11-28-2019, 07:00 PM
Vikings coaches focused on improving pass defense during the bye week; the team's secondary through 11 games ranks in the bottom half of the league in yardage (20th), big plays (22nd) and touchdowns (23rd).
"We spent a lot of time with it," coach Mike Zimmer said Wednesday. "Spent a lot of time in the last couple of days on fundamentals, reteaching the things that we feel are important going forward in these last five ballgames."
Everything from player technique to coaching scheme was under the microscope, per Zimmer. The solution ahead of Monday night's challenge in Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson, according to cornerback Xavier Rhodes, isn't that far away.
"We just got to finish," said Rhodes, who has five deflections and no interceptions this season. "That's the key.''
''That's our biggest thing is just finishing the coverage. You watch film, you watch our games, we're in coverage. We're just not finishing, not batting the ball, not picking the ball off."
Wilson — 5-0 against the Vikings in his NFL career — is one of the most proficient deep throwers in the league, which is not the ideal setup for a Vikings secondary needing to rebound.
Wilson has thrown three of the NFL's seven unlikeliest completions in 2019, according to NFL Next Gen Stats. Contested passes have not fallen the Vikings' way very often this season.
"We miss the ball in the air, the receiver ends up catching it," Rhodes said. "Or we tip the ball and the receiver still ends up catching it. It's stuff like that, to the point we [need to] just knock it down. Don't tip it in the air. Be aggressive with the receiver, dive for the ball, do whatever you can.
http://www.startribune.com/vikings-coach...565548212/
"We spent a lot of time with it," coach Mike Zimmer said Wednesday. "Spent a lot of time in the last couple of days on fundamentals, reteaching the things that we feel are important going forward in these last five ballgames."
Everything from player technique to coaching scheme was under the microscope, per Zimmer. The solution ahead of Monday night's challenge in Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson, according to cornerback Xavier Rhodes, isn't that far away.
"We just got to finish," said Rhodes, who has five deflections and no interceptions this season. "That's the key.''
''That's our biggest thing is just finishing the coverage. You watch film, you watch our games, we're in coverage. We're just not finishing, not batting the ball, not picking the ball off."
Wilson — 5-0 against the Vikings in his NFL career — is one of the most proficient deep throwers in the league, which is not the ideal setup for a Vikings secondary needing to rebound.
Wilson has thrown three of the NFL's seven unlikeliest completions in 2019, according to NFL Next Gen Stats. Contested passes have not fallen the Vikings' way very often this season.
"We miss the ball in the air, the receiver ends up catching it," Rhodes said. "Or we tip the ball and the receiver still ends up catching it. It's stuff like that, to the point we [need to] just knock it down. Don't tip it in the air. Be aggressive with the receiver, dive for the ball, do whatever you can.
http://www.startribune.com/vikings-coach...565548212/
