The 26-year-old has had many chips placed on his shoulder, so perhaps it’s not possible for time to erode them. “I feel like that’s the kind of mind-set I want to have and if I do lose that mind-set, I want somebody to slap me in the face and say, ‘Hey, pick it up and get back to the roots.’ ” “I’m always going to feel like the underdog,” Thielen said. Diapers are certainly one way to keep a guy humble while helping his wife, Caitlin, care for Asher John, their newborn son. Now the Vikings’ leading receiver, Thielen says fatherhood has been his only lifestyle change during a breakout season. “There’s a lot of pride in him around here,” Motschenbacher said. Monday morning conversations about Thielen’s big Sundays have grown increasingly common as well. 19 Vikings jerseys are now common in the school’s halls, Motschenbacher said. He came from Detroit Lakes, Minn., where No. But don’t say Thielen, who played Division II football at Minnesota State Mankato, came out of nowhere. He’s been the only pleasant surprise for the Vikings’ 30th-ranked offense. Thielen’s story has grown from feel-good to can’t-miss. And he’s on the verge of becoming the team’s first 1,000-yard receiver since Brett Favre connected with Sidney Rice in ’09. “He just never had the size.”Įight years and 50 pounds later, Thielen has put together the best receiving season (960 yards) by an undrafted player in Vikings history.
“You could see the hands,” Motschenbacher said. Motschenbacher, a 31-year teacher and coach at Detroit Lakes High School where Thielen attended, recalls a plucky, 150-pound receiver who graduated as the program’s all-time leading scorer in basketball.