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The Minnesota Vikings have four games to trial changes to the defense before the start of the postseason.
Of course, the Vikings (10-3) need to salvage one more win to clinch the NFC North division title and shouldn’t stray too far from what’s helped the team secure 10 wins this season.
However, the defense is already at rock bottom, surrendering the most yards in the league.
If there was ever a time to experiment, it’s now.
NFL analyst Brett Kollman noticed an unprecedented trend that could be the remedy for the league’s most porous defense.
Vikings ‘Refuse to Lean’ on Lengthy Cornerback Core
In the first-year install of a 3-4 defensive scheme, the Vikings have deployed their defense in zone coverage, sitting back and allowing opposing offenses to take the middle of the field for modest gains before clamping down in the red zone.
However, the levy has broken inside the 20-yard line. The Detroit Lions scored on every trip to the red zone last Sunday. Minnesota has slid to 22nd in opponent red-zone scoring, allowing touchdowns on 59.0% trips to the red zone, per TeamRankings.com.
Kollman noticed the Vikings, despite having length and talent at the cornerback position, are 31st in total snaps in press coverage while only calling man coverage 10% of the time.
“Can’t recall ever seeing a defense refuse to lean into the skillset of their players like this,” Kollman tweeted on December 15.
Every DB in the Vikings secondary not named Chandon Sullivan is 6-feet or taller and yet they are 31st in the NFL in total snaps in press alignment. Also only call man 10% of the time.
Can’t recall ever seeing a defense refuse to lean into the skillset of their players like this
Asked whether height plays a factor in press coverage, Kollman replied: “It’s more so about taller DBs *usually* having stiffer hips and slower feet in transition, so all this off coverage is much harder for them to do.”
@Maratea20G It’s more so about taller DBs *usually* having stiffer hips and slower feet in transition, so all this off coverage is much harder for them to do.
Press coverage isn’t as much about challenging opposing receivers to a footrace as it is about disrupting the timing of the receivers’ routes and forcing quarterbacks to hold the ball longer.
The Vikings drafted explosive players on defense who could fly to the ball in a hurry to break up the play, but with the defense largely being veteran players at this point in the season,
The days are gone when Patrick Peterson can shadow in man coverage for 60-plus snaps per game, however, throwing more press looks could be what the Vikings need.
Playing more press and man coverage may not necessarily be Minnesota’s strength but dropping back into zone coverage 90% has surely become a weakness rooted in its predictability.
Kollman will be posting a 20-minute video breaking down the Vikings secondary on Saturday where he’ll surely dissect his idea more in depth.
Vikings’ Ed Donatell Calls for Tighter Coverage
Defensive coordinator Ed Donatell declined the prospect of blitzing more after the loss to Detroit, saying he’s comfortable with the pass rush currently.
“We like our four-man rush and they have been so close so many times. We get a lot of hurries from this group. And it’s just that extra little thing if you can hold the coverage just a little bit longer a lot of those rushes will work with four,” Donatell said in a December 14 press conference.
Donatell’s call for tighter coverage could be a sign that Minnesota is trying to adjust its coverage alignments moving forward.
The addition of Kalon Barnes, signed off the Miami Dolphins practice squad, could also be a signal of the direction the Vikings want their secondary heading into 2023.
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