Q&A with Vikings WR Mike Wallace, who liked Joe Philbin but loves Mike Zimmer

Tom Pelissero | USA TODAY Sports

Show Caption Hide Caption NFL Daily Blitz: Rex Ryan confident in Bills Recapping the biggest topics of the day in the NFL.

EDEN PRAIRIE, Minn. — Minnesota Vikings wide receiver Mike Wallace spoke with USA TODAY Sports on Thursday about Adrian Peterson's return, his exit after two frustrating seasons with the Miami Dolphins, why he loves Vikings coach Mike Zimmer and more.

Question: You've been in the league six years ...

Answer: It's seven now. Don't you take a year away from me. You know how hard it is to get years in this league?

Q: OK, you're entering your seventh year. It's June, and you just spent about 20 minutes catching balls after practice. What makes you go through that kind of extra work?

A: We've got to grind. We (receivers) run the most on the field, so we've got to work. We've got to continue to work and just don't forget the little things, man. That's how we got here, so we can't ever forget that. And then when you do it, it makes younger guys do it, and they want to do it. When it started off, it was just me. Then the next day, it was me and C.J. (Charles Johnson). Then it was me, C.J. and (rookie Jordan) Leslie. Now we have (rookie Stefon) Diggs. The whole crew is out there, but we only have one JUGS (machine). It just makes everybody want to get better, and that's our whole goal.

Q: What's your early impression of this offense with Adrian Peterson back and everybody out there?

A: It gives me chills when you say that. Adrian back — that's a big spark to our team. That's the man. We know who he is: Mr. Minnesota. At the end of the day, all we can do is get better with that guy. But we have a lot of guys out here working hard, man. We have other guys even behind Adrian: (Jerick) McKinnon, (Matt) Asiata, all those guys. They're ready, too. We have a lot of weapons in the passing game. I think we're underrated. But we have to put in the work, man. We have to continue to work, don't buy into good or bad of what anybody says. Just keep doing what we do.

Q: Setting aside the quarterback, since Ben Roethlisberger is a pretty unique and accomplished guy in Pittsburgh, how do the weapons around the QB stack up to other teams you've been on?

A: I think it's pretty decent, man. I think we have a lot more underrated guys here than places I've been before with guys who are on TV a little bit more, especially being down south. It's just a little more different, a little bit less exposure up here. But we like it that way. We get to creep up on it, you know?

Q: This is your fifth offensive coordinator and fifth scheme in five years. How does that impact you?

A: I think it definitely helps. The only thing that's different is you've got to learn — every single coach wants the same exact route ran, but a different way. Some coaches want you to be a little higher in routes. Some want you to be flatter. Some want you to chop a little bit coming out of routes. Some want you to speed-turn. It's just different and learning exactly the little things, how coaches want you running routes. It's not so much learning the schemes but just the way it's ran. I feel like I can pick it up pretty fast. I've been doing a pretty good job of picking up the offense. Hopefully, it continues to go that way.

Q: Usually the thing people think about Mike Wallace is the vertical speed threat. But it seems Norv Turner is going to ask you to do a lot of other things in this offense.

A: Honestly, I haven't really caught that many deep passes in the last couple of years. When you have a label, you have a label. I don't care. Just continue to go out, work every single day and try to get better for my teammates. Whatever people say, we'll just go out there and take care of business on Sunday and let the chips fall wherever.

Q: How close were you to signing here two years ago?

A: Honestly, I liked the team, but I pretty much was going to Miami.

Q: Your dad said at one point the Vikings offered you more money.

A: Yeah, don't listen to my dad. My dad just likes to talk. It was definitely an option to come here. But you go down to south Florida — no state taxes, man. That's kind of big. It was going to be Miami pretty much. But I'm glad everything worksed out. Everything happens for a reason. I'm here now, so I'm glad to be here.

Q: Two years ago, you're the prized guy in free agency, the $60 million man. Now, you're traded for late-round draft picks in what amounts to a salary dump. How does that strike you?

A: I don't care. Whatever's whatever, man. Everything happens for a reason. How I got here really doesn't matter. I'm here to work, I'm here to get better, and I'm here to help my team win. All the other stuff, I don't really care about it. That's for the people to talk about. Me? I'm just ready to grind.

Q: Did you ever talk to the Pouncey brothers after that TV interview where (Pittsburgh Steelers center) Maurkice supposedly called you a coward?

A: Yeah, man. I like both of those guys, especially (Dolphins center) Mike. I just talked to Mike two, three days ago. That's my guy. That's going to always be my guy. They've been clearing it up from Day 1 with me, letting me know they weren't talking about me. They say they were asked a general question. But I had a lot going on at that time — I'm leaving, people try to make stories. It is what it is. But at the end of the day, I know that's my guy and whatever people say, I'm not worried about it.

Q: Is there something to prove after a couple years where it seems you fell off people's radars as a top receiver?

A: Yeah. That comes with teams, too. You're in Pittsburgh, you're on (national) TV a lot. People see you making plays on plays, it's all good. You get down in Miami, and they're not on TV as much, and you just go off what you hear. If one person says something, everybody (believes it). It's just a trickle effect. I always feel like I have something to prove. I was a third-round pick. I wasn't the first pick of the draft. I wasn't in the top 10, top 32, whatever. I always have something to prove no matter (if the contract is worth) $60 million, $10 million, $5 million — it don't matter, man. I always feel like ever since that day, I go to work every day. You say why do I catch JUGS? Because I was a third-round pick. I've got to keep doing everything all the time.

Q: What was your frustration level by the time you left Miami?

A: Honestly, it wasn't as much as people think. It was frustrating. It's always frustrating when you're not winning. At the end of the day, you're trying to win. You go out, you put in all of the work. You see me — every single day, I work hard. I'm going to catch JUGS every single day after practice and be one of the last guys off the field every single day. So when you're putting in work, man, you want the results. If it's not there, you get frustrated. It wasn't just me. I was the guy who just caught the wrath of everything. Every single coach called me. I talked to every single coach. It could've been a situation where I just left and never talked (to anyone). I talked to every single person. It wasn't a bad relationship. Even with coach (Joe) Philbin, it still was a good relationship. Things just don't work out all the time. I think it was best for both parties. I'm positive about it. I'm positive about the change. I wish them the best and hope everything goes for well for them, and I'm here now. That's old news.

Q: Your new coach, Mike Zimmer, is definitely a different personality than Coach Philbin.

A: Oh my God — I love it, man. I love it. I love it. Honestly, (Zimmer)'s more of my type of guy — fired up. It's cool when you do things and just do them. But when you do them and have some fire with it, it's a lot more fun. I think it's more of an environment for me, coming from (Steelers) coach (Mike) Tomlin being fired up and going to Coach Philbin, who was a lot more reserved, then coming back to another coach who's fired up. I love it.

Q: After two years with (Miami's) Ryan Tannehill, you're working with another young quarterback now. What are your thoughts so far on Teddy Bridgewater?

A: I like Teddy, man. He's a guy who works hard every single day, and he wants to get better every day. If we mess up something, we're going to work on it again. He's a guy who, as soon as it's messed up, he's coming to you, saying, 'It's my fault,' (or) 'It's your fault,' or however it went. We're going to talk exactly how we want to get through it because, at the end of the day, it's still OTAs. It's new. It's all new. We're here to work and we're here to get right.

Q: How good can this team be?

A: It's always sky's the limit. I feel like that's all 32 teams when you're in OTAs. I think we can be really good, though. But we have to stay humble, keep our heads down and keep working. If we start off 4-0, we've got to keep it like we're 0-4. If we're 0-4, we've still got to keep it like we're 4-0. It's the same mentality no matter up or down. We've got to be a team that's steadily ascending, not descending or going straight. You have to keep climbing, man. But the sky is the limit. We have a pretty good makeup.

Q: It's been awhile since you've tasted the playoffs.

A: Yeah. I'm tweaking. That's why I say frustration comes in. When you're used to something when you first come in — you're used to going to the playoffs, Super Bowl — it's frustrating when you're not getting there. It's time to get back. That's the ultimate goal is the Super Bowl for everybody. That's all you want to do. We don't play this game to go the playoffs. You don't play this game to go home the first of January. You play this game to be the last team standing and, hopefully, we can get there.

Q: You turn 29 in August. Still got that same speed?

A: We'll see. (laughs) We'll see.

***

Follow Tom Pelissero on Twitter @TomPelissero

PHOTOS: Familiar football faces in new NFL places