MANKATO, Minn. — The Vikings have wrapped up training camp practices in Mankato before starting the 2017 season.
On Wednesday the team will head to Orchard Park, New York, to take on the Buffalo Bills for the first game of the preseason.
Many national experts visited Verizon Vikings Training Camp to assess the 2017 outlook for Minnesota. The experts also took a moment to share their takes with Vikings.com's Mike Wobschall.
Here are six of the best quotes from the experts on what they think about the Vikings hopes.
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Sirius XM NFL Radio's Brady Quinn on Vikings Super Bowl hopes**
"From playing in the NFL, every team talks about winning a Super Bowl at the beginning of the season. This team legitimately can say that, and they can mean it. Because of their defense and because of the continuity they have on offense and because of the additions they made in free agency and in the draft. I have high expectations for this team. I think it's going to be a very competitive NFC North. I think they have the ability to take it all the way. They just have to go out and prove that they can do it."
NFL Media's Bucky Brooks on Dalvin Cook
"I think he's special. He was one of my favorite running backs in the draft. I think he's one of these unique guys in terms of being a three-down back. A guy that is one of these hybrids like LeVeon Bell and David Johnson. Being able to run the ball between the tackles and outside on the perimeter, but also be a major factor in the passing game."
ESPN's Kevin Seifert on Sam Bradford's accuracy
"What I think about him is he has one skill that every team looks for in a quarterback, and that's accuracy. It's not something you can teach. It's something that maybe you can polish a little bit. Its something that maybe you can call plays to emphasize where he's accurate. It's the basic thing for a quarterback. You have to get the ball where it needs to be, no matter how great your receivers are or how great your line is or how great your running backs are. It's not going to matter because he has that. That is something the Vikings can build on. They have a guy with a specific elite skill that they can build around."
NFL Network's Steve Mariucci on facing a Mike Zimmer defense
"Mike has been in the National Football League for 24 years. He's been in the league that long, and he's been the coordinator on defense for 14 years and a head coach now in his fourth (year). He's been around the block. He has grown this defense every year that he has been here. When you play against a Mike Zimmer defense, you know it's not always exotic. It's not 8,000 blitzes but it can be. It's versatile enough that, if he chooses to do that, he can bring it with a lot of variation. But you always know that they are well coached. They are a disciplined bunch."
NFL Network's Andrew Siciliano on Teddy Bridgewater's fight
"Just to see a smile on his face, to see him and hear him for the first time since last August be pretty open but at the same time talk about how his mother's fight and battle against cancer has inspired him to be a fighter. I thought that was great."
MMQB's Albert Breer on the offensive line
"I think you look at it right now, and (the Vikings) are probably the most balanced team in the division. Detroit has a chance to be explosive offensively, but they have some questions on defense. If you look at the Packers, it's the same thing. The Packers are going to be really good offensively. They have questions defensively. I think you look at the division, and there's depth there like there has been the last few years, but I think where the Vikings strength is in their balance."
