikings center Ryan Kelly. “At times we get sick of each other but, at the end of the day, we’re going to see things from them that we won’t see anybody else do. It’ll make us better for it.”
The saying “Iron sharpens iron” certainly applies as Kelly, O’Neill, Van Ginkel and Greenard have combined for eight Pro Bowls and two All-Team selections.
“There’s a little bit of a chess match on a daily basis,” said Vikings defensive coordinator Brian Flores of going against the Vikings’ offense. “How do we attack one another? Where’s the weakness? … At the same time, how do we get the team better? How do we get the offense better? How do we get the defense better? How do we get individual players better?”
The Vikings still have until Aug. 9 before they’ll be able to line up against someone they don’t share a locker room with, but until then, Kelly is hoping the daily reps can help prepare them for the season ahead.
“As training camp goes, you just keep stacking days,” said Kelly. “I know those guys are gonna give us great looks. They’ll make us better, we’ll make them better, and hopefully at the end of this thing, we’re rolling this way.”