Brandon Fusco felt as if he was writing with the wrong hand last season.
And on top of switching from from his usual spot at right guard to left guard, Fusco said his hands only had half their normal strength.
The worst of Fusco's three full NFL seasons as a starter for the Vikings was preceded by his first major surgery, to repair a torn right chest muscle. That rehab process left him behind in the weight room, Fusco said, entering a season that would be his first — and last — at left guard.
"The pec injury is not very fun to come back from," the 310-pound Fusco said. "It's a very big injury for an offensive lineman. All my upper-body strength wasn't the same. Felt like my whole offseason was just rehab and just trying to get to a point where I was able to play. So, I wasn't really strength training and what I was used to."
Now that he has moved back to the right side, Fusco has much to prove two years into a five-year, $25 million extension signed only 18 days before he tore his pectoral muscle.
Another injury, this one to a shoulder, briefly interrupted what coach Mike Zimmer called a "good camp" for Fusco. He returned to practice last week and expects to reintroduce himself at right guard Sunday in his preseason debut — with aim to deliver more force than a season ago.
"I was doing 50-, 60-pound dumbbells in last year's rehab," Fusco said. "I'm now well over 100, 150s, so my strength is a lot better. … It's like I doubled my strength since my rehab. I feel like I'm in really good shape and feel good out here."
Despite boasting the league's leading rusher in Adrian Peterson, Vikings blockers left many yards on the field for him. Fusco was not the only blocker to stumble in trying to clear a path or protecting quarterback Teddy Bridgewater. He and rookie tackle T.J. Clemmings tied for the team lead last season with 42 quarterback hurries allowed, according to Pro Football Focus.