Perhaps the most encouraging play of Vikings training camp to date is the throw from Kirk Cousins that ignited the two-day kerfuffle between Xavier Rhodes and Stefon Diggs.
Rhodes, the ultra-confident first-team All-Pro corner, was covering Diggs, the uber-swaggering "Minneapolis Miracle" receiver, on Tuesday. Diggs got half a step on Rhodes when Cousins flicked a deep ball with the ease, accuracy, velocity and timing for which the Vikings paid him $84 million over three years rather than re-sign Case Keenum, who got $36 million over two years from the Broncos and will be facing his former teammates in a preseason opener at Denver on Saturday night.
The touchdown and Diggs' decision to throw the ball into the stands incensed Rhodes and led to a prolonged squabble that got both stars benched from Wednesday's practice.
But what about that throw? Though Keenum displayed many qualities while helping the Vikings to the NFC Championship Game a year ago, he doesn't have that effortless throw from the pocket in his bag.
"It's not just Case [that doesn't have Cousins' arm strength]," receiver Adam Thielen said. "From a lot of quarterbacks I've played with, Kirk just has something a little different coming out of his hand, and it's special. Some of the throws he's made, we look at each other and go, 'Wow.' "
The inevitable comparisons between Case's and Kirk's seasons will begin with Saturday's brief appearances and continue into the regular season. Cousins faces considerably more pressure than Keenum, who assumes control of a 5-11 team that's poised for an Eagles-like worst-to-first run in the AFC West.
"Everybody's sleeping on us," Broncos cornerback Chris Harris Jr. said this week. "I wouldn't sleep on us too much no more. Not with our quarterback."
As he did in Minnesota, Keenum reportedly has won over the locker room in Denver with his personality and work ethic. On the field, his first interception didn't come until Day 6 of training camp. And few have followed since, which is a welcome development for a team that threw more interceptions (22) than every team but Cleveland (28) last year.