08-09-2020, 05:55 PM
Before the 2017 season, several Vikings defenders said they had the best defense in the NFL. They then sought to back up that talk.
Did they ever. The Vikings finished the season ranked No. 1 in the league in both scoring and total defense, the first time they had done that since 1970, the days of the Purple People Eaters. And it was no wonder Minnesota advanced to the 2017 NFC Championship Game.
Three years later, the Vikings still speak with great confidence about their defense but there are fewer believers. The defense has been slipping since 2017 and now the loss of five key players could lead to even more of a drop-off.
“You can take it as a challenge and a chip on your shoulder,’’ linebacker Eric Kendricks said of those who believe the defense will be nothing special in 2020. “I take it as a challenge, and I feel like we’re always going to rise to that. We don’t see it in that light. We have a job to do, and we want to be the best in the league. That’s our goal.’’
Kendricks was one of the best in the NFL last season, becoming just the second linebacker in team history to be named first-team all-pro while also making the Pro Bowl. But some of his decorated teammates from recent seasons are no longer around.
In salary-related moves, cornerback Xavier Rhodes and nose tackle Linval Joseph were released and free-agent defensive end Everson Griffen was not re-signed. All made multiple Pro Bowls with Minnesota, including each having been selected during that dominant season of 2017.
Cornerback Trae Waynes and nickel back Mackensie Alexander both left to sign as free agents with Cincinnati. And the defense took another blow two weeks ago when nose tackle Michael Pierce, their top free-agent signee and the expected replacement for Joseph, opted out of the season because he has respiratory issues and didn’t want to risk playing during the coronavirus pandemic.
The Vikings have had plenty of defensive success since Mike Zimmer left as Cincinnati’s defensive coordinator to take over as Minnesota’s head coach in 2014. Between 2016-18, the Vikings ranked in the top four in the NFL in total defense three straight seasons, also having finished No. 3 in 2016 and No. 4 in 2018.
The Vikings dropped to No. 14 last season. And with there being plenty of talk that they could slip even more this year, that motivates Zimmer.
“It gets you rejuvenated to go out and, honestly, people say, ‘Hey, they’re not going to be good on defense,’’’ Zimmer said. “OK, well, let’s find out. Let’s go prove it.’’
After last season, Zimmer didn’t retain George Edwards, his defense coordinator throughout his Minnesota tenure. He replaced him with co-defensive coordinators Andre Patterson, the defensive line coach, and Adam Zimmer, his son and the linebackers coach.
Patterson and Zimmer have been very close for years. Not surprisingly, Patterson feels the same away as Zimmer when it comes to anyone dissing the defense.
“The two of us have always been that way,’’ Patterson said. “I think that motivates us to do our job and usually the guys we bring into the program have that same mindset, too. They look forward to the challenge. … It’s definitely a motivation for me and I would expect it’s a motivation for our players also.’’
As for safety Harrison Smith, he apparently didn’t get the memo that many believe the Vikings will have a drop-off on defense. But if he does hear that, he’ll gladly use it to get fired up.
“I guess I’ve been out of the loop,’’ Smith said. “I didn’t know we were supposed to be bad. So, yeah, I guess that motivates me.’’
Top defenders who return are Smith, who has made five straight Pro Bowls, defensive end Danielle Hunter, who has made two straight, linebacker Anthony Barr, who was named to four in a row before missing out last season, and Kendricks. Also back is safety Anthony Harris, who tied for the NFL lead with six interceptions and signed a one-year, $11.441 million franchise tag, giving him the highest base salary on the Vikings.
After those five, the defense mostly includes young guys. The four top contenders to comprise the two cornerbacks and the nickel back are third-year men Mike Hughes and Holton Hill and rookies Jeff Gladney and Carmeron Dantzler. Those competing to replace Joseph include third-year man Jaleel Johnson and two-year veteran Armon Watts.
Griffen’s replacement likely will be Ifeadi Odenigbo, who has been cut four times by NFL teams since being a seventh-round pick in 2017. But Odenigbo came on late last season and finished with seven sacks to rank third on the team.
“We do still have a lot of returning football players on our defense,’’ Patterson said. “We have Pro Bowl players at ever level of our defense and there’s not many teams that can say that. I think the biggest thing is like it always is: To get our guys to understand the technique and fundamentals that they have to use in order for us to be successful.’’
In other words, a lot of the young guys need to get up to speed in a hurry. And that won’t be helped by the pandemic having wiped out on-field spring drills and preseason games.
Still, count Smith as one who believes they will step up.
“We have a lot of confidence in the guys coming up,’’ Smith said. “We have a lot of confidence in the coaches. … I think it’ll be good. It’ll keep us all honest and just keep us chasing our goals.’’
And one goal the Vikings always have had under Zimmer is to be among the best in the NFL on defense.
https://www.twincities.com/2020/08/09/vi...vate-them/
Did they ever. The Vikings finished the season ranked No. 1 in the league in both scoring and total defense, the first time they had done that since 1970, the days of the Purple People Eaters. And it was no wonder Minnesota advanced to the 2017 NFC Championship Game.
Three years later, the Vikings still speak with great confidence about their defense but there are fewer believers. The defense has been slipping since 2017 and now the loss of five key players could lead to even more of a drop-off.
“You can take it as a challenge and a chip on your shoulder,’’ linebacker Eric Kendricks said of those who believe the defense will be nothing special in 2020. “I take it as a challenge, and I feel like we’re always going to rise to that. We don’t see it in that light. We have a job to do, and we want to be the best in the league. That’s our goal.’’
Kendricks was one of the best in the NFL last season, becoming just the second linebacker in team history to be named first-team all-pro while also making the Pro Bowl. But some of his decorated teammates from recent seasons are no longer around.
In salary-related moves, cornerback Xavier Rhodes and nose tackle Linval Joseph were released and free-agent defensive end Everson Griffen was not re-signed. All made multiple Pro Bowls with Minnesota, including each having been selected during that dominant season of 2017.
Cornerback Trae Waynes and nickel back Mackensie Alexander both left to sign as free agents with Cincinnati. And the defense took another blow two weeks ago when nose tackle Michael Pierce, their top free-agent signee and the expected replacement for Joseph, opted out of the season because he has respiratory issues and didn’t want to risk playing during the coronavirus pandemic.
The Vikings have had plenty of defensive success since Mike Zimmer left as Cincinnati’s defensive coordinator to take over as Minnesota’s head coach in 2014. Between 2016-18, the Vikings ranked in the top four in the NFL in total defense three straight seasons, also having finished No. 3 in 2016 and No. 4 in 2018.
The Vikings dropped to No. 14 last season. And with there being plenty of talk that they could slip even more this year, that motivates Zimmer.
“It gets you rejuvenated to go out and, honestly, people say, ‘Hey, they’re not going to be good on defense,’’’ Zimmer said. “OK, well, let’s find out. Let’s go prove it.’’
After last season, Zimmer didn’t retain George Edwards, his defense coordinator throughout his Minnesota tenure. He replaced him with co-defensive coordinators Andre Patterson, the defensive line coach, and Adam Zimmer, his son and the linebackers coach.
Patterson and Zimmer have been very close for years. Not surprisingly, Patterson feels the same away as Zimmer when it comes to anyone dissing the defense.
“The two of us have always been that way,’’ Patterson said. “I think that motivates us to do our job and usually the guys we bring into the program have that same mindset, too. They look forward to the challenge. … It’s definitely a motivation for me and I would expect it’s a motivation for our players also.’’
As for safety Harrison Smith, he apparently didn’t get the memo that many believe the Vikings will have a drop-off on defense. But if he does hear that, he’ll gladly use it to get fired up.
“I guess I’ve been out of the loop,’’ Smith said. “I didn’t know we were supposed to be bad. So, yeah, I guess that motivates me.’’
Top defenders who return are Smith, who has made five straight Pro Bowls, defensive end Danielle Hunter, who has made two straight, linebacker Anthony Barr, who was named to four in a row before missing out last season, and Kendricks. Also back is safety Anthony Harris, who tied for the NFL lead with six interceptions and signed a one-year, $11.441 million franchise tag, giving him the highest base salary on the Vikings.
After those five, the defense mostly includes young guys. The four top contenders to comprise the two cornerbacks and the nickel back are third-year men Mike Hughes and Holton Hill and rookies Jeff Gladney and Carmeron Dantzler. Those competing to replace Joseph include third-year man Jaleel Johnson and two-year veteran Armon Watts.
Griffen’s replacement likely will be Ifeadi Odenigbo, who has been cut four times by NFL teams since being a seventh-round pick in 2017. But Odenigbo came on late last season and finished with seven sacks to rank third on the team.
“We do still have a lot of returning football players on our defense,’’ Patterson said. “We have Pro Bowl players at ever level of our defense and there’s not many teams that can say that. I think the biggest thing is like it always is: To get our guys to understand the technique and fundamentals that they have to use in order for us to be successful.’’
In other words, a lot of the young guys need to get up to speed in a hurry. And that won’t be helped by the pandemic having wiped out on-field spring drills and preseason games.
Still, count Smith as one who believes they will step up.
“We have a lot of confidence in the guys coming up,’’ Smith said. “We have a lot of confidence in the coaches. … I think it’ll be good. It’ll keep us all honest and just keep us chasing our goals.’’
And one goal the Vikings always have had under Zimmer is to be among the best in the NFL on defense.
https://www.twincities.com/2020/08/09/vi...vate-them/
