Kevin O’Connell Praises Player for Being “World Class Fast” on Pivotal Play

CB2 Isaiah Rodgers is known for speed. Not even the bog that was Soldier Field’s grass could slow him down.

Kevin O’Connell chatted with the media following the game. As expected, the unusually optimistic head coach was his usual upbeat self. Part of that praise involved kicking over praise to Rodgers for still being fast enough to come off the edge to block a field goal.

Kevin O’Connell Praises CB for Being “World Class Fast”

Nobody is mistaking Rodgers (5’10” and 180 pounds) for being Xavier Rhodes (6’1″ and 218 pounds). A hulking bruiser he is not. What he is instead is somebody who boasts track-star speed. When Rodgers is moving at his fastest, the field is left with blisters.

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Part of what made Rodgers so impressive on Sunday was that he still got such burst from within less-than-ideal conditions, as O’Connell explains: “Zay getting the field goal was huge. And I have no idea how he got that kind of get off on the surface.”

Further from the skipper: “I walked out one time when [Blake Cashman] got a little banged up and my whole sneaker was in the middle of the ground about about 4 inches deep in the middle of the field. So, how he got that kind of get off, he’s world class fast.”

No doubt, that’s some high praise for Isaiah Rodgers.

More broadly, Isaiah Rodgers had a nice day at the office. The CB2 was given credit for snagging 4 tackles to stand alongside 1 fumble recovery and 1 pass defended. So, too, did he come very close to a game-sealing interception.

At the risk of being a touch obvious, the Vikings played a very close game yesterday, as the 9-3 final score demonstrates. Both the field goal block alongside the fumble recovery from Isaiah Rodgers involved keeping points off the board. Quite possibly, Rodgers was involved in a pair of plays that allowed the Vikings to win the game.

In Week 1, the Vikings’ secondary had a tough go. Jordan Love carved ’em up like a Thanksgiving turkey, finding various receivers for sizable gains (Christian Watson most prominently). Nobody in the defensive backfield should have been satisfied by that early effort.

In Week 2, the Vikings’ secondary had a much sturdier day. A lot of that improvement came down to the conditions taming the passing attack, but that’s not the whole story. Guys like Isaiah Rodgers had a much improved performance.

Minnesota will be hoping for more of that promising play as the season quickly marches forward. The Vikings are 2-0 in no small part due to a corner with elite wheels doing special things on the football field.

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