Vikings Territory: One Notable Player On Hot Seat After Vikings First Preseason Game

Press release from Vikings Territory:

Dustin Baker Dustin Baker

2021-08-16

Minnesota Vikings head coach Mike Zimmer doesn’t mince words on any topic, and his terseness is supersized when discussing special teams personnel.

The other breath of fresh air? New kicker Greg Joseph didn’t miss any field goals – which is noteworthy for a Vikings team that was beset by untimely misses courtesy of Dan Bailey in 2020. In fact, a game against the eventual Super Bowl champion Tampa Bay Buccaneers was lost by the Vikings last December arguably because of missed kicks.

On the other hand, punter Britton Colquitt had a rough outing – a rather strange occurrence for the 11-year veteran. His numbers don’t scream ineptitude – four punts for 162 yards (40.5 yards per punt) – but Zimmer was sure to singularly call out Colquitt’s performance.

Here’s the deal. Bad kicking and bad punting truly irk Zimmer. He never holds back when describing their poor deeds, diplomacy be damned. You can even see it on his face when the special teamers irritate him.

Minnesota signed punter Zach Von Rosenberg to compete with Colquitt for the starting punter job earlier in the year. The Vikings ended up cutting Von Rosenberg to clear space for Sheldon Richardson. Now, that feels a bit premature.

But this “cause for concern” lingo is usually Zimmer’s “shots fired” announcement pertaining to kickers and punters. The team traded for Kaare Vedvick three years ago and then waived him soon thereafter when he stunk. Daniel Carlson was jettisoned following one terrible game. Kai Forbath wasn’t re-signed after he drilled two of the most clutch playoff field goals in Vikings history.

If Colquitt is ousted this preseason, free agents like Thomas Morstead and Chris Jones are available. Even Von Rosenberg could get a phone call.

This press release was produced by Vikings Territory .The views expressed here are the author’s own.