Vikings run blocking

[MaroonBells]

Stlll need to clean up some things in pass pro, but the Vikings are run blocking very well. Vikings run blocking grades through 3 weeks: Darrisaw 85, Brandel 83, Bradbury 77, Ingram 65, ONeill 76

[StickierBuns]

The Vikings have also given some nice pockets for Darnold to pass. The thing is the O-line can be inconsistent. I think the group is probably a little better than many of us give it credit for, and they'll have more good plays than bad but can be up and down series to series. I'm more ok with the group than I've been in awhile and maybe we get too close to the forest to see the trees sometimes with them. Jones is averaging 5.4 per rush and Chandler 4.5. Not bad.

[comet52]

He's getting pressured too much because Bustbury and Ingram both stink in pass pro. I gave KAM kudos for this offseason but probably should have dinged him a notch for letting the center of the oline continue to be a marshmallow that is threatening to get whoever we have at qb killed. It's not sustainable and it could make the wheels fall of the bandwagon here in purple championship country.

[purplefaithful]

Vikings are far from alone.

I see most OL's struggling against DL's these days. These Guards and Centers are so out athletic'd vs many DT's now its almost comical.

The team has gone through so much player transition in a year. The result looks to be a better running game and probably one of our best D's since 2017.

I'm not giving them a pass for the IOl struggles, but they are not alone and Brandel was a step in the right direction. Maybe next season is when they improve at C or OG.

[Bullazin]

This line is almost as good as it gets these days. I’m as frustrated as anyone watching Ingram whiff or bustbury get forklifted, but you can’t have an all pro at every spot.

I’m really enjoying this line overall. Love the running game with a real halfback in Jones.

[MaroonBells]

Vikings are far from alone.

I see most OL's struggling against DL's these days. These Guards and Centers are so out athletic'd vs many DT's now its almost comical.

The team has gone through so much player transition in a year. The result looks to be a better running game and probably one of our best D's since 2017.

I'm not giving them a pass for the IOl struggles, but they are not alone and Brandel was a step in the right direction. Maybe next season is when they improve at C or OG.

Yeah, context. That's what a lot of Viking fans don't seem to have. Everyone gets beat, even All Pros. And the better the DT, the more often he's going to get beat. Bradbury, for example, has a terrible pass blocking grade of 40, mostly because he had Dexter Lawrence on his schedule. But he still ranks 16th among centers. In other words, there are 16 starting centers who are worse than he is. Frank Ragnow is a 2X All Pro and his pass blocking grade is 47, mostly because he got his ass handed to him by Vita Vea couple weeks ago. 

Sure, it would be awesome if you can have elite players at every position on the line, but it's not sustainable. Most good offensive lines have one or two great players, one or two average players and one or two bad players. It's just the way it is. And it's not as consequential as one might think. For example, the 49ers went to the Super Bowl last year with what was probably the worst IOL in the league.

[bigbone62]

He's getting pressured too much because Bustbury and Ingram both stink in pass pro.  I gave KAM kudos for this offseason but probably should have dinged him a notch for letting the center of the oline continue to be a marshmallow that is threatening to get whoever we have at qb killed.  It's not sustainable and it could make the wheels fall of the bandwagon here in purple championship country.

To be fair no team can fix every hole they have in one off-season. We had many issues needing to be addressed, not a ton of money  The majority were addressed, and to date the "fixes" are producing. If the IOL goes unaddressed next off-season ding away!

[MAD GAINZ]

Darnold has had more clean pockets than not. Plenty of instances where he had room to step up in the pocket when there was pressure off the edge and he's athletic enough to extend the play if there is pressure up the middle.

Is our IOL perfect? No, but Brandel has been a big upgrade at LG, Bradbury is playing solid, and Ingram is Ingram. I feel like our IOL has become the Vikefans whipping boy.

[Montana Tom]

all good points. I recall not that many years ago when our entire OL was the weakest link. Then came O'Neil and Darrisaw anchoring the edges. Bradbury was a weak link but no more than the linemen on either side of him. Journeymen, mostly. Now with Brandel upping that RG spot, and honestly Bradbury has added some beef and upped his game. Ingram? To paraphrase what Kevin Seifert said (quoted as the Vikings all of a sudden ended up in the Top 5 Power Rankings this week), if that's the main weak link you have to bitch about, you're in pretty good shape overall.

[dadevike]

I'm not a fan of Ingram because of his below average pass blocking. But he is pretty good in the run game. Just watch the clip above and focus on Ingram. If he can become average in pass pro, he would be fine.