As morning walk-through ended Wednesday, Vikings coach Mike Zimmer brought the team to midfield and introduced a speaker: former Vikings' great Alan Page.
Zimmer said he likes to bring in team alums to speak with players, and Page, a Minnesota Supreme Court justice, is a member of the college and pro football halls of fame.
"He talked about what it takes to win and what it takes to be a great player," Zimmer said.
Defensive end Brian Robison acknowledged the some of the players might not have known about Page, a defensive tackle who retired after the 1981 season, but the message was important.
"He told us to always strive for excellence," Robison said. "You want to be the best person you can be. ... It's good for our younger players to to get to know some of the older players."
Zimmer said that he hasn't put any number on the amount of time the starters will play in Friday's preseason game against Oakland.
"I told them to be ready to play the whole game if I feel like it," he said.
Though that's unlikely, he did say that Matt Cassell will be the starting quarterback, but rookie Teddy Bridgewater will get some time with the starters.
"I want our players to be able to play fast and not think about their assignment," Zimmer said. "We'll be very basic in everything we do. We're trying to evaluate our players on their athletic ability."
Robison said he hopes the defense can execute perfectly, or it could be a long night.
"Coach told us that we'll keep playing until he figures things are right," Robison said. "Hopefully, we'll execute right off the bat and get out of there."
Zimmer said that the team will practice in shells Wednesday afternoon, giving the players a break. He must have been happy with Tuesday's practice. He said in the last couple days, he's noticed that the defense is doing a better job with alignments and assignments.
"If they make me happy, I'll make them happy," Zimmer said.
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