Post by Deleted on Oct 23, 2014 10:40:16 GMT -6
McKinnon's elusiveness was never in question. His nickname in college was Jet, and his 40-yard dash at the NFL scouting combine — 4.41 seconds — was the second-fastest among participating running backs.
What hadn't been proven was the 5-foot-9, 210-pounder's ability to run between the tackles. So last week, before the Vikings faced what was then the league's leading defense against the run at Buffalo, coach Mike Zimmer challenged the running backs to improve their production after the first contact by an average of 3 yards. McKinnon passed the test.
This season, his average per carry after contact is 2.6 yards, according to STATS research. That's good for third in the NFL for players with 30 or more attempts, behind the New York Jets' Chris Ivory (3.0) and Chris Johnson (2.7).
"I just try to keep my legs moving, not go down easily, not be tackled after one tackle," McKinnon said. "Sometimes I came up short of that, but it's something that I'll keep working at. I feel like it's only going to get better."
McKinnon isn't just a run-around-the-end ball carrier, either. He's averaging 6.8 yards on 27 rushing attempts through the middle, according to STATS.
"Whenever the ball is in his hand, he's going to make a play. The first guy doesn't usually bring him down in the open field," quarterback Teddy Bridgewater said. "He's a guy who's very exciting to watch and very exciting to be in the backfield with. He's going to do some great things for this team."
What hadn't been proven was the 5-foot-9, 210-pounder's ability to run between the tackles. So last week, before the Vikings faced what was then the league's leading defense against the run at Buffalo, coach Mike Zimmer challenged the running backs to improve their production after the first contact by an average of 3 yards. McKinnon passed the test.
This season, his average per carry after contact is 2.6 yards, according to STATS research. That's good for third in the NFL for players with 30 or more attempts, behind the New York Jets' Chris Ivory (3.0) and Chris Johnson (2.7).
"I just try to keep my legs moving, not go down easily, not be tackled after one tackle," McKinnon said. "Sometimes I came up short of that, but it's something that I'll keep working at. I feel like it's only going to get better."
McKinnon isn't just a run-around-the-end ball carrier, either. He's averaging 6.8 yards on 27 rushing attempts through the middle, according to STATS.
"Whenever the ball is in his hand, he's going to make a play. The first guy doesn't usually bring him down in the open field," quarterback Teddy Bridgewater said. "He's a guy who's very exciting to watch and very exciting to be in the backfield with. He's going to do some great things for this team."
... and neither is this Chris guy.