How The Vikings D Stacks Up Against Some Recent Best Defenses

[JustinTime18™]

https://www.1500espn.com/vikings-2/2017/...orys-best/

[Guest]

This defense reminds very much of the '15 Denver D.  Not exactly dominating, but very well coached forcing offenses to earn every yard gained.  If our offense can take off down the stretch, the D will be there with them doing their jobs as well.

[Guest]

Its our time. This defense is ready. You have Rhodes shutting down half the field and Smith doing his thing helping out with the other half. This defense is so well coached with Zimmer and most of all, they believe in the system and what they are supposed to do.
We are not a flashy defense. We are fundamentally sound with great coaching. This is our year.

[Guest]

It's a really strange defense. Different from any of the great defenses we've had in the past. Not stifling. Not dominant like the Viking defenses of the People Eater years or the Millard Doleman years. They don't get a lot of big plays or turnovers either. In fact, they will give up a big play or two. But it's a super smart and adjusting defense. It's almost as if they're baiting teams into thinking they can do something...

I've told my son that it's a "velociraptor" defense because it reminds me of that scene in Jurassic Park where the dude is talking about how smart the velociraptors are...

"They show extreme intelligence, even problem-solving intelligence. Especially the big one...That one, when she looks at you, you can see she's working things out. That's why we have to feed them like this. She had them all attacking the fences when the feeders came.But the fences are electrified though, right?
That's right, but they never attack the same place twice. They were testing the fences for weaknesses, systematically. They remember."

[Guest]

I said in a previous thread that the D is like a constrictor...kinda sneak up on ya...and before you know it you can't breathe...seems like Zim is playing 3D chess and everyone else is playing checkers...

[Guest]

I would be curious to see how the Vikings 3rd down defense compares with these other defenses...  this year's team is fairly average at generating turnovers, but only allowing opposing offenses to convert 3rd downs 26% of the time is unheard of...  I think that should definitely factor in to how dominant this defense is historically.

[Guest]

3RD DOWNS AND BIG PLAYS...opps...I think we are at least on par there...

[Guest]

@MaroonBells said:
It's a really strange defense. Different from any of the great defenses we've had in the past. Not stifling. Not dominant like the Viking defenses of the People Eater years or the Millard Doleman years. They don't get a lot of big plays or turnovers either. In fact, they will give up a big play or two. But it's a super smart and adjusting defense. It's almost as if they're baiting teams into thinking they can do something...

I've told my son that it's a "velociraptor" defense because it reminds me of that scene in Jurassic Park where the dude is talking about how smart the velociraptors are...

"They show extreme intelligence, even problem-solving intelligence. Especially the big one...That one, when she looks at you, you can see she's working things out. That's why we have to feed them like this. She had them all attacking the fences when the feeders came.But the fences are electrified though, right?
That's right, but they never attack the same place twice. They were testing the fences for weaknesses, systematically. They remember."

I think they are rather stifling in their own way.  They don't make the big splash plays, but they just don't give up much.  I like your analogy. They seem to take the first drive and "learn" the offense.  They may give up points on the first drive, but all hope of offense pretty much ends there.  The Cinci game was just a fluke garbage time INT that lead to their only score.  Several others only scored in garbage time. 

Thinking about the good QBs and good offenses our D faced.  I think stifling would be a fitting adjective. 

[Guest]

i would like to see how these defenses stack up with some sort of scale for opponents W/L records or some other way of quantifying their success over time.

[Guest]

Not allowing many points.