...it's not happening. Thought complete!
Hey everyone, how have you all been? Sorry for my absence lately. Been busy with a few things, plus, with all the stadium hubbub (you have no idea how many times I have had to delete a barrage of f-bombs and other obscenities right now), I've been laying low and letting the better writers of that stuff get it out there.
Oh, and f*** the Minnesota government.
Anyways, I know that the idea of switching to the 3-4 defensive line has been floating out there ever since we put a bow on the craptastic 3-13 season- be it by fans, reporters, etc. Well, if you're still hoping that's going to happen- sorry to rain on your parade, but that is 99.9% off of the books for 2012.
Leap of Faith!
With the Minnesota Vikings having finally squared away a few things in the defensive coaching department- love it or hate it- we can pretty much see that there's not a single proponent of the 3-4 scheme in the mix.
Leslie Frazier- As the head coach he obviously has final say over any such decisions; furthermore, as a head coach whose pedigree is in defense, he's going to be even more involved in such decisions, rather than delegating them out. Frazier has spoken many times against switching to the 3-4, saying his background is firmly rooted in the 4-3, and that he feels such a move would be a knee-jerk reaction to what other teams are doing, rather than based off what would be best for our team. Honestly, I'm inclined to agree with him at this point in time.
Alan Williams- As the new defensive coordinator, Williams' background from the Indianapolis Colts speaks further to no switch. The Colts run a 4-3 (as well as a cover-2, just like us), so like Frazier, that's what he'll be comfortable with. Furthermore, as a former defensive backs coach, he will probably be less inclined to mess with the defensive line in his first season as a DC.
Brendan Daly/ Fred Pagac- The two key people who would like be involved in a switch to the 3-4 would of course be the Defensive Line coach and the Linebackers coach. Daly, after his time with the Vikings in our own 4-3, was the D-line coach for the Rams, who also ran a 4-3. Pagac of course has spent his time with us solely in terms of the 4-3, both as the Linebackers coach/ Defensive Coordinator.
Of course, aside from the defensive coaching staff, there are two key players the Minnesota Vikings should care to consider in terms of 4-3/ 3-4: Jared Allen and Kevin Williams. Both spoke openly against the change, Allen basically going even so far as to openly hint that he would prefer to leave the team should the switch occur. Allen has recently stated that the team did reach out to him in regards to their intentions in this matter, and assured him that no such switch was in the plans, much to his pleasure.
So, overall, for now we can put the ‘switch to 3-4 defense' chatter to rest. At least for 2012- if next season doesn't yield considerably better results, there will likely be an absolute team explosion/ implosion, with many drastic cuts and changes. Of course, whether or not that includes moving to the 3-4 is something we can't even begin to fathom at this time.
One final thought- for all those praying the team made the switch, I should point out that the two teams in the Super Bowl right now- the New York Giants and the Evil Empire, er, New England Patriots, say something for the 4-3. The Giants themselves of course run the 4-3, and with some pretty darn good results this postseason; the Patriots, practically the architects of the 3-4, have been actively trying to switch back to the 4-3 for a bit now, playing both from time to time. So let's not all so quickly jump on that 3-4 bandwagon just yet- perhaps there's really something to that traditional 4-3 defensive scheme.
But that's just my humble opinion. What say you, Viking faithful? With the 4-3 scheme set to return, are you pleased, or do you wish we had moved to the 3-4?