The Minnesota Vikings take on the Detroit Lions on Sunday afternoon and will do so without their star safety Harrison Smith. Smith suffered a concussion on Monday night that will keep him out against the Lions as he is still in concussion protocol and did not practice all week.
With Smith not playing, the question remained whether it would be third-year player Josh Metellus or first-round pick Lewis Cine. When defensive coordinator Ed Donatell and head coach Kevin O’Connell both declined to name a starter opposite Camryn Bynum and Donatell had some interesting things to say about both Cine and Metellus.
#Vikings DC Ed Donatell when I asked today who would start if Harrison Smith (concussion) can't play Sunday, Josh Metellus or Lewis Cine: "Both will be in the mix. Those are things that we don't know. That's days away. We're prepared, and you could see both of them. Either or."
— Chris Tomasson (@christomasson) September 22, 2022
Considering general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah just invested his first ever draft pick into Cine, this isn’t an ideal start for the rookie from Georgia. With how he looked at Georgia, the idea was for him to get on the field right away and potentially be the starting safety opposite Smith.
Due to a lingering knee injury, Cine had his rookie debut pushed back to week 2 against the Eagles. In that game, he had a weird debut with only one snap on defense and 15 on special teams.
Metellus was the one who came in relief of Smith at the end of Monday night’s game where he ended with 10 snaps.
What is the issue with Cine? Should we be concerned?
I don’t believe we should be. At Georgia, he was known for having a quick trigger and making explosive plays.
I love Cine's ability to process quickly. He sees the dig and makes a great open-field tackle pic.twitter.com/vl3Fyhqg3E
— Tyler Forness (@TheRealForno) May 2, 2022
Against Alabama, Cine drives on the dig quickly and with high-level explosiveness. This is what was so appealing as an NFL player. He reads and reacts quickly with his elite speed and first step. That will become apparent in the NFL as he gets accustomed to the speed of the game. Cine showed that he will have a slight adjustment to the NFL in the preseason against the San Francisco 49ers.
Lewis Cine is going to be a problem pic.twitter.com/VzPzodsw09
— Tyler Forness (@TheRealForno) August 23, 2022
Cine is so explosive that he nearly makes the play on the tight end but is just a hair short. Compared to the play against Alabama, the reaction time is just a tad different, mainly due to the speed that the NFL operates at. Time will help Cine get there. Once he does, plays will be coming hot and fast.
Is it frustrating that Cine might not make an impact for three-straight games to start the season? Absolutely. Is it cause for concern? Not at all. Some players just take more time to marinate than others. Pair that with the knee injury he was dealing with and it all adds up. Film study and reps in both practice and during the game will make up for it. Even special teams reps will make an impact as he still will be within
Be patient with Cine folks, he will be just fine.
