Good read on Vikings D

[purplefaithful]

This Vikings defense sticks, and sticks togetherTen of the 11 starters return to an elite unit.

Anthony Barr’s choice came from his gut.
The 27-year-old free-agent linebacker had a $15 million-per-season offer from the New York Jets on March 11 and told his agent to take the deal. But his stomach churned as he considered leaving Minnesota after five seasons — four as a Pro Bowler — for that big pile of cash.
The hesitation was a product of the Vikings creating bonds in a “draft, develop and pay-your-own” system. That manifested itself when Barr changed his mind and signed a five-year, $67.5 million deal — a smaller pile of cash — with the Vikings on March 12.
Now that culture is on the clock.
The Vikings defense is at a crossroads. They have finished in the NFL’s top five in fewest yards allowed the past three seasons but have only one playoff victory in that time as they grow older. Keeping Barr, a foundational piece, was crucial.
“I don’t know my exact thought process was unfinished business, but it was something to that effect,” Barr said of his decision to stay.
That flip was the headline for the defense’s offseason, during which General Manager Rick Spielman and coach Mike Zimmer doubled down on their homegrown process. Six Pro Bowlers on defense have been retained, breeding continuity, lofty expectations and the need for a pipeline of younger and cheaper reserves. Tackle Sheldon Richardson was the only starter lost in the offseason.
The starters are referenced as “a brotherhood.” The least experienced in the system is entering his third season; the other 10 enter their fifth season together. For many, like Barr, the huddle is home.
“It was more so about being in a place I wanted to be, with the people I wanted to be with,” Barr said. “I do feel strongly about what we have built here. I definitely want to continue that.”
http://www.startribune.com/vikings-seaso...558346482/

[Guest]

The Vikings’ ambitious to-do list for the past calendar year — re-signing defensive end Danielle Hunter and linebacker Eric Kendricks, and keeping receivers Stefon Diggs and Adam Thielen happy with new deals — was completed when Barr returned.
Spielman then doubled down on the process. Everson Griffen re-signed a restructured contract, taking a pay cut to give them cap space. The defense’s top free-agent signing, defensive tackle Shamar Stephen, was a 2014 seventh-round pick and is now the answer to losing Richardson in free agency.
“We feel this organization is a family,” Spielman said. “That’s why, I think, our approach — whether it’s right or wrong — [means] that we’re able to get guys like Anthony Barr to come back, to get guys like Shamar to come back, to keep guys when we have to make tough business decisions.”

[Guest]

The inherent challenge for a defense with high-priced starters is maintaining the pipeline required to add depth and role players. The draft, free agency and the practice squad are components of a Vikings farm system that has produced late-round or undrafted contributors from defensive end Stephen Weatherly to linebacker Eric Wilson and safety Anthony Harris. Growth can take years.
“Sometimes it takes a while for them to learn the systems, learn the techniques,” Zimmer said. “But it’s a really vital part of professional football. You see a lot of these guys that aren’t ready until Year 2½ or 3 sometimes.”
Weatherly — entering Year 4 — is expected to play a pivotal role in 2019 as the defensive line’s version of the NBA’s sixth man. He’ll come off the bench and rotate with Griffen and Danielle Hunter at defensive end and replace a defensive tackle on passing downs.