What Went Right: Riley Reiff Turns Heads in Vikings Debut
Duct tape may prove a quick fix for leaky pipes, but as every DIY repairman knows, a patchwork job only lasts so long. In the NFL, where leaks in the offensive line can flood a team’s Super Bowl aspirations, duct tape is the least desirable option in a general manager’s toolbox.
Jake Long, Jeremiah Sirles, Matt Kalil, and T.J. Clemmings were just that — temporary measures in the season-long effort to protect Sam Bradford‘s blindside. The Minnesota Vikings survived the year, but not without catastrophe along the way. General manager Rick Spielman recognized he’d need more than a roll of tape to fix the critical infrastructure; he’d need to replace the pipes completely.
Riley Reiff, signed to a five-year, $58.75 million deal this offseason, was the first in a series of Spielman’s offseason repairs. He followed the highlight move by acquiring right tackle Mike Remmers in free agency, drafting Pat Elflein as the franchise’s long-term center, and releasing veteran guard Alex Boone just a week before the regular season.
http://vikingsterritory.com/2017/analysis/what-went-right-riley-reiff-turns-heads-in-vikings-debut
Hurry-up Vikings, we ain't getting any younger!
I enjoyed this breakdown of the O-line much more. Highlighting the good work done by our LT, and using the gfycat allows a much better view than the shakey gifs Arif used.
To be sure, there were some failures up front and even as Austin Belisle
highlights Reiff's positives, we can see some of the failures of the others. Remmers and Berger had a couple noticeable misses. The Easton and Cook confusion that lead to a hit on Bradford on his completion to AT was evident, but partially because the stunt was very late and allowed Bradford to get the pass off.
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