vike daddy Posted May 31, 2023 Share Posted May 31, 2023 Rick Spielman now writes — quite frequently — for The 33rd Team, an NFL think-tank and analysis site that has really taken off in the last year. This week, Spielman and former NFL coach Dave Wannstedt detailed ‘breakout’ players for the upcoming 2023 season, and for the Vikings, it’s running back Alexander Mattison, according to Spielman. Spielman: “All the signs point to Mattison being the lead back in Minnesota this season. I was with the Vikings when we drafted Mattison in the third round out of Boise State in 2019. Every time he has gotten his opportunity to be on the field, he has made plays in the run game and in the passing game. He’s always been behind Cook, who is still an explosive playmaker. If Cook is not in Minnesota, he will play somewhere else. The Vikings must feel strongly that Mattison could step in and carry the load. When he’s played, he’s averaged more than 100 yards combined rushing and receiving. He’s an excellent football player, and he’s an even better person and a high-character guy. He works extremely hard, and if he gets his opportunity to be running back No. 1, watch out. He will be the next very good Minnesota Vikings running back.” Mattison averages 4.6 yards per touch in his career, and if the Vikings afford Mattison a Cook-like workload of 300 touches in 2023, he’ll fetch about 1,400 yards from scrimmage. Of course, Minnesota could lean into a full RB-by-committee with Ty Chandler and rookie DeWayne McBride, but that’s merely a May theory. https://vikingsterritory.com/2023/news/opinion/particularly-high-on?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=facebook Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vike daddy Posted May 31, 2023 Author Share Posted May 31, 2023 Minnesota ranked 28th in rushing attempts (404), 27th in rushing yards (1,661) and 26th in yards per rush (4.11) in 2022. More problematic, perhaps, was the fact that Minnesota had 103 rushes that gained 0 or lost yards, the fifth most in the NFL. That means the Vikings did not gain at least 1 yard on 25.5 percent of their runs. https://www.vikings.com/news/alexander-mattison-run-game-otas Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vike daddy Posted May 31, 2023 Author Share Posted May 31, 2023 O’Connell: “It’s been really good to see Alex Mattison take a few more reps and really show that all three-down kinda ownership that he’s been capable of for a long time." https://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2023/05/31/kevin-oconnell-been-really-good-to-see-alexander-mattison-take-on-three-down-role/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vike daddy Posted May 31, 2023 Author Share Posted May 31, 2023 If the Vikings did not draft DeWayne McBride one month ago, Ty Chandler would be on deck for RB2 carries (if a Dalvin Cook trade or release eventually comes to fruition). Now, however, he has to ‘worry about’ McBride, a carry-hog and productive specimen from UAB. Additionally, Chandler is old by young-RB standards. He’s 25 and older than Alexander Mattison, the Vikings probable RB1 with three more years of NFL experience than Chandler. The time is now for Chandler to make an impact in the NFL, and he lives in a crowded RB room, especially if Cook reverses course and remains a Viking. https://vikingsterritory.com/2023/news/top_news/intriguing-players?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=facebook Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wcblack34 Posted May 31, 2023 Share Posted May 31, 2023 36 minutes ago, vike daddy said: If the Vikings did not draft DeWayne McBride one month ago, Ty Chandler would be on deck for RB2 carries (if a Dalvin Cook trade or release eventually comes to fruition). Now, however, he has to ‘worry about’ McBride, a carry-hog and productive specimen from UAB. Additionally, Chandler is old by young-RB standards. He’s 25 and older than Alexander Mattison, the Vikings probable RB1 with three more years of NFL experience than Chandler. The time is now for Chandler to make an impact in the NFL, and he lives in a crowded RB room, especially if Cook reverses course and remains a Viking. https://vikingsterritory.com/2023/news/top_news/intriguing-players?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=facebook I didn't realize Chandler was that old already. Nor that he was older than Mattison. That's surprising. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vike daddy Posted May 31, 2023 Author Share Posted May 31, 2023 Ty Chandler: Born: May 12, 1998 (age 25)Nashville, Tennessee, U.S. Alexander Mattison: Born: June 19, 1998 (age 24)San Bernardino, California, U.S. same age, basically. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
swede700 Posted May 31, 2023 Share Posted May 31, 2023 6 minutes ago, wcblack34 said: I didn't realize Chandler was that old already. Nor that he was older than Mattison. That's surprising. Yep, 1 month older than Mattison. And my daughter is slightly older than both of them. 🤣 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vike daddy Posted May 31, 2023 Author Share Posted May 31, 2023 After his junior season, Mattison entered the 2019 NFL Draft. He cited his reason that "You can only play as long as your body lets you, and at this position, you can't assume it'll last forever." Mattison didn't miss a game in his college career despite needing offseason surgeries on his shoulder and ankle. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alexander_Mattison 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VikeManDan Posted May 31, 2023 Share Posted May 31, 2023 15 hours ago, vike daddy said: More problematic, perhaps, was the fact that Minnesota had 103 rushes that gained 0 or lost yards, the fifth most in the NFL. That means the Vikings did not gain at least 1 yard on 25.5 percent of their runs. Yikes, that stat is abysmal. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vike daddy Posted May 31, 2023 Author Share Posted May 31, 2023 O’Connell used three wide receiver sets on 74 percent of plays last season, according to NFL Next Gen Stats. That number will be interesting to track this year after the Vikings signed tight end Josh Oliver from Baltimore in free agency. Oliver is an outstanding blocker and the Vikings want to improve a run game that finished tied for 27th in the NFL last season with the Rams. That means the Vikings will more often use two tight ends and a running back in certain formations to create confusion about their intentions and also provide more assistance to the running game. https://vikingswire.usatoday.com/2023/05/30/vikings-kevin-oconnell-kj-osborn/?utm_campaign=trueanthem&utm_medium=trueanthem&utm_source=facebook&fbclid=IwAR2YO3Q8mf_1i461di2H4sSEil1gbmlBX7B59SX_NCuYCUyC2NkJXhZ9o58 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gopherwrestler Posted May 31, 2023 Share Posted May 31, 2023 5 hours ago, VikeManDan said: Yikes, that stat is abysmal. Definitely one stat that NEEDS to improve. Maybe that was part of bringing in Oliver as well 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vike daddy Posted June 1, 2023 Author Share Posted June 1, 2023 O’Connell praised the work of the running back group minus Dalvin Cook in OTAs (and a post-June 1 release of Cook could be coming soon). The head coach said he’s happy with Alex Mattison, Kene Nwangwu, and Ty Chandler and that rookie seventh-rounder DeWayne McBride is “coming along really well.” He added that having veteran fullback C.J. Ham in the running backs room is important as “C.J. is a critical part of our leadership group.” https://vikingsterritory.com/2023/vikings-insider/the-gm-view/5-takeaways?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=facebook Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vike daddy Posted June 15, 2023 Author Share Posted June 15, 2023 Cook was released this month, leaving the starting job to his former backup, Mattison. But who will take over Mattison’s former role? The expectation had been that 2022 fifth-round pick Ty Chandler would be second on the depth chart, with 2021 fourth-round selection Kene Nwangwu and 2023 seventh-round pick DeWayne McBride holding the third and fourth spots, respectively. It appears that assumption was premature if you go off what we saw during the minicamp. Nwangwu, who has three kickoff returns for touchdowns in his first two seasons, but has rushed for only 75 yards on 22 carries in 28 career games, appears to be the primary backup at this point. Nwangwu is listed at 6-1, 210 pounds and has outstanding speed. He ran a 4.29 40-yard dash at Iowa State’s Pro Day in March 2021. Chandler, who is 6 feet, 210 pounds, had 20 yards on six carries in three games last season. McBride is a guy the Vikings are excited about but it won’t be shocking if he ends up on the practice squad. https://vikingswire.usatoday.com/lists/vikings-mandatory-minicamp-kirk-cousins-danielle-hunter-alexander-mattison/?utm_campaign=trueanthem&utm_medium=trueanthem&utm_source=facebook&fbclid=IwAR1EtTUqwq0uCppzLn-EqHqPaM-92HEgeAkemqN1lxAej10VqfV7Wm4kz_U Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SemperFeist Posted June 15, 2023 Share Posted June 15, 2023 I would love to see Nwangwu take a major leap in his role at running back. This team needs that type of speed on the field. 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SteelKing728 Posted June 15, 2023 Share Posted June 15, 2023 2 hours ago, SemperFeist said: I would love to see Nwangwu take a major leap in his role at running back. This team needs that type of speed on the field. Even as a 3rd down back would be great. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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