Minnesota Vikings: Laquon Treadwell shut out vs. Seattle
By Dan Zinski
Minnesota Vikings rookie receiver Laquon Treadwell was totally shut out in his second preseason game.
Things won’t always be so easy for Laquon Treadwell.
The rookie in his preseason debut made a nice first impression, catching four passes on five targets and leading the Vikings in receiving yardage.
Treadwell’s second preseason game was not as strong. Not even close.
Against Seattle Thursday night, Treadwell managed zero receptions on four targets.
The night’s first missed connection was perhaps an alarming sign. Treadwell was in one-on-one coverage up the left sideline but could not get separation. Shaun Hill’s delivery was overthrown and incomplete.
Those who paid attention to pre-draft scouting reports will remember that one of the knocks against Treadwell was his inability to get separation on a consistent basis.
Treadwell lacks elite speed, and despite his size he is not always great at fighting open. Treadwell can’t do anything about his speed but he can learn some techniques that might help him get more separation.
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I suggest Treadwell hook up with his pal Cris Carter for some pointers on how to push off without getting flagged.
Things obviously got off to a bad start for Treadwell and they didn’t improve much over the course of the evening.
Treadwell saw three more balls come his way in the second half but couldn’t bring any of them in.
Joel Stave missed Treadwell on another deep ball. Two short passes to Treadwell also failed to connect.
Treadwell’s inability to get open against Seattle’s backup defenders made for some nervous Vikings fans on Twitter.
Is it just me or does Treadwell look like Patterson without speed?
— Scott Korzenowski (@Skorzo60) August 19, 2016
I'm not liking what I see from Laquon Treadwell so far. He can't get any separation from the opposing corner 😒
— Immanuel Saporu (@MrManny_Fresh) August 19, 2016
Next: Zimmer mum on reason for Bridgewater night off
Treadwell needs to work hard on getting separation or there will be a lot more negative tweets flying around.
If you choose to take the glass-half-full approach, you can tell yourself that Treadwell is still very young and has lots of time to improve.
It’s also worth noting that most of Treadwell’s action this preseason has come with backup quarterbacks in the game.
Maybe when Laquon gets more work with Teddy Bridgewater he’ll show what he can do. Assuming Mike Zimmer ever feels comfortable letting Teddy play behind the Vikings’ work-in-progress offensive line.