Vikings Draft Argument Part 2 | Build the Defense
The struggle teams have when it comes to improving their chances of having a successful season is choosing the right pieces for their roster puzzle. They may need to improve on both sides of the ball some years, while others swing one side or the other.
Vikings Draft Argument Part 2 | Build the Defense
The Vikings have set themselves up to strengthen either side or both if they choose by keeping players in-house and having a successful free agency. The draft comes next, with another round of free agency after that, and then cuts in the summer. Is there a side they should concentrate on more than the other? I covered building the offense in the first part. In part 2, I’ll sell the idea of overloading the defense.
“Offense sells tickets. Defense wins championships.” – Paul “Bear” Bryant.
The famous coach of Alabama gave us the line that gets thrown out whenever a team wins or loses a big game. It really does hold some truth when it comes to football, more than most sports. Even teams with great offenses or Hall of Fame quarterbacks have had a defense that complements them or, in reality, surpasses them. When the Packers won their last two Super Bowls, they had two things: a HOF quarterback and a superior defense.
Without the defenses complementing the offense, they would have never been as successful as they were with just Brett Favre and Aaron Rodgers. In other years, there have been teams where the offense complemented the defense more.
The first example would be the 2000 Ravens led by Ray Lewis and a stifling defense to the point that they routinely scored defensive touchdowns almost as often as they sacked opposing quarterbacks. To say that their defense was dominant is a bit of an understatement. The Ravens’ offense was less than impressive, except at the running back position, where Jamal Lewis punished other teams by bowling them over or outrunning them.
The quarterback was Trent Dilfer, and he is no HOF player. If you ever thought Kirk Cousins was not the guy to get a team to the Super Bowl, go back and watch Dilfer play and wonder how he got there.
The answer is getting on a team with such a good defense that even his mediocre play couldn’t ruin them. The 2015 Broncos were similar, with a Von Miller-led defense that had Hall of Famer Peyton Manning at the helm. Manning was not as great a quarterback as he had been, but he was enough to keep the offense from falling apart. The defense pummeled Cam Newton and the Panthers, and it was one of the most boring big games to watch. Manning wasn’t the catalyst for the win, but it was instead the defense.
Since Minnesota filled most of their holes on both sides of the ball, with PFF stating they had zero to take care of immediately due to their great free agency, what if they overloaded the defense even further? In this case, the team feels that the offense is great or is just good enough to put a defense together that the opposition can’t get past.
The offensive line is strong enough, and they don’t draft a left guard to replace Blake Brandel. They also pass up the chance to add quality depth to the tight ends, wide receivers, or even to the running backs, relying solely on J.J. McCarthy being a good enough quarterback with the current talent around him. Justin Jefferson, Aaron Jones, and TJ Hockenson will be his main targets, and the line will give him enough time to operate.
Defensively, Minnesota will add to the positions of most need and add depth to strengths on defense. To emulate what the Eagles did, they could add Kenneth Grant or Walter Nolan to the defensive line, making for two powerful lines to rotate with Javon Hargraves and Jonathan Allen. Teams with dominating fronts don’t have to worry about the backend as much because of the pressure they put on the quarterback and stop the run.
The defensive line could be Harrison Phillips, Hargrave, Allen, Grant, Jalen Redmond, Taki Taimani, or Levi Rodriguez rotating in to keep them all fresh. You could then take a middle of the field linebacker like Carson Schwesinger or Danny Stutsman later on to shore up the depth in the middle.
Or general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah could reverse those positions and take Jihaad Campbell and Shemar Turner later, since the defensive tackle position is so deep. The team would be strong against the run and the pass, with Ivan Pace Jr. and Blake Cashman already proven to be strong against both offensive attacks.
The one spot on defense that I think truly still needs attention is safety, and the team has a chance to grab one of the two best in the draft with Malaki Starks or Nick Emmanwori. Starks would be a traditional player, whereas Emmanwori is more athletic and a hybrid like Josh Metellus, and Flores would have four players to move around with, Harrison Smith and Theo Jackson.
If Asante Samuel Jr. is still an option after the draft, adding him to the backfield with the new safety makes a defensive backfield with such good coverage that it makes the front line better with increased coverage sacks.
The defense becomes so good that even if McCarthy struggles or the new offensive line doesn’t jell, it won’t matter as much because the defense will win more games than the offense. The cornerbacks are solid for the team, but the team could also turn pick 24 into Jahdae Baron to team up with Byron Murphy Jr. and Isaiah Rodgers to be a “pick your poison” as to what part of the field you want to risk passing into. With that improved coverage, the defensive line will swarm to the quarterback as their options quickly run out.
Reviewing the Super Bowl this year, you see that the Eagles’ defense was the true factor for winning the game, with Saquon Barkley running the ball so well that the Chiefs couldn’t get into any rhythm and were soundly trounced. We’re all excited about what McCarthy and Jefferson can do through the air and how Jones can have the chance to run out the clock.
But I think there is equal interest in how the new players on defense will change the narrative on how Flores has to run the defense, with blitzing percentages dropping. The best would be if the fans didn’t have to worry about the offense at all, and that a number one defense is supported by the offense that ranks in the top 10-15.
That would be enough offense to sell tickets, but the defense is what will win the championship that has eluded the team for so many decades.
You must be logged in to post a comment.