EDEN PRAIRIE, Minn. (AP) -Visanthe Shiancoe has found his happy place here in Minnesota. Brett Favre’s arrival with the Vikings might make it even more fulfilling.
Shiancoe’s experience started roughly after leaving the New York Giants to sign a five-year contract worth as much as $18.5 million. During that uncomfortable 2007 season, he dropped a handful of touchdown passes and did little to make Minnesota’s investment look smart.
Last year, though, the light went on.
Shiancoe figured out the playbook, transformed himself into a workout fanatic, and became a reliable target up the middle of the field. He finished with 596 yards receiving and led all NFC tight ends with seven scores.
After another summer of low-fat eating to supplement an obsessive-compulsive conditioning and weightlifting program, Shiancoe is in position for an even bigger impact.
“He’s young, so his joints still feel good,” teammate Jim Kleinsasser said.
s 16 seasons with Green Bay, three trips each for Bubba Franks and Mark Chmura and one for Keith Jackson. The West Coast offense used by the Vikings, essentially the same version Favre ran with the Packers, is designed to use that position as an important part of the passing game.
Fast becoming one of the quirkiest and most outgoing, outspoken characters on the team, Shiancoe was glowing last week when Favre finally signed following that speculation-filled offseason.
“I know I’m getting a lot of balls, so I’m going to be putting in a lot of extra work to make sure I’m prepared for the ball to come to me,” Shiancoe said.
The Baltimore-area native, who barely thought about the NFL while playing at Morgan State, has developed a rather intense post-practice routine to sharpen his receiving skills and make sure the embarrassment of all those drops two years ago does not resurface.
In one of the drills, he turns his back to the passer and puts his left foot in front of his right to simulate running a route. He turns left with the ball already in the air, then whirls right to catch the ball as he’s in a “discombobulated” state.
“So when it comes to the game, it doesn’t surprise you,” Shiancoe said. “You’re used to every angle.”
r. Both Childress and offensive coordinator Darrell Bevell have a stronger trust in Shiancoe’s grasp of the offense.
“Now he’s got it,” Bevell said. “When you call a play, he doesn’t have to think about what he’s doing. He can let his physical attributes take over.”
At 6-foot-4 and 250 pounds with adequate speed for his position, those attributes are apparent.
“I think he just decided to play up to his abilities,” teammate Bobby Wade said. “He knows what he can do.”
As Wade put it, Shiancoe is a “unique individual.” Whether in the locker room, in interviews with the media, or through frequent updates of his Twitter page, Shiancoe makes his share of “really off-the-wall” comments.
Part of that comes from feeling like he fits in.
“Being comfortable with the team, being comfortable with the coaches, being comfortable with the city, being comfortable with, especially, the offense,” Shiancoe said after Tuesday’s practice.
That comfort zone also includes his favorite restaurant, a few minutes away from the team’s practice facility. Shiancoe tells his Twitter followers every time he comes to the Original Pancake House, where staff created an unofficial “Shank Special” to make sure he was getting a better deal for all the food he would order.
“We put a special button on the computer,” said manager Jake Smalkoski.
So what’s in it?
es of bacon, five egg whites, oatmeal, two buttermilk pancakes, a side of salsa, a large fresh-squeezed orange juice, and a side of tea,” Smalkoski said.
There’s a picture of the feast on Shiancoe’s Twitter page, of course.
“He’s a great guy. We like having him around,” Smalkoski said.
The Vikings do, too.
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