The Facts: One theme of the offseason in Minnesota has been Vikings players sharing good feelings about the change in head coaches from Mike Zimmer to Kevin O’Connell and Thielen has jumped on that bandwagon. “It’s been great. When you hear about the news, you kind of look back at the track record and you look back at what they did, and you’re excited, right? But then you get in here, you start learning the system and you start getting on the field,” Thielen said. “Really, when you get on the field and you start running through stuff, you’re like ‘man, this is fun. This is exciting.’"
Diehards Line:
Thielen dealt with an ankle injury that caused him to miss several games late last season, but said in an interview with KMSP that he has no lingering issues with the injury. He added that he feels fresh and energetic since O’Connell has taken the reins because “the culture that’s been created here is just a breath of fresh air. ...” The Vikings have finished outside of the playoff picture the last two seasons and the clearest sign that they’ve really turned the page will come once that drought is put to rest. As PFT suggests, if the good feelings of the offseason prove sustainable, that could come as soon as this year.