Norv Turner met with reporters in Mankato earlier this morning. No, he didn't channel his inner Herm Edwards and tell the media that … "You … PLAY … to … WIN … the … game!" But the Vikings offensive coordinator did remind us that feeding individual players the ball so that their numbers inflate to the public's acceptable level is secondary to week-to-week matchups designed to, well, … WIN … the … game!
First, Turner was asked how running back Jerick McKinnon's role has changed. The most obvious, of course, is the guy ahead of him, Adrian Peterson played only one game in 2014 as opposed to a full season last year.
"[Two years ago], Jerick had a big role until he got hurt," Turner said. "He was an explosive player in terms of running out of the backfield and making plays. He did a good job receiving the ball. Things changed a little bit last year with Adrian. But the last third of the season we started using him. He got better at some things. We started using him in the passing game and moving him around a little bit. So, hopefully, it continues to grow that way."
But … you play to, well, you get it.
"To me, it's a week-to-week deal," Turner said. "There are certain games where teams are really going to struggle with a guy like [McKinnon]. And there are certain games where it may not be the best fit. Those are decisions we make on a week-to-week basis. But it's nice to have him because he's an explosive player who can make big plays."
Turner also was asked if he thinks he's gotten the most he can out of Kyle Rudolph. As full disclosure, I, too have wondered whether, when Rudolph is healthy, the Vikings could force things a little more to the big, fast tight end with the oven mitts for hands.
"It's the same thing when you get into production," Turner said. "Kyle's been a really productive player for us. He was [four catches] away from his career high last year. I thought in the second half, we had more production. I thought he played faster in the second half of the season than he did in the first half of the season.
"He's having a really good camp. Again, there are games he's going to get a lot of opportunities. And there are games that just by the nature of who we're playing, [the opportunities] may be limited. But he's getting ready to have a really good year."
