How would you expose the Vikings?

[purplefaithful]

How would you attack this team defensively or offensively?

9/2 is great, not invulnerable, right? 

[Guest]

Vikings, even at 9-2, have flaws they hope to fix before being further exposedThey returned from their brief Thanksgiving break Monday as one of four NFL teams with nine victories, owners of the second-best record in the NFC and an inside path to a first-round bye in the playoffs.
The 9-2 Vikings, though, are not without their flaws. What’s more, they’re making no attempt to gloss over them.
Whether because of hard-earned lessons from a 5-0 start followed by a 3-8 finish last year, or because they’ve taken on coach Mike Zimmer’s exacting nature, the Vikings seem in no hurry to tout their Super Bowl credentials at this point. Not with two critical road games coming up, a playoff spot still to be clinched and a few weaknesses to upgrade.
“It doesn’t matter if you’re 9-2, 11-0 or 2-9, [Zimmer is] going to focus on what we’re not doing well,” tight end Kyle Rudolph said. “That’s just kind of the way we go about things here, and it’s always better to go back and make corrections after a win. They’re a lot easier to make after wins, but wins don’t cover that up.”
Special teams was likely at the top of the list after the Vikings’ 30-23 victory over the Detroit Lions last Thursday, a game that could have caused the Vikings less anxiety had they not had a field goal and an extra point blocked.
http://www.startribune.com/vikings-even-...460899043/

[Guest]

“I think a lot of guys come from powerhouse colleges where we’ve won a lot of games,” defensive end Brian Robison said. “It’s a lot harder to win ballgames in the NFL than it is in college for those big powerhouse colleges. So it’s hard for those guys to understand that it doesn’t matter who you’re playing. It doesn’t matter if it’s a winless team; it doesn’t matter if it’s an undefeated team. All of them are just as hard to get as the last one.”
And so the Vikings continue their process of winning games and showing up the next day for film review, knowing much of what they hear from their coach — about what they need to do better — isn’t going to change because of a victory.
“It just puts him in a little better mood,” Rudolph said.
Refinement isn’t glamorous, but the Vikings welcome it.
“We trust our process,” Keenum said. “No matter what the outcome may have been, no matter what the past [was], we’re letting all that go, because everything we want is right in front of us. We’ve got to take it a week at a time, but trust that process that’s been the same every week: It’s ‘learn from your mistakes, and get better.’ ”

[Guest]

Keep Minnesota's defense on the field by running/grinding successfully. Get ahead by 10 points and rush/blitz the passer. Successfully running on any defense opens up the passing game and makes the play calling unpredictable and harder to defend. 

Honestly, this formula works against most teams, not just the Vikings. I think, outside this messageboard, fans are much more happy with Keenum. MUCH more. I read that he was at the Timberwolves game the other night with Thielen and when they put Case's mug on the big screen, he got a huge and loud standing ovation. One of the T-Wolves reporters said it was the loudest she could remember in recent memory. 

The team is 9-2 which is amazing. But they aren't perfect....and neither are the other teams. One game at a time.

[Guest]

@StickyBun said:
Keep Minnesota's defense on the field by running/grinding successfully. Get ahead by 10 points and rush/blitz the passer. Successfully running on any defense opens up the passing game and makes the play calling unpredictable and harder to defend. 

Not sure that is a weakness of the Vikings, but yes, if a team could run on them, the defense would struggle some.  But that is why our defense is built to stop the run.  Or as Griff sez, stop the run so they can rush the passer.

[Guest]

@greediron said:

@StickyBun said:
Keep Minnesota's defense on the field by running/grinding successfully. Get ahead by 10 points and rush/blitz the passer. Successfully running on any defense opens up the passing game and makes the play calling unpredictable and harder to defend. 

Not sure that is a weakness of the Vikings, but yes, if a team could run on them, the defense would struggle some.  But that is why our defense is built to stop the run.  Or as Griff sez, stop the run so they can rush the passer.

Not meaning to say its a weakness, more that its a way to beat the Vikings. That was my intent on that reply.

[Guest]

@StickyBun said:

@greediron said:

@StickyBun said:
Keep Minnesota's defense on the field by running/grinding successfully. Get ahead by 10 points and rush/blitz the passer. Successfully running on any defense opens up the passing game and makes the play calling unpredictable and harder to defend. 

Not sure that is a weakness of the Vikings, but yes, if a team could run on them, the defense would struggle some.  But that is why our defense is built to stop the run.  Or as Griff sez, stop the run so they can rush the passer.

Not meaning to say its a weakness, more that its a way to beat the Vikings. That was my intent on that reply.

Understood.  Just reiterating that point by saying the Vikings know that and make sure that is their focus. 

[Guest]

And just glad this thread wasn't about Matt Lauer...

[Guest]

I would target the corners without an x in their names

[Guest]

Short, quick passing game (and only go long when it is "set-up" by the corners getting closer to the WRs)... run between the tackles (if possible), because you can't run outside our defense.  On defense, if you can get pressure with your front 4, drop 7 into coverage vs. our receivers.  I'd go Cover-1, with man on the outside and zone in the middle.  If the Vikes' offense is going to beat me, their going to have to do it by sustaining drives with dink-and-dunk passing and a decent running game.  From the Vikings' perspective, I think we could do that... but we'd have to play mistake-free.  Any turnovers or penalties... and we're not going to score on that possession.  If a team can do that to us enough- while scoring themselves- we could be beaten.