12-22-2017, 11:11 PM
Minnesota Vikings quarterback Case Keenum has found either Stefon Diggs or Adam Thielen wide open so often this season that we have come to expect a big play every time he throws the ball in either of their directions.
There’s no doubt that route running ability is at the center of Diggs and Thielen’s success, but the explanation for their terrific 2017 performances goes beyond good routes and good hands. It also comes from the interlocking set of parts on offense that Pat Shurmur has to work with. It also comes from the two receivers’ adaptability and high football intelligence.
Before we dig deeper into how they have done it, here’s the numbers: Combined, Thielen and Diggs have 136 catches on 210 targets (65 percent completion percentage) for 1,915 yards and 10 touchdowns. They have made up 56 percent of the Vikings total passing game. Pro Football Focus ranks Thielen ninth and Diggs as the 17th best receivers in the league.
The Vikings create mismatches and confusion by changing formations and personnel on nearly every play and running the same plays and concepts out of different looks.
Asked why Minnesota’s offense was more dangerous this year than in past seasons, Packers head coach Mike McCarthy pointed to the Vikings’ constant morphing from play to play.
“A lot more variation,” McCarthy said. “The coordination of the scheme and really you have to give Case a lot of credit with the command he runs the offense with. They do a good job with the runs looking exactly the same as their pass action or their run-action passes, they’re playing at a really high level. Pat’s doing a great job.”
Defensive coordinator George Edwards explained the challenge that defenses face when matching up with teams who can vary personnel effectively.
“What it does is, it forces guys to have to think,” Edwards said. “It tries to cut down on the reaction time and having to think about alignment on assignments…The versatility, I mean Green Bay does the exact same thing, they’ve got so many different personnel groupings and they’re usually there at the line of scrimmage. They sub, they get lined up quickly, and try to get out and execute. But, that’s essentially what it does is try and cut down on your reaction time defensively.”
http://www.1500espn.com/vikings-2/2017/1...stoppable/
There’s no doubt that route running ability is at the center of Diggs and Thielen’s success, but the explanation for their terrific 2017 performances goes beyond good routes and good hands. It also comes from the interlocking set of parts on offense that Pat Shurmur has to work with. It also comes from the two receivers’ adaptability and high football intelligence.
Before we dig deeper into how they have done it, here’s the numbers: Combined, Thielen and Diggs have 136 catches on 210 targets (65 percent completion percentage) for 1,915 yards and 10 touchdowns. They have made up 56 percent of the Vikings total passing game. Pro Football Focus ranks Thielen ninth and Diggs as the 17th best receivers in the league.
The Vikings create mismatches and confusion by changing formations and personnel on nearly every play and running the same plays and concepts out of different looks.
Asked why Minnesota’s offense was more dangerous this year than in past seasons, Packers head coach Mike McCarthy pointed to the Vikings’ constant morphing from play to play.
“A lot more variation,” McCarthy said. “The coordination of the scheme and really you have to give Case a lot of credit with the command he runs the offense with. They do a good job with the runs looking exactly the same as their pass action or their run-action passes, they’re playing at a really high level. Pat’s doing a great job.”
Defensive coordinator George Edwards explained the challenge that defenses face when matching up with teams who can vary personnel effectively.
“What it does is, it forces guys to have to think,” Edwards said. “It tries to cut down on the reaction time and having to think about alignment on assignments…The versatility, I mean Green Bay does the exact same thing, they’ve got so many different personnel groupings and they’re usually there at the line of scrimmage. They sub, they get lined up quickly, and try to get out and execute. But, that’s essentially what it does is try and cut down on your reaction time defensively.”
http://www.1500espn.com/vikings-2/2017/1...stoppable/
