Vikings DE Stephen Weatherly embracing new mindset on the field despite being 'weird'

EAGAN, Minn. (KMSP) - Vikings DE Stephen Weatherly isn’t like most football players.

Besides terrorizing opposing quarterbacks on Sundays, Weatherly’s interests include pursuits like robotics and the nine musical instruments he plays.

“I know I’m weird,” Weatherly told Fox 9’s Dawn Mitchell in a one-on-one interview for Vikings Gameday Live. “I’m just different and I enjoy it. I try to put a smile on everyone’s face and try to live this stress-free life going into the game.”

Weatherly said he can be found humming or singing while on the field, which may be indicative of the fun he’s having.

When asked how much fun he’s having in his breakout season, he said, “Scale of 1-10? It’s probably a solid 25. I get to wake up every day and do the thing that I love and at the highest level and then be good at it to some degree.”

Weatherly’s personality is known well to his teammates, but fans and opposing players are becoming more aware of his on-field talents.

He said a shift in his mindset has helped him take his game to the next level.

“It’s all about reacting on the defensive line when it comes to pass rushing,” he said. “When I first came here, I was overthinking everything and I thought my feet had to be in the right place and my hands had to be in the right place and if the tackle wasn’t in the right place I couldn’t do this. All that caused me to stutter my feet and stammer. That was the big thing Coach [Mike] Zimmer wanted me to get over.”

Catch the full interview here.