Vikings' Shiancoe tackles job from all angles

Vikings tight end Visanthe Shiancoe concludes nearly every practice by catching passes from all sorts of odd angles and positions to improve his hand-eye coordination. Those drills also help him simulate what he might encounter in the red zone where space gets constricted.

"Your focus has to be sharper [in the red zone] because the ball is coming out," Shiancoe said. "It's coming out quick and on a string. Just like [offensive coordinator Darrell Bevell] tells us: It's eyes-to-ankles throws. It can be anywhere. You have to expect all sorts of balls and be able to react."

The Vikings lead the NFL in red-zone offense with 15 touchdowns in 23 opportunities inside the 20. Their 65.2 percent touchdown success rate is largely a result of the timing and chemistry that Shiancoe has developed with quarterback Brett Favre.

Shiancoe is tied for the NFL lead with five touchdown catches, and all five have come inside the red zone. He has caught eight touchdown passes in the past 10 games. He has 12 touchdown catches since the start of 2008, the second most by an NFL tight end, trailing only Tony Gonzalez with 13.

"The last two years, Shank has come a long way," Bevell said. "Last year the light kind of came on. He knew how he fit in. I think he's kind of picking up where he left off last year. He understands what we are trying to do with him. He knows the defenses that he is looking at now and how the play fits into that defense. He can make an adjustment if he needs to. Then he is making the plays when he gets an opportunity."

His 19-yard touchdown catch on the first drive of last week's 33-31 victory over the Baltimore Ravens was a perfect example. Favre threw the pass high and behind Shiancoe in the end zone to avoid safety Ed Reed, but Shiancoe made a terrific adjustment in midair to catch it.

"He was trying to throw me away from the safety because I ran the route up there, but I was bending it toward the safety," Shiancoe said. "He took the hit off me so he had to put it there. But I don't know how the heck I made that catch. It was a fingertip catch."

Asked if he would have made that catch a few years ago, Shiancoe said: "No."

Favre historically has relied on his tight ends, an important position in the West Coast offense. Combine those factors with Shiancoe's athleticism and ability, and Favre believes he has the potential to become an elite tight end.

"He's a big, physical target," Favre said. "I think the sky is the limit for a guy like him. He can stretch the field. I even wonder sometimes if Shank has any idea of how good he can be. That catch he made the first drive was unbelievable. I don't know how he caught it. It was a great catch. When I threw it, I thought it was too far but then I go, 'OK, you make me look good.' That is the type of player he can be and then some. I think he can stretch teams like no other."

He is particularly valuable inside the red zone. Shiancoe presents matchup problems because of his size and speed. He has also become more adept at reading coverages and being able to find openings in the defense.

"I have a feel for it," he said. "You know what to expect now. You know it's tighter and it's quicker. It's an advantage for me knowing the tendencies of defenses. That comes from experience and from watching film and being on the same page as your quarterback and offensive coordinator."

His postpractice work also helps. After doing some quick math, Shiancoe figures he might catch 1,200 passes in a given year.

"It's all angles of the ball, all positions of the ball, all locations of the ball that I'm just trying to work on because in the game it comes everywhere," he said. "It may be high, it may be low, it may be up there to the left. It may be behind you low. I just want to be prepared for every single catch."

Staff writer Judd Zulgad contributed to this report.