if they’re attacking #20 you’re damn right I’m concerned!
It seemed when Vikes were disguising their blitz packages and bringing the heat was when they forced teams into making mistakes. Brees hates being hit. Sometimes you have to give up somwthing to get to them early on but it usually paid off.
Im not sure what the D philosophy is now.
I noticed Harris making some defensive adjustments and was surprised he was as vocal as he was presnap. He seems smart, a week of practice taking 1st team reps will probably go a long way.
this has been a trend for over a month now. Offense has reeled in to conservative levels, no pass rush. No need to hide anything next week. They are going to have to do more than play vanilla to win on sunday.
There are a couple things to keep in mind:
- Keenum's INT and the blocked punt basically spotted New Orleans 14-points. The D has generally been great even in short fields, but if you keep giving a team like New Orleans chances, then they will find ways to score.
- Brees tends to get rid of the ball quickly, which neutralizes the impact of the pass rush.
- Kamara is dangerous in the passing game, which also limits the amount of exotic looks they can run, especially double A gap looks. I was frustrated they didn't attack on 4th and 10, but Brees getting rid of the ball quick and the threat of Kamara in the flats forced them into more conservative coverage.
- It wasn't Rhodes best game. The cheap shot to Sendejo got him off his game and lead to him giving up a bad TD.
- I do agree that the pass rush has slowed in recent weeks. Some of that is matchups. Some of that may be Griffen's foot injury, but the DL has generally still done a good job of containment. Long term, I think they may need to start replenishing DL talent and they could really benefit from an interior pass rusher, but they need to work with what they have right now. Interior pressure is a great way to counter quick passing.
- The offense was not sustaining drives and left a lot of points on the board. The game should not have been close and they turned what should have been a blowout victory into a situation that needed a miracle for us to win and thankfully we got that miracle.
- While not defense, I can't help but think how much Cook would be helping right now. Murray and McKinnon have filled in admirably, but Cook's threat to score every time he touches the ball is really missed right now. I guess he does factor into defense, since the best defense is to control the clock, build up a big lead, and let the D attack, but it is hard to attack Brees.
I cant fault the offense much for this close game. They got up 17 points and our D didnt hold them.
The Vikes invested heavily in their D and they looked great in the first half but not in the second. If they are going to win big games then they need to play like a number one D. That means sacks, turnovers and containment.
I am guessing but I dont think they called a great D game.
Think Brees is tough? Wait until Brady starts winging it around.
Quote: @"Poiple" said:
It seemed when Vikes were disguising their blitz packages and bringing the heat was when they forced teams into making mistakes. Brees hates being hit. Sometimes you have to give up somwthing to get to them early on but it usually paid off.
Im not sure what the D philosophy is now.
I talked to Assistant Defense Line Coach Rob Rodriguez in pregame and he said, "Brees gets the ball out so fast, he's almost impossible to sack. So, we plan to put pressure up the middle to make him uncomfortable in the pocket so he has to slide step to throw and gets out of rhythm." That worked in the first 20 minutes of game time, but all teams adjust. Remember, the Saints are good. Had they beaten us in week 1, they'd have been the one's 12-4 hosting us at 12-4 in the Superdome.
Quote: @"kmillard" said:
this has been a trend for over a month now. Offense has reeled in to conservative levels, no pass rush. No need to hide anything next week. They are going to have to do more than play vanilla to win on sunday.
Offense was not vanilla for the 1st half and opened it up. Yes, the second half was very conservative (or, better said, they did not execute as well)
If I remember correctly, to start the second half the Vikings offense had the ball for about 7 minutes. Then the Vikings defense was on the field for about 7 minutes. It doesn't do the offense any good to eat up the clock if the defense can't stop the other team from doing the same thing. I think the defense being on the field for that long combined with the defensive injuries and Rhodes mini meltdown all played a part in the Saints getting back into this game
Not against Philly. Zimmer admitted he made some mistakes in this game and you can bet he'll get that cleaned up. And a re-charged Vikings defense against Nick Foles should be (may not be, but SHOULD be) a laugher.
But I'm way more concerned about the Patriots than I was before.
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