Before this spring, Minnesota is all Adam Thielen has known. He was born in Detroit Lakes, Minn., he attended Detroit Lakes High School and Minnesota State University and played all nine of his NFL seasons with the Minnesota Vikings.
So, maybe we can give him a pass for the little mistake he made on Wednesday.
“Yeah, it’s gonna be interesting,” Thielen said when asked about matching up against the Vikings this week. “It’s already been a little bit weird, honestly. Startin’ the game plan, talkin’ about the defense and then seein’ ’em on tape. I’ve never, obviously, game-planned for our defense—or the Vikings defense, I should say.”
Thielen, who signed a three-year deal with Carolina this offseason, spent a decade of his professional career in Minnesota. Over that time, he amassed 534 receptions, 6,682 yards and 55 touchdowns along with a pair of Pro Bowl nods.
Luckily for the Panthers, Thielen looked to be in that all-star form this past Sunday. The 33-year-old, in Carolina’s 37-27 loss to the Seattle Seahawks, reeled in a game-high 11 grabs for 145 yards and a score.
And luckily for Adam, he’s not the only one in his household trying to navigate through the transition.
“My youngest son—his flag football team is actually the Vikings,” he later added about his family getting used to the change. “So when he found out he was on the Vikings, he’s like, ‘What? You can’t cheer for me now ’cause I’m on the Vikings?’ I had to explain to him that I could still cheer for him.”
Well, that seems sweet—as long as his son is not cheering for the Vikings (the NFL ones) on Sunday.
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