Florio likes to say. When a team moves on from one of its cornerstone players. Other teams should take notice that the player is not what he was.
Kelly will be 32 when the season starts. He missed the final 4 games in 2024 with a neck injury and soreness in his surgically repaired(2023) knee. The colts drafted a wisconsin kid to replace kelly in the 2024 draft- Bortoloni,and by most accounts, his similar size, college film etc produced similar 1st year success as the 10 time probowler kelly produced as a rookie. Bortoloni was a 4th round pick btw.

Is kelly, at 32. An upgrade over Bradburry? Yeah probably when healthy. What perhaps is more important is the example he can set for any youngster to come in and learn while kelly is a viking. Idk that Bradburry can teach anyone about technique and game prep. We never witnessed consistency from #56.

A key difference between minnesota and the colts. The vikings run mostly outside zone in their ground game. The colts ran mostly inside zone and read option with a split zone acheme where the Te's & wr's take on edge defenders instead of a center or guard stretching so far outside.
Bradburry and the centers before him were/ are required to gain leverage on defenders with more athleticism in that outside scheme. Is it any wonder there was much failure? The league caught up to that scheme a few years back when it went to faster lbers and hybrid safety/lber.

Kelly cannot play that role. You cant expect him to pull out and get to the outside lane, while the guard blocks down.

Perhaps? I certainly hope so. Signing Kelly sognals a tweak in the offense that will also pair better with the #1 pick qb. Insude zone runs off of read option play design. The vikings tried a tiny bit of read option with darnold. But I dont think teams ever really bought Darnold pulling the ball in & taking it himself.

The read option is the substitute play inside the spread scheme. For play action in the pro-set.
Both are designed to hold lbers & or cause lbers to crash down & free up the center of the field for quick passes.

We saw Darnold in play action. He was terrible. When he turned back around off the play faje, he iften panicked & ran backwards another 5-10 yards before taking a huge sack.
Play action does not work anymore!!! Not with spread qb's. Theyve never run it. JJ mccarthy will be just as bad.

Kelly signals- I Hope- the transition away from play action to full time rpo & read option. Bradburry hindered thatvtransition bc he just get blown up time & again at the point of attack.


So? Its a subtle change perhaps to the eye of the fan. Pro set to spread. Its a huge change for the players. In the ability to draft guys that are familar to the skills needed to run the scheme.

Please let it be the case. The vikings offense finally entering the 21st century.

Back when lbers were 240-260lb downhill thumpers.
That outside zone scheme was viking bread & butter. Those days are over! Lbers play to shoot seams, avoid blocks & traffic with speed, quickness & agility. The more the league changes, the more ut stays the same. Defenses are now vulnerable up the middle. IF..IF...
The o-line is big/strong enough to win at POA!

Also, if your successful with an inside run game. Do you know what defenses cant do?
Get creative with delayed looping stunts. More than 1 50yard td gallop is caused by calling that inside zone run vs a delayed stunt front. The hole becomes 10 yards wide.

I sure hope Cam Robinson stays a viking!
There is much interior o line beef in this draft. I wouldnt be upset if the vikings use every pick in this draft on big ol cornfed boys with a nasty demeanor. If you have the trenches manned with maulers- everything else fills in nicely.