BLOOMINGTON, Minn. -- Vikings receiver Adam Thielen says he's excited to go into the offseason feeling "pretty much healthy" after playing through lower back fractures in the NFC Championship Game.
It sounds painful, but Thielen confirmed the fractures he sustained against the New Orleans Saints in the divisional round weren't as severe as they appeared. He said he wouldn't have played in the Pro Bowl last Sunday had he not felt well enough.
"I feel great," Thielen said. "I've had other offseasons where I've had surgeries and it really pushes things back. It's really nice to be able to go into the offseason and attack the training as soon as possible."
Thielen expects to be back in the gym this week, but he said he won't be running routes or catching passes any time soon. Coming off a career season with 91 receptions for 1,276 yards and four touchdowns, Thielen is eager to begin offseason workouts and benefit from the type of training he wasn't able to do in the thick of the season.
"You go through a season and you really can't do the things you want to do to stay strong because, weekly, you're just trying to make it to the game and trying to feel as fresh as possible," Thielen said. "By the time the season's over, I'm ready to get back in the weight room and start training as far as getting stronger."
As Thielen and his trainer begin to map out the receiver's offseason regimen, the Vikings are in the midst of trying to find Pat Shurmur's replacement at offensive coordinator. Not knowing who will be calling the plays -- or which quarterback will be throwing the ball to him -- is admittedly "a little nerve-wracking," but Thielen said he's eager to see who Minnesota hires so he can start scouting his new coordinator.
Vikings players won't get a chance to work with their coaches until organized team activities in April.
"There's not a whole lot you can do," Thielen said. "You figure out who it is and then you try to ask around the league -- guys you know that maybe have played for him, maybe coaches that have coached with him, something like that. Try to figure out what they do, what they like to do ... just kind of have a little bit of a heads-up going into OTAs."
One candidate for the position is quarterbacks coach Kevin Stefanski, who interviewed with Mike Zimmer last weekend at the coach's ranch in Northern Kentucky. The receiver said there is benefit in getting to work with someone who has seen him play and is aware of his skill set.
"I think the biggest thing is he knows what I do well," Thielen said. "He's seen me since Day 1. He knows what I can do, what I do well ... things like that, where maybe if a new guy comes in, they need to figure that out from film, then through OTAs and things like that. We'll see what happens."