{"id":2053,"date":"2016-09-20T11:46:39","date_gmt":"2016-09-20T15:46:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonprofootball.com\/?p=2053"},"modified":"2016-09-21T19:56:03","modified_gmt":"2016-09-21T23:56:03","slug":"vikings-spotlight-trae-waynes","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/2016\/09\/20\/vikings-spotlight-trae-waynes\/","title":{"rendered":"Vikings Spotlight: Of All People… Trae Waynes"},"content":{"rendered":"

\u201cOf all people, Trae Waynes<\/a><\/strong>\u2026,\u201d\u00a0Al Michaels<\/a><\/strong> announced on NBC<\/strong>‘s Sunday Night Football<\/strong> as the chosen victim of Aaron Rodgers<\/a><\/strong> all but sealed the win for the Minnesota Vikings<\/strong> with less than two minutes to play.<\/p>\n

The\u00a0notion spread like wild fire that the Vikings desperately missed Xavier Rhodes<\/a><\/strong>,\u00a0and that figured to be the case as\u00a0Trae Waynes<\/strong>\u00a0performed poorly\u00a0up until the point of the interception.<\/p>\n

Rodgers threw at Waynes 14 times, completing six passes for 93 yards. This accounted for nearly 45 percent of the 213 yards of passing offense given up by Minnesota. Waynes\u00a0was also flagged for\u00a0nearly 33 percent (46 yards) of the Vikings\u2019 137 penalty yards.<\/p>\n

Despite stats indicating a sub-par outing, Trae Waynes played well for the majority of the game. The number or plays in which\u00a0he appeared over-matched were minimal. By personal count, Waynes really only had three poor plays on Sunday. Yes, only three.<\/p>\n

The Packers sought to expose a Vikings weakness: a young, inexperienced cornerback. Even when Rodgers opted to throw the ball elsewhere, the first read was towards Waynes much\u00a0of the night. During the second quarter, Cris Collinsworth<\/a><\/strong> stated Rodgers was looking to go deep. He pointed out that Waynes had \u201cperfect coverage\u201d forcing Rodgers to shift his attention elsewhere. This is only one of several\u00a0plays designed to go at Waynes that won’t show up on stat sheets.<\/p>\n

Vikings Spotlight: Of All People… Trae Waynes<\/strong><\/h2>\n

First Quarter:<\/strong>\u00a0Advantage Waynes<\/p>\n

3rd and 5 (11:22) – Rodgers tries a deep pass to Jordy Nelson<\/a><\/strong>. Waynes perfectly covers from start to finish as the pass sails out of bounds.<\/p>\n

2nd<\/span>\u00a0and Goal, one-yard line (5:44) –\u00a0Nelson runs what appears to be a slant. Waynes is initially in good position, but Nelson legally pushes off on Waynes inside of five yards, changes direction and heads towards the corner of the end zone wide open. Touchdown Packers. Waynes utilized poor techniques and leverage on this play.<\/p>\n

2nd<\/span>\u00a0and 8 (:48) \u2013 Rodgers\u2019 deep shot to Davante Adams<\/a><\/strong> flies high and out of bounds as Waynes is right in front of Adams in perfect position. Had this throw been on target, Waynes likely breaks up the pass or intercepts.<\/p>\n

Second Quarter:<\/strong>\u00a0Advantage Waynes<\/p>\n

1st<\/span>\u00a0and 10 (6:58) –\u00a0Pass is\u00a0short and incomplete to Nelson as Waynes is perfect coverage again.<\/p>\n

3rd<\/span>\u00a0and 3 (6:12) – Rodgers throws a short pass to Nelson. Waynes is\u00a0right there, but somehow the ball gets through as Nelson hauls it in. Nelson turns it into a 21-yard gain.<\/p>\n

1st<\/span>\u00a0and 10 (:27) –\u00a0Its a\u00a0Hail Mary. Waynes is in perfect coverage, but the receiver pushes off\u00a0to make the catch resulting in Offensive Pass Interference.<\/p>\n

Halftime Impressions:<\/strong>\u00a0Notwithstanding the unlucky 21-yard reception by Jordy Nelson, Waynes is playing an almost-perfect game\u00a0in coverage.<\/p>\n

Third Quarter:\u00a0<\/strong>Advantage Rodgers & Company<\/p>\n

2nd<\/span>\u00a0and 11 (13:52) –\u00a0Waynes\u00a0blankets Nelson down the sidelines. Rodgers pass flies high and out of bounds.<\/p>\n

3rd<\/span>\u00a0and 11 (13:49) – Rodgers hits Jared Cook<\/a><\/strong> for an apparent first\u00a0down. Cook runs backwards and ends up short of the marker gaining 10 yards. Expecting inside help on the play, Waynes appears to blow the coverage. Not knowing for sure, Waynes takes the heat.<\/p>\n

1st<\/span>\u00a0and 10 (10:34) \u2013\u00a0Waynes picks up a penalty for pass interference versus Cobb on the play, a 13-yarder. Collinsworth questions the call stating if that is pass interference, but there is pass interference on virtually every play. Cris was not only accurate with the call, but also sensible in believing Waynes’ temporary unraveling.<\/p>\n

2nd<\/span>\u00a0and 11 (9:25) – Rodgers pass is incomplete, but a Waynes’ hold away from the ball gives the Pack a first\u00a0down. Collinsworth starts to justifiably get on Waynes. Waynes sits out the next two plays, appearing to be benched. After the game, Mike Zimmer<\/strong> stated Waynes was simply gassed.<\/p>\n

2nd and 14 (1:12) – Rodgers airs it out to Nelson. In\u00a0good coverage, Waynes turns for the ball and knocks it away. What looked to be incidental contact turned into a 28-yard penalty against the Vikings. Collinsworth stated that it was\u00a0definitely Defensive Pass Interference. Thousands of Vikings fans disagreed.<\/p>\n

Fourth Quarter:\u00a0<\/strong>Advantage Rodgers & Co. until Waynes\u00a0closes the deal<\/p>\n

3rd<\/span>\u00a0and 18 (14:18) – Rodgers throws up a prayer to Nelson into double coverage. Waynes is in front of the receiver, but Nelson goes up and gets it for a 39-yard reception. Andrew Sendejo<\/a><\/strong> is late getting to ball to support Waynes. Here, Sendejo actually deserves more fault.<\/p>\n

3rd\u00a0<\/span>and 3 (8:43) – Waynes gives up a 10-yard slant to Devante Adams. Waynes is there to make the tackle, but a nice move by Adams at the line of scrimmage created space. Waynes clearly get beats on this play.<\/p>\n

2nd<\/span>\u00a0and 10 (3:14) – Vikings go to a zone coverage look. Adams catches the 13-yard pass as he cuts towards the middle of the field. Waynes makes the tackle immediately. Due to zone coverage, it’s hard to pin this one on Waynes entirely.<\/p>\n

3rd<\/span>\u00a0and 14 (1:56) –\u00a0Zimmer moves Waynes back to bump-and-run coverage. Rodgers tries to force a pass to Adams, but\u00a0Waynes intercepts it. Waynes is in perfect coverage once again.<\/p>\n

Bottom Line<\/strong><\/p>\n

Based on the\u00a0body of work, Waynes did not have a bad game but had a handful of bad plays. That said, Waynes earned a letter grade of “B-” for his decent outing. Unfortunately, Waynes\u00a0gave up\u00a0two plays totaling 60 yards despite positioning himself perfectly to make those plays. While those plays do count, credit is due for providing tight coverage on both occasions. Given Rodgers propensity for destroying opposing secondaries, Mr. Waynes proved\u00a0he has the talent to start in the NFL. He\u00a0fought\u00a0and won several battles, coming up big\u00a0in two-thirds of the plays that were displayed\u00a0on the box score.<\/p>\n

Don\u2019t be surprised if the Vikings move Waynes ahead of Newman on the depth chart\u00a0and start him\u00a0opposite of Rhodes once he\u00a0returns. This 22-year old\u00a0kid is ready to play every day.<\/p>\n

Main Photo:<\/p>\n

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Embed from Getty Images<\/a><\/div>\n