By Joseph Gunther
Matt Kalil is in the midst of the worst season in his three-year NFL career. Sunday’s three penalty performance against the Green Bay Packers was just the tip of the iceberg. After the game, his emotions got the better of him.
First, he did not talk to the media. Then, he had an incident with a fan as he was leaving TCF Bank Stadium.
“The whole incident yesterday with the media thing and the fan, obviously a lot of frustration losing a game like that and losing Phil (Loadholt) in the game to injury and stuff like that,” the fourth overall pick in the 2012 NFL draft said Monday. “Obviously, I was a little upset. But hopefully you guys didn’t take anything personally. It was just one of those days, so I apologize for that.”
As for the incident with a fan just outside the stadium, Kalil said it was “no big deal” and is ready to move onto preparation for the Carolina Panthers this week.
“I usually shrug that stuff off,” Kalil said. “Fans like to talk and say some things, but it’s just something (where) I could have been the bigger man and walked away. It really wasn’t that big of a deal. He just caught me when I had a short fuse that day.”
Head coach Mike Zimmer would like to see his players handle that situation better.
“We appreciate 99.9 percent of the fans,” he said at his Monday press conference. “They’re great for us and he should have conducted himself in a better manner. It’s a good lesson for all of us. I know that in the past there have been times when I’ve been upset with people, too, but they pay money to go watch us play and watch us perform so they have a right to express their opinion. We just have to keep our composure and not let things get out of hand, I think.”
Entering the game, Kalil had graded out as one of the worst offensive tackles in the league this season. He has been beaten for far too many sacks or quarterback pressures. The question has come up about his poor play being a mental issue or a physical thing.
“I heard that he mentioned about the confidence,” Zimmer said. “That’s got a lot to do with him. We can try and build his confidence but you’ve got to go out and play good. That’s part of it. That’s how you get confident, you play good, really. You see teams that have that kind of swagger, because they’re playing good. They have confidence. They have belief in what they can do. A lot of that’s going to be up to him.”
Kalil admitted Monday that the knee issue that kept him out of some of last week’s practice has been bothering him “on and off.” Which could mean that it is a bigger deal than anyone will say.
Kalil has only one year left on his rookie contract. His former college teammate, Tyron Smith, got a huge contract extension from the Dallas Cowboys in July, which should be more than enough motivation for Kalil to become a dominant player.
Loadholt lost for the season
Loadholt suffered the same injury ended right guard Brandon Fusco’s season nine weeks ago. The starting right tackle will undergo surgery to repair a torn pectoral muscle on Friday.
“That’s just part of football,” Zimmer said. “Obviously we’ll miss him, but we’re not going to let it hold us back.”
Mike Harris replaced Loadholt in Sunday’s game and likely will start the rest of the season. Underrated rookie Austin Wentworth could also get in as well.
For more Vikings news and updates, visit Vikings Central.
Joseph Gunther is an avid fan of Minnesota sports, including football, hockey and baseball. He covered a wide variety of sports while attending Hastings College in Hastings, Neb. While at Hastings College, he was a part of the first collegiate media group to broadcast a national tournament via television, radio, internet and newspaper at the 2004 NAIA Division II Women’s Basketball Tournament. He grew up in the Twin Cities playing three years of varsity football in high school. Joseph is a freelance writer covering all things NFL. His work can be found on Examiner.com.
