Bills make big strides under new defensive coordinator Leslie FrazierPeople forget that Leslie Frazier's defenses ranked in the top eight in yards allowed three times when he was Vikings defensive coordinator.

The Vikings fired Frazier after the 2013 season. By then, his defense had dropped to last in the league in points allowed (30.0).
But people forget that Frazier’s defenses also ranked in the top eight in yards allowed three times when he was Vikings defensive coordinator. They also led the league in run defense twice.
Through a quarter of this NFL season, the two biggest surprises are the offensively supercharged Rams (3-1) and the stingy Bills (3-1). The Bills lead the league in fewest points allowed (13.5). The closest challenger is Pittsburgh at 14.8.
Frazier still plays a lot of Cover 2, but he and McDermott have put their heads together to create a more aggressive version of what Frazier employed toward the end in Minnesota.
A good example came early on in Sunday’s upset victory in Atlanta. The Falcons are one of the toughest teams in the league to stop on the opening drives of games, and a lot of other times as well...
http://www.startribune.com/bills-make-bi...449919843/

Maybe we'll start seeing some separation as we get into 2nd quarter of season...

https://twitter.com/NFL/status/916872046365298688

Fickle fans are quick to embrace local sports figures, and even quicker to spurn them

Shortly after Dalvin Cook planted his left leg in the U.S. Bank Stadium turf Sunday and felt his knee buckle, instinctively grabbing it with his left hand as the Lions’ Tavon Wilson dislodged the ball from Cook’s right arm, it felt as if the rookie running back’s predicament had stolen the breath from the 66,730 in attendance.
But though coach Mike Zimmer first mentioned the term “ACL” in a somber tone after the Vikings’ 14-7 loss to the Lions, it cast nowhere near the pall on Cook’s career that it once might have.
“I told him, he’s not the first great running back to have an ACL, if it is one, and come back pretty good,” Zimmer said. “Dalvin will have a great career.”
To be sure, the prospects for Cook’s return are good. He has modern medicine — and the example of running backs such as Adrian Peterson — to thank for that. A Northwestern Medicine study showed that 80 percent of NFL players return to play after undergoing an orthopedic procedure like an ACL repair, and Peterson’s stirring performance — winning MVP honors and rushing for 2,097 yards after making a nine-month recovery from a torn ACL in 2012 — helped to demystify the injury to some degree.
http://www.startribune.com/acl-injury-ne...449919903/

https://twitter.com/CodyWorsham/status/9...5648618496

Vikings QB Sam Bradford strings together another practice ahead of Bears gameQuarterback Sam Bradford donned a helmet Saturday and led the pecking order with Case Keenum and Kyle Sloter during some pitch and catch near the goal line.
It marks the third straight practice for Bradford, who was limited in Thursday and Friday’s sessions due to his swollen left knee and has not played since the Sept. 11 season opener against the Saints.
Bradford said this week he shouldn’t be a game-time decision, expecting to know after Saturday’s practice whether or not he’ll be able to play Monday night in Chicago.
http://www.startribune.com/vikings-qb-sa...449897283/

The Chicago Bears’ offense doesn’t have much bite. They currently rank 29th in points per game and 23rd in total yards. But Chicago’s lone offensive success story this year, an overtime win over the Pittsburgh Steelers, included 222 yards rushing.Overall the Bears rank seventh in yards per carry, but the Minnesota Vikings are currently tied for the third best defense against the run, allowing just 3.1 yards per carry.

Defensive coordinator George Edwards said the team’s run stuffing has started in the middle with Pro Bowl nose tackle Linval Joseph.
http://www.1500espn.com/vikings-2/2017/1...n-defense/

The Vikings’ offensive line is unlikely to let McPhee harrass their quarterback the way he did last Halloween. The line has taken huge leaps forward in pass protection, ranking 11th by Pro Football Focus ratings and fifth in Football Outsiders’ Adjusted Sack Rate statistic.
Right tackle Mike Remmers, who will likely see the most of McPhee, has given up just one sack this season and rates as PFF’s 19th best tackle out of 68. That’s a big change from last year’s starter at right tackle TJ Clemmings, who rated as PFF’s second worst tackle.
http://www.1500espn.com/vikings-2/2017/1...me-around/