FanPost

Envisioning the New Vikings Defense

A couple months ago I did a Fanpost 'Envisioning the New Viking Offense' and thought I'd give equal time to the other side of the ball.

My first thought: Mike Zimmer has got a much tougher job than Norv Turner.

I'm not talking about the fact that he's Head Coach and not just a coordinator- he is of course our real defensive coordinator too. I'm talking about the fact that he's gotta do more with less on defense. Thank goodness that seems to be his forte- producing good defenses from largely 'no-name' defensive rosters.

Coming to Minnesota, Zimmer inherits a defense in transition. Gone now are the veteran leaders- and best players over the past few years- in Kevin Williams, Jared Allen and Antoine Winfield. Gone too are disappointments like Erin Henderson, Chris Cook, Letroy Guion, Marvin Mitchell and Desmond Bishop. Zimmer also inherits a defense that ranked last in the league in PPG allowed, and second-to-last in YPG allowed.

Last year had to be a very demoralizing one for the Vikings defense- not just in terms of performance and results, but also, I suspect, coaching and leadership. It is clear that Alan Williams blew some calls that cost the Vikings games last year. I suspect the decision(s) to both install and maintain Erin Henderson at MLB and signal-caller most of the year despite his known drinking problem did not go over well with many players. Added to that I suspect some veterans were not happy with how some contract situations were handled, and some younger players perhaps not happy with the appraisal given them by the coaching staff, and I think there was plenty of dissatisfaction to go around under the radar. The results were not just the league's worst defense, but also a unit that lacked chemistry and a competitive drive.

Given all that, the significant turnover in players and coaching staff may be a welcome transition for a unit needing a change of direction. Bringing in a respected, successful, strong-minded and vocal defensive coach in Mike Zimmer may be just the thing to turn this defensive unit around- which is what he did when he came to Cincinnati, taking a defense ranked #27 in the league and turning into the #12 ranked defense his first year there.

But there are question marks at every position. Most of this year's starters will have two years or less of starting experience under their belt. And of those, all need more coaching and development to reach their potential.

Let's have a look at all of them. Their overall PFF grade last year is shown in parenthesis after their name.

Everson Griffen (+2.4)

Freshly cashed-up after signing a rich new contract, can he really fill Jared Allen's shoes? Griffen is an upgrade in athleticism over Allen last year, but can Griffen show the technique and consistency as a starter to elevate his game? While Griffen has gotten a fair amount of reps in rotation, he has never been a starter. And while Griffen has matured since he first entered the league, some thought Griffen was poised for a break-out year last year, which didn't materialize. My thought is that Griffen will bring a somewhat different game as a edge rusher, but can be every bit as effective as his predecessor.

Sharrif Floyd (-5.9)

First-round draft pick last year, coming off a mediocre rookie year, can he really fill Kevin Williams' shoes? While Floyd did show improvement as the year progressed, and his first season was far from a disaster, there seems to be as much negative as positive buzz about Floyd. 3-technique is an important position in Mike Zimmer's defense, and I'm not sure how enamored Zimmer is with Floyd at this point- although they were happy with Floyd's weight loss after going vegetarian. Still, not sure Floyd is ready for a break-out year. We'll see. Floyd should be helped immensely by having Joseph commanding double teams at NT, allowing Floyd to go 1-on-1 against the LG.

Linval Joseph (+3.7)

While Joseph has proven a solid NT with the Giants, and his signing looks to be a definite upgrade at NT that has been sorely needed, the transition to a new team and system can sometimes prove more difficult than anticipated. While there is every reason to be optimistic about Joseph, the Vikings are counting on him to solidify the run defense, absorb double-teams, and help out the younger guys beside and behind him.

Brian Robison (+4.0)

While Robison is generally considered solid, and one of the few returning veterans, he is much better as a pass rusher (+9.3 last year) than as a run stopper (-8.1). That has been true going back a few years now as well.

Anthony Barr (rookie)

#9 pick in the draft, but still raw, and learning a new position, how long 'til he develops and gets up to NFL speed? Missing the early part of the off-season didn't help, but Barr has shown to be a quick study with elite physical ability. Mike Zimmer is counting on Barr to be the disruptive factor the Vikings need up front, and make his defense the best it can be. It's hard to see the Vikings defense making great strides up front if Barr struggles.

Chad Greenway (-19.2)

Is he still worthy of a starting LB position? His performance has been in decline for a few years now, and he ranked near the bottom of the league at his position last year. Yet, Mike Zimmer has nothing but praise for Greenway, and is experimenting with Greenway at MLB. You can make an argument that Greenway is better suited as more of a 2-down, run-stopping/blitzing MLB at this point, and it would be nice to have a veteran like Greenway calling the defense. But Greenway's physical ability is still very much in question- despite having recovered from the wrist injury that plagued him last year. Better QBs/OCs can use no-huddle to keep Greenway on the field in passing situations- and exploit his less than stellar pass coverage.

MLB

Without his knee injury history, Mauti would have likely been a 2nd round pick last year, and one of the first MLBs selected. As it was, he was a 7th round pick and spent most of last off-season/training camp rehabbing his knee en route to limited pre-season reps and special teams play last year. He has always been a fan and media favorite, but seems to get precious little mention from coaches- both last year and so far this year too.

Now that he is taking on-field reps this off-season rather than off-field rehabbing, can Mauti take over the starting MLB position? Has he lost anything physically following his third knee injury? Can he play without his knee history factoring in the back of his mind? Mauti would seem to have the superior physical skill set relative to Greenway at this point, and leadership is a strength too, but can he make the calls/adjustments and demonstrate the ability to be the solid man in the middle the Vikings defense has been missing for so many years now?

At this point, it seems Jasper Brinkley and Chad Greenway are ahead of Mauti for the MLB job, despite having, well, less upside. Until a 3-down solution (i.e. Mauti) is able to assume the starting role, this could be a platoon position, with multiple substitutions based on down/distance/situation.

WLB

Is Gerald Hodges ready to step up? If not, who can fill the starting role ? Greenway? At the moment, Hodges seems to be gaining some traction as a starting candidate, but it's still early.

Xavier Rhodes (+1.7)

While Rhodes had a good rookie year, and showed improvement throughout, and there is every reason to believe he is going to emerge as a top CB in the league, the Vikings defense is counting on him to consistently perform at a high level- and there is no adequate replacement for him. He'll be responsible for shutting down- or at least minimizing- Megatron, Brandon Marshall, Jordy Nelson, and the other top WRs the Vikings will be up against this year. He can do it- he has shown the ability- but to do so consistently is key. And he needs to stay healthy as well. There isn't another CB on the roster that can take over for him without a significant drop in performance. In that sense, Rhodes is the most important player on the Viking's defense.

#2 Outside CB

While Xavier Rhodes has shown promise, and Captain Munnerlyn should fill the slot CB position nicely, who will step up into the other outside CB position? Prater? Robinson? Cox? Competition for that spot is good. Prater proved to be OK last year, Cox has shown he can be a good CB despite a bad year last year, while Robinson never has- despite a superior physical skill set. Both Cox and Robinson could/should benefit from being on the outside, rather than slot, which they were asked to play last year despite it not being their forte. I wouldn't be surprised if Cox wins the starting position, but we'll see.

Captain Munnerlyn (+11.2)

While there is no reason to not be optimistic about Munnerlyn filling the slot CB position nicely, and pick up where Antoine Winfield left off, it hasn't happened yet. Munnerlyn had a great year last year, playing in a strong Carolina defense. But prior to that he was more spotty, as his PFF stats show, leading some to say that he benefited from the strong Carolina defense more so than stepping up himself. We'll see. I don't think there's much question he will be an upgrade over Sherels/Robinson in the slot, but just how much so remains to be seen. Once again, the transition from one team/scheme to another can sometimes prove to be more disrupting than anticipated.

Leadership

With the loss of guys like Kevin Williams, Jared Allen and Antoine Winfield- who is going to assume the mantel of leadership for the defense? While you would expect veterans like Chad Greenway and Brian Robison to provide some leadership, and perhaps new veterans like Linval Joseph and Captain Munnerlyn may help fill the void, or guys like Harrison Smith or Jamarca Sanford or Michael Mauti.... the question remains - who will really lead this defense?

Mike Zimmer & Co. - Can they turn question marks into production?

A hallmark of a great coach - and coaching staff- is getting the most from their players- both individually and as a unit. Zimmer has shown he can do that, often working with 'no-name' players to a create a defense greater than the sum of its individual parts. Part of that is from good coaching, and part of that comes from adapting a scheme that best fits the players.

Overall, when it comes to scheme, Zimmer has said, "I plan on it being very similar to what I've done in Cincinnati." In Cincinnati, Zimmer operated a 4-3 / man coverage base defense.

It is tempting to look ahead to Zimmer's scheme to get a clue into what the Viking's defense will look like, but with the number of question marks at so many positions, and so many young players with little starting experience, coaching and player development will play a much bigger role this year in the success of the Viking's defense.

Everson Griffen, Sharrif Floyd, Anthony Barr, Xavier Rhodes, and potentially one or two more linebackers will all have less than a year of experience as starters when the season begins. While it is true that Griffen has had a fair amount of playing time, and has shown flashes, and the others are first round picks with promise, there is a lot riding on these players being able to perform well consistently- something none of them have done yet. Overall, roughly half of the starters will still be pretty green, a few more will be newly acquired veterans, with only Harrison Smith, Brian Robison, and potentially Chad Greenway returning as 3+ year veteran starters with the Vikings.

And oh, yeah- everyone is learning a new scheme.

So, this is Mike Zimmer and Company's challenge- coach their players, develop them, get them up to speed and master the scheme- both individually and as a unit- so they can be at their best. It's a lot to accomplish in a single off-season and training camp.

Mike Zimmer's scheme - What He Wants To Do

Mike Zimmer wants his defensive front four to be a reliable run-stopping unit, with that as their primary focus. That's where his defense starts- stopping the run. On passing plays, he wants his interior linemen to be able to push up the field, his ends to pressure/hit/sack the QB, and X-factor Anthony Barr to be the disruptive force in a Von Miller-type role.

Linebackers are expected to have good range, speed, quickness, while corners play primarily press-man to keep the receivers off their routes and in tight coverage, with safeties providing support against both run and pass.

Overall, by stopping the run and forcing the opposing offensive to throw the ball, Zimmer hopes to force the QB to get rid of the ball prematurely or take a sack- and take a hit in any case. By forcing the QB to act quickly, he hopes to create QB errors, which lead to turnovers. By consistently getting to the QB, he hopes to wear down opposing QBs, and thereby minimize their production.

That's it in a nutshell.

How To Get There From Here

With so many question marks on defense, clearly there is a need for flexibility in scheme as players evolve in their ability, particular skill-set, and how best to exploit weaknesses in opposing offenses. For Mike Zimmer, that translates into having a lot of variations on his base defense. That will likely include more rotation up-front, more packages and sub-packages, and finding the right roles and match-ups for players to best utilize their skill-sets. Let's look at each of these variations:

Player Rotation

On the defensive line, Griffen, Floyd, Joseph and Robison seem locked into the starting roles barring injury. I would expect a fair amount of rotation among the front four on the defensive line, to keep the big guys fresh throughout the game, depending on how well guys like Scott Crichton, Fred Evans, Corey Wootten and Tom Johnson can perform.

Outside of the front four, I would expect player rotation to be more limited, but situational packages and sub-packages to dictate personnel changes on the field, particularly at linebacker.

Base Defense Variations

While the Vikings will begin with a 4-3 base defense, I would not expect it to used extensively- which has been the case for sometime. Instead, I would look for multiple sub-packages off of the base defense to better utilize player skill-sets, create more confusion for opposing offenses, play better situational football, and create more favorable match-ups.

4-3 Under with Elephant Rusher

I could see the Vikings using this formation, or slight variation thereof, a fair amount over the course of the season. Starting from a base 'under-formation' up front, but with Griffen out wide in either a two- or three-point stance, then have Anthony Barr up outside on/near the line of scrimmage. That set-up should create a lot of pressure for any offensive line to handle.

4-2-5 Big Nickel Defense

One variation that may fit Vikings personnel and work well in some situations is a 4-2-5 defense where an extra DB (Harrison Smith or Captain Munnerlyn, for example ) replaces a linebacker in a rover-type role, essentially replacing a linebacker with a safety. This type of defense is seeing some resurgence in recent years to better defend the zone read, west coast offense, and the passing game in general. Some say one of the reasons the Packers drafted Eddie Lacy was to better combat this type of defense- which leaves only 6 in-the-box- but is more effective in stopping the Packers passing attack.

In addition to Harrison Smith, who could potentially fill the rover/big nickel role, the Vikings have added guys like Captain Munnerlyn, who played the rover position in Carolina and could fill a rover / slot CB role in Minnesota, but also hybrid-type rookies like Antoine Exum, Jabari Price and Brandon Watts.

The Vikings have already practiced this look in training camp, and will likely add some additional looks as they experiment with different packages to best utilize player skill sets.

This sub-package could also help the Vikings get their best players on the field more frequently. The linebacker group still has a lot of question marks and match-up issues- particularly in coverage- going with three safeties (Smith, Blanton, Sanford for example), or using Munnerlyn as rover when not covering the slot receiver, could both better position the Vikings defense for today's pass-first offenses, while better utilizing player skill-sets.

Combined with solid press-man coverage outside, and X-factor Anthony Barr creating disruption up-front, incorporating a Big Nickel defensive package could be more effective in stopping short- to intermediate-range passing attacks, including in the red zone, and making it more difficult to convert 3rd-and-medium situations for opposing offenses- areas in big need of improvement over last year.

Other Nickel Packages

In addition to having Captain Munnerlyn play slot CB in nickel formations, there may also be changes in other position groups, particularly linebacker, depending on how players in that group evolve this year. I would expect Chad Greenway to come off the field in nickel situations, and to generally not have him play much coverage anymore. Guys like Hodges, Mauti and Barr have 3-down ability, although not fully realized, whereas guys like Brinkley, Greenway and even Audie Cole are more suspect in their coverage ability against an athletic tight-end or back.

I also would not be surprised to see the Vikings use a base 'under' formation up-front, but in some situations have Robison or Wootten slide inside the tackle and Anthony Barr line up outside.

The Seattle Effect

Ever since Seattle shut down Peyton Manning and the record-breaking Bronco offense in the Super Bowl, teams and coaches have been analyzing what made the Seattle defense so effective. While many attribute Seattle's success on defense to a big and talented secondary featuring Richard Sherman and Earl Thomas- which was a key factor- Seattle was also very effective against the run, with heavy player rotation among the front seven, and frequent use of nickel and dime packages.

I would expect the Vikings to continue along this path (they have been moving in this direction the last couple years, with more rotation, and use of nickel packages), but with more aggressiveness.

Blitzing and Mid-Game Adjustments

One area that has not seen a lot of action in the Tampa-2 style defense the Vikings have run for years is blitzing. I would expect more under Mike Zimmer, which used correctly, and in the right situations, can add a degree of difficulty for opposing QBs, and create more errors the defense can hopefully cash in on.

Lastly, mid-game adjustments on defense have not been a strong suit of the Vikings DCs in recent years- particularly last year. Having an experienced DC as head coach- who has proven very adept at making mid-game adjustments in the past- should help the defense better counter opposing offenses.

Summary

While certainly coaching and scheme changes will be exciting to see unfold, particularly as they will likely result in a more aggressive style, the main factor for this defense to improve will be the development of all the new and young players on defense. Mike Zimmer and Co. can certainly do this, and do it well, as he has proven in the past, but we'll have to wait until September to see how it works out with the Vikings.

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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.