High grade or not, Huber only cares about the opinions of Vikings coaches and his teammates — and he isn’t taking his foot off the gas.
“It was my first time stepping into [U.S. Bank Stadium], and that was really cool,” Huber said, “but as far as the game went, there are always things I can get better at. That’s always how I look at it.”
Huber and Skule both are grateful for the opportunity to work under and learn from Vikings Head Coach Kevin O’Connell, Offensive Coordinator Wes Phillips and Offensive Line Coach Chris Kuper, and they continue to build camaraderie within the position group.
“O-line rooms are always fun, and this room’s super fun — a lot of great guys in there,” Skule said. “B.O. (Brian O’Neill), C.D. (Darrisaw) and Blake have all done a phenomenal job of bringing us in. You walk in Day 1, and they act like you’ve been there the whole time. They make you feel at home, and you also get to know guys really well during training camp, the long hours we’re here.
“[Coach Kuper] brings a unique perspective. He had a super successful career as a player, so he gets a lot of it,” he added. “He knows how hard some of the stuff we have to do is, and it’s nice that he brings his own experiences and how he went about things, then being able to translate that to us and how it might be helpful.”
Skule and Huber are working to improve daily, not only in the classroom or within their position but in team drills against Brian Flores’ physical, high-powered defense.
It certainly hasn’t made practices easy, noted Skule, who’s been more than once faced the aggressive pass rush of Jonathan Greenard, but he’s grateful for the challenge — and the opportunity to grow from it.
“It’s a lot. They have a lot of different things; they do a good job mixing it up and putting guys all over the place,” he explained. “It really makes you stay true to your rules and fundamentals. … It’s been a tough training camp, but it’s made us all better. It’s been only beneficial for us.”