09-14-2021, 12:53 PM
In the middle of last season, Mike Zimmer told Vikings personnel evaluators he needed bigger offensive linemen, especially in the interior where pockets too often collapsed in front of quarterback Kirk Cousins.
A year later, it was more of the same in Sunday's season-opening loss in Cincinnati. Third-year center Garrett Bradbury was bullied into the backfield by Bengals nose tackles D.J. Reader and Josh Tupou — listed at 347 and 345 pounds, respectively — and guards Ezra Cleveland and Oli Udoh struggled to keep their hands on defensive tackles Larry Ogunjobi and B.J. Hill; that duo combined for four tackles for losses and three sacks.
"They were big guys," Zimmer said Monday. "We got pushed back a little bit. Some of it, one time there was a miscommunication, and then one time was a three-man rush where we got pushed back. Couple times we overset guys. We just have to be better with our feet and our communication, you know, as far as where they are. If your feet are bad, that leads to grabbing and reaching."
1. Bradbury, the 2019 first-round pick, didn't calm concerns about his development. The matchups were difficult, but Bradbury again failed to consistently anchor against powerful nose tackles that routinely worked him into the backfield. He's an athletic, mobile center whom coordinator Klint Kubiak featured in screens as an open-field blocker, but 33 games into his NFL career he's leaving coaches thinking they have to do more to help him.
On this second-and-8 play in the fourth quarter, Kubiak calls a play-action dropback to try to take a shot downfield. Eight Bengals defenders in the box are eyeing Dalvin Cook as receiver Justin Jefferson releases on a deep crossing route at the bottom of the frame.
But when Cousins turns after the fake handoff, Bradbury is already driven three yards backward by Tupou, the Bengals' 345-pound nose tackle.
"He's on bigger guys and sometimes that's going to happen," Zimmer said. "So we've got to do a little bit more with the guards to help him at times as well."
![[Image: B12.jpg]](https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/bdzycBrekyTkHMgEN7tKJeo7NOM=/0x0:1730x974/1730x974/filters:focal(865x487:866x488)/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22848791/B12.jpg)
A year later, it was more of the same in Sunday's season-opening loss in Cincinnati. Third-year center Garrett Bradbury was bullied into the backfield by Bengals nose tackles D.J. Reader and Josh Tupou — listed at 347 and 345 pounds, respectively — and guards Ezra Cleveland and Oli Udoh struggled to keep their hands on defensive tackles Larry Ogunjobi and B.J. Hill; that duo combined for four tackles for losses and three sacks.
"They were big guys," Zimmer said Monday. "We got pushed back a little bit. Some of it, one time there was a miscommunication, and then one time was a three-man rush where we got pushed back. Couple times we overset guys. We just have to be better with our feet and our communication, you know, as far as where they are. If your feet are bad, that leads to grabbing and reaching."
1. Bradbury, the 2019 first-round pick, didn't calm concerns about his development. The matchups were difficult, but Bradbury again failed to consistently anchor against powerful nose tackles that routinely worked him into the backfield. He's an athletic, mobile center whom coordinator Klint Kubiak featured in screens as an open-field blocker, but 33 games into his NFL career he's leaving coaches thinking they have to do more to help him.
On this second-and-8 play in the fourth quarter, Kubiak calls a play-action dropback to try to take a shot downfield. Eight Bengals defenders in the box are eyeing Dalvin Cook as receiver Justin Jefferson releases on a deep crossing route at the bottom of the frame.
But when Cousins turns after the fake handoff, Bradbury is already driven three yards backward by Tupou, the Bengals' 345-pound nose tackle.
"He's on bigger guys and sometimes that's going to happen," Zimmer said. "So we've got to do a little bit more with the guards to help him at times as well."
![[Image: B21.jpg]](https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/4X8woR6YBnGBfz-ACCHwuMHJ_BI=/0x0:1861x1042/1861x1042/filters:focal(931x521:932x522)/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22848653/B21.jpg)
