A look at how new Vikings DT Sheldon Richardson mauled the 49ers

[purplefaithful]

In any normal offseason, Sheldon Richardson would have been the big-ticket signing in free agency.For the Minnesota Vikings, his addition to the No. 1 ranked defense went without much fanfare in large part because the team added Kirk Cousins to the tune of an historic contract.

On Sunday, while Cousins was leading the offense to 343 total yards, Richardson was reminding everyone that he has the capability to take over a game.
“Sheldon played very well,” head coach Mike Zimmer said Monday. “He rushed the passer well, played the run good. I told him I hadn’t seen that guy before. He played really, really well.”
According to Pro Football Focus, the former Jet and Seahawk registered a total of two QB hits, five pressures and two run stuffs.
“Now it’s on tape and I know what he’s going to look like and what he’s supposed to look like,” Zimmer joked. “He was strong at the point of attack in the running game, he made a lot of tackles, he played real hard, pushed the pocket. There was two times where he took the guy with one hand and knocked him back.”
As a team, the Vikings created 26 total pressures. Star pass rusher Everson Griffen had one sack, one QB hit and two hurries. He made note of the impact of having Richardson on the D-line.
“[Richardson} made plays today,” Griffen said. “He was quick up the middle, he affected the quarterback, was good on the run, he played well…having him shoot up the middle, I’m going to have to get my get-off even
better the way that he played today.
Eight pressures went to Danielle Hunter, who benefitted from Richardson’s success rushing the passer on several occasions.
“He’s definitely an animal,” Richardson said of Hunter after the game. “Create-a-player, that’s what we call him.”
http://www.1500espn.com/vikings-2/2018/0...led-49ers/

[Guest]

If Sheldon can get that same penetration against the Packers offensive line with a gimpy Rodgers...look out.  The Packers offense is built around Rodgers passing, with that kind of interior rushing, Rodgers can't step up into the pocket, he'll have to move to one side or the other and Griff/Hunter will have him.  It will be a long day for the Packers and he won't be taking off and running anywhere fast. 

[Guest]

Quick penetration up the middle was a major piece the defense was lacking last year. It's the quickest way to the QB and the best way to disrupt quick passing offenses. It also helps funnel the QB into edge rushers, creating more opportunities for Hunter and Griffen. Richardson looked amazing in his first game. He was helped by SF losing two RGs, but there was part of me that felt like the DL was just physically annihilating SF's O-line, which led to them piling up injuries. I'm very curious to see how Richardson does over multiple games, but things are extremely encouraging so far.

[Guest]

@ArizonaViking said:
If Sheldon can get that same penetration against the Packers offensive line with a gimpy Rodgers...look out.  The Packers offense is built around Rodgers passing, with that kind of interior rushing, Rodgers can't step up into the pocket, he'll have to move to one side or the other and Griff/Hunter will have him.  It will be a long day for the Packers and he won't be taking off and running anywhere fast. 

Completely agreed.  They key to dominating this game will be Richardson and Hughes.  

You know what you are going to get from Xavier, pretty much shut down except for one / two plays.  From Griff, Harry, Barr, Joseph. great smart solid play that won’t give Montgomery, Graham much to work with.  Their running game is meh at best, 29th in the league.  

The X factors are Richardon and Hughes.  If Richardson blows up the inteior of the OL (because McCray is going to need help with Linval), it will be instant pressure on that pocket, which means Rodgers will run right into Griff and Hunter.  Sealing up the edges are key.  The second X factor is Hughes, not because he’s a rookie, but because his game match up vs Cobb is perfect.  Hughes best attributes, short space speed, fluid hips, phayical hands is the perfect counter to a team’s best slot WR.  If Hughes can play inside (aka healthy Tres and/or Mac) solely, he can take away Rodgers quick outlet to Cobb.  He can eliminate the quick pass, whihc means that DL, those backers are coming.  Not going to be a good day.

My only concern is this. GB taking advantage of too much aggression from Minnesota, aka draws, traps, and pump fakes.  Rodgers won’t have the legs to get outside, won’t have the mobility like Janine Garrafolo had last week.

Get up two scores, maybe a 13 point lead and this game will be crushing for GB, with Rodgers getting an early pull for ineffectivness

[Guest]

Like I said, Richardson is the biggest free agent signing that was hardly spoken about.  What he does for the defensive line next to Joseph will pay big dividends throughout the season.

[Guest]

There have been so many plays in past years where it looked like Rodgers was about to get sacked by our DEs and then he scooted up the middle to make a pass or run the ball...it will be a joy to see him run into Richardson if he tries that Sunday.

[Guest]

Interesting to see that so many of the big plays were with backups in there.  Zim used lots of substitutions without much success.  But perhaps saving the starters for a much tougher week on the road against a possible tempo offense.

[Guest]

Funny I used to think this guy would just be a excellent addition to our amazing defensive line... he might be the best defensive lineman out there when he's at the top of his game! Although... we have 4 starters on the line that can claim the same when they are playing their best so... it's pretty incredible.

[Guest]

Life is funny, especially NFL life. I remember the 2013 draft. A lot of us chatters wanted the team to draft Sheldon, but knew he wouldn't reach our pick. Fast forward 5 years and now he's ours. Pretty awesome.
I do feel badly that Shariff Floyd lost his football career the way he did. I think Shariff had a very bright future until his unfortunate surgery.

[Guest]

His ability against the run is just as crucial. All the misdirection and play action in the world isn't going to work if you can't run the ball worth a lick.

I also was fascinated with how often he and Joseph swapped spots. Looked like close to a third of the snaps where Joseph was next to Hunter and Richardson was next to Griff. That must suck to deal with as an interior Lineman.