Minnesota Vikings defensive coordinator Brian Flores opted to ease veteran safety Harrison Smith in the Week 1 win over the Green Bay Packers. Smith played 26 snaps, with 19 coming in coverage situations against the Packers, leading to a 48.0 PFF defensive grade.
Smith recorded three pressures, one QB hit, two hurries, and one tackle. Meanwhile, in coverage, the veteran safety allowed two receptions for 27 yards. After missing OTAs, training camp, and the preseason, the Green Bay game let Smith start easing back into action.
On Sept. 15, Flores spoke to the media and shared an update on Smith, including whether he intends to ramp up the veteran’s snap count in Week 2 against the Chicago Bears.
“We’ll take [Smith’s snap count] day-to-day as we put together the game plan,” Flores told reporters. “We’ve been through the early-down portion of it, and we’ll get into more of the second and long third down this afternoon, this evening.
“As we start to talk about it, that’s when a lot of the play time starts to come alive. Who do we want in this spot [and] who do we want in this spot? Who do we want in this spot? How much of this are we doing? So, I really can’t answer that right now, but it was a great first week for him.”
Brian Flores Praises Harrison Smith’s Showing vs. Packers
While opting for a day-by-day approach to determine Smith’s snap count and ease him back into NFL action, Flores praised the veteran’s ability to go from not being part of OTAs and training camp to playing an NFL game in a little over a week.
“I don’t even know if it was 10 days after he signed, something like that, and so, to go in and play, honestly, I don’t even know how many snaps he played, but to go in and play in two-minute situations and third downs and make some plays, I thought it was a good showing,” Flores added.
“I certainly couldn’t go out there and play a game coming off the street; I thought it was great that he looked good, ran pretty well. And as we go, you just assume he’ll get in better shape and be ready for more snaps. But we’ll take that day-to-day and see where we’re at.”
Vikings’ Brian Flores Issues Clear Message on Bears Offense
The Vikings will need a fresh, ready-to-make-an-impact Smith, given that they’ll face a high-powered Bears offense in Week 2. Recently, Flores spoke with the media about the Bears’ offense under head coach Ben Johnson, whom Flores has faced often since Johnson served as the Detroit Lions‘ offensive coordinator.
“I think the first thing is that all 11 guys are involved,” Flores told reporters on Sept. 15. “The receivers are blocking, the tight ends, obviously the offensive line, the quarterback’s part of it as far as getting the run going in the right direction wherever that happens to be, based on front, shell coverage versus post-safety coverage.
“There’s a lot of different variables, and in some systems, it’s, ‘Hey, we always do this, or we always do that.’ In this particular one – it can go, it seems like, based on my interpretation of it and watching it – this could go a few different ways and based on a few different things. So, I think that’s part of it.”
Vikings Give Blunt Harrison Smith Update Ahead of Bears Game