Jerome Simpson had a difficult offseason before signing with the Vikings, having to serve 15 days in jail and getting suspended for three games for a drug conviction. But the reviews of Simpson’s performance on the practice field in Minnesota have been overwhelmingly positive.
Vikings offensive coordinator Bill Musgrave has called Simpson the juice the team needs, and now Vikings quarterback Christian Ponder has offered up similar praise.
“Jerome was running a dig, which is 20-yard in-route and the cushion was unbelievable because everyone’s afraid he’s going to run right by them he’s so fast,” Ponder told Ian Rapoport of NFL Network. “That just adds a whole other dimension to our offense.“
Vikings General Manager Rick Spielman called Simpson “outstanding” and added, “you can see that he’s at a different speed.”
The off-field questions about Simpson aside, there’s no question that he’s a phenomenal athlete on the field. The Vikings think he’s going to be a game changer, even though they’ll have to wait until the fourth game of the season.