Erin Henderson wants his middle linebacker spot back; Bored at the Will
The Vikings moved Henderson back to weakside linebacker after Audie Cole performed well at middle linebacker, and because the Vikings play so much nickel defense, Henderson has barely been on the field. He played eight snaps against the Baltimore Ravens on Dec. 8, and got just 12 last Sunday against the Eagles, including a couple at middle linebacker after Cole got shaken up by a block.
“It was almost kind of boring, honestly,” Henderson said. “You go from being in the middle of everything and being in the mix all the time and being on the field all the downs to going back to playing the Will, which is not a glorious position at all by any stretch of the imagination. You’re coming off the field a lot of times with the nickel situations. It’s kind of been hard for me, a little tough.”
Coach Leslie Frazier said earlier this month that the Vikings moved Henderson to the middle because of “the plight we were in,” not necessarily because they envisioned Henderson as a middle linebacker, so it’s tough to see Henderson changing the team’s plans there. Henderson would like to get his spot back
“I think I’m more than capable of getting the job done,” Henderson said. “We’ll see what happens with everything and how it plays out.
I don’t know if head coach Leslie Frazier was punishing him or not, but if he was it looks like it worked.
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