Dallas Turner continues to hear the same things from his coaches and teammates.
They want him to move fast and break things.
“Just playing with no hesitation and having the coaches behind me, repeating the same thing week in and week out,” said Turner. “Telling me in my ear, just use my speed, my play speed, to my advantage against my opponents.”
Move fast and break things is a common phrase in tech. Turner may not be artificial intelligence, but he is a new-age defensive player. The second-year outside linebacker out of Alabama can get after the quarterback and also drop back and pick him off, like he did in Week 16 last year against the Seattle Seahawks.
Turner only has one sack, which came in Week 2 against the Atlanta Falcons. However, he has generated nine hurries and 11 pressures, which indicate he’s winning individual matchups and disrupting the quarterback.
“I feel like just having that one year on my belt,” the 17th-overall pick in last year’s draft said regarding the genesis of his success this season. “Just kind of knowing what to expect, especially in getting more reps in the same system from last year. But playing various roles and stuff like that, and a lot more opportunities.
“The more experience and the more stuff I see, the faster stuff comes, and the more the recognition gets better.”
Turner says it takes a village to raise him as a player. Defensive coordinator Brian Flores and outside linebackers coach Thad Bogardus have been instrumental in his development, and so have veterans like Jonathan Greenard and Andrew Van Ginkel.
“Coach Flo tells us a lot of times that his service is to give back to us,” said Turner. “Just to make sure that we can be and reach our full potential as players, and also be high-IQ players and go out there and have a lot of joint play, play free, and have fun.”
Flores has hyped Turner since training camp, calling him one of the starters alongside Greenard and Van Ginkel, even when Van Ginkel was healthy.
“We talked a lot about [Turner] last year and his growth throughout the season last year, and he’s just kind of built on that,” said Flores, adding that young players must go through the draft process and then immediately adjust to a foreign environment while having to perform against pros.
Turner grew up in South Florida and played at Alabama, so Minnesota was a culture shock. He’s also 22, making him one of the younger players in his draft class, and playing behind established veterans in Flores’ complicated defense.
“He’s much more comfortable in this environment,” said Flores. “He knows what the expectations are. He’s got a high standard for himself, and that’s a great place to start.”
Flores highlighted that Turner learned from Greenard and Van Ginkel while playing behind them.
“The best thing you can do, and I think Dallas did this, is just soak up that information,” said Flores. “The skills that J.G. has, the energy that J.G. brings, the skills that Ginko has, the energy that he brings, the different ways they contribute to the team.
“Dallas is coming into his own as far as how he’s gonna contribute. And it can be in a variety of ways, as a rusher, as a dropper, on the ball, off the ball, in different packages.”
Greenard is a natural example for Turner because he often lines up as the edge opposite him. However, Van Ginkel is intriguing because he’s a unique player, a threat as a pass rusher but anlso also savvy in coverage.
ANDREW VAN GINKEL PICK-6!
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Turner is a long way from getting on Van Ginkel’s football IQ level. Still, Turner says the seven-year veteran who played under Flores in Miami has been a constant resource for him.
“I get with him every day to talk about stuff,” said Turner. “I might send him some clips and some plays that I see in the game, and it’s really a gem to have a guy like that in the positional room, for sure.
“With the type of mind the guys have, and the combination of coaching that we have on the defensive side of the ball, I feel like it’s invaluable.”
Flores encourages the players to speak up during film sessions to create a dynamic defense. Turner mostly reads the room and tries to learn from his veteran teammates. At this point in his career, that makes the most sense.
Ultimately, the Vikings want him to play fast, and he must understand the defense to process quickly.
“What I’ve been most encouraged with is just how physical he’s played,” said O’Connell, who highlighted that Turner has been playing with speed one-on-one, setting an edge, and chasing the play down. “Both him and J.G. have been very, very physical, but yet explosive, and I think that bodes well for kind of that all-down, every-down approach.”
Minnesota’s coaches feel that Dallas Turner’s next step is consistency. Turner popped in Week 3 against the Cincinnati Bengals, and he built off that while the Vikings were overseas. He’s moving fast and breaking things, becoming the disruptive force they thought he could be when they drafted him last year.