08-24-2018, 03:27 PM
https://bleacherreport.com/articles/2792...-nfc-crown
Iloka isn't a big name, but if you like watching safety play (and who doesn't—amiright?) then you know who he is. Quite simply, he's difficult to play against. Combining smarts and power, Iloka had 79 tackles, five passes defended and one interception last season. He is the definitive strong safety.
On Sunday, the Bengals cut him over salary issues. This week, the Vikings signed him and made one of the league's best defenses even better. Iloka joins a defense overflowing with Pro Bowlers, from safety Harrison Smith to cornerback Xavier Rhodes to defensive linemen Everson Griffen and Linval Joseph. Signing Iloka is like adding Denzel Washington to a movie cast that already featured Al Pacino, Robert De Niro and Meryl Streep.
How's that for a counter move to the rest of the NFL?
Wild as it may sound, there is a chance the Vikings might not even start Iloka. Minnesota already has the deepest secondary in the sport. The backups to Trae Waynes and Rhodes—first-round pick Mike Hughes and veterans Terence Newman and Mackensie Alexander—could start on a number of teams. Yet they sit on a deep Vikings bench.
But with a $790,000 base salary and $90,000 signing bonus, Iloka is a luxury Minnesota can easily afford, and a talent that could make an already great defense potentially historic.
Some people will tell you the Jacksonville Jaguars have the league's best defense and others will say it's the Vikings, but one AFC front-office executive I trust believes Minnesota's defense is the deepest and most well-rounded.
"They can upset the balance of power not just in the NFC but across the entire NFL," the exec said. "And it's because of that defense."
Bolded: Was thinking about this last night after we signed Iloka. I would bet our 2nd unit defensive backfield would be an upgrade to many starting backfields in the NFL. Think about it. Hughes on one side, Alexander on the other, Newman in the slot. Iloka and Harris starting at safety. Not too shabby.
Iloka isn't a big name, but if you like watching safety play (and who doesn't—amiright?) then you know who he is. Quite simply, he's difficult to play against. Combining smarts and power, Iloka had 79 tackles, five passes defended and one interception last season. He is the definitive strong safety.
How's that for a counter move to the rest of the NFL?
Wild as it may sound, there is a chance the Vikings might not even start Iloka. Minnesota already has the deepest secondary in the sport. The backups to Trae Waynes and Rhodes—first-round pick Mike Hughes and veterans Terence Newman and Mackensie Alexander—could start on a number of teams. Yet they sit on a deep Vikings bench.
But with a $790,000 base salary and $90,000 signing bonus, Iloka is a luxury Minnesota can easily afford, and a talent that could make an already great defense potentially historic.
Some people will tell you the Jacksonville Jaguars have the league's best defense and others will say it's the Vikings, but one AFC front-office executive I trust believes Minnesota's defense is the deepest and most well-rounded.
"They can upset the balance of power not just in the NFC but across the entire NFL," the exec said. "And it's because of that defense."
Bolded: Was thinking about this last night after we signed Iloka. I would bet our 2nd unit defensive backfield would be an upgrade to many starting backfields in the NFL. Think about it. Hughes on one side, Alexander on the other, Newman in the slot. Iloka and Harris starting at safety. Not too shabby.