Assualt of the Norseman: In Depth Look At the Minnesota Defense

Hello fellow members. AQL here with a new series, focusing on defenses within the NFL world. This series will be focusing on NFL teams defensive sytles and tenedencies, not to mention the players and coaches. Today's installment will be the Minnesota Vikings. Once a proud defensive tradition with herald heroes like John Randle and Alan Page, a new rebirth of these Norseman warriors are under the tutaledge and oversight of respected defensive guru Mike Zimmer. Just what is it that makes this Minnesota defense so good? Let us find out today.




The Norseman Tools of Destruction:


As with any good Head Coach, Mike Zimmer needed to add pieces to his defense. Much like the proficency of the fighting abilities of a norseman, a leader is as only as good as the warriors under him. In addition, those warriors need to have the correct tools for the job at hand. To that end, Mike Zimmer had to draft the perfect warriros with the best tools. Let us start with his first pick as the Head Coach of the Vikings. We shall proceed with the key pieces soon thereafter.


Anthony Barr:


Considered by many to be a top 10 prospect in the 2014 draft, Anthony Barr had the size, speed and athleticism to match. Not only was he a force as a pass rusher playing at UCLA but also had the ability to drop into coverage. Such traits are what Mike Zimmer has been seeking in his linebackers since his days at Dallas. What makes Anthony Barr so special though was the changing of the times itself. Nowdays, teams are looknig for linebackers who can not only rush the passer but drop into space with the size, speed and athleticism combonation to match as well. This is not to say someone like Ryan Shazier would have been a bad pick as some thought of Shazier as a top 15 player but Antohny's rare traits were too difficult for Zimmer to pass up. He would not pass up though on a linebacker who, may not have the size but was as every bit as athletic.



Eric Kendricks:



For him to fall to the second round was quite the gift. Even more so was his own athletic traits and Zimmers contiuned improvement in the linebacking department. While Chad Greenway was still a fixture, someone of Kendricks talent was too good to pass up. Undersized yes but that seems to be his only deficency at the moment. Multi year triple digit tackling machine perfectly fits into what Zimmer needs for his 'backers.



While we are covering part of the raiding party, the frontrunners are the general stars of the show; spearheaded by the front four themselves. Here are the deadliest tools in Zimmer's disposal.


Danielle Hunter:


Athletic freak again. Noticing a trend here? Danielle's athletticism has helped him throughout his NFL career thus far. However one key reason for Hunter to be considered a top tier pass rusher this year? Improvement. Double digit sacks as a rotational piece? Imagine what that would be if Hunter has enough seasoning? Oh wait.


Everson Griffen:


If Danielle Hunter represents the "speed" asepct of Zimmer's pass rushers then Griffen represents the "boom". Not only is he powerfrul, he is explosive to match. Much like a well equippied raiding norseman, Griffen has the ability to smash his opposition into dust.


Shariff Floyd:


Often in the NFL, your run defense is only as good as the interior of it. Shariff is luckily one of the best in the business at doing just that. He also is not just a throwback defensive tackle to eat up blocks either. Much like Griffen, he can smash his opponents into oblivion with his own unique set of traits. 320+ pounds of solid muscle is tough enough. His length makes it even more difficult. Teams generally do not run his way.. and for good reason. Sometimes a trip to that neighborhood does not bode well for the people who go into it.



Such a barrage of frontal assualts can be quite devastating to any enemy. However, much like any good raiding party, units that are speficially skilled in ranged combat complete a successful mission. Here are the long range warriors that keep the Vikings in games.



Harrison Smith:


One of my personal favorite players in the NFL and one of the best all around safeties in the game, Harrison Smith is the ultimate long range fighter for Zimmer's assualts. Size and instincts are what seperate him from the rest of the pack while having necessary speed to match. What is often underrated about him is his versatility and intellegence. He can be used as either a Free or Strong Safety to neutrailize tight ends or to blow up running plays. The key centerpiece of Zimmer's long range fighters.



Xavier Rhodes:


Scrappy and competitive with the talent to back it up. Mike's trump card for netrualizing top wide receiving threats or limiting them should they be too powerful. Xavier has an embrassment of riches to use at his disposal to deal with "issues" that can thrwat victory for his team.




With the major components of the defense out of the way, we need to dissect what are Zimmer's war plans before taking his mighty Norse warriors into battle.




Old Reliable. The 4-3 Defense:



The most common applicatoin of defense in American Gridiron Football, the 4-3 defense is relativley simple to build around these days. High School and Colliegate teams often utilize this style of defense. Those who want to thank this defense should thank Jim Brown for its creation at it was a countermeasure to stop the run.... and more specifically him due in part to its creator, Thomas Wade "Tom" Landry. How ironic that Mike Zimmer started out in the NFL with the Cowboys as a Defensive Assistant and later a Defensive Coordinator.



Regarding Zimmer's foundation to create his defenses, he prefers a fast, athletic group of defenders (Reminds me of a certain someone ) who can not only wreak havoc from just rushing four but also have the linebackers as additional support along the back end. His long range fighers in corners are to ensure that aggressive styled press coverage nullfies and disrupts routes where his safeteis can either play center or lie in wait at the line of scrimmage to counter act tight ends or to commit takeaways should the moments arise. In addition, man based press coverage allows Zimmer to tackle the continued evoultion of the West Coast styeld offenses now plauging the game. Should man based not work out, Zimmer can always go back to zone as his long ranged attackers are well suited for the job.



However, such a basic strategy would be quite asinnie to the point of illogical even to the most battle hardned of Norse fighters. One key element of a Zimmer defense? Versatility. Every key warrior as an element to further increase destrucive capability by being more unpredictable. This allows Zimmer to achieve a bevy of attack formations. These examples are just the barebones of his strategies:


- Double interior blitzing.. or A gap blitzes. This is mostly done in the 4-2-5 Nickel Pacakge Zimmer deploys when more receiving threats are at bay. Picture can be viewed below.





* One could also use this picture as a good guidline as to how Minnesota can disguise their coverage sets.



- Bluffs (i.e. Barr appears to be playing zone coverage pre snap but is actually blitizing on a play whereas either Hunter or Griffen can play flat or middle zone)

- Stunts from virtually anywhere along the front seven. Sometimes a defensive end. Other times a linebacker via either tackle or end zone drop.

- Coverages from the most unusual of positions (i.e. defensive tacke playing zone whereas a safety could come to blitz)

- Different looks in formations to further amplify confusion towards the opposition. There could be as many as eight in the box but all could be in coverage or as many as five but some could be blitzing from either corner spot or safety spot.



With so many different variations and combonations to attack opposing teams with the warriors to match, it is no wonder that Mike Zimmer's Norseman are among the best defenses in the league. Being able to effectively disrupt timing on the backend and create havoc in the front is a true work of art in action. One of the best displays given was in 2016 when Zimmer's Vikings took on Ron Rivera's Panthers. The reiging NFL MVP in Cam Newton did not fair well against the Norseman assualt. Expect this group of raiding experts to get better come next season.



To sum it up, the Minnsota Vikings have gone back to their roots on what made them so great in the first place; a group of fast, ferocious Norseman capable of pillaging the riches of the oppositino into their own and ensuring victory. To that end, this is a unit that is able to keep Minnesota in games just as much as it is trying to mentally destory its opponents.




*Whew.......



Well guys, that does it for today's installment! Sorry this new series took so long. Getting pounded at work is one thing but attempting to type this with just my LG V20 screen alone is another. However, armed with a better keyboard, look for these to come more often. Have any questions or comments? Please ask down below as either or will help me both.


Once again ladies and gentleman, thank you for reading! Tune in next time for our second destination.


Here is the hint: Instantenous, violent and sometimes cataclysmic.