Written by Sam Ekstrom
When Jasper Brinkley signed a two-year contract with the Arizona Cardinals in March of 2013, it appeared like his days with the Vikings were over. Minnesota wasn’t pleased with Brinkley’s pass coverage, and the team was ready to move forward with Erin Henderson at middle linebacker.
One never knows when things might come full circle, however. Brinkley served as a back-up to Daryl Washington in Arizona and was released in a cost-cutting measure after the season, while Henderson was released from the Vikings in February after a DWI arrest. At that point, the re-marriage of Brinkley to the Vikings made sense, and he was signed to a one-year, $830,000 contract in March.
Brinkley said he had dreamed of being reunited with the Vikings – literally.
“One thing that I told Jamarca [Sanford] last year towards the end of the season, I told him I had a dream about playing in purple again,” said Brinkley. “It’s crazy how the Good Man upstairs can make things work sometimes. I got the call, and I was back without any questions.”
Brinkley may be in a better position to succeed this time around with the Vikings. The fifth-round pick played four years in Minnesota and made his name as an above-average run stuffer but an underwhelming pass defender. Now, he has the aid of massive nose tackle Linval Joseph to slow the rushing attack and allow Brinkley to focus more on the pass.
“It allows the backers to float,” Brinkley said. “Linval is a big guy. He creates a lot of movement up front, he creates disruption up front. Makes it easier on the ‘Mike’ linebacker.”
Athletic rookie Anthony Barr will also alleviate the pressure on Brinkley. Having Barr, a former running back, covering tight ends on the strong side will be a huge boost in pass coverage. Brinkley is impressed by Barr’s versatility in his first season.
“Phenomenal, fast,” Brinkley said of Barr. “He can put his hand in the dirt, he can stand up and play off the ball. It’s great. You don’t find many guys like that.”
Brinkley’s one-year hiatus in Arizona wasn’t as fruitful as the South Carolina grad had hoped, but it gave him important mentorship from NFL veteran Karlos Dansby, who excels in pass coverage. The linebacker has 15 interceptions in his 10-year career.
“Karlos Dansby, a guy who’s played in the league a while,” said Brinkley. “I just continue to keep learning form a guy like that. He’s great. Just continue to learn from those older heads.”
It doesn’t hurt a bit that Brinkley gets to have a new experience with a different coaching staff and start with a relatively clean slate in Minnesota. His first impression on new coach Mike Zimmer has been positive, and it earned him the no. 1 middle linebacker spot in advance of Friday’s preseason game.
“Brinkley’s doing a great job of getting people lined up,” said Zimmer. “He’s doing a great job anticipating. I think he’s catching on to the system pretty well.”
“His alignments are good, he’s getting in the right places, he’s got some thump when he hits you,” Zimmer continued.
Brinkley is 6-foot-1 and a touch over 250 pounds, making him one of the heaviest linebackers on the roster. His run-stopping prowess made him good for 62 tackles in 2012, fourth best on a Vikings team that made the playoffs.
Now he would like to add some interceptions to his résumé. Brinkley has never picked off a pass in the NFL, but he’s now on a Mike Zimmer defense that saw 12 different players make interceptions last year in Cincinnati, including four different linebackers.
“It’s linebacker friendly,” said Brinkley of Zimmer’s scheme. “When I was here before, we played basically a Cover-2, so the middle linebacker has to run down the middle of the field. Now the linebacker’s more involved in the coverages.”
Between the additions of Barr and Joseph, Dansby’s mentorship and Zimmer’s new plan, Brinkley may find himself in exactly the right spot as he looks to revive his career. He’s put himself in a great position entering preseason game no. 1.
“I just come on the field everyday like it’s an interview,” Brinkley said. “Every practice is an interview, so you’ve got to put your best foot forward every day.”
| Sam Ekstrom is a staff writer for Cold Omaha at 105 The Ticket. He has previously served as a play-by-play broadcaster in Iowa and South Dakota and has covered Minnesota sports since 2012. Follow him on Twitter @SamEkstrom for further insights. |