MANKATO — Hard to believe it's only been a week since the Vikings reported to training camp. Being cooked by the big ball in the sky must slow down the space time continuum or something.
Either way, there's been enough time and practices to give at least five thoughts on the 2016 Vikings. Here goes …
1, Player of camp: Easy. A lot of guys look good to great, but defensive end Everson Griffen is at the top of that mountain. The Bengals aren't going to like the pace Griffen will be practicing at next week in Cincy.
Some have suggested Everson looks especially good because he's going against the inconsistent Matt Kalil. But I actually see Kalil stepping up his game and competing hard. Like offensive coordinator Norv Turner told me, guys in Kalil's shoes either get better or get embarrassed on every snap when they face a guy like Griffen. Kalil, I think, is getting some value out of this.
Everson has had two very good seasons and, to me, is a better all-around player than Jared Allen was. But it says something that Griffen is this determined to get even better.
2, Backup QBs. I get why the Vikings were interested in Nick Foles, who reportedly is on his way to the Chiefs. As former NFL personnel man Ernie Accorsi used to tell us, the second most important player on the roster is your No. 2 quarterback. He found that out in Cleveland one year when he went through four QBs and still made the playoffs.
Shaun Hill can be a satisfactory backup because he knows his place and he knows what he can and can't do. But General Manager Rick Spielman isn't going to sit still if there's a chance to upgrade the arm strength and age of a key backup. With an open roster spot, he could have kept Hill until the team got comfortable with Foles.
Hill appears to struggle with some throws, but I'm not alarmed that he's the backup. In today's league, there are no Steve Youngs backing up Joe Montana's.