Well, it’s certainly about that time. For Minnesota Vikings fans; when it rains, it pours.
Yesterday afternoon, the Minnesota Vikings added four additional players to the Injured Reserve. While this would not typically be a concern for teams this late in the season, the nature of the injuries, and the players added to the list were quite puzzling.
First up is Michael Jenkins, the most underutilized and seemingly uninterested player on the current roster. Jenkins was fairly new to the injury report and joined a slew of Vikings that were injured during the week 12 contest with the Atlanta Falcons. His injury was reported as a “minor knee injury”, which adds to the confusion about why the Vikings decided to shut him down.
With Jenkins taking to the sideline permanently, that leaves only Percy Harvin as the most experienced wideout remaining on the active roster. Players like Greg Camarillo, Devin Aromashodu, and the recently re-acquired Stephen Burton will be relied on to support Christian Ponder as he looks to grow into a franchise QB over the next five weeks.
Two Minnesota Vikings safties also join the injured reserve. Husain Abdullah and Tyrell Johnson were both shut down. Adbullah had been battling a concussion suffered several weeks ago, while Johnson was a surprise addition and another victim of the Atlanta Falcons. Unfortunately, both players have acted as starters at safety this season. Losing both of them puts a serious strain on an already thin secondary. Sixth-round draft choice Mistral Raymond will finally be seeing some consistent playing time, and rookie corner back Brandon Burton will make his debut shortly. The Vikings reacted by signing two free agent safeties to the active roster, filling shoes that truly weren’t that tough to fill in the first place.
The final addition to the list was long-time long snapper Cullen Loeffler. Loeffler was injured during the Falcons game on a controversial block that drew intense criticism from outspoken Vikings punter Chris Kluwe (@ChrisWarcraft). The video below will outline the injury-causing block.
Vikings Long Snapper Cullen Loeffler getting blown up by Falcons
While not a household name. Loeffler has been handling the long-snapping duties for almost a decade. The Vikings signed former Wisconsin Badger Matt Katula to hand the long snapping duties for the rest of the season.
It’s been a difficult season for Purple Nation to swallow. If things keep up, Matt Kalil, the outstanding left tackle prospect from USC, will be shopping for a house in Eden Prairie early this spring.
Zennie Abraham