Vikings' Dalvin Cook learns lessons from star NFL running backs

A summer of caution preceded Dalvin Cook's burst onto the NFL stage last week, when the Vikings running back amassed 120 yards from scrimmage and two touchdowns against the Falcons.

Those yards were the first dividends returned from a Vikings' summer plan that went the extra mile to protect Cook — one to help prevent injuries like last year's overtime hamstring strain suffered in Green Bay. A year later, Cook and the Vikings return to Lambeau Field "a lot smarter" about how to preserve his body for the bludgeoning, said running backs coach Kennedy Polamalu.

Before Vikings training camp, Cook worked out with, and picked the survivalist brain of 36-year-old running back Frank Gore, also a Miami-born player. From there, the Vikings limited Cook to just two preseason carries and kept him off artificial turf, where knee injuries are likelier to occur than on grass, which included keeping him out of practices that weren't on the team's outdoor grass fields.

"That's all part of the plan," Polamalu said. "Finding a way, because he's an explosive player."

Immediate returns were dynamite. Cook shouldered 80% of the carries (19 of 24) in the first three quarters of a blowout win against the Falcons. He was a factor in every area of the field, playing five red-zone snaps to rookie Alexander Mattison's one. The workload was "what we're looking to get him," said coordinator Kevin Stefanski.

Cook's elusive combination of vision and burst was supreme against the Falcons. His top speed surpassed 20 miles per hour twice on 23 touches, according to NFL's Next Gen Stats, making him just one of seven running backs to do so in Week 1.

"I'm just back to being me," Cook said.

The Vikings' urgency with the 24-year-old's health stems from a lengthy injury history, including three shoulder surgeries before he played an NFL snap, followed by knee surgery and hamstring issues. He has played just 16 of 35 NFL games since he was drafted in 2017's second round (41st overall) by the Vikings.

Cook's return Sunday to Lambeau Field is one year after his last season was derailed on his 13th touch against the Packers, which left him pointing to his hamstring and motioning trainers to come get him. He missed five of the next six games.

As established against the Falcons, Cook's weekly workload should be well more than 13 touches, putting his durability at the forefront.

"We forget he was coming off an ACL," Polamalu said. "Don't confuse his health with the injuries, that was a true injury. He came back and kept trying to come back. We're a lot smarter all the way around with the way he prepares."

Cook has found himself surrounded by veterans with advice on longevity. He has talked with former Jaguars running backs Fred Taylor and Maurice Jones-Drew, who combined for 4,381 NFL carries, about the importance of a strict daily recovery routine. He gets massages three times per week and, like Gore, sticks to morning workouts and field agility training at night. On off days, Cook schedules an intense cardio session to keep his body from "settling down."

Ameer Abdullah, the Vikings' oldest running back at 26, has preached the benefits of fasting before bed so the body can spend its energy "attacking inflammation" instead of digesting food.

"If it's a win or loss, just stick to the routine," Cook said. "So you get your body back right physically and mentally. It can drain you in both ways."

Cook said he is also expecting to chat soon with future Hall of Fame safety Troy Polamalu, Kennedy's nephew, about tips for a fruitful career. He already learned a thing or two from Gore, who before his 15th NFL season worked out with three of the NFL's youngest backs in Cook, the Texans' Lamar Miller and the Steelers' James Conner.

There's a psychological element to workouts with Gore, who as the competitive old man often anchored the end of drill lines and exhausted younger counterparts by demanding repeats.

"If you see him doing it at his age," Cook said, "I know I can do it."

So does Cook think he will outlast competition for 15 NFL seasons, too?

"If it's possible," Cook said. "I know he probably didn't think he could."