Vikings Head Into The Offseason: Young Defense Ready To Make It's Mark In 2015

By Brett Miller


All the talk of the about the Vikings this offseason will be about Adrian Peterson and Teddy Bridgewater. Shocker, a quarterback and a running back get the headlines, but what Vikings fans should be excited about is the direction of the defense. The Vikings went from having the 32^nd ranked defense in 2013, to 11^th in 2014. How could this be you ask. Was it a young defensive line that constantly pressured opposing quarterbacks all season long, was it a secondary that went from 31^st in 2013, to 7^th in 2014, or was it a linebacking core that got a shot in the arm with a young versatile playmaker wreaking havoc? Yes, it was all of these things, but to sum it up with one name, it was Mike Zimmer.

 From the first snap of preseason football you could see a difference in the Vikings defensive style of play. For the past decade, Vikings fans have watched a franchise that once prided itself on its defensive aggressiveness, become one of two things. Either a mediocre bend but don’t break defense, playing a Tampa 2 coverage that many saw as being too soft at critical moments. Or, simply put, a bad overall defense. Zimmer changed that in just one season at the helm.

 Our biggest problem most would agree was in the secondary. It’s a pass happy league these days, and the NFC North represents that to the fullest with quarterbacks like Aaron Rodgers, Matthew Stafford, and Jay Cutler. Zimmer’s way of attacking that problem was by loading up on the defensive line. We let fan favorite and Vikings’ legend Jared Allen walk in free agency. To replace him we signed 26 year-old Everson Griffen to a 5-year 42.5 million dollar contract. A guy who showed glimpses of being a special player, but would also disappear for games at a time. He repaid us in season one of that deal by recording 12 sacks and returned a blocked punt for a touchdown against Carolina. Add the offseason signing of Linval Joseph, the continued growth of Sharrif Floyd, the rock in Brian Robison, and perhaps the biggest surprise to the line, one Tom Johnson, and the Vikings D-Line became the strength of the defense.

 The defensive line may be our strength, but we made our biggest improvement in 2014 in the secondary. Xavier Rhodes has established himself as one of the best shutdown cornerbacks in the game in just his second season. He finished 4^th in the NFL in passes defended (18), and in a league where he’s matched up with the likes of Calvin Johnson, Jordy Nelson, and Alshon Jeffrey TWICE a year, he locked them down as good as anybody. He is the main reason why in a division with arguably the best wide receiver talent, the Vikings ranked 7^th in pass defense. It culminated in the season finale when he held Jeffrey to just 2 receptions for a measly 5 yards.

The Vikings still need another cornerback though. Captain Munnerlyn was a nice addition, but at times reminded me of Chris Cook, where his tackling was atrocious, and his coverage while solid, didn’t make the play. The Vikings face a similar issue at safety. They are in need of a strong safety. It’s been a constant rotating door, this year’s participants were Robert Blanton and Antone Exume Jr. The free safety spot on the other hand is securely held by one of the leagues up and comers in Harrison Smith. Smith has the ability of two former Viking safeties mixed into one. He hits like Robert Griffith, but has a knack for the ball like the late Orlando Thomas. Smith in my mind was a pro bowl snub this past season with 93 tackles and 5 interceptions, compared to Seattle’s Earl Thomas who got the nod with 97 tackles, but just a lone interception.

Barr will be asked to fill Greenway's shoes

 Finally we get to the linebacker spot. Chad Greenway is going down as one of the greats to ever wear the purple and gold. But his injuries have caught up to him and we might have seen him wear those colors for the last time. Enter Anthony Barr. This guy IS the future of this defense. He has the ability to become a DeMarcus Ware style pass rusher in Zimmer’s defense. In my previous blog I mentioned Teddy Bridgewater’s “arrival” moment. Barr’s was when he forced a fumble against Tampa Bay and scooped up the ball rumbling to the end zone for an overtime victory in week 8. He has all the tools to become a player opposing coaches structure their game plan around.

 Of coarse, all these improvements can be attributed to the defensive genius of Mike Zimmer. He took the league’s worst defense, and made it not only respectable, but a strength and key component to the team’s overall success. His no nonsense attitude combined with an in-your-face style defense has Vikings fans of old remembering the glory days of the Purple People Eaters, and a younger generation dreaming of success beyond what they’ve ever witnessed before.