Minnesota Vikings defensive tackle Linval Joseph has been out of action for three weeks, but he is ready to return to action against the Giants on Sunday.
Linval Joseph has been having an outstanding season for the Minnesota Vikings. Through 11 games in the 2015 season, he has registered 54 combined tackles, 1 forced fumble, 1 pass defense, and half a sack while clogging up the middle and disrupting the opposing team’s offense.
Sadly, that domination in the middle was cut short when Joseph was injured during the game against the Atlanta Falcons on November 29th.
Joseph spoke with Sid Hartman of the Star Tribune about his injury in a recent article and described the awkward way his injury happened.
"“I feel like I was on the field, fell down, I tried to get up to walk and couldn’t walk.” Joseph said."
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While those kind of injuries are scary for the player involved, the impact it had on the Vikings was definitely felt. During the stretch were Linval Joseph was injured, Minnesota had a 1-2 record, losing to two of the best teams in the NFC (Seattle and Arizona) in the process.
Luckily, Joseph seems to heal quickly. He’s been working hard to return to action and is optimistic that he could be on the field for Sunday night’s game against the New York Giants.
"“Actually it has felt pretty good [this week],” Joseph said. “It felt pretty good. I feel like I really haven’t lost a beat. My conditioning, I’ve been training and doing everything to stay where I’m at now, and I’m just glad to be back.”"
Linval Joseph might have a little extra motivation going into this game as well. Prior to signing with the Vikings during the 2014 offseason, the big defensive tackle was a member of the New York Giants trying to make a name for himself. However, much of the team isn’t quite the way it was when Joseph was a part of the squad.
"“I mean, playing against the Giants is playing against the Giants. I have a couple guys still on the team, but right now they’re a new team. It’s been two years. They changed coordinators, they changed a lot of players, this is a brand-new team to me. I can’t even tell my team what the Giants do anymore [offensively] because they really changed everything.”"
You might see Linval Joseph with the rest of the Minnesota Vikings when they take on the New York Giants on December 27, 2015 during the broadcast of Sunday Night Football on NBC. Check your local listings for time and availability.