Loeffler Fighting For Spot As Vikings' Long Snapper At Training Camp
MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) -- As a seasoned veteran in the Vikings' training camp this season, long snapper Cullen Loeffler has seen a number of coaches come and go.
"With Zimmer, it's all about football. It's been great," Loeffler said. "He's a really intense coach. He expects a lot out of you, and he gets it. He gets it out of his players. The players like to play hard for him. I think he's got us on the right trajectory, and I'm just excited to get the games rolling."
Zimmer's opinion matters for Loeffler this year, because there's competition. The coach knows what Loeffler has to do to stay with the Vikings until September.
"Cullen's got to continue to do the things that he's done," Zimmer said. "It's still going to come down to consistency. It's going to come down to some protection things. But it looks like it's a pretty good battles so far, from what I've seen. Cullen's done a great job. He's a tremendous leader and a good kid."
Training camp isn't usually such a tough place for competition among the special teams, but Loeffler says he understands and accepts the challenge.
"Competition just makes you better," Loeffler said. "It makes you focus just a little bit more on the minutia, and helps you just detail your assignment that much better."
For a veteran like Loeffler, that kind of focus comes from years of experience. Having been on such a large stage for so long, he understands what's at stake but still stays fresh.
"My mentality's never changed. It's always to come in with kind of a rookie mindset, even at my 12th training camp," he said. "That's just to find a way every day to improve a little bit more."