Welcome to Around the Horns, our daily look at what's happening on the Minnesota Vikings beat:
The Cleveland Browns, in the view of Vikings defensive coordinator George Edwards, used some different looks against New Orleans Saints tight end Jimmy Graham to "kind of get him out of the ball game" in a 26-24 win over New Orleans last weekend.
"They changed the leverage up on him, they doubled him some, they did some different things coverage-wise," Edwards said. "You’ve got to kind of pick and choose what it is you’re going to do and what you’re trying to take away. They move him around a lot in the formations; you’ll see him out at No. 1, flexed out as a receiver. They move him around a lot. The biggest thing is, what you’re doing within the coverages to try and take away what he’s trying to do coverage-wise."
Granted, Graham caught 10 passes for 118 yards and a touchdown in the game, but his first catch didn't come until three minutes before halftime. The way Graham is playing right now, that probably has to be counted as progress.
The 6-foot-7 tight end has a league-high 18 catches in his first two games for 200 yards and a touchdown, and dealing with him might be the biggest assignment the Vikings face this weekend. As Edwards said, the Saints move Graham around enough that covering him will be a group effort; he caught three passes and a touchdown against Browns Pro Bowl cornerback Joe Haden, and also was matched up with Cleveland's linebackers and safeties. If the Vikings are without linebacker Chad Greenway because of a broken hand on Sunday, they could put linebacker Gerald Hodges (who started his college career as a safety) in Greenway's place, and Harrison Smith might spend more time in coverage than up near the line of scrimmage. Cornerback Xavier Rhodes could also draw some time against Graham. Whatever the Vikings do, controlling Graham won't be a one-man job.
"All these guys, they're going to get some catches at some point in the ballgame, no matter how much you preach," coach Mike Zimmer said. "You can't double-cover a guy every single play, for the most part, because now you can't play the running game, and they had 150 yards rushing (against Cleveland). You have to pick your spots with all of these guys. He's like a wide receiver -- he's just taller. A guy with height is always a matchup problem, especially if he can run and jump like this guy can."
In case you missed it on ESPN.com:
The Vikings released wide receiver Jerome Simpson, who could face more legal trouble for violating the terms of his probation in July.
Matt Cassel will try to keep the Vikings' passing game productive without Adrian Peterson.
Special teams coordinator Mike Priefer says he's a "better man" after returning from his two-game suspension and sensitivity training.
Kevin Seifert has an insightful look at the Vikings' ownership structure, and how the Wilf family, which wasn't planning to be front-and-center in moments like Wednesday's Adrian Peterson news conference, came to be accidental figureheads of an NFL team.
Best of the rest:
The Minneapolis Star Tribune's Michael Rand looks back at stories from when the Vikings signed Simpson (in 2012) and brought him back after a DUI arrest (in 2014), and the pronouncements the team made at the time about Simpson's character.
Cordarrelle Patterson doesn't want to be the type of receiver who demands the ball, writes Dane Mizutani of the St. Paul Pioneer Press.
Matt Asiata maintains his new role as the Vikings' top running back won't change his approach to the game, according to John Holler of Viking Update.
The Vikings are experimenting with Brian Robison's role in their defense, says Andrew Krammer of 1500ESPN.com.