One of the positive pieces of news the Minnesota Vikings received from this past season was that they did not lose defensive coordinator Brian Flores. Despite being a candidate for some head coaching gigs, Flores wasn’t selected to fill a vacant role.
As a result, head coach Kevin O’Connell kept a key part of his coaching staff, and now Flores is looking to build off the momentum his defense had last season. Last season, the Vikings finished seventh in points allowed with 333, per PFF.
On Aug. 19, the Baltimore Ravens and Vikings held a joint practice ahead of their preseason game on Aug. 22 at U.S. Bank Stadium. After that joint practice, Ravens head coach Jesse Minter spoke with the media and shared his thoughts on Baltimore’s offense facing Flores’ defense.
“Nobody probably pressures more in the league than Flo,” Minter told reporters. “He does a phenomenal job. He’s one of the best coordinators in the league, and it’s a great test and a unique scheme that’s unique to him and maybe a guy or two that’s broken out from his tree.
“But he does a great job. Tons of respect for him. I’m sure there were some good and bad. I’m sure there were some plays where he had some really good calls dialed up, and I’m sure Lamar made some plays as well.”
Minnesota Defense Benefits From Joint Practice
Meanwhile, Vikings cornerback Isaiah Rodgers also saw the benefit of facing a team like the Ravens in practice. After practice, Rodgers spoke with the media and shared his thoughts on facing Lamar Jackson.
“We just had to be ourselves,” Rodgers told reporters on Aug. 19. “We didn’t try to make it bigger than what it had been, but I think going against a great guy like him, it was able to teach our eyes, great eyes and great techniques, and filling gaps and things like that. So we kind of just went in there with a great mindset.”
Vikings Working to Address Major Offensive Concern
As for the Vikings offense, they are looking to iron out a major concern regarding the center-quarterback handoff. Kyler Murray and Blake Brandel are working through those issues to ensure they are ready once Week 1 rolls around.
On Aug. 19, O’Connell spoke to the media and shared the latest on one major issue that Murray and Brandel will need to overcome as Week 1 approaches.
“[Murray and Brandel] got to practice it, and that’s where we have time, but not that much time, as I like to say; we’ve got to acknowledge it, and then you’ll see, hopefully, center-quarterback exchange for the next two weeks,” O’Connell told reporters. “We’re only working those things to make sure we can continue to identify as new things come about in our offense or new techniques in the run or pass phase that stress Blake.
“We can practice those enough so he gets that thousand-rep rule, and we can lock those in because those are critical… Blake’s had a really good camp. For sure, the quarterback-center exchange is something that we’re going to continue to harp on and make sure we get corrected. As there’s many things throughout training camp where, when there’s an issue, we got to fix it. It cannot continue to be an issue.”
Ravens’ Jesse Minter Doesn’t Hold Back on Vikings’ Brian Flores