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After the Minnesota Vikings‘ triumphant comeback victory over the Detroit Lions, rookie safety Lewis Cine posted a tweet that created a cause for concern for some Vikings observers.
Teammates reveled in the victory, including Justin Jefferson, who despite frustrations facing double coverage that resulted in a career-low 14 receiving yards, tweeted “Great TEAM win!!!#SKOL” after the game.
Cine’s postgame reaction was, instead, cryptic. He tweeted a photo of himself, in full gear at his locker, with a stone-cold face with the caption: “Time Will Tell.”
The tweet garnered widespread reactions, prompting Purple Insider’s Matthew Coller to ask former Vikings offensive lineman Jeremiah Sirles his thoughts on the matter.
Sirles did not mince his words.
Jeremiah Sirles Says Lewis Cine is ‘at a Crossroads’
With Harrison Smith out with a concussion last Sunday, Cine was expected to see more playing time on defense.
Instead, it was third-year safety Josh Metellus, a 2020 sixth-round pick, who got the start and played all 78 defensive snaps. Cine did not see the field on defense but played 15 special teams snaps.
The first-round pick out of Georgia has been a bit of a disappointment to a fan base eager to see Cine in action. Cine has played just one defensive snap this season and is behind in translating the playbook to the field, partially due to a knee injury that forced him to miss some of the preseason and the season opener.
While the subliminal message behind Cine’s tweet could be debated in several directions, Sirles, who played for the Vikings for two seasons in 2016 and 2017, was critical after hearing of the tweet on the Purple Insider podcast.
“I hate social media so much. For me, that [Cine’s tweet] sounds like, ‘Oh, coaches are screwing me.’ That’s how I would read into that,” Sirles said. “That is not the message you want to portray to the fans… It doesn’t help anybody. It doesn’t help the organization. It doesn’t help yourself.”
Sirles, who is now an NFL agent, empathizes with Cine, who carries the weight and expectation of being an immediate impact player as a first-round pick. Sirles said he wants Cine to succeed in the NFL.
However, Sirles believes there is a different way to go about it.
From Sirles, via the Purple Insider podcast:
As a young player, you don’t want to put stuff out there that’s going to raise more questions than answers. I give rookies a lot of grace because it’s hard.
But you tweet something like that, you start chipping away at that grace that people will give you because now it looks like well are you just saying the coaches are screwing you? Where’s the disconnect? You just don’t do things like that.
He’s at a crossroads right now. You can either embody that me against the coach, me against the world mentality, or take a big step back and self-reflect. You go and grab Harrison. You grab Patrick Peterson and you ask, ‘Why am I not playing? Help me.’ …
Nobody’s going to get more chances in the NFL than a first-round pick. You will get plenty of opportunities, just make the most of the opportunities [and] put the ego aside… You’re so physically talented. This team can absolutely use you. Go out there, ask for help and find a way to get yourself on the football field.
Vikings Fans Show Support for Lewis Cine
While the start of Cine’s rookie season has been underwhelming, many fans showed an outpour of support for the rookie safety.
“I ain’t lost faith in ya. Their [sic] is a plan for you… right now it’s about patience, knowing your assignments, and when the time is right… you are 💯 going to show out. Promise,” one fan replied to Cine’s tweet.
Another fan replied that Cine was the first one to congratulate Metellus on his game-clinching interception to close the game. Cine is seen hopping on Metellus’ back as the defense celebrated in the end zone.
And when one fan asked Cine “Why can’t you get on the field,” another came to the rookie’s defense and preached patience with the first-rounder.
“He needs to work for it. Not all first rounders are handed starting positions. Patience. He has Harrison Smith as a mentor.”
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