Though rookie Will Reichard won the kicking competition with relative ease, the Vikings still have a punting competition on their hands. It features the incumbent Ryan Wright, who struggled at times last season, taking on the challenger Seth Vernon, who has turned heads throughout training camp at TCO Performance Center.

Both players should get a chance to prove themselves on Saturday afternoon at U.S. Bank Stadium when the Vikings host the Las Vegas Raiders in a preseason game.

Asked how he planned to split up the reps between Wright and Vernon, special teams coordinator Matt Daniels noted that rotating every other punt is probably the best way to go about it. That reduces the chances of either player getting a majority of the reps if the Vikings punt a lot during a particular stretch.

“The idea is to give each guy equal opportunity,” Daniels said. “It’ll be good throwing different situations at guys and seeing how they respond to them.”

The main reason the Vikings have instituted a punting competition in training camp is because Wright left something to be desired last season. He had a very hard time keeping the ball out of the end zone, finishing with a touchback percentage of 11.9 percent, which was among the worst in the NFL.

There were a few times last season that the Vikings had the option of going for it, attempting a long field goal, or trying to pin an opposing team deep in the shadow of their own goal post.

“We just didn’t show up in those situations,” Daniels said. “That’s something we’ve been really focusing on.”

As for Vernon, he comes to the Vikings after spending some time with the Atlanta Falcons earlier in his career.

“He’s got unbelievable leg talent,” Daniels said. “I think for him it’s about becoming better with situations. He’s raw in terms of, ‘What type of situation is it? What type of ball do I truly need to hit?’ Because each situation requires guys to hit a specific ball.”

There’s also the layer of which player is going to be holding for Reichard on field goal attempts moving forward. Most of the reps have gone to Wright so far in training camp with Daniels vowing to let Vernon do some holding in the very near future.

“I’m kind of doing a disservice to him,” Daniels said. “I need to give him more opportunities to allow him to gain some confidence and develop a good chemistry with Will being that holder. Obviously punting is important. I also think being a holder for a rookie kicker is of the utmost importance.”

It will be interesting to see how everything plays out this weekend.

Related Articles

Vikings rookie quarterback J.J. McCarthy excited for first game. Even if it’s only preseason.

Vikings haven’t discussed contract extensions with Kevin O’Connell or Kwesi Adofo-Mensah

Check out the Vikings’ unofficial depth chart entering Saturday’s exhibition opener

Vikings receiver Jordan Addison formally charged with pair of misdemeanors

Which players have stood out at Vikings training camp so far?

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Steve Martin’s next role will not be the Midwestern politician the internet hoped he’d portray.

With Maya Rudolph’s wildly popular impression of Kamala Harris on “Saturday Night Live,” fans clamored to see who the late-night comedy show would pick to play Harris’ new running mate, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz.

With similar hairstyles and their signature glasses, many fans quickly drew comparisons between Walz and Martin, who’s been a frequent “SNL” guest but never a formal cast member.

The Los Angeles Times reported Wednesday that “SNL” producer Lorne Michaels called Martin to offer him the role on the upcoming 50th season, premiering Sept. 28, which he declined.

“I wanted to say no and, by the way, he wanted me to say no,” Martin said. “I said, ‘Lorne, I’m not an impressionist. You need someone who can really nail the guy.’ I was picked because I have gray hair and glasses.”

Although Martin initially leaned into the fun, writing on social platform Threads that he “just learned that Tim Walz wants to go on the road with Marty Short,” he also noted the impression comes with a long-term commitment of performing on the show.

“It’s ongoing,” Martin told the Times. “It’s not like you do it once and get applause and never do it again. Again, they need a real impressionist to do that. They’re gonna find somebody really, really good. I’d be struggling.”

Rudolph, for her part, will reportedly reprise her Emmy-winning role on the show as Kamala Harris, and she seems to understand the undertaking. Deadline reported that Rudolph pushed the shooting schedule for the comedy series “Loot” from August to January to accommodate playing the role through the election season. Rudolph executive produces and stars in the series.

The “Bridesmaids” actor first played “America’s funt” – or “fun aunt” – on “SNL” in 2019 when Harris was running for president and continued with the role after she was announced as Joe Biden’s running mate.

Related Articles

Column: The highlights and lowlights of watching the Olympics so far

KARE 11’s Boyd Huppert to undergo cutting-edge T-cell procedure in his ongoing blood cancer battle

‘Elizabeth Taylor: The Lost Tapes’ review: Newly discovered tapes from 1964 paint a riveting picture

What to stream: Scale new heights with ‘Mountain Queen: The Summits of Lhakpa Sherpa’

What to watch: ‘Deadpool & Wolverine’ might have just saved Marvel Cinematic Universe

At long last, rookie quarterback J.J. McCarthy will suit up for the Vikings on Saturday afternoon at U.S. Bank Stadium. Though the game itself won’t count toward anything, it will signal the start of a new chapter for McCarthy, as well as a turning of the page for the Vikings after selecting him with the No. 10 pick in the 2024 NFL Draft.

“No matter what, playing in U.S. Bank Stadium, there’s always going to be sizzle,” McCarthy said. “Just hearing about it and feeling the energy of this fan base, I know that it’s going to be a live environment.”

It’s still unclear if veteran quarterback Sam Darnold will play at any point in the preseason. In the past, coach Kevin O’Connell has opted against playing his starters, and if he decides to stick with the trend, McCarthy could see a lot of playing time over the next few weeks.

What is he most looking forward to seeing?

“Just a vanilla defense,” McCarthy said with a laugh. “Honestly.”

That was a reference to some of the exotic looks defensive coordinator Brian Flores has been presenting throughout training camp at TCO Performance Center. As frustrating as it’s been for McCarthy to navigate at times, he understands that it’s an important part of his development.

“It’s just going to make things in the season a whole lot easier,” McCarthy said. “I’m thankful for that defense every single day.”

Truthfully, McCarthy has been very impressive to this point, displaying immense growth from the spring to the summer. He looks more much comfortable throwing the ball in training camp, for example, compared to when he was reworking his fundamentals in organized team activities. He’s also showcased a knowledge of the playbook that comes as a result of hours upon hours of studying on his own.

The next step for McCarthy is translating that onto the field during a game.

“Just making sure all the little intricacies that go into each and every rep show up,” McCarthy said when asked what he’s focused on heading into the game. “Just being able to lock in to the level of my training that I’ve been doing on a consistent basis since I got here and to be able to do it when the time matters.”

As much as he wants to perform at a high level when he steps onto the field, McCarthy also vowed to soak in the moment as best he could. He referenced a phrase he his former head coach Jim Harbaugh used to utter during their time together at Michigan: “The days are long. The years are short.”

That’s something McCarthy can relate to now that he’s made it.

“Just being here for four months, it’s felt like four days,” McCarthy said. “I’m having an absolute blast.”

That will continue this weekend.

“I can’t wait to go out there with the boys and put on display what we’ve been doing since April,” McCarthy said. “It’s going to be a lot of fun.”

Related Articles

Vikings haven’t discussed contract extensions with Kevin O’Connell or Kwesi Adofo-Mensah

Check out the Vikings’ unofficial depth chart entering Saturday’s exhibition opener

Vikings receiver Jordan Addison formally charged with pair of misdemeanors

Which players have stood out at Vikings training camp so far?

The next Ivan Pace Jr.? Vikings already having more success with undrafted free agents

By MICHAEL PHILLIS

ST. LOUIS (AP) — For the first time in roughly 40 years, the Environmental Protection Agency used its emergency authority to halt the sale of a weed-killing pesticide that harms the development of unborn babies.

Officials took the rare step because the pesticide DCPA, or Dacthal, could cause irreversible damage to fetuses, including impaired brain development and low birthweight. The agency struggled to obtain vital health data from the pesticide’s manufacturer on time and decided it was not safe to allow continued sale, EPA said in an announcement Tuesday.

“In this case, pregnant women who may never know they were exposed could give birth to babies that experience irreversible lifelong health problems,” said Michal Freedhoff, assistant administrator for EPA’s Office of Chemical Safety and Pollution Prevention.

DCPA is mostly used on broccoli, cabbage and certain other crops.

In 2023, the EPA assessed the pesticide’s risks and found it was dangerous even if a worker wore personal protective equipment. The manufacturer had instructed people to stay off fields where the pesticide had been applied for 12 hours, but agency officials said it could linger at dangerous levels for more than 25 days.

The pesticide is made by AMVAC Chemical Corp. The company did not immediately return a request for comment late Wednesday. In comments to the EPA earlier this year, the company said new protocols could help keep people safe. It proposed longer waiting periods before workers enter fields where the pesticide was applied and limits on how much of the chemical could be handled.

Federal officials said the company’s proposed changes weren’t enough. The emergency order was necessary because the normal review process would take too long and leave people at risk, according to the agency’s statement.

___

The Associated Press receives support from the Walton Family Foundation for coverage of water and environmental policy. The AP is solely responsible for all content. For all of AP’s environmental coverage, visit https://apnews.com/hub/climate-and-environment