Irv Smith Jr. out for start of season

[J. Kapp 11]

Why can’t we have nice things?

The Vikings are preparing to start the season without tight end Irv Smith Jr.

Smith is expected to have surgery for a meniscus injury and miss the start of the regular season, according to Tom Pelissero of NFL Network.

https://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2 ... s-surgery/

[Maelstrom88]

Define start of the season...

[J. Kapp 11]

Define start of the season...

Word I’ve read is out 4-6 weeks. Two weeks till the first game, so the math says Week 3 at the earliest.

[StanM]

Define start of the season...

I had the same question and did a search. There are two common procedures, one is 3-4 weeks and the other takes six months to recover from. Based on the press release I assume it will be 3-4 weeks and the season is still two weeks out. That would put his return at week two or three. It’s not ideal but they’ll just have to plan around his absence.

[FullWood]

Tough break!! Next man up!

[RandyMoss84]

I would not be surprised if Vikings trade for Zach Ertz if Conklin does not work out

[J. Kapp 11]

Define start of the season...

I had the same question and did a search. There are two common procedures, one is 3-4 weeks and the other takes six months to recover from. Based on the press release I assume it will be 3-4 weeks and the season is still two weeks out. That would put his return at week two or three. It’s not ideal but they’ll just have to plan around his absence.

Chad Graf of The Athletic is reporting “multiple games.” That’s the most detailed answer I can find so far.

[StanM]

I had the same question and did a search. There are two common procedures, one is 3-4 weeks and the other takes six months to recover from. Based on the press release I assume it will be 3-4 weeks and the season is still two weeks out. That would put his return at week two or three. It’s not ideal but they’ll just have to plan around his absence.

Chad Graf of The Athletic is reporting “multiple games.” That’s the most detailed answer I can find so far.

If the season was already underway he would miss more games. I’m not a doctor and don’t have any information aside from researching miniscus surgery and seeing what the average recovery time is. Healing from invasive procedures is an individual thing that depends on the type of surgery and the individuals ability to heal. Mileage may vary but at least we have an idea what to expect.

[VikingLord]

Chad Graf of The Athletic is reporting “multiple games.” That’s the most detailed answer I can find so far.

If the season was already underway he would miss more games. I’m not a doctor and don’t have any information aside from researching miniscus surgery and seeing what the average recovery time is. Healing from invasive procedures is an individual thing that depends on the type of surgery and the individuals ability to heal. Mileage may vary but at least we have an idea what to expect.

The way I look at it, Tyler Conklin has a chance to be a star right now. Rudolph is gone, Smith is out, the Vikings love to run Cook and the TE is a super important piece of the offense for both run blocking and passing. He's got a chance to shine.

[StumpHunter]

If the season was already underway he would miss more games. I’m not a doctor and don’t have any information aside from researching miniscus surgery and seeing what the average recovery time is. Healing from invasive procedures is an individual thing that depends on the type of surgery and the individuals ability to heal. Mileage may vary but at least we have an idea what to expect.

The way I look at it, Tyler Conklin has a chance to be a star right now. Rudolph is gone, Smith is out, the Vikings love to run Cook and the TE is a super important piece of the offense for both run blocking and passing. He's got a chance to shine.

I kind of like Conklin better anyway. Smith is not a big target like most prototypical TEs and Conklin just plays bigger.

[J. Kapp 11]

If the season was already underway he would miss more games. I’m not a doctor and don’t have any information aside from researching miniscus surgery and seeing what the average recovery time is. Healing from invasive procedures is an individual thing that depends on the type of surgery and the individuals ability to heal. Mileage may vary but at least we have an idea what to expect.

The way I look at it, Tyler Conklin has a chance to be a star right now. Rudolph is gone, Smith is out, the Vikings love to run Cook and the TE is a super important piece of the offense for both run blocking and passing. He's got a chance to shine.

He does. But there’s a problem.

The Vikings run more 2-tight end sets than any team in the NFL. Now they’re going to have to re-evaluate that for the time Irv is out because Dillon and Davidson simply don’t cut it as NFL tight ends. Not yet.

So I wonder … does our 34-year-old first-year OC, whose offense scored two TDs in three preseason games, have the ability to run an effective offense using 2-back or 3-WR sets a majority of the time? And for that matter, do we actually have a competent third WR?

You know I’m typically an optimist. But I can’t see a lot of positives in a situation where we lose our best player at a position that’s thin to begin with. Hopefully Smith heals quickly.

[CharVike]

The way I look at it, Tyler Conklin has a chance to be a star right now. Rudolph is gone, Smith is out, the Vikings love to run Cook and the TE is a super important piece of the offense for both run blocking and passing. He's got a chance to shine.

He does. But there’s a problem.

The Vikings run more 2-tight end sets than any team in the NFL. Now they’re going to have to re-evaluate that for the time Irv is out because Dillon and Davidson simply don’t cut it as NFL tight ends. Not yet.

So I wonder … does our 34-year-old first-year OC, whose offense scored two TDs in three preseason games, have the ability to run an effective offense using 2-back or 3-WR sets a majority of the time? And for that matter, do we actually have a competent third WR?

You know I’m typically an optimist. But I can’t see a lot of positives in a situation where we lose our best player at a position that’s thin to begin with. Hopefully Smith heals quickly.

Smith is a big lose for us. Conklin has developed nicely but he lacks Smith's movement which was something a defense needed to prepare for. Week 1 will be less of an impact than later on. We can throw in a backup OL guy as a TE to help with run blocking. As for a WR no 3 I guess Beebe is the guy. Certainly not what you want even for a smurf. Or maybe Osborn perhaps he has improved.

[VikingLord]

The way I look at it, Tyler Conklin has a chance to be a star right now. Rudolph is gone, Smith is out, the Vikings love to run Cook and the TE is a super important piece of the offense for both run blocking and passing. He's got a chance to shine.

I kind of like Conklin better anyway. Smith is not a big target like most prototypical TEs and Conklin just plays bigger.

I think Conklin is a guy who could thrive in a featured role. He might not be as explosive as Smith in terms of route running and getting down the field, but he's an excellent blocker and a big target.

Kapp brought up a good point about the Vikings liking their 2 TE sets. Hopefully they can find a way to work with one primary TE while Smith recovers, but I still think this is a golden opportunity for Conklin to show what he can do as the featured TE.

[VikingsVictorious]

I kind of like Conklin better anyway. Smith is not a big target like most prototypical TEs and Conklin just plays bigger.

I think Conklin is a guy who could thrive in a featured role. He might not be as explosive as Smith in terms of route running and getting down the field, but he's an excellent blocker and a big target.

Kapp brought up a good point about the Vikings liking their 2 TE sets. Hopefully they can find a way to work with one primary TE while Smith recovers, but I still think this is a golden opportunity for Conklin to show what he can do as the featured TE.

Is Conklin even healthy?

[CharVike]

I think Conklin is a guy who could thrive in a featured role. He might not be as explosive as Smith in terms of route running and getting down the field, but he's an excellent blocker and a big target.

Kapp brought up a good point about the Vikings liking their 2 TE sets. Hopefully they can find a way to work with one primary TE while Smith recovers, but I still think this is a golden opportunity for Conklin to show what he can do as the featured TE.

Is Conklin even healthy?

"Sometimes you think you feel good and then you want to go out there and test it. So you just don't test," Conklin said. "You take the time that you have to make it feel better, and we'll be all good Week 1." This was from 8/30
Sounds like he's ok.