Maybe it’s in honor of the Olympics. Or maybe the guy, given what we saw last year, just likes to do it.
Either way, early in the broadcast of one of various games via NFL.com’s Preseason Live package, Vikings receiver Jerome Simpson took a quick slant pass from quarterback Christian Ponder and sprinted down the field, straight at Bills safety Jairus Byrd.
And as Simpson approached Byrd, Simpson jumped. And Byrd lunged forward. And Simpson cleared Byrd, landed, and kept running for a 34-yard gain.
Simpson will miss the first three games of the regular season, due to a suspension arising from last year’s delivery of a package full of marijuana to his Cincinnati residence.
In his final game with the Bengals, at Houston in the 2011 playoffs, Simpson pulled off a similar hurdle. Against the Cardinals during the regular season, it was a hurdle and a flip.
The Vikings finished the drive with a short touchdown pass from Ponder to fullback Jerome Felton.