ESPN analyst Jon Gruden researched for the week 4 Monday Night Football contest and his attention was drawn to #19 of the Minnesota Vikings: Adam Thielen.
It is hard to keep track of every player in the NFL. For casual fans or those who have to cover a wide variety of teams and situations, sometimes players can slip through the cracks and go unnoticed until they start making numerous big plays in high-profile games. Minnesota Vikings wide receiver Adam Thielen is one of those guys.
To casual NFL fans, they’ve never heard of Adam Thielen. But to those who follow the team closely, they’ve watched the young man make the transition from being a longshot training camp body to earning a big role on special teams and finally making his mark on the team’s offense.
Thielen has made too many big plays to not get noticed at this point. Whether he’s blocking punts, making tackles on returns, fooling teams on gimmick plays, or making huge catches, he continues to get better at everything he’s done to this point.
While researching for Monday Night Football’s contest between the Minnesota Vikings and New York Giants, ESPN analyst Jon Gruden found his attention being drawn to the young man from a small school according to the Pioneer Press.
"“I’m trying to figure out who No. 19 is,” Gruden said Thursday. “I mean, the kid’s from Minnesota State (Mankato) and he’s an undrafted guy and he’s making tough catches.”"
Adam Thielen isn’t the only one being noticed by Gruden. Offensive lineman Jeremiah Sirles drew some praise for his efforts and some hefty compliments were placed on the head coach of the Vikings.
"“I’m glad Coach Zimmer is getting some praise. He certainly deserves it. And their players are playing their butts off. They’re on a roll right now and, if I’m the Giants, I’m a little nervous.”"
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Jon Gruden will get a much better look at Adam Thielen and the rest of the Minnesota Vikings during the Monday Night Football matchup against the New York Giants on October 3, 2016. Hopefully Thielen, Sirles, and the rest of the boys in purple can keep making a good impression on everyone watching the game.