Frazier: Vikings appear deep on defense

by KC Viking on Aug 30, 2010 1:40 PM CDT

This originally appeared on the Vikings' official site (By Mike Wobschall, vikings.com Posted Aug 20, 2010):

Vikings assistant head coach/defensive coordinator Leslie Frazier said on Thursday that this year’s Vikings defense has the best depth he’s seen so far during his tenure with the team. In a game as violent as football, depth is essential to sustaining success, so hearing Frazier’s comment about the Vikings depth on defense should be encouraging for Vikings fans.

Operating under the assumption that both CB Cedric Griffin (knee) and LB E.J. Henderson (leg) will make it back to the starting lineup this season (at this point they are both trending that way), the Vikings will return all 11 starters and several key reserves in 2010. That has allowed the Vikings to fortify the defensive roster by adding quality players via free agency (Lito Sheppard) and the draft (Chris Cook).

The end result? Quality depth up and down the defensive roster. As Frazier also said on Thursday, the key now is staying healthy and playing together.

Let’s take a look at a few players who are currently providing the Vikings with solid depth on defense…

Defensive End

Starters: Jared Allen and Ray Edwards

Key Reserve: Brian Robison

Other Reserves: Everson Griffen, Jayme Mitchell

Robison is an explosive pass rusher who can come off the edge and beat OTs to get to the QB. But he’s also a stout player who can battle inside, which allows the Vikings to play him inside on some 3rd downs. Whether he’s subbing for Allen or Edwards with an outside pass rush or sliding inside on obvious 3rd down passing situations, Robison is a key element to the Vikings defensive line rotation.

Defensive Tackle

Starters: Kevin Williams, Pat Williams

Key Reserves: Letroy Guion, Jimmy Kennedy

The Vikings re-signed Kennedy this past offseason because he provides a solid option in the DT rotation. But the player to watch here is Guion, who’s had a great training camp and then played well last weekend against St. Louis. Guion has been with the Vikings since 2008 as a developmental prospect, but things seem to be clicking for him now. If Guion continues to trend upwards, he and Kennedy help provide the Vikings with a strong rotation at DT.

Middle Linebacker

Starter: E.J. Henderson

Key Reserve: Jasper Brinkley

Brinkley stepped in capably for Henderson last year at middle LB as the Vikings made a deep playoff run and it’s yet to be determined if Brinkley will again fill Henderson’s shoes once the regular season begins. Henderson has been aggressive in his rehab and his progress is encouraging, but the Vikings must have a backup plan in the event Henderson is unable to play right away. And the backup plan is a good one. Brinkley has also had a great training camp. He continues to play well against the run and it’s my estimation that he’s improved against the pass.

Cornerback

Starter: Cedric Griffin

Key Reserves: Asher Allen, Chris Cook, Benny Sapp, Lito Sheppard

There are a lot of key reserves listed for just 1 starter, but at this point it’s not clear who will step in for Griffin should he be unable to play when the season begins. My sense is Sheppard will be the guy, but Frazier has rotated players in and out of the starting CB spot opposite Antoine Winfield, so perhaps that role hasn’t been determined yet. Any way it shakes out, the Vikings should have confidence in whoever occupies that spot, be it Griffin or one of the key reserves, when Week 1 rolls around.

Safety

Starters: Tyrell Johnson, Madieu Williams

Key Reserve: Jamarca Sanford

We’ve heard both Vikings Head Coach Brad Childress and Frazier explain that the Vikings safety positions are interchangeable. If that’s the case again this year, the Vikings will have quality depth behind both Johnson and Williams should either player sustain an injury or a drop-off in production. Sanford saw his playing time progressively increase during his rookie season in 2009, even to the point where he started a game during the home stretch of the season. Sanford and Johnson have been rotating in and out of the 1st team defense during training camp, so any way it shakes out the Vikings will have a solid player backing up a starter at both safety positions.

***

I read this to mean that there are no excuses for another below average pass defense.

Poll

Given the Vikings' strong depth, can Vikings fans expect an above average defense against the pass by passer rating allowed?

Yes, without a doubt.

48 votes

Probably.

52 votes

Maybe/not sure

23 votes

I doubt it.

18 votes

No way.

3 votes

144 votes | Poll has closed

This FanPost was created by a registered user of The Daily Norseman, and does not necessarily reflect the views of the staff of the site. However, since this is a community, that view is no less important.

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Comments

Remember this .

As teams abandon the run . They increase the pass totals . Thus all the sacks last year . We lack in DB INT’s and stripped balls . We need more man coverage at time (3rd and long ) . We need to disguise our blitzes better . We need to get better hits on the QBs . As teams spread the field they take away from our ability to dominate . Lack of multi positional play from our DBs . The safeties struggle to show true instincts when hunting down balls .

by gothicpurple on Aug 30, 2010 2:14 PM CDT reply actions

As for the other point .

Brad did a great job of giving Tomlin and now Frazier a solid replacement at all three levels of the Defense for the last few years . And it has paid off greatly .

by gothicpurple on Aug 30, 2010 2:16 PM CDT up reply actions

Benny Sapp...

Is a Miami Dolphin.

Other than that our depth is pretty good.

Our pass defense will depend on two things.

1. How stout our run defense is.

This is key, because once teams start abandoning the run our pass defense will take a huge hit because they will eventually tire out. If we keep the D more balanced, our passing defense will look better.

2. Whether or not Cook and Sanford can be an upgrade over Griffin and Johnson.

Tyrell has all the talent in the world, but seems to disappear out there. Griffin has been playing better, but is still not up to par IMO. If these two new guys can play, I think we will see a change.

by Bjorno on Aug 30, 2010 2:17 PM CDT reply actions

I see Sanford some day maybe playing FS . He has the range .
Cook will not out perform Griffen . He will bring a new added dimension . Griffen did well against big WR . As cook will undoubtably do . I hope Cook will be better in man coverage . His tall frame , long arms and leaping ability will serve him well . I am excited to see that he played on grass . We need tough grass defenders like himand Lito .
Tyrell can be used in special schemes . His depth is still needed . I hope he can adjust to backing up FS .
Successful Blitzes will play a big part . Along with third down success rates .

by gothicpurple on Aug 30, 2010 2:30 PM CDT reply actions

Our D is solid

Nice bulleted defensive overview. Thanks, helps start the season out right.

I think Gothic’s point about turnovers being key, as teams abandon the futile running game & move over to passing, is huge for our defense this season.

The Saints D was average but their turnover margin & big plays made them a bit “larger than life”. We need to get that out of our DBs this season. I was surprised that just by way of pure pressure & fear of our linemen & linebackers that our DBs didnt get more picks & more big plays last year. Turnovers are…obviously… huge.

I sitll dont like the way we give up big chunks on passing plays between the 30’s though.

by Viking64 on Aug 31, 2010 7:26 AM CDT reply actions

Well, with both Sapp and Cook out of the picture for our first game, things ain’t lookin’ so deep at CB anymore!

by puddnhead on Aug 31, 2010 5:03 PM CDT reply actions

Tomlin and Frazier were well cared for from the onset .

I still wonder . If we would have packaged the 5 & 7 picks what could we have come up with to add too this team ?
Not upset but still pondering .
Side note to the GB Editors : Dimes wrote a strong piece on the Pack’s lack of confidence in their Trenches at APC . I was booted for the same review . It begs the question ? Why do other sites trash visiters while acknowledging their own while offering mirrored opinions ? Fear of the inevitable I guess . What’s your view Kev . Oh ya we are banned from replying to each other until you apologize . And open it up for discussion at APC . Why don’t you end the hypocracy ? It’s not like you would ban Dimes for referencing Brett . Hypocrit as in he was once your favorite player . Right ? Don’t reply here . We will finish the conversation at APC .

by gothicpurple on Sep 4, 2010 8:42 PM CDT reply actions

the poll is not working on my end...i can't vote for some reason.

in the future there will be no war...there will only be rollerball.

by jethrophet on Sep 4, 2010 10:05 PM CDT reply actions

nice post. good summary.

i don’t see that we upgraded our defense from last year. just another year of attrition. i think that we will be stout in the same way that we were last year. but our d-backs are the weak link on this side of the ball, and i don’t see them improving from last year.

so i would vote “i doubt it”…i don’t expect an above average defense against the pass by passer rating allowed. i expect more of the same. our front 7 is the key to everything.

in the future there will be no war...there will only be rollerball.

by jethrophet on Sep 4, 2010 10:09 PM CDT reply actions