Why was Dalvin Cook called for taunting against Dallas?
Dalvin Cook was penalized 15 yards for unsportsmanlike conduct against the Dallas Cowboys on Sunday, but what did he say that was egregious enough to draw a taunting flag?
It happened midway through the third quarter, with the Vikings trailing 37-3, after Cook ran out of bounds on the Dallas sideline after an 11-yard gain. He appeared to be shouting at Dallas assistant coach George Edwards, who was Minnesota's defensive coordinator under Mike Zimmer from 2014-19.
"I think it was innocent, but I think [Edwards] did say some things to Dalvin," said Adam Thielen on KFAN radio Monday morning. "Talking about he's not doing anything tonight or they got him bottled up or something like that. And then it kind of was exchanged back and forth. I think in the heat of the moment we're all competitors, we all get in that heat of the moment and say some things that probably wouldn't normally say."
Former Vikings DC George Edwards jaws with Dalvin Cook, and Cook gets called for the penalty pic.twitter.com/vYxdjdd89Y
— Sean Borman (@SeanBormanNFL) November 20, 2022
"I just think that sometimes these coaches, they kind of get in their feelings a little bit on the sideline and they start thinking they can say whatever they want. I think that was kind of one of those situations," Thielen continued. "At the end of the day, it is what it is. It's part of the game and you expect that and you move on."
We still don't know what Cook said, but it was clearly enough to turn an 11-yard gain into a net four-yard loss.
Related: Thielen: Getting embarrassed by Dallas 'could be a good thing'
Related: Here are the PFF grades from the Vikings' 40-3 debacle
Title: Bring Me The Sports co-owner, editor Email: joe@bringmethenews.com Twitter: @JoeBMTN Education: Southwest Minnesota State University Location: Minneapolis, Minnesota Expertise: All things Minnesota sports Nelson has covered Minnesota sports for two decades, starting his media career in sports radio. He worked at small market Minnesota stations in Marshall and St. Cloud before joining one of the nation's highest-rated sports stations, KFAN-FM 100.3 in the Twin Cities. There, he was the producer of the top-rated mid-morning sports show with Minnesota Vikings announcer Paul Allen. His radio experience helped blossom a career as a sports writer, joining Minneapolis-based Bring Me The News in 2011. Nelson and Adam Uren became co-owners of Bring Me The News in 2018 and have since more than tripled the site's traffic and launched Bring Me The Sports in cooperation with the Sports Illustrated/FanNation umbrella. Nelson has covered the Super Bowl and numerous training camps, NFL combines, the MLB All-Star Game and Minnesota playoff games, in addition to the day-to-day happenings on and off the field of play. Nelson also has extensive knowledge of non-sports subjects, including news and weather. He works closely with Bring Me The News meteorologist Sven Sundgaard to produce a bevy of weather and climate information for Minnesota readers. Nelson helped launch and manage the Bring Me The News Radio Network, which provided more than 50 radio stations around Minnesota with daily news, sports and weather reports from 2011-17.