EAGAN — When Luis Shine left the practice Friday before his preseason debut, little did he know he’d be trotting on an NFL field in an NFL uniform for the first time on Sunday. The Vikings will face the Las Vegas Raiders.
“I haven’t thought about it too much, but I think when I get there and it’s Showtime and the lights are on, wow, I feel like I’m really here,” Shine said.
Shine was too busy with the learning curve from college to the NFL to think about his first chance under the bright lights. In the first few weeks of camp, Sine found that no matter how good his defense was in Georgia, no matter how similar the basics of the scheme were to the Vikings, he could not emulate the complexity and flair of the pro game.
“Learning new concepts…College is not the same in terms of offense and defense,” Sine said. “Here every quarterback can do these throws and do those things, so there are some things you can’t do. You have to protect your teammates, like staying deep.”
The Vikings’ first-round pick has only really picked up a handful of first-team reps so far, working just the two alongside special teams Josh Metellus. increase. Sophomore defensive back Cam Bynum has been the only pairing with Harrison Smith so far.
Sine hasn’t played much with Smith in camp, but he’s trying to absorb as much knowledge as possible from his All-Pro teammates.
“He’s a quiet guy, but he talks to me a lot in person…I’m shocked too,” Sine said. “I get a lot of knowledge from him. It’s not all about football, it’s about life, experience and everything else. But we’re slowly becoming friends. That’s what you ask. I am a young man trying to learn from him as a veterinarian and he accepts me.”
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Sunday’s preseason game against the Raiders represents the first opportunity for the former Georgia star to show his coaching staff what he can do to the fullest outside of practice. And the all-out speed of the 4.37 40-yard dash was pretty quick, with his 10th being over a second faster than any other safety drafted this year. But that has to translate into the speed of the game that comes along with mastering the schemes and techniques of Ed Donatelle’s defense.
“He’s a focused, mature young man who focuses every day to get better,” Donatel said. “He’s learning a lot. Our veterans are helping him. Harrison, Pat P helped him along the way…he’s a very physical player and is very sudden and very fast.”
Cine’s good performance in the game could set the table for a big week in the battle for the starting job. The Vikings have a joint practice with the San Francisco 49ers next week. The San Francisco 49ers are very competitive and will greatly influence coaches’ decisions.
“Me and my coach have already spoken. Nothing will be handed to me. I have to work. I definitely understand that,” Sine said. “I know I have my place in defense and I know I can contribute somewhere.”
That location could include three safety packages that Donatel says he might use this season. In talking about his approach to camp, he said avoiding frustration was key to improvement.
“You can’t be mad at yourself. You have to understand that learning new things takes time. You have to have small successes. You can’t be hard on yourself over and over again,” Sine said. Told. “The days have piled up. I have many winning reps and I’ve lost a few. You learn from your losses as well as try not to get too down on yourself.”
“I’m still learning, but this is a marathon, not a sprint,” added Sine.
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