After five injury-marred and largely disappointing seasons here after being the No. 4 overall pick in 2012, left tackle Matt Kalil needed a change of scenery and the Vikings needed to try something else — which ended up being free-agent signee Riley Reiff.
Still, it's been interesting to hear Kalil take some shots at the Vikings now that he's gone. Back in March, Kalil said he left Twitter because of harassment while he was playing with the Vikings.
This week, in a feature story in the Charlotte Observer that deals with Kalil now playing with his brother Ryan with the Panthers, there was this:
"The Panthers think a healthy Kalil, reunited with his brother and working with offensive line coach John Matsko, is primed for a big bounce-back. Matt said he's fired up to play for Matsko. ... '[Matsko] is the first guy I've played for that kind of demands excellence from his offensive line room,' Matt said."
Read Michael Rand's blog at startribune.com/randball. mrand@startribune.com
