With stars playing unselfishly, Vikings' defense is suffocating opponents
The sharks roaming the Vikings defense smelled blood. Third-and-long, crowd going nuts, a popgun Baltimore Ravens offense on its heels.
Everson Griffen lives for those moments.
“You get to pin your ears back and rush,” he said.
To his left, Anthony Barr darted back and forth along the line, making it impossible to know if he was going to blitz or drop into coverage. He pounced on everything in his vicinity Sunday, staying a step ahead of the Ravens offense all game.
“He’s hitting, he’s running, he’s making big plays,” Griffen said of Barr.
On the back end, Harrison Smith and Xavier Rhodes had that area on lockdown, too.
“You play like when you’re a kid out there just loving the game,” Smith said.
http://www.startribune.com/vikings-defense-played-lights-out-sunday-vs-ravens/452366093/
Hurry-up Vikings, we ain't getting any younger!
Barr is challenging Griffen for highlight plays in what has become a bounce-back season. He was everywhere Sunday in collecting 11 tackles, one sack, two tackles for loss and a pass breakup. Barr sniffed out screen passes as if he heard the Ravens’ play call in the huddle.
“He’s been playing with a lot of fire, tenacity,” Zimmer said. “The guy is just playing really good right now. I love big, fast, physical guys, and he kind of fits that bill.”
Barr’s hit that injured Aaron Rodgers last week put him in a national spotlight and made him a bull’s-eye for criticism. But what shouldn’t get lost is Barr’s re-emergence as a big-play linebacker after his disappointing 2016 season.
For whatever reason, he didn’t look like himself last season. He was invisible at times. That’s certainly not the case this season.
“I’m just in a good place mentally,” he said. “I’m confident. It’s a testament to my teammates and my coaches because they continued to believe in me. I believe in myself. It’s paying off.”
The entire defense is being rewarded for his stellar play. Same thing with Griffen, Smith and Rhodes. They prefer to keep the focus on the unit as a whole and not be singled out individually, an unselfish attitude that permeates the Vikings defense.
Their star power is impossible to miss, though.
@"purplefaithful" said: Barr is challenging Griffen for highlight plays in what has become a bounce-back season. He was everywhere Sunday in collecting 11 tackles, one sack, two tackles for loss and a pass breakup. Barr sniffed out screen passes as if he heard the Ravens’ play call in the huddle. “He’s been playing with a lot of fire, tenacity,” Zimmer said. “The guy is just playing really good right now. I love big, fast, physical guys, and he kind of fits that bill.” Barr’s hit that injured Aaron Rodgers last week put him in a national spotlight and made him a bull’s-eye for criticism. But what shouldn’t get lost is Barr’s re-emergence as a big-play linebacker after his disappointing 2016 season. For whatever reason, he didn’t look like himself last season. He was invisible at times. That’s certainly not the case this season. “I’m just in a good place mentally,” he said. “I’m confident. It’s a testament to my teammates and my coaches because they continued to believe in me. I believe in myself. It’s paying off.” The entire defense is being rewarded for his stellar play. Same thing with Griffen, Smith and Rhodes. They prefer to keep the focus on the unit as a whole and not be singled out individually, an unselfish attitude that permeates the Vikings defense. Their star power is impossible to miss, though.
It's not a bounce back year for Barr it is a career year for him. He isn't even missing tackles and wrapping everyone up with good angles.
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