Minnesota Vikings wide receiver Greg Jennings mentoring younger players
By Mike Dyce
The Minnesota Vikings have a coach in George Stewart who has a sterling reputation for developing talented receivers like Terrell Owens. The Vikings are trying to bolster their wide receiver group signing veteran Greg Jennings and drafting Cordarrelle Patterson. Aside from the leadership of Stewart, Jennings is also taking on a role mentoring the younger receivers.
“There are times he will get up in the meeting and sit next to Patterson, then sit next to (Jarius) Wright or a young free agent,” Stewart says. “And he’s not doing it for show. He’s doing it because he cares.”
Joe Webb is changing positions from quarterback to receiver and leans on Jennings for advice.
“I ask him all the time,” Webb says. ” ‘Hey, Greg, what did you think about that?’ ”
Wright says Jennings has taught him to be vary his speed to fool opposing defenders.
“One thing Greg has taught me is to slow down and be patient with my route running,” Wright says. “I don’t always have to do it quick and use my speed all the time.”
It could be a difficult task for a player trying to learn a new offense but he isn’t worried about it.
“I’ve been around the block for eight years now, so I have some experience. It’s a young team, a young group I’m working with,” Jennings said, via the St. Paul Pioneer Press. “The faster I get those guys up to speed …”
These are lessons he learned from Donald Driver as a young receiver.
“The one thing (Driver) shared with me when I was younger is the speed thing,” Jennings says. “And as a guy in the slot, you understand that. You have to see what’s going on and how the defense is developing.
“In the slot, you have to read the entire defense.”