(WCCO) Adam Thielen, superstar wide receiver for the Minnesota Vikings, is raring to get on the field this Sunday, even without the excitement of fans in the stands.
"I'm sure they'll have fans on the video board for us ... But we'll know they'll be a tons of fans watching on TV. We're just excited to get out there and show them what we can do."
He added: "It's still football."
Hometown hero Thielen called into WCCO Radio Friday morning to talk about how he's helping his community -- from mental health to underprivileged kids -- with the Thielen Foundation, and how hard he's ready to play when the Vikings take the field.
"It was a really good battle throughout camp and I'm excited to see those guy play on Sunday," he said about his 2020 team. With no pre-season games, he said he expects a heavy rotation with a lot of guys playing. "You just adjust on the fly," he added.
The team plays the Green Bay Packers this weekend and Thielen said it's nice to get out of training camp mode and into real play on the field.
"It really gets you in that game mode and ready for game one ... We're ready for Sunday," he said.
As for the Packers, Thielen said he's ready to face a "really good defense." "They were a top defense last year and have 9 of 11 starters coming back. They're definitely going to pose their challenges for us. They pretty much have guys at every level who can play. It's going to be a challenge for us, but we're excited to get out there."
Thielen holds several NFL records, including eight straight games over 100+ yards receiving, and 74 receptions in the first half of a season, and ESPN pundit recently predicted Thielen, a two-time Pro Bowler, will lead the league in receiving yards.
Thielen's career started slow with him going undrafted in 2013 and getting signed by the Vikings and kicked to the practice squad. By 2015, he was Vikings Special Teams Player of the Year, but he said he still plays like he has to prove doubters wrong.
He told yahoo sports recently, "“It can be players, maybe, but most of the time, it’s probably people in management or coaches that maybe think you can’t do something,” Thielen said. “And at the end of the day, you have an opportunity to prove them wrong, so that’s kind of what I’ve always been working towards, just proving coaches or teammates wrong and saying, ‘Hey no, I can be that player and I can play in this league and I can play at a high level.’ ”
In 2019, Thielen signed a four-year, $64 million contract extension with the Vikings that makes him one of the highest paid players in the game. $35 million is guaranteed in the contract that ties him to the Vikings through the 2024 season.
In his early days, the Detroit Lakes High School grad was a quadruple threat, playing football, basketball, baseball and golf. Speaking of golf, he played with Aaron Rodgers this summer.
Who was better? Thielen said only that Rodgers is a true competitor -- in every sport.
