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The inevitable collapse of the Vikings Defense...
#1
How's that for a headline??
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Cutting Xavier Rhodes Just the Start of Inevitable Collapse of Vikings DefenseBruce Kluckhohn/Associated Press
You could see it coming from Duluth, Rochester, Woodbury or any other Minnesota city that's more than a mile from Minneapolis. The Minnesota Vikingsinvested so heavily in their star-studded defense in recent years that it was obvious the bubble would eventually burst. 
It's happening. 
Seven members of the 2019 Vikings defense possessed contracts worth at least $10 million per year, according to Spotrac. More than half of them were at least 29 years old, which usually represents the wrong side of one's football prime.
No other NFL team had more than four defensive players with eight-figure salaries, and the league average was 2.6 per payroll. 
It partly explains why the Vikes found themselves in a massive salary-cap crunch before they were forced to release veteran starters Xavier Rhodes and Linval Joseph on Friday, just ahead of the 2020 free-agent signing period. With star edge-defender Everson Griffen hitting free agency after he voided the remainder of his contract, Minnesota will have some (limited) cap flexibility when the gates open on the new league year Wednesday.
But a defense that took a step backward with frequent lapses in 2019 will be in substantially worse shape without three experienced starters who have a combined nine Pro Bowl nods between them. 
Rhodes looked like he lost a step despite making the Pro Bowl last season, Griffen is 32 and Joseph is 31. With that in mind, the Vikings can't be faulted for letting any of them get away. But there's also little doubt that they're still a lot worse off without them. 
We're talking about 50 percent of the starting defensive line, a 2017 first-team All-Pro corner and, in Griffen's case, the reigning team leader in quarterback hits with 24. 
Minnesota went all-in on a defensive core that featured those three as well as top pass-rusher Danielle Hunter, safety Harrison Smith and linebackers Anthony Barr and Eric Kendricks. But Rhodes and Joseph are gone, Griffen will be difficult to retain, and heavily utilized defensive backs Anthony Harris, Mackensie Alexander and Trae Waynes are also on the verge of unrestricted free agency. 
Some of those players weren't consistent assets in a tough 2019 campaign (especially for a secondary that posted the sixth-worst opposing completion ratein the NFL), but without Rhodes, Joseph, Griffen, Harris, Alexander and Waynes, a top-heavy D would be an utter shell of its former self. 
If the Vikings are forced to rely heavily on unproven 2018 first-round corner Mike Hughes and a cheap free agent (or either Alexander or Waynes) at cornerback, they'll be in huge trouble. And there'd be even more pressure on that watered-down coverage unit if they can't bring back Griffen and/or Harris, both of whom were tremendous assets in 2019. 
Griffen is likely to entertain suitors in free agency, according to the Star Tribune's Ben Goessling, while Harris was the league's highest-graded safety at Pro Football Focus last year. The 28-year-old should have plenty of tread on his tires, which means he's likely to command a massive deal on the open market following a season in which he tied for the league lead with six interceptions. 
The Minnesota defense still put up impressive overall numbers in 2019, but in most respects, that unit was short of elite. And for a seven-week stretch midway through the year, Minnesota was one of the NFL's worst defensive teams. With that much expensive talent, that's a problem.
The Vikings are at risk of falling off a cliff because there's such a small middle class on the defensive depth chart, which is a shame, considering they've won just two playoff games in the Mike Zimmer era, which started in 2014.
That doesn't necessarily mean the Vikings are destined for a rebuild, though, because the offense might be positioned to bail out the rest of the team. 
In fact, quarterback Kirk Cousins can do that in multiple ways. First, he can agree to a long-term contract extension that gives the front office more short-term financial flexibility by reducing his 2020 cap number from $31 million to, well, a price that is lower than $31 million. Then, Cousins can build on the highest-rated season of his career (107.4) with an even better one in 2020. 
The lower cap hit would give Minnesota a fighting chance to re-sign both Griffen and Harris, which has to be the dream scenario. That would take a lot of pressure off the rest of the team, as would another strong season from Cousins and top weapons Dalvin Cook, Stefon Diggs and Adam Thielen. 
The Vikes were one of just three teams that ranked in the top 10 on both sides of the ball in terms of DVOA (defense-adjusted value over average) at Football Outsiders in 2019. For years, it's been all about the defense there. But they at least became a balanced team last season, and there's a good chance they will become heavily reliant on the offense at the dawn of a new decade. 
Can the Vikings continue to contend even if the defense becomes a liability? We're about to find out. 
https://bleacherreport.com/articles/2880...ce=cnn.com&utm_campaign=editorial&utm_medium=referral

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#2
Maybe I am drinking too much of the Zimmer Kool-aid...  but I feel like the demise of the Vikings defense is being overstated.  I get it...  we might need to replace our entire secondary (minus Harrison Smith) and potentially find replacements for Everson and Linval.  However, the one constant we've had since we hired Zimmer is his defenses have always been pretty good to elite.

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#3
'Collapse' seems like a hyperbolic word to use here. Different? For sure. Lesser than? Maybe. Let's watch and see before we throw around words like that. 
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#4
You can't stock a defensive roster entirely with 10 mil/yr guys, it was never a good plan imho.   They let the oline be a piece of crap all the while.  Bad idea when you sign a guy who is great in a clean pocket but subpar under pressure.   And the article worries about losing pro bowlers - Joseph and Rhodes didn't perform at anything near a pro bowl level last year though Rhodes actually got in, lol.   They aren't losing anything at those positions.   The lack of push up the middle was one of the big issues on defense last year.   

It's time for Zimmer to coach up young talent like he's supposed to do and for the team to drop this fantasy of the highest priced defense in football is the best and invest in an oline.  That's the only realistic shot at a SB for this franchise right now.
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#5
I'm trying to think of the talent we had on that side of the ball when Zim took over. I'm guessing it wasn't close to what we walk into 2020 with even if we lose 3 three starting CBs.
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#6
Wtf is a Kluckhohn...?  Wink
[Image: 9dwl01l64rre.gif] 
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#7
Quote: @"BarrNone55" said:
I'm trying to think of the talent we had on that side of the ball when Zim took over. I'm guessing it wasn't close to what we walk into 2020 with even if we lose 3 three starting CBs.
We had this as our starting lineup:

DL - Everson, Robison, Sharrif Floyd, and Linval
LB - Jasper Brinkley, Anthony Barr (rookie), and Chad Greenway (31)
DB - Rhodes, Munnerlyn, Robert Blanton, and Harrison Smith

Our defensive line was nasty with Everson, Robison, and Linval in their primes, but the rest of the defense was average at best outside of Harrison Smith.  Rhodes had yet to emerge as a shutdown CB, Munnerlyn hadn't totally bought in to Zimmers defense, and Greenway was getting long in the tooth.

This year we have Barr, Kendricks, Hunter, Harrison, and Harris who are all top talents at their positions.  Even if we don't add anyone else of note, we have an equal number of high end players as we did in 2014.  I think we are better off though with some of the young guys we have waiting in the wings...  we didn't have much depth in 2014.
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#8
Click bait.  I don't know how anyone- who actually watched this team- assume that we'll be worse, just because we're losing these 3.  Rhodes was bad last year.  Linval wasn't his same, "hungry" self.  Our run defense was terrible.  And we might get EG back at a cheaper rate; and, if not, we still have other players who can give us similar production.  Having less big-names does not mean that we have less of a defense.  If we lose Waynes and/or Mac, I think we'll have some genuine reasons for concern.  But I think we're still OK right now.
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