Purple Pain Original Content

For some, the NFL offseason is the most boring part of the year; while I mostly agree, it leaves plenty of time to write speculation articles! Hooray! It's time for the 3rd annual Danchat's Guide to the Offseason where I will write a guide of how I would manage the Vikings roster. This is not an article about predicting what will happen, but I guess I can show off if I do happen to nail any of these predictions. 

This year we'll have some spreadsheets to show how the cap situation will play out:

Vikings current cap:



So at the moment they've got about $53.3M in cap. Now, let's tinker with this roster!

Pre-Free Agency Moves

Releases

HB Latavius Murray - saves $5.15M

Here's a move I don't think the Vikings will actually make but I think they should. Dalvin Cook should be the unquestioned HB as he recovers from an ACL tear, and they don't need his insurance policy, Murray, to take up $6.35M of cap room. Murray was a average HB last season and was an effective power back able to score those rushing TDs in the redzone. He still has little ability to break tackles and isn't a threat on 1st and 10. The Vikings can go cheaper at backup HB and find a more effective player.

DT Sharrif Floyd - saves $6.76M

Floyd is still under contract because his contract tolled due to spending the whole season on the NF-injury list. His career is probably over after a botched knee scope that wrecked one of his nerves.

Restricted Free Agency

LG Nick Easton - 2nd Round Tender (estimated $2.83M)

Easton was a UDFA, so the Vikings will risk losing Easton for no compensation if they give him an original round tender (will save approx. $1M). It's hard to say how well Easton played as PFF didn't like his play, but he was a much better fit than Alex Boone was. He will likely enter camp as the starting LG but the Vikings should add some competition there.

G/T Jeremiah Sirles - 2nd Round Tender ($2.83M)

This was a tough decision, but I've decided to slightly overpay for a solid backup offensive lineman. Sirles can fill in at guard without being overwhelmed and is a replacement-level RT and will be active every game in case an injury happens. 2nd year player Danny Isidora will push him for that role but I think Sirles should keep it.

S Anthony Harris - 2nd Round Tender ($2.83M)

I didn't project Harris to make last season's roster, but he ended up starting 3 games and was a surprisingly good player. He inflicted a forced fumble on Rams WR Cooper Kupp at the 1 yard line, completely shifting the momentum of that game. He's worth the extra cash as he was also a UDFA and will be claimed if the Vikings try to give him an original round tender. The Vikings no longer have to worry if Sendejo misses any games due to injury.

C Cornelius Edison - No Tender - The Vikings can re-sign him at the minimum salary if they want him back.

Re-signing UFAs

CB Marcus Sherels - 2/4/2 (years/total/guaranteed)

I can't say goodbye to Sherels yet. He's a great special teamer and was still effective at returning punts, even though he hasn't taken one back for a score in a while. It would make sense to groom a returner to the future, though.

QB Case Keenum - 3/60/25

Here's the part that you've been waiting for, or so I presume. Of the primary options at QB for the Vikings - Keenum, Bradford, Bridgewater, and Cousins - I have decided to pick Keenum. Keenum basically went 13-4 with this team as they surprised the NFL as they took a deep run into the playoffs. Keenum has the intangibles - he has that "it" factor, he thrives on 3rd downs, he dodges sacks like a boss, and he can take hits and shake them off without his knees exploding. When the team had virtually blown yet another playoff game away, Keenum brought this team back with a great throw to Stefon Diggs. The cons are that he doesn't have that good of accuracy and can miss trickier passes and he'll sometimes make foolish deep throws and he doesn't have much of a track record. 

$20M is a lot to give Keenum and maybe they'd be able to negotiate it down to $17-18M, but seeing Alex Smith and Jimmy Garoppolo sign new deals recently, I see Keenum is going to be paid. This deal locks Keenum in as the 2018 QB but gives flexibility in case he falls apart and they need to release him before 2019 starts. While he isn't the type of guy who's going to win a Super Bowl on his own, I think he's the best of the available options to get us deep into the playoffs.

Leaving in Free Agency

QB Sam Bradford and QB Teddy Bridgewater

I can see Bradford signing a one year deal laiden with incentives, perhaps in a place like Arizona where they'd develop a young QB behind him. Teddy should sign a similar deal and compete for a starting job. For some reason I feel like Buffalo is where he'll end up. I would like to keep one of them as a backup but it isn't realistic to think they will want to return in that capacity unless Teddy's deal tolls, which doesn't look like it'll happen right now.

HB Jerick McKinnon

I really want him to return but he wants to be a feature back and I have a feeling somebody out there will pay him. The Vikings will need to find a backup HB who can replace his explosiveness and catching ability.

CB Terence Newman and CB Tramaine Brock

Newman did a very good job as the nickel corner, but he played two poor games in the playoffs. He'll be turning 40 soon and I think it's time to move on. Brock was a good starting corner in 2016 but when he was on the field in 2017 for the Vikings, he looked lost. He could compete for a reserve spot in 2018 if the Vikings think he'd be better with a full offseason with Zimmer under his belt.

WR Michael Floyd

Can you believe the incentives on Floyd's deal that would have triggered if he reached 1,000 yards? They should have triggered at 200 yards! He has about one year left bouncing between the 5th WR spot of several different teams' rosters before he's toast.

K Kai Forbath

Forbath's 2017 was an adventure but he proved he still belongs in the NFL. First it was missing PATs, then it was FGs getting blocked... the Vikings should look for better options. Having him return with a rookie kicker to compete with wouldn't be a terrible idea.

DT Tom Johnson and DT Shamar Stephen

Both DTs played well in 2017, but I have other plans at DT. Johnson is 33 but should push for $4M a year as a rotational guy and Stephen should make a little less.

OLB Lamur, HB Sankey, HB Brown, LS Overbaugh

They're backups, they can return on the 90 man roster at the minimum price if needed.

Extension(s)

Extend WR Stefon Diggs to a 4 year, $53M deal with $25M guaranteed

Diggs at WR is an incredibly crucial piece to the puzzle for the Vikings offense, so even though he has a knack to get injured, I think it's a price willing to be paid.
I spread the $25M guaranteed over 5 years, so he gets a $5M bonus in 2018, upping his cap. This probably isn't how the extension will happen but I consider it to be a bonus to Diggs as an incentive to take a little less ($12M a year) over the length of the contract.

Trade(s)

Alright, so I was so, so very close to trading away Anthony Barr... but in the end 1) I couldn't find a better LB to replace him with and 2) I didn't need to dump his $12M contract. I think Barr is a little overrated and isn't much of an impact player, but it'd be foolish to ship him off for a 3rd round pick at this point.

Trade WR Treadwell to the Panthers for a conditional 6th round pick.

I liked the Treadwell pick when it happened... but it's clear he never regained his agility from his college days after a nasty injury in a bowl game. The Vikings would lose over $4M in cap space if they straight-up cut him, so I bet they could ship him off to a WR-needy team like Carolina for a late pick. 


Free Agency

Sign G/T Justin Pugh 4/32.8/14

With Joe Berger retiring, the Vikings need a RG who can step in and upgrade this offensive line immediately. Pugh can do that. The Giants played him at RT this season and he didn't play very well and missed 8 games due to injury - but that just makes the price more affordable for the Vikes. The 4 previous seasons he spent at guard and he excelled there, so while they are taking a bit of a gamble here, Pugh should be an impact addition to the O-line.

Sign CB Nickell Robey-Coleman 3/13.5/4.5

With Newman moving on and Alexander probably not ready for nickel duties, the Vikings should try to shore up this position. Robey-Coleman was one of the league's best nickel corners as he was the Rams' best corner according to PFF. The starting lineup of Rhodes-Waynes-RobeyC should be one of the best in the NFL if Waynes can take a step up from 2017.

Sign DT Denico Autry 3/10.5/4

Autry is a passing rushing interior lineman for the Raiders who's fresh off a 5 sack season. He's around the talent level of Tom Johnson but he'll be 28 years old instead of 34. Autry should rotate with Jaleel Johnson next to Joseph and be able to bring some heat while not being a liability in the run stopping game.

Sign HB Rex Burkhead 2/7/3.5

I wanted this to happen last year and I'm going to do it again! Burkhead was an effective HB for the Patriots in 2017 but had to put up with 3 other HBs, so he didn't get to touch the ball much. When he does, he's one of the league's best receiving HBs, can pass block very effectively, and he's a scrappy runner. He won't outrun the defense, but he's a cheaper and more effective variant to Latavius Murray.

Sign WR Donte Moncrief 1/5/3

I really don't think this one is going to happen, but I'd love to get Moncrief in as the 3rd WR. He had a nightmare season without Luck in Indy but when he has a good QB slinging him the ball, he was an effective redzone receiver who functioned as a great #2 to Hilton. His value is at a low right now and I think he'll sign a one year deal... make it happen, Spielman!

Cap room after signings:



Alright, so we have $13M left to sign rookies and the practice squad with, which should be enough to have $4-5M left when the season starts. The Vikings could save more cap by cutting Robison or Wright, but they won't be forced to.


NFL Draft

I haven't studied the upcoming draft class very much yet, so all of these picks are going to be shots in the dark. Here goes:

Pick 1-30: T Desmond Harrison

The Vikings could use a tackle to develop behind Rieff and Remmers. Harrison was kicked out of Texas due to drug tests and played at West Georgia, but he's got the skill set to be a 1st-2nd round pick. The Vikings should be willing to take a big risk on a guy who has the talent to be an NFL tackle because the number of prospects with that ability will not be hanging around at this point in the draft.

Pick 2-30: QB Luke Falk

Drafting a QB here is going to raise some eyebrows and this was definitely not my plan, but I decided the backup QBs available in free agency just weren't that good. The Vikings should try to develop a long-term solution behind Keenum similarly to how the Patriots have drafted QBs recently. Falk has put up great stats and has an accurate arm and is a definite prospect. This doesn't mean I'm giving up on Sloter - the Vikings have shown they can carry 3 QBs on the roster - and if Keenum actually does turn out to be a long term option, Falk can be traded for draft picks in the future. 

Pick 3-30: DE Jalyn Holmes

Holmes' profile intrigued me as he was a rotational pass rusher at Ohio State and only had 2 sacks, but his measurables and speed stack up. Yes, he reminds me of Danielle Hunter. The Vikings need to have a deeper pass rush like the Eagles and Holmes could rotate in 15 times a game and provide a spark when needed.

Pick 5-30: HB Justin Jackson

The late rounds are a perfect place to find effective HBs. Guys like Kareem Hunt, Alvin Kamara, and Jordan Howard have been drafted between the 3 to 5th rounds and the Vikings need a guy behind Cook and Burkhead. Jackson played for a uncompetitive Northwestern team but still ran for 1,311 yards and caught 44 passes. Perhaps the 5'11" 193 lbs back could prove to be a competent receiving HB.

Pick 6-30: K Daniel Carlson

Alright, so I don't recommend you draft kickers before the 7th round, but I'm doing this because the Vikings don't have a 7th rounder and it nicely completes all of the Vikings' needs. Drafting the #1 kicker in the draft class hasn't been a great idea the past few years and they're not easy to pick out. 


Whew... so that's all, folks! What do you think of this Vikings roster - could they go all the way this year? What modifications would you make if you were the GM? 

Sources: Spotrac (Cap numbers and Contract Estimations) and WalterFootball (draft prospects)For some, the NFL offseason is the most boring part of the year; while I mostly agree, it leaves plenty of time to write speculation articles! Hooray! It's time for the 3rd annual Danchat's Guide to

Welcome back to another round of Strat-O-Matic football, where I'll be simulating tomorrow's Sunday Night battle between the Vikings and the Bears! So far the Vikings have gone 0-3 in these simulations, so let's hope for a win!

Before we get to the summary of the game, I'll give a quick summary of the first few drives that were scripted. I gave a special opportunity to Funkytown to coordinate the first three drives of this game! Let's see how it goes!



Well, so the first two drives didn't go as well as hoped, but Funky's playcalling got more creative on the 3rd drive with 25 yards from Ham and a deep pass to Treadwell?! Are you kidding me?
Alright, let's see how the rest of the game went:



BOX SCORE


-Other notes-
Penalties: Vikings 2 (2 declined), Bears 6.


* My thoughts *

Oh come on, are you kidding me?! The Vikings hold the lead for the entire game until the final 18 seconds? Boy, I just can't get the Vikings to win. Even with the flukey punt return TD that Tarik Cohen scored to start the 4th quarter, the Vikings regained a 2 possession lead, but they blew it away. Trubisky hit Allen Robinson on a 70 yard pass and ended up with the FG to bring it to a one possession game, and I couldn't quite get the Vikings to close out the game. On a crucial 3rd and 4 with 2:15 to go in the 4th quarter, I called a pass play to Rudolph that fell incomplete (I couldn't trust the run game, Cook and Murray had no room to run today). The Bears saved a timeout and were able to hit Allen Robinson on a 45 yard pass and eventually put the game away. And, of course, Cody Parkey hit all his kicks even though I downgraded him due to last week's game.

Performance-wise, the passing game did its job, though they had a hard time scoring in the second half. After Khalil Mack's 2 sacks on the first 2 drives, I called some quick passing plays to avoid sacks. His interception wasn't his fault as he simply heaved a deep pass in desperation time. Kyle Rudolph is unstoppable in Strat-O-Matic football, as he had a catch-and-run 70 yard play that wouldn't have happened in real life.

Despite winning the turnover battle and sacking Trubisky 5 times, the Vikings just couldn't beat the Bears offense. Too many big plays and first downs to Cohen, Miller, and Robinson left the pass defense helpless. The run defense shut down Howard and Cohen and even prevented Trubisky from going on any long runs.

The good news, Vikings fans, is that in all 3 of the previous Strat-O-Matic games, the Vikings lost, but in real life they won, so here's hoping they pick up a 4th win tomorrow! I'll be back in December for another Strat-O-Matic simulation, and we sure as heck better win that one!

Feel free to post your thoughts. If you'd like to call an offense drive for the next edition, just ask, as I've had fun seeing how the "rehearsed plays" have gone.

[Check out the Chi-Town version of this article here!]Welcome back to another round of Strat-O-Matic football, where I'll be simulating tomorrow's Sunday Night battle between the Vikings and the Bears! So far the Vikings have gone 0-3 in these

Welcome back to another round of Strat-O-Matic football, where I'll be simulating the rematch of the Vikings-Eagles NFC Championship game!

Before we get to the summary of the game, I'm having a special feature to start this game. I gave a special opportunity to one of those rubes out there to call their own plays - the first two drives of this game will be called by honorary offensive coordinator Reignman! Let's see how it goes!


Well, there you go! Reignman's pass-happy gameplan worked for the first drive, although Cousins threw short of the sticks on 3rd down, which I'm sure infuriated him. Thankfully I wasn't going to let the Vikings punt there and Rudolph got to play the role of the hero. The 37 yard TD pass was actually caught 10 yards out, but the Eagles defense completely failed to cover/tackle him and he was able to cash it in for the TD.

Unfortunately Reignman's love for throwing the ball downfield strategy ended with a pick on the very first play of the next drive, and the Eagles would take a 10-7 lead thanks to Cousins' bad throw. 

Alright, now let's see how the entire game went:



BOX SCORE


(other notes: Eagles HB Clement and HB Cook were assumed to be out with injuries. Eagles had 9 penalties and Vikings had 5.)


Once again, I'm left having to make excuses. First off, my Strat-O-Matic games average about 26 points per team or around 50 points combined per game. Today we 83 and nearly 1,000 yards passing, and I can tell that in around 100-200 games I have simulated, I've never had a 500 yard passer. And of course, the game somehow knows who the Vikings are. Of course the Vikings miss a winning FG and two other kicks! I set both teams to "below average pass defense" and all hell broke loose (there are also "poor" and "very poor" ratings that would have lead to even more yards!).

After Cousins' two interceptions in the first quarter, he was nearly perfect from then on. He did get strip-sacked in overtime, but there were only 3 sacks in an insane 71 dropbacks. With the Eagles having the best run defense in football, I mostly kept the ball out of Boone's and Murray's hands. Roc Thomas fumbled the ball the first carry he got, so I immediately placed him back on the bench. Diggs and Thielen were about what you'd expect, but each had one drop on key plays. The Eagles could not contain Rudolph as he added a 50 yard catch near the end of regulation... I wish he could play like that in real life. Treadwell also is much better on paper than in real life.

Meanwhile, the Vikings' defense was as atrocious as it looked on paper. Sure, they actually stopped the run and forced a fumble (who knew they could do that?), but they managed one sack on 58 Wentz dropbacks... and Weatherly's sack came with 2:10 left in OT!! That's 68 minutes with a single sack! The pass defense was about the same as it was against the Rams - even mediocre WRs like Jordan Matthews got huge plays with no effort. Nelson Agholor dropped two passes but still dominated the secondary. The Vikings dropped an interception, because of course they would.

But, in the end, Bailey missed 2 FGs, one being a game winner, and Jake Elliott hit his, though those holding penalties on two of the kicks (!!) made things more dramatic. That's some crazy stuff right there.

I'm sorry for the third straight simulation I couldn't get the Vikings a win... but this'd make an exciting game in real life, wouldn't you think? Any thoughts from you guys?

Is there anyone out there who would like a crack at being the offensive coordinator for a few drives? Funkytown ?
Welcome back to another round of Strat-O-Matic football, where I'll be simulating the rematch of the Vikings-Eagles NFC Championship game! Before we get to the summary of the game, I'm

Welcome to my first regular season Strat-O-Matic Simulation! If you didn't see how the test run went in the preseason, you can see how everything works  here.

I'm just going to go ahead and show off the box score and the game summary. Maybe at some point I could upload some in-game updates or something else to jazz things up?



(other stats - Penalties: SF 6, MIN 11)

- Game Summary - 

1st Quarter
SF punt.
SF DE Thomas tackles HB Cook in endzone, safety (SF 2-0).
SF punt (partially blocked).
MIN punt.
[MIN LB Kendricks departs with injury, ruled out.]
SF 4 yard TD pass Garoppolo to HB Bredia (SF 9-0).

2nd Quarter
MIN 2 yard TD run HB Cook (SF 9-7).
[SF C Richburg departs with injury, ruled out.]
SF Garoppolo intercepted by FS Smith.
MIN K Carlson 53 yard FG is good (MIN 10-9).
SF punt.
MIN punt.
SF 55 yard TD pass Garoppolo to Garcon (extra two is good on pass to Kittle, SF 17-10).
MIN Cousins intercepted by CB Witherspoon, returned for TD (SF 24-10).
MIN punt.
SF 31 yard TD pass Garoppolo to Garcon (SF 31-10).

3rd Quarter
MIN punt.
[SF HB Breida departs with injury, questionable to return.]
SF K Gould 41 yard FG is good (SF 34-10).
MIN Cousins intercepted by FS Colbert.
SF punt.
MIN Cousins intercepted by CB Sherman, ball is fumbled back to Vikings on return.
MIN Cousins 40 yard TD pass to WR Zylstra (extra two is good on pass to Rudolph, SF 34-18).
SF Garoppolo intercepted by CB Waynes.
MIN Cousins intercepted by DT Mitchell.

4th Quarter
SF K Gould 32 yard FG is blocked by CB Hill.
MIN 47 yard TD run HB Cook (extra two is no good, SF 34-24).
SF punt.
MIN 7 yard TD pass Cousins to HB Cook (SF 34-31).
SF runs out clock.


-My thoughts-

Boy... what a total disaster. Sure, if you just looked at the score, you'd say things didn't go terribly, but they really did. Kirk Cousins was a total travesty through the first three quarters of football until finally looking like himself in the 4th quarter. I was really hoping I would get a normal-ish Strat-O-Matic Football game, but today was a day for total insanity, horrible luck, and bizarre moments.

First off, a safety in Strat-O-Football? Seriously? I've played at least 150 games and I don't recall ever having a safety. The 49ers were able to down the ball at the 1 yard line, and I tried to call the safest plays I could for the Vikings, but Cook ended up catching a pass for a 2 yard loss, resulting in the safety.

After that, the game proceeded rather normally until everything broke loose in the late 2nd quarter. Garoppolo attempted two deep passes in the quarter and went 2 for 2 with 86 yards and 2 TDs, and Cousins went 0 for 3 with a pick 6 to Witherspoon, which was a very lucky roll for the Niners. Not to mention the penalties were absolutely brutal for the Vikings - 5 holding penalties, with 4 of them just so happening on 3rd down! A 40 yard TD to Thielen was erased, Zylstra's first career catch for 35 yards was erased, plus two catches for Diggs never happened either. All 4 for first downs too. That killed the offense early.

Of course, Cousins had to toss 3 interceptions in the 3rd quarter, including a knockaway by a SF D-lineman that was caught by the nose tackle, Earl Mitchell. Because of course it did! Thankfully the defense finally stepped up and shut down Garoppolo, but it was too late. Alfred Morris was just decent enough to get some key first downs.

Holton Hill's blocked field goal made this one a game again, and Dalvin Cook did his absolute best even though I had to mostly call passing plays. He scored the 47 yard TD with 7:32 on the clock, and the next TD pass to Cook happened with 2:04 left and 2 timeouts. Unfortunately, the 49ers had Morris run up the middle several times and he got 2 first downs, ending the game there.

I think Strat-O-Matic did a fine job representing a crazy Vikings loss, because you all know they are capable of this. Here's hoping we don't see anything like this for the real game tomorrow.

I hope you guys enjoyed this Strat-O-Matic Simulation and I'll be back sometime in the future for another, but I don't plan on doing this every week. Maybe Week 5?

One more note. To make things more exciting, perhaps we could get some input from y'all at Purple Pain. Would anyone be interested at drawing up a drive for the offense to follow? Similarly to how many offensive coordinators have first drives of games completely rehearsed, perhaps you guys would like to give a gameplan for a single drive in a Strat-O-Matic game? Give me a shout if you're interested.Welcome to my first regular season Strat-O-Matic Simulation! If you didn't see how the test run went in the preseason, you can see how everything works

Welcome to a brand new series exclusive to Purple Pain - Strat-O-Matic Simulation! In anticipation of the Vikings-Broncos game tonight, I'm kicking off a new series that I plan to run once a month (four games, five/six if playoffs) and this is the test run. The goal will be to simulate the game with the most realistic results possible...

But first, what is Strat-o-Matic Football?



Here's a picture of my set-up. You'll notice that in addition to the standard board game, I have a bevy of add-ons that I've made myself over the years.

The original way to play the game can be seen here:



Oh yeah, we've got the 2008 Vikings here! As you can see, the normal way to play the game is to have a deck of cards for each team and every player has their own results dependent on dice rolls. However, the 2018 rosters won't be available for at least another year and they're quite expensive. So what did I do? Yup, I created my own system so that I can plug in any team with any players without creating their own cards or buying anything. You sure learn how to be creative when you're a cheapskate!

Now, before we go any further, let's see how the gameplay works. See below:



On a typical play, you will first have the offense call a play. Your choices are linebuck, off-tackle, end run (running plays) or flat pass, short pass, or long pass (passes). You will then select a player of whom will be running the ball or catching the football. In this situation, I've selected "Short Pass" and "Split End", so Kirk Cousins will be throwing a pass to Stefon Diggs here. Next, the defense (usually a second player) chooses to expect either the run or the pass. I also play the defense, and I randomly select one of the two, but I do have the defense defend the pass in obvious passing situations and vice versa.

You'll see I've rolled the dice and ended up with a 5-11. The white die determines whether we use the QB card or the Defense Card (1-3 QB, 4-6 Def). Since I rolled a 5, we'll refer to the Defense Passing Chart that I'm pointing to. We then choose the skill of the defense - either "Very Poor, Poor, Average to Poor, Average to Good, Good, or Great" - and find the number that the two red die add up to. Since it's an 11, Diggs has caught a 12 yard pass. They'll now have a first down at the 37 yard line (see on the right).

As you can guess, there's a ton of strategy here - linebucks are runs up the middle that don't give you a ton of yards but usually don't fail, throwing deep leads to more sacks and interceptions but can result in huge plays - and on.

I'm sure you still have many questions, so I'll try to answer them. Wondering how the players' talent level works?



I've got most of the Vikings QBs, HBs, FBs, WRs, TEs, and special teams here. For QBs, I had to determine short, medium, and deep accuracy, awareness (throwing interceptions), and scrambling ability. HBs have their own strengths for the three type of running plays and receiving ability, WRs and TEs' ratings are Catching-Speed based, and so on. To calculate these ratings, I looked at stats, PFF ratings, Madden ratings, and other sources. It's rather subjective, but that's what makes it my simulation. The opponent's defense is also placed here and ranked: the Broncos have one of the best run defenses in the league, but their pass defense stinks (based on 2017 stats).



Here's the receiving and passing charts. Each one is basically a generic player card that changes depending on the player's talent. The changes are color-coded so that receivers with high Catch ratings catch more passes, faster receivers get more yards, accurate QBs complete more passes, and risky QBs throw more interceptions, and so on. I put a lot of work into these charts, trying to make sure the numbers would balance with yards per play... there's a lot of complexity here.



Alright, here's one more chart for you: we've got some varied yardage plays above with interception return scenarios, a whole bunch of penalties, and special teams. If you were wondering what the black die was for, one side has an X that causes a penalty in conjunction with a white 1-3 (there's a 1/12 chance of getting a penalty). After that, there will be a 50-50 chance of either team receiving the penalty, and the specific one will be rolled for. I looked up penalty stats to figure out which ones happen most frequently. The kick and punt return results are also based on statistics and better returners will get more yards and more TDs.

Alright, let's finally get onto the game! Since this is a preseason game, I'll be playing the starters for a few drives and pulling them for the backups. As I said earlier, I'm aiming for accuracy here... not for the Vikings to win by 100 points or something ridiculous like that.

Vikings at Broncos Preseason Week 1 - Box Score




(other stats - penalties: MIN 12, DEN 4. Two fumbles (HB Freeman and CB Hughes) were both recovered by the team that lost it, so no turnovers. One sack by DEN (OLB Bradley Chubb))

- Game Summary -

1st Quarter
DEN 38 yard FG is good (3-0).
MIN 48 yard TD pass Cousins to Diggs (7-3).
DEN punt.
MIN punt.

2nd Quarter
DEN 5 yard TD pass Keenum to Butt (D 10-7).
MIN 6 yard TD pass Cousins to Rudolph (M 14-10).
* both teams starters are on the bench now *
DEN 3 yard TD pass Lynch to Heuerman (D 17-14).
MIN punt.
DEN 36 yard FG is good (20-14).

3rd Quarter
MIN punt.
DEN 3 yard TD run R. Freeman. (27-14).
MIN punt.
DEN 1 yard TD run P. Lindsay (34-14).
MIN punt.
DEN 29 yard FG is good (37-14).
MIN punt.

4th Quarter
DEN punt. 
MIN punt. 
DEN 26 yard FG is good (40-14).
MIN turnover on downs.
DEN 7 yard TD pass Kelly to Bell (47-14).
MIN 1 yard TD pass Sloter to Wieneke (47-21).
DEN punt.


Alright... so that didn't go very well. However, the Vikings' starters looked good, so that's all that's important to me. It was totally worth it to have Cousins go deep to Diggs and work on the first attempt! The backups were atrocious, including Siemian and the 2nd team offense. Though Keenum did play a very good game, but he had zero run support. l did what I could to try and jump start the Vikings' offense, but Siemian couldn't complete any passes... against the Broncos backup defense! Yikes! 

The Vikings 2nd and 3rd team defenses could not stop the Broncos offense lead by Paxton Lynch and Chad Kelly. They also had several poorly timed penalties that extended Denver drives - the penalties felt realistic and incredibly annoying! Despite all the passing plays, the Vikings couldn't even register a single sack. 

A few more notes - offensive lines aren't rated at the moment, and I think that's something I'll have to work on adding to the game. It wouldn't be difficult to add Sack % chances for pass blocking, but I'm not quite sure how they'll affect the running game yet. So the Vikings' possibly bad O-line was not a factor here (and the game was played before Easton's injury). 

Anyways, I think that's going to be all from me for now. There is a ton I haven't explained, so go ahead and ask questions and I'll do my best to answer them. I'm planning on having a Vikings VS 49ers simulation as the first regular season attempt. Here's hoping the Vikings don't lose 47-21 tonight!

Welcome to a brand new series exclusive to Purple Pain - Strat-O-Matic Simulation! In anticipation of the Vikings-Broncos game tonight, I'm kicking off a new series that I plan to run once a month

Ready for something completely out of left field? Speaking of left field, it actually has something to do with baseball. A while back I had the idea of trying to implement the advanced statistic called WAR that is commonly used in baseball and try and translate it into the NFL. So I've set some time aside to conduct a fun experiment that will most likely result in any viable or realistic statistics.

You're probably asking yourself, "What the heck is WAR anyways?"

"Wins Above Replacement (WAR) is an attempt by the sabermetric baseball community to summarize a player’s total contributions to their team in one statistic" (Source: Fangraphs.com). MLB statheads like to use this stat to try and calculate the value the team would lose if a certain player had to be replaced by a backup or free agent.

The way WAR is calculated by many websites is rather complicated, but my attempt here is going to be rather simple. It's far more difficult to quantify the performance of a NFL player than a MLB player just because of the wide array of stats baseball players accrue. So for this experiment, I'm going to use PFF ratings only because that's the only method I have that can put all players on the same grading scale (I apologize for using PFF grades so often, but they're basically all I have to do this). This also means that I will not include punters and kickers as I don't have a great way to compare their performances to the rest of the players. Perhaps they could be added later.

First what I'll have to do for this experiment is to find what replacement level actually is. It falls somewhere between the "average" player and "worst" player at each position. After tinkering with several numbers, I have decided to use 35% as the cutoff for replacement level. If a player is worse than 65% of the other players at his position, then he is a "sub-replacement" player and he will carry a negative value.

Ranking all players wasn't easy - I took every single snap played by every single player (even the guys who recorded a total of one snap on the season) and I was able to find replacement level at 35%. Here are the results:





As you can see, some positions, like QB and S, had far superior play and will limit the WAR of players that those positions. That's just how the cookie is going to crumble for this experiement.

Now it's time to calculate the WAR. First I will calculate "PFF grade above Replacement" by subtracting the player's PFF grade minues the replacement level PFF grade shown above. Next, that number will be multiplied by the number of snaps the player played, so their WAR will be amplified by how often they were on the field. Finally, this new value will be multiplied by "Position Weight", which is a way that I can give more value to a certain position. Here is how I did it:

Position Weight

QB - 2.5

HB - 1.3

FB - 0.7

WR - 1.3

TE - 1

LT - 1.5

G - 1

C - 1.1

RT - 1.3

DE - 1.2

Rotational DE - 0.8

DT - 1

Rotational DT - 0.9

LB - 1.1

Base LB - 0.9

Outside CB - 1.2

Nickel CB - 1

FS - 1.2

SS - 1.1


So yes, these measures were incredibly subjective and I picked out the numbers myself. If this were a professional experiment, I would need to thoroughly justify how I came up with all these numbers, but since we're doing this just for fun, I'm not going to spend the time doing so. I can basically manipulate these numbers however I like, but I tried to keep things fair from my viewpoint.

Finally, to calculate the WAR, I divided the subtotal by a number that would allow all values to add up to 14, because that's how many games the Vikings won. That isn't how WAR works in the MLB, but that's not my concern right now. Let's take a look at how the QB position turned out:





So by my [admittedly sketchy] methods, Case Keenum has turned out to be worth 1 and 1/8 Wins Above Replacement. In translation, if the Vikings started a replacement level QB (2017 Joe Flacco) for 92% of the snaps instead of Keenum, they would have lost approximately 1 more game. This might not sound like a big difference, but one win is worth an incredible amount of value in the NFL. This this case, Keenum was responsible for about 8% of the Vikings' wins.

Here are the rest of the results for the Vikings:





And for your viewing pleasure, here are the players ranked by WAR:





-quick analysis-


Some players ended up getting underrated due to league-wide play being good at a position (Joseph at 0.53 is way too low) or bad at a position (Rudolph at 1.22 is generous IMO).

The combo of Diggs and Thielen at WR totaled out to be worth 3.27 WAR. When Diggs was hurt, they got sub-replacement level play from Treadwell, who accrued a -0.4 WAR. Michael Floyd catches a lot of flak but he barely played and was only worth -0.04 WAR. In translation, according to my model, Treadwell's play was 10 times more detrimental to the team than Floyd's play.

The offensive line did not get much love from PFF and it shows here. With good guard play rare in the NFL in this era, Joe Berger (1.68 WAR) was a great value for his salary. The Vikings need to find an impact guard who can sustain that level of play. Easton totaled a -.14 WAR, but I wonder if he could step his play up to another level in a second full season starting in 2018. Same goes for Elflein. Reiff would have been in the green if his season ended Week 9-10, but in the second half his play dropped off and became a liability (-0.25 WAR).

Perhaps the Vikings could find a better DT next to Joseph as Tom Johnson was fairly average (0.1 WAR) and Shamar Stephen wasn't that good (-0.05 WAR).

Our LBs scored highly here because of poor LB play in the NFL. Kendricks (1.29 WAR) and Barr (1.02 WAR) had their share of great games and bad ones, but it's for the best that they stick together for the 2018 season. I would try to extend Kendricks but I'd probably pass on Barr, who's likely going to be more expensive.

Perhaps it's time to move on from Brian Robison? He played a large share of snaps and was the 2nd worst player due to WAR (-0.5). I think he gets knocked for playing poorly at DT when he shifts there on passing downs.

Alrighty then, I hope you enjoyed this statistical romp that produced some interesting but ultimately not very accurate numbers. As always, all comments are welcome. I'd like to know what you thought about my experiment.

-By the way, if you would like to see what other players' WARs for 2017 were, I'd be happy to calculate it (Kirk Cousins and other QBs perhaps?).


Sources: Pro Football Focus, FangraphsReady for something completely out of left field? Speaking of left field, it actually has something to do with baseball. A while back I had the idea of trying to implement the advanced statistic

There has been a lot of speculation about what the Vikings should/will do at QB going forward.With both Sam Bradford and Case Keenum due to hit free agency at the end of the current season,Kyle Sloter will be the only QB under contract.Teddy Bridgewater's status is a little clouded,as I will explain later.

The Options

Sam Bradford 
There's no doubt that of the QBs currently on the roster,Bradford gives the Vikings the best chance to win.He has the OC who knows him best,a scheme designed to utilize his strengths,and an offensive line that while not brilliant is certainly much improved on last season and does enough to give the Quarterback time to go through his progressions,something he didn't have last season.

On the flip side is the issue of Bradford's troublesome knee.After two ACL injuries earlier in his career the last thing any Vikings fan wanted to see was the QB appearing on the injury report with a knee problem,but that is what happened leading in to the road game at Pittsburgh.Bradford has remained on the injury report in the ensuing weeks with what is a bone bruise,according to media reports.

The biggest problem with assessing Bradford for next season and beyond is that only the medical staff truly know the facts about his current injury,so I can only guesstimate on his health.That said,a bone bruise should not be a concern going forward,and as Bradford has visited with specialist Dr Andrews and been given the all clear on any structural damage then it is fair to assume his health should not be a major concern.

Case Keenum 
Keenum is in the best situation he has ever had in his career to date.His previous stints with the Rams and Texans were on below average offences with poor OL play and a lack of offensive talent.
In Minnesota he finds himself with an average OL but better receiving options and play makers.

He was an undrafted free agent who could best be described as a battler who believes in his ability but lacks consistency.While not likely to ever be an NFL starter,he certainly is an acceptable backup option. 

Kyle Sloter
Sloter is as raw as college free agents come.He only started 10 games at Northern Colorado,so to say he is inexperienced is an understatement.He signed on with the Broncos and was impressive in pre season games,but to project him as a possible future starter based on that is a big stretch.

On a more positive note,the Vikings had to battle hard to land the young QBs signature as he was well regarded by other teams.Sloter is certainly an intriguing development piece,but at this stage that is all he is.

Teddy Bridgewater
Bridgewater is the real wildcard of the QB pack,and is the most difficult to predict because of his health and his contract status.
As far as his health is concerned there has been much speculation in the media about where Bridgewater is in regard to his rehab,however most reports suggest that he is well ahead of schedule and ready to return to practice.On the other hand,the Vikings have been very cautious when answering questions about the health and rehab progression that Bridgewater has made.
For now I will just assume that he is progressing well and see how things play out.

As far as contract status goes there has been speculation about what is required to cause the contract to toll.This is what the CBA says:

It seems straight forward that as it is the last year of Bridgewater's contract,and he is currently on the PUP list (where he must stay until week 6) that the contract would toll.
But this is where things get interesting.
In an article for PFT,Mike Florio posted this:

Earlier this year,the NFLPA stated that they would fight any move by the Vikings to have Bridgewater's contract toll.I wasn't sure how they could justify such a move,but after researching for this article I think the strategy will be twofold.

Firstly,the NFLPA will assert that Bridgewater was in fact able to perform his football services before the sixth regular season game,however he could not join the team because the PUP list designation prohibits that.
Secondly,the NFLPA will use the Management Council interpretation to strengthen their case.
This of course assumes that the NFLPA and Bridgewater can prove that he was medically able to perform.Either way,any move by the NFLPA to challenge the tolling of the contract will certainly lead to what I would expect will be a drawn out process that likely winds up in the courts.

Other Options 
Of the other free agents to hit the market next year there are no real options apart from Kirk Cousins,however that would be an all out bidding war the Vikings would not likely win.I would be amazed if Cousins even made it to free agency,however Washington has completely mismanaged the entire situation around Cousins so anything is possible.

Drew Brees has been mentioned as a possible candidate but I would speculate that if he plays next year it will be in New Orleans.The Saints have managed Brees situation even worse than Washington has with Cousins,and if Brees walks away then the Saints are left with $16 million in dead money,so it is in their interests to figure something out.

Alex Smith and Andrew Luck are others who could possibly be traded for,but after not having a first round pick in 2017 I would not expect the Vikings to be in the QB trade market.

One thing the Vikings should seriously consider is drafting a QB in the mid rounds,although at this stage it is hard to assess who might be available.

Conclusion
There is no doubt in my mind that Mike Zimmer is craving for some continuity and consistency from his offensive unit,and for these reasons I expect that if Sam Bradford is healthy then the Vikings will look to re sign him to lead the unit.

Case Keenum is an adequate backup and Kyle Sloter will get a chance to compete at that spot also.

As previously stated,Teddy Bridgewater is the difficult one to assess at this point with both his health and contract status unknown,and until some clarity exists regarding those situations it is hard to offer an opinion about where he ends up.





There has been a lot of speculation about what the Vikings should/will do at QB going forward.With both Sam Bradford and Case Keenum due to hit free agency at the end of the current season,Kyle

Playing GM: Vikings 2018 Full Offseason by Jetfire

As we are about to embark on free agency and the combine is coming to a close, let's take a stab at Rick Spielman's job as the GM for the Minnesota Vikings. First let's take a look at the squad. A team that had the #1 defense in so many categories, and a decent offense that led the team to an NFC Championship bid, 13-3 record, and the NFC North title. However, there are some big needs to get this team over the hump, and it starts with the fact the only QB on the current roster being Kyle Sloter.

Going into the offseason the biggest needs for the Vikings are: QB, G/T, DT, CB, DE, OLB, WR, S in that order. So how could we go about solving this situation? Well first comes free agency, so let's take a look at the current Vikings contracts:



Now the first thing to do would be to cut Brian Robison and Sharrif Floyd. Floyd is obvious. He's not going to play football again, and it's awful. He would have solved every need at the DT position, but there is nothing we can do so we let's add 6M to our cap space. Now, while I love Robison, he did nothing for the Vikings in 2017. Watching the game film, he was simply horrendous at his job rushing the passer. And for 3.5M, he is simply a must-cut for the Vikings, in my opinion. This leaves us roughly at 54M in cap space.

Signing One: Kirk Cousins - QB - (150M/5YR, 95M Guaranteed)

The Vikings are in a prime position to make a run for the Super Bowl. To me, therefore, you go after the very best QB available; that is Kirk Cousins by a long shot. He has had three straight healthy seasons of 4,000YD+ 25TD+ ball. The weapons he would be inheriting in Minnesota would be the best he has ever had. He will have three great QB-oriented coaches in Downing, DeFilippo, and Stefanski. I do not think anything NY can offer will be so much greater that he would turn down the security of a five-year deal with the best roster he could join.

The following structure:



Signing Two: Josh Sitton - OG - (20M/2YR 11M Guaranteed)

Josh Sitton was rated as the 5th-best guard in football last year. Due to his age, injuries, and the Bears not really in a spot to compete, he was let go. This is a prime spot for the Vikings to jump in and grab an incredibly solid guard to add to the offensive line. Reiff and Elflein played great last year; adding a third piece to this puzzle in FA would be a great move.

The following structure:



Signing Three: Nickell Robey-Coleman - CB - (2.6M, 1M Guaranteed)

Nickell played okay in LA last year. He would for certain meet our need at the nickel cornerback spot. While I am high on Alexander improving this year, you will always need CB depth and Nickell would add it at not only a cheap price but at a spot where he might take over a starting role depending on how he plays.

The following structure:



Signing Four: Sebastian Janikowski - K - (5.5M/2YR, 1M Guaranteed)

Coming off of injury issues, I feel like this is a generous contract for Janikowski. As Viking fans, we know how important the kicker position is. I know I never felt comfortable with Kai back there. While Janikowski may have lost a bit of leg the past two years with his 55-60+ yard kicks, he still has been constantly deadly from inside 45-yards and with extra points. I think as long as he returns healthy from his injury he would be a perfect and needed addition to this Vikings squad.

The following structure:



Signing Five: Kerwynn Williams - RB - (800k/1YR, 0 Guaranteed)

Williams played okay in his time in Arizona. I think he fits the mold as a replacement for Jet. While not the same player, we will need depth at the RB position. I like Williams as a cheap, yet proven option. He can play and do what we will need him to do as a 3rd RB in the depth chart. I think this draft gives us a lot of leeway, and I will talk about that later.

The following structure:



Re-signing: Nick Easton - G - (2.6M/2YR, 400K Guaranteed)

Nick is a restricted free agent, so offering him the qualifying offer here makes the most sense. I do see Easton taking it as he has had injury problems, and there is so much competition in the open market and draft; however, if he does not, we do get a 3rd-round compensation pick in the following draft. Easton will make for incredible depth having a starting quality lineman as a backup for G/C.

The following structure:



Re-signing: Tom Johnson - DT - (2M/1YR - 1M Guaranteed)

Tom Johnson played great last year. The Vikings want to bring him back, limiting his snaps, so 2M sounds like a great deal to have very solid DT depth as we look to find a starter next to Linval in the draft. Depth is something we lacked, and we saw it hurting us in the 4th quarter of a few games this past year.

The following structure:



Extension: Anthony Barr- OLB - (41M/4Yrs, 23M Guaranteed)

I have had a lot of discussion about this contract with many people. While I still think it's an overpay, I do think it's realistic to what Barr will be getting - comparable to Kwon Alexander and Telvin Smith, both elite OLBs similar to Barr. Getting this contract extended this year will actually add room to our cap space since we are on the hook for 12M in the final year of Barr’s rookie 1st-round contract. He is a staple of Zimmer’s defense and is not going anywhere.

The following structure:



Extension: Stefon Diggs - WR - (58M/5Yrs, 24M Guaranteed)

This contract is interesting. I see Diggs getting maybe a slightly bigger deal and over a shorter duration as he may want to prove and solidify himself as a top WR in the NFL and that he can stay healthy. However, I can also see this long-term deal getting done, due to the fact Diggs has injury problems. This is a market deal for Diggs, and while I think he should be paid over that, those injuries may hinder it from happening. This is hoping he takes long-term stability, over a prove-it contract. Either way, I think the Vikings for sure can get it done.

The following structure:



Extension note:

I am accounting for extending Hunter, Waynes, and Kendricks with the following contracts in 2019 and also a Harrison Smith restructure to give him some extra earned signing bonus cash and to push his cap later into his contract.:







The NFL Draft

Round 1 Pick 30: Harrison Phillips - DT - Stanford

Harrison Phillips played nose tackle for Stanford, and he played well. He was extremely productive with 103 tackles, 17 for loss, 7.5 sacks, as well as two forced fumbles. The kid produced. He pulled 42 Reps at the combine and did not perform horrid in the speed drills either. Many scouts' main worry is that he can not handle double teams as a nose in the NFL. Well I think the Vikings could draft him as a 3T; he would only ever face one-on-ones as you are forced to double-team Linval whether that be in run or pass. He does need to work on his pass rushing moves, but that is something I trust our coaching staff with. I think Phillips could dominate next to Linval in our D-line, and we would be getting much more productivity from this pick due to the fact we are not relying on him as our nose and double-team guy.

Round 2 Pick 60 - Billy Price - OG - Ohio St.

Price suffered a pectoral injury the first day of the combine. He was projected to be a late 1st-round to early 2nd-round talent. While I am not happy he got injured, I think this does give the Vikings a huge chance to grab him with their second pick. We would be getting tons of value at a position of need. Price is a day one starter at the RG position. He took over at C once Elflein left; however, at guard he holds his own well as a pass blocker, has a great punch as a run blocker, but most of all gets to the second level. He and Elflein working together in the run game will open the door for Cook to have an incredible season, in my opinion. He should be healthy for this year and would solidify this line as a great one as he competes for the job with Easton. Not to mention Price is one of the smartest football guys in this draft -just watch any video of him breaking down film.

Round 3 Trade with Bucs, Giants, or Colts

Receive early 3rd-round pick trading Latavius Murray, 2018 6th-round draft pick (218), and 2019 5th-rounder

The reasoning for this trade is simple: Murray is getting paid too much. We eat 1M in dead cap but get 5M off the roll this year and 6M next year. If we can gain a 3rd-rounder out of it, we should. Especially with a RB I like later in the draft. I also think one of these teams will still be needing a back going into this draft or some time in free agency where Slick Rick could get a deal like this done. This is kind of a stretch, and a 4th-rounder may be more realistic but let's go with it!

Early 3rd-Round Pick - Chad Thomas - DE - Miami (FL)

To me, Chad Thomas is very similar to Hunter. He is more of a raw talent coming out of college, but he has everything he needs to succeed with some coaching. He didn't have a wonderful combine, and I think this will help the Vikings by having him slip into the third. Depending on what they are hearing, you might switch the order in which we take these two third-rounders. Thomas is great versus the run, he holds the edge well, and he is fast enough to keep up with RBs trying to bounce around the tackle. His tape in the Orange Bowl demonstrates his strengths well - those being run defense, ability to rush the passer from anywhere on the D-line, pure speed and strength. He needs to learn more moves and use his hands more. I see Thomas as an instant Robison replacement giving us some depth and rotation ability with pass rushing. In the long term I see Thomas as our LE once Hunter moves to RE and Everson moves on/retires. I would be ecstatic to see what Zimmer could do with this kid.

3rd Round Pick 90 - Shaquem Griffin - OLB - UCF

Have yourself a combine. Griffin was on my list for a late-round steal; however, after his 4.38 40YD dash sitting at 6’1 227 Lb., his draft stock is soaring. Scouts are concerned about his ability to finish tackles and, simply the fact, he only has one hand. However, he showed an ability to catch the ball, and his freakish athleticism will make up for much of these shortcomings, in my opinion. I can see Griffin as an A. Barr replacement; however, in the meantime, it gives Zimmer LB depth. We no longer will have a massive drop-off if Kendricks or Barr goes down. In time, working with our great defensive coaching staff I see Griffin developing into a top tier 4-3 OLB.

Round 5 Pick 150 - Jamar Summers - DB - UConn

Summers is a S/CB combo. I think he is exactly the kind of player Zimmer could really mold. He can play the nickel corner position and fill in at FS when needed. He has good zone coverage and incredible tackling ability. Speed is the main concern; however, that seems to go away when you have great technique under a Zimmer-led staff. Seems like a solid pick to add some depth to the DB position for the Vikings.

Round 6 Pick 180 - Lavon Coleman - RB - Washington

I am so high on Coleman. I am willing to give up Murray; it's as simple as that. In 2016, he averaged 8 YAC at Washington. After a disappointing 2017, his draft stock plummeted. Many scouts say he's a one-cut back in a power back's body; however, I think he simply a Swiss-Army knife at back. In 2016, he showed he could block, he could run in and outside the tackles, and he could catch. He's extremely elusive and with some hard work, he can bring a power-back style to his game. I attribute a lot of the '17 disappointment to Washington's use of him mainly as a power back - changing and limiting his game. Utilized correctly, I can see Coleman being Dalvin Cook’s “Chester Taylor”. He can do everything and do it well. If Cook went down, I would feel more than comfortable with Lavon Coleman back there.

Round 6 Pick 213 - Antonio Callaway - WR - Florida

Callaway is a great WR - 5’11 and 4.41 40YD time, he gets in and out of breaks as well as literally anyone in this draft. However, his issues are off the field; he continues to have problems. Minnesota would be a great place for him to get away and become part of a great culture. The reason I think the Vikings also somewhat need a player like Callaway is because he also can return kicks and punts, and he does it well. You are getting middle-round talent late due to his attitude problems. Jarius Wright has two more years on his contract, and in that time, I see Callaway becoming every bit as good as Wright; I see Wright as Callaway's floor. This is on top of contributing massively on special teams. It all comes down to focusing on football and not being a distraction to his team.

Other Options

Other options in the draft I would look out for would include:

1st-round talent:

Connor Williams - T - Texas: Connor Williams is a great OT out of Texas. If he is available, it will be hard to pass up. He is an improvement over Remmers and would really secure some great pass blocking.

Maurice Hurst Jr. - DT - Michigan: a great 3Tech DT guy; hes athletic and speedy, fitting Zimmer's system perfectly. However, he was recently diagnosed with a heart condition, and after losing Floyd, I don't think Minnesota wants to take a risk at DT. I see Phillips out of Stanford as a more sure option. I also think there is more raw talent there to harvest.

Isaiah Wynn - G/T - Georgia: Wynn is a do-it-all kind of guy who played G and T, both very successfully at Georgia. He seems like the perfect Remmers replacement. As a smaller RT, he could be a solid pass blocker and a great run blocker. We could also easily decide to slide him in at guard.

2nd/3rd-round talent:

Equanimeous St. Brown - WR - Notre Dame: 6’5, 4.48 40YD, shows a good ability to high point contested catches. I have given up on Treadwell, and due to St. Brown’s speed and showcase of being able to get away and create separation, he could be an easy replacement. St. Brown would not only give us a great vertical threat, he would also give DeFilippo an Alshon Jeffery-like WR to play with. When running 3- and 4-WR sets, St. Brown at his size and speed alone is a threat on the field. With some work on his route running, he could develop into another insane weapon on this offense. He even showed great YAC ability at Notre Dame catching quite a few screens in ‘16.

Jordan Whitehead - S - Pitt: Whitehead was a favorite of mine; however, our safety position seems to be pretty solidified at this point in time. Depth would not hurt, and Sendejo needs a contract soon. I would not be surprised if we take Whitehead knowing Spielman visited Pitt earlier just to watch him.

Mid/late round talent:

Lowell Lotuleleli - DT - Utah: After a disappointing 2017, Lowell has dropped in draft stock. He is a good player and really showcased that in 2016 constantly getting pressure to the QB and handling the run. Again a guy who struggled against the double team, but that would not be a problem on this Vikings squad. He is worth a late round pick if Zimmer thinks he can motivate and mold him into a proper 3Tech DT.

Byron Pringle - WR - Kansas St: 6'1 fast as hell and can return kicks. He seems like the kind of WR the Vikings need as an outside vertical threat who can contribute on special teams. Byron is older at 24, and there has been injury problems, hence the later round projection despite the talent. He is guy that I could see fitting the system in Minnesota and having a contribution to this team in the long run.

Final Moves

Find a veteran cheap 3rd-string QB

See if anyone will take Treadwell for any compensation whatsoever. Hopefully, a team like the Bears will have bad luck in the draft and may be willing to trade.

2019 Roster



Conversation Football: conversationfootball.com/vikingsblog/2018/3/4/playing-gm-vikings-2018Playing GM: Vikings 2018 Full Offseason by @jetfire As we are about to embark on free agency and the combine is coming to a close, let's take a stab at Rick Spielman's job as the

If the Minnesota Vikings success this season feels familiar, it just might be because we've been here before. Looking back over the past several playoff seasons, 2017 seems eerily a lot like another where the Purple dominated—2009.

Both seasons Minnesota ended up winning the most games since 1998 when the team finished 15-1. Both the 2009 and 2017 teams were dominated on one side of the ball. For 2009 the offense finished second in scoring and fifth in yards, while this season the defense dominated leading the NFL in both categories. 

A few other similarities follow. 


Quarterback


Both the 2009 and 2017 versions of the Vikings found themselves with a quarterback leading them to their best record since 1998. In '09 Brett Favre joined Minnesota and produced a 12-4 record resulting in the second seed in the NFC playoffs. The 12 wins matched the second-most in a season with teams from 1969, 1970, 1073 and 1975.

This season Case Keenum, an offseason signing to provide depth at quarterback, stepped up in Week 2 and helped the Vikings to a 13-3 record—not only bettering Favre's result in 2009 but producing the second-most wins in franchise history.



The difference between Favre and Keenum could not be any more different. One joined the team after 18 seasons in the NFL with 169-100 record as a starter. The other, a relative unknown, brought only a 9-15 record through five nondescript seasons.
Farve came with two league MVP's and a Super Bowl win, Keenum came looking for a chance to play.



Despite all the differences they both delivered the best regular season, statistically, of their careers.



Favre's career passer rating before joining the Vikings was 85.4. His best season came in 1995 with the Packers when he finished with a 99.5 rating. In 2009, Favre had his best season with a 107.2 rating. He threw 33 touchdowns and seven interceptions—the fewest interceptions he threw in any season where he started all 16 games. 



Keenum joined the Vikings with a 78.4 passer rating and a 9-15 record, never having played in more than 10 games in a season. The 11 wins credited to Keenum this season are two more than the nine he had in his four previous seasons with the Texans (2) and the Rams (7). In 2017 he finished with a 98.3 passer rating with 22 touchdowns and seven interceptions. In his previous five seasons combined, he threw only 24 touchdowns.  His previous best passer rating was 87.7 in 2015 going 3-2 as the starter for the St. Louis Rams.



While both quarterbacks had exceptional debuts in their first season with the Purple, Keenum's is much more surprising considering where he came from. Here's hoping Keenum can exceed the comparison and take the Vikings at least one game further than Farve did in 2009.



A Breakout Season for a Wide Receiver

Both 2009 and 2017 saw the emergence of a wide receiver leading the Vikings with more than 1,200 receiving yards. In '09 Sidney Rice, in his third season with Minnesota, finished with 1,312 yards and eight touchdowns. This past season Adam Thielen, in his fifth with the Vikings, finished with 1,276 receiving yards and four touchdowns. The comparison between the two quickly fades after that. Rice joined the Vikings in 2007 as a second-round draft pick and immediately made the active roster. As a rookie, he caught 31 passes and had four touchdowns.

For Thielen, the road was a little longer as an undrafted free agent signed in 2013 he spent two seasons on the practice squad earning a spot on the active roster in 2015 as a special teams player. His first touchdown came on a punt he blocked and then returned for the score in 2014. He broke into the starting lineup in 2016 when he started 10 games at wide receiver and leading the team with 967 receiving yards and finished second with 5 receiving touchdowns. 

There is also the connection that between Rice in '09 and Thielen in '17, no other Vikings' receiver has reached the 1,000-yard plateau.



The Competition


The seasons of 2009 and 2017 were also very similar in the results of the games they played.

As in 2009, the Vikings faced the AFC North. Just like in 2009 the Vikings finished 3-1 against them. The only loss came against the Steelers in Pittsburgh. The similarities end there. In 2009 the AFC North sent two teams to the playoffs—the Bengals won the division and the Ravens made the playoffs as a wildcard team.


In both seasons the Vikings rattled off a long winning streak. In 2009 it was six games, in 2017 eight. They also were able to pull off the feat all Vikings fan love—a sweep of the Green Bay Packers. Unfortunately, between 2009 and 2017 the Vikings were only 3-11-1 against Green Bay including losing a playoff game at Lambeau. In the three seasons prior to 2009 Minnesota was only 1-5 against the Packers. 

Along with losing to the Steelers, both teams also lost to the Panthers in Charlotte. A huge difference however to this similarity is that neither the Steelers or the Panthers made the playoffs in 2009. 



Head Coaches


For both the '09 and '17 teams, coached by Brad Childress and Mike Zimmer, there are multiple similarities as well. Minnesota was their first opportunity in the NFL as a head coach. For both the defining season was the fourth with the Vikings. Childress became the head coach of the Vikings in 2006 following four seasons as the Eagles offensive coordinator, while Zimmer took over in 2014 after six seasons as the Bengals defensive coordinator.
Zimmer, like Childress, both seem to have a disdain for the media and have a way of answering questions without really providing any insight what they really think or feel. 


2009 was the second journey into the postseason for Childress who built a 36-28 record with consecutive NFC North division championships. Zimmer heads into the 2017 postseason, also his second, with a 39-25 record at head coach winning his second division title in three years.



Again, like the quarterback comparison here's hoping that Zimmer can win at least one more game this year than Childress won in 2009. That loss in the NFC Championship game to the Saints in New Orleans arguably started Childress' downfall in Minnesota. In 2010 Childress was replaced with defensive coordinator Leslie Frazier after 10 games.


Yes, there are a lot of similarities between these two seasons, two seasons that have produced the most excitement this side of 1998. Let's hope the comparisons of the regular season are where the similarities end and that Zimmer can do what no other head coach, not even the great Bud Grant whose 158 wins are the most in franchise history, can do and bring a Super Bowl championship to Minnesota.  If the Minnesota Vikings success this season feels familiar, it just might be because we've been here before. Looking back over the past several playoff seasons, 2017 seems eerily a lot like another

The Minnesota Vikings moved into the top playoff spot in the NFC this weekend. Their eighth straight win, and the Philadelphia Eagles loss to Seattle, makes the Purple the number one seed in the NFC—provided the playoffs were to begin next week. 

Yet, a lot of long-suffering Vikings fans are still waiting for the proverbial "other shoe to fall." This franchise, despite some very successful teams, is known to always lose when it seems to matter most—not quite as bad as some franchises, say like Detroit or Cleveland, but still a loser. 

The week leading up to the Atlanta game I broke the Vikings history into a series of different eras. 



The height of Vikings success, no surprise, is called the Super Bowl Era. In the 10 seasons between 1968 to 1977, the Vikings made the playoffs an incredible nine times, playing (and losing) in five NFC Championship games and four Super Bowls. This era is remembered by losing as heavy favorites to Hank Stam and the Chiefs, losing to the Perfect Season, losing to the Steel Curtain, losing to the Cowboys and the Hail Mary and losing to John Madden and the Raiders. Their perfect 0-4 record in the Super Bowl matches the most by a team without a victory. 

Following the Super Bowl Era, one finds the Lost Era, a decade of futility where the Vikings would not achieve 10 wins in any season. Then another era of winning dubbed The Rise of Hope—Green, named for former head coach Denny Green who led the team in nine of the 13 season that makes up this era. During his tenure, Green would average 10 wins per season. The current era is similarly named The Rise of Hope—Zimmer. Hopefully, this will be the start of another long winning tradition. Between these two eras is dubbed the WTF Era. This era was led by Mike Tice, Brad Childress, and Leslie Frazier. Outside of the 2009 season, when quarterback Brett Favre provided a glimmer of hope for a championship, this era was a turbulent time when it didn't seem like the Vikings ship had a rudder to steer the organization to any destination except chaos. This era is full of its own terms of futility that includes "Take a knee," "41-0" and "12 Men in the Huddle."   

With the Week 13 win in Atlanta, the Vikings matched a franchise-record five consecutive road wins. This is the fourth time they have achieved this. In 1969 and 1974 they made it all the way to the Super Bowl. A win in Carolina this Sunday would set this team above any other in franchise history. If they can win the last road game in Green Bay two weeks later they would tie the most road wins in a season of seven, sharing the record with the 1998 team that finished 15-1. 

This 2017 team is a special team.  It's a balanced team. The defense is currently ranked second in the NFL in both points and yards allowed. The offense, despite losing their starting quarterback early in the season and their leading rusher in Week 4, has found a way to string together eight straight wins. It's led by quarterback Case Keenum, who has transformed himself from an undrafted journeyman into one of the top-ranked quarterbacks in the league. His passer rating of 98.6 places his eighth among starting quarterbacks with at least 193 attempts. He's credited with an 8-2 record as the starter, but should also be given credit for salvaging the game in Chicago when he came off the bench to lead the Vikings in a come-from-behind 20-17 win. 

It seems each week someone, somewhere is saying that the Vikings are facing their toughest challenge of the season. It started with the road win in Washington after their bye week. This was followed by a convincing win over the Rams in Week 11 and road wins in Detroit and Atlanta. Four games into the toughest five-game stretch of the season the Vikings are 4-0 with yet, no doubt, the toughest challenge yet when they face Cam Newton and the Panthers in Charlotte. Slowly the Vikings are being recognized as one of the best teams in the NFL. Most NFL power rankings have them at third or fourth with the likes of New England, Philadelphia, and Pittsburgh. If they can win the remainder of their schedule the Vikings would be guaranteed the top seed in the NFC and home-field advantage all the way through the playoffs, including the Super Bowl. 

Yes, it just might be time to believe in this team. To not be afraid of speaking about the potential of a championship. Everything is aligning for Minnesota to be the first team to play in the Super Bowl they are hosting.

That other shoe isn't going to fall, not this year. Vikings fans need to know it is all right to believe and have faith—afterall even the Chicago Cubs were able to win the World Series, why not the Vikings winning the Super Bowl?  



 The Minnesota Vikings moved into the top playoff spot in the NFC this weekend. Their eighth straight win, and the Philadelphia Eagles loss to Seattle, makes the Purple the number one seed in the

Harrison Smith PFF Grade 88.6

Harry Hitman has been a lynchpin for the Viking’s defense since day one. Unlike other players, who fit niche roles, his versatility allows him to make an impact on the majority of snaps, whether it be a run or a pass. Throughout his career, he’s shown elite level skills in coverage, vs the run, and when blitzing, making him a nightmare for other teams while being a hero for ours. Monday’s game was a classic Smith game; he was able to showcase the total package and ended up making the game-winning play in a key divisional game.

Early in the first quarter, the Bears tried to get the offense going by running a WR screen to arguably their most dynamic player, Tarik Cohen. Normally this leads to an easy completion and handful of free yards but Smith had other plans in mind. On the play, he instantly recognizes the screen and flies upfield to make a tackle for a 3-yard loss.


Later in the quarter, it’s 3rd down and Mike Zimmer dials up a blitz to attack the rookie QB. The Bears’ protection breaks down leading to an unblocked Smith forcing Mitch Trubisky out of the pocket leading to an incompletion and a QB hit.


In the second quarter Smith shows off his chops vs the run. Once the RB cuts back Smith sets the edge forcing the RB to bounce inside, then he sheds the blocker to make the run stop.


The last play comes in the fourth quarter when the Vikings needed a play the most. The Bears were backed up and the pressure causes Trubisky to leave the pocket. Smith stays locked onto the TE the entire time and when the TE heads downfield Smith follows and makes a play on the throw to come up with the game-winning pick.


Monday’s game really highlighted what many already knew, not only is Harrison Smith the NFL’s most versatile safety, he’s also one of the best ones too.

Jerick McKinnon PFF Grade 84.8

Jerick McKinnon had an awful season last year and was stuck behind our star RB Dalvin Cook to start the season. When Cook went down it was assumed that Latavius Murray would step into his role with McKinnon seeing slightly more time as well. While the Vikings showed this was the plan early vs the Bears, McKinnon quickly showed he’s more impactful than his overpaid teammate.

McKinnon didn’t get much run until the second quarter but when he did he sure made the most of it. Midway through he shows off the skill all good RBs need; the ability to make defenders miss. Here he makes a quick juke to turn a TFL into a 3 yard gain.


Near the end of the third quarter, McKinnon gives the Vikings a boost taking a toss play 58 yards to the house. He shows the vision to hit the alley, cutsback on the DB in space, and then shows the pure speed to make defenders’ angles wrong.


McKinnon saved some of his best work for the fourth quarter. He seemed to find a rhythm and picked several solid gains and showing off more of his ability to be a starting RB.

Even though this play is called back McKinnon uses his great speed to get to the edge. His burst to get vertical and stunning lateral cuts to maximize yardage, before falling forward for extra yards, really separates him from Latavius Murray.



The last play is also in the fourth quarter on a 9 yard gain. Again Mckinnon shows off his burst to attack the hole, slipping through arm tackles on his way to a solid gain.


The Vikings took several steps to improve their OL this offseason and it has shown. Our run blocking has gone from absolutely awful to a passable level. This has allowed Dalvin Cook and now Jerick McKinnon to show off some of their traits and playmaking abilities. While McKinnon is no Dalvin Cook he is a good RB in his own right and should continue to see the majority of the workload throughout the rest of the season.

Other Notes

Tom Johnson: He has improved vs the run. First 2 plays of the game he was making run stops. He's still not great but still better than the beginning of the season.
Ben Gedeon: Needs to look to make plays on the ball carrier in the run game instead of looking for contact from a blocker. Several times he looked too excited to take on FB and lost the leverage to make a tackle
Emmanuel Lamur: He came in on as the third LB in a 3-3 on an obvious passing down. Something to look out for in the future.
Sam Bradford: His knee might've been cleared to go but his mind wasn't ready. Besides missing several passes high Bradford made some awful decisions and looked like a high schooler who was afraid of getting hit. He clearly isn't the type of player who can play through pain and he needs to sit until he's 110% healthy. Whether that happens this year who knows. I think we saw the last game for Sam Bradford as a Viking.
Anthony Barr: I know I mentioned it last week but he is definitely back.

Harrison Smith PFF Grade 88.6 Harry Hitman has been a lynchpin for the Viking’s defense since day one. Unlike other players, who fit niche roles, his versatility allows him to make an

This week’s notes are going to be a little bit different. Previously I was looking at PFF’s highest grade O and D player but this game the D was so damn dominate the top 4 graded players were all defenders. So this week you get to enjoy the beautiful defensive performance put on by Everson Griffen, Danielle Hunter, Linval Joseph and Anthony Barr.

Everson Griffen 90.7
Everson Griffen made headlines last week by saying the Lions LT Greg Robinson was lazy, normally this is a faux pas but man Griffen whooped him so badly he can call him whatever he wants.

Griffen has faced more chip blocks than any other defender through a quarter of the season and this game was no different. He faced the likes of chips and double teams plus the Lions quick passing O yet still managed to wreak havoc.

Took get an idea of how freakish this dude is, check out the power he packs on this bullrush

That’s crazy power

In the 4th quarter the Lions decided to single block him for some reason and he literally beat the LT off the rip


Later after jumping offsides to give the Lions an easier 3rd down attempt he’s left one on one vs a TE for some reason and runs by him like he was doing a bag drill, he then chases down and hits Stafford leading to throwing one of 4 dropped picks (Griffen was partly responsible for 2 of them)


With the 2 minutes to go in the game and the Vikings needing the ball back after a failed 4th down attempt, Griffen slants inside vs the run redirects when he sees the pulling blocker and RBs and makes the TFL


Griffen terrorized the Lions all game and was virtually unblockable one on one, Danielle Hunter received a lot of the fanfare last year but Griffen has steadily been our best DE and one of the top DEs in the league.

Danielle Hunter 86.2

Danielle Hunter had a breakout sophomore season, showing the league that he was forreal at only 21 years old. Through three weeks he had zero sacks on the season, but was quietly making his impact on the field. This week he was anything but quiet, in fact, he basically brought a megaphone to the game letting the Lions feel his presence from literally the first play of the game.

The clock his still sitting at 15:00 when this ball is snapped and Hunter bullrushes the RT before hitting the inside move for his first sack of the 2017 season.


Hunter waits until the first quarter is coming to a close before picking up his second sack of the year. This time he jumps outside playing the run before jumping back inside seeing the OT overplaying him, plus the RB coming to help, before spinning back outside then getting low and making a holy sh*t how the h*ll did he do that one arm sack on Matthew Stafford.


The last time I remember seeing a one arm sack this sick was when Jared Allen sacked Eli Manning by pulling him down with one hand while still being blocked by the OT the entire time.

In the second quarter on a third down Hunter shows off his world-class athleticism timing his jump to easily bat the ball down.


Hunter was on fire this game and the 22-year-old is looking to show the world that the Vikings have the best edge rush duo in the entire NFL.

Linval Joseph 85.2

Through 3 weeks of the season, Linval Joseph was registering the highest run stop percentage among all interior defenders per PFF. Versus the Lions our resident run stopping king was on his A game, despite Abdullah putting up solid numbers on some missed assignments and tackles but other Viking defenders.

I’ve said before that Linval cannot be blocked one on one and through a quarter of the season I’m still waiting to be proven wrong.

Look how easily he runs sideways on this stretch play basically ignoring the OL to make a stop for zero yards.


Later with little over 2 minutes left and the Vikings needing the ball back, he gets even more disrespectful to the Lions OL. For some reason, the Lions try blocking him solo so he ragdolls this 300+ lb grown man and makes the tackle for only one yard.


Like I’ve mentioned before Linval has progressed very well as a pass rusher and here he walks his blocker back and sheds for a big sack in the redzone, taking advantage of the near miss sack by Hunter.


Linval is the king of run stopping so far this year while also throwing in a pocket collapsing ability that has elevated his game to level that’s put him in the tier right below the Aaron Donald, Ndamukong Suh aliens of the world.

Anthony Barr 84.2

Enough has been said about Anthony Barr’s great disappearing act last year, but this season has seen a turnaround that most believed would never happen. He’s back to making plays all over the field for the first quarter of the season. The top pass rushing off ball LB has also reverted back to a much more aggressive player in the run game and an absolute star in the pass coverage.

In the first quarter, Barr shows off the upside in the run game, mirroring the ball carrier before exploding to make the tackled after the RB commits to trying to hit the edge.

Barr makes this look extremely easy but as we saw all game Abdullah is an elite athlete with crazy cuts and breakaway speed. Barr, however, is an elite athlete in his right and uses his closing speed and angle to easily handle a back who gave many Vikings trouble all game.

In the second quarter, Barr makes a near perfect play, first getting his hands on the TE to disrupt the timing of the play before getting his eyes back to Stafford and making a ridiculously athletic play on the ball to breakup (drop) the pass.


Later in the game on the Lions’ only TD drive Barr comes on the blitz easily beating the RB and forcing Stafford to scramble eventually leading to a dropped pick by Trae Waynes in the endzone (an all too common theme).


This play in the 3rd quarter was what really convinced me that 2016 Anthony Barr was gone. On the screen Barr avoids the cutblock before bringing down Abdullah in space for only 3 yards. What really stands out here is his ability to avoid the cutblock, because last year he was consistently taken out of screen plays after being cut down by an olineman. Seeing him easily avoid the cut makes me really believe whatever was going on with him last year is done, hopefully for good.


The defense was on fire this game, flying all over the field and making play after play, only giving up 14 points vs a good Lions offense. Sadly, the effort was wasted by a piss poor Vikings offense which seems to be a theme vs the Lions lately. However, this was a stellar game by the D that gives hope for the season, once a non backup QB is in, even with the loss of Dalvin Cook.

Other Notes:
Stefon Diggs: Still good.
Adam Thielen: Still good.
Kyle Rudolph: Too often ignored by Keenum (was the team’s highest graded player on O with an 81.3 grade).
Dalvin Cook: Gone too soon.
The run game: Toast...Again.
Keenum: His scattershot accuracy shows why he’s only a backup.
Eric Kendricks: Besides the missed tackles and a blown coverage assignment actually did fine but yanno can’t ignore those missed tackles. That must be cleaned up.
Mike Zimmer: The pressure package was bringing heat again.
Kai Forbath: Why isn’t he a FA yet??
Mackensie Alexander: Looking much improved.

This week’s notes are going to be a little bit different. Previously I was looking at PFF’s highest grade O and D player but this game the D was so damn dominate the top 4 graded players were all

Missed last week but we’re back this week and with Gifs too!

PFF HIGHEST DEFENSIVE GRADE
Linval Joseph 83.3
Ever since Linval Joseph joined the Vikings he was an elite run defender, anchoring the middle of our defense. He’s the rare DT who will take on a double team, keeping the LB clean and still make the tackle. One on one he’s virtually unblockable and we’ve witnessed him single handedly shut down opposing teams run games. We’ve also witnessed the growth he’s made as a pass rusher and this year he’s better than ever. Interior pressure is the most dangerous pressure in football and lead to collapsed pockets and QBs bailing right into the welcoming arms of a DE. Joseph has become the pocket collapser the Vikings have needed allowing every other pass rusher to become that much more impactful.

Vs Tampa Bay Joseph was a mountain of mayhem, putting in his usual work vs the run game while repeatedly walking Tampa Bay’s C back into Jameis Winston's lap.

Early in the first quarter he shakes off a cutblock like it never happened and gets lateral making a tackle for no gain, 300+ lb men aren’t supposed to move sideways like this.


Here Linval absolutely whips the OG. A quick throw prevented a sack but it’s good to see him beat his man so quickly and cleanly.


In the 3rd quarter we see the effect pushing the pocket has. Linval executes a bullrush that forces Winston to bail from the pocket and scramble for only 4 yards.


Here’s another example of Linval’s excellence in the run game. The Bucs try to block him one on one and it’s almost not fair the way he destroys this blocker and makes a tackle for 2 yards


PFF HIGHEST OFFENSIVE GRADE
Stefon Diggs 89.7
Stefon Diggs is on fire to start the season and is showing the league he’s a top 10 WR when healthy. This game was more of the same with Diggs’ showing off his accuracy erasing ability, elite level route running and run after the catch skills.

We kick it off to an incompletion in the first quarter. Diggs absolutely works the CB on a post route but Keenum throws an awful pass to the numbers. This would’ve been an easy pick if Diggs didn’t manage to track the ball and barely miss on pulling it in.


The first play of the 2nd quarter Diggs turns the CB inside, picking up 17 yards on the very inaccurate pass. The theme of Diggs wrecking CBs in man coverage would last the entire game.


With less than a minute to go in the first half Diggs highpoints an underthrown ball on a corner route for a TD. If Keenum led Diggs with the pass he would’ve caught an easy TD, instead, he gets a highlight reel TD.



Diggs owned the highlight reel on Sunday with his second TD being even more spectacular than the last. On a 3rd and 3 he burns the CB, shakes off a defensive holding call, then shields the defender from the ball, slips a tackle, and runs an additional 40 yards for a TD. This is peak Stefon Diggs from the route to the catch to the run after the catch to the celebrating from 15 yards out.


Notes:
Anthony Barr
Barr looks like he’s shaken off the awful season last year to rejoin the ranks of living LBs and not walking piles of hot garbage. He might not reach the heights of 2 years ago but it’s good to see him making plays in coverage again.

Case Keenum
This was a peak Keenum game, with him giving his WRs a chance to make plays on the ball downfield. His shaky ball placement shows that it is somewhat of a mirage but I believe Keenum is at the very least a good backup QB. And not that backup who’s a game manager bullcrap people spout. Like he’s a I can play good football, but I’m streaky. AKA a real backup.

Mackensie Alexander
I wholeheartedly believe he is a much better outside CB than Waynes and I hope he replaces him by the end of the season.

Dalvin Cook
Dude looks like a not as good AD. Bad in pass pro, meh hands but man can this dude run. He breaks a tackle on seemingly every run and is such a smooth runner is beautiful to watch.

Pat Shurmur
Our offensive schemes look good… for now.
Missed last week but we’re back this week and with Gifs too! PFF HIGHEST DEFENSIVE GRADE Linval Joseph 83.3 Ever since Linval Joseph joined the Vikings he was an elite run

After every game this season I'll be going back and rewatching with the All22 angle to see what really happened. I'll always highlight the highest graded player on O and D by PFF then talk about a few other players who stood out, good or bad. If there's anything you want me to include as well just lemme know.

PFF Highest Offensive Grade
Sam Bradford 90.1
Sam Bradford has always been shy going downfield even though he’s always had an extraordinarily accurate deep ball. This game, however, Bradford played like a man possessed going downfield with regularity and completing a total of 9 passes to the intermediate and deep parts of the field. What stood out in particular though was not his accuracy downfield (as many of his WRs were running free) but his patience letting routes develop and making the right decisions on where to go with the ball to expose the coverage busts. To start off the game on back to back 3rd downs he picked up easy conversions on crossing routes to Diggs when the Saints tried to man him up. Later near the end of the game several of his deep balls to Thielen came out of a bunch formation with Diggs running off the safeties allowing Thielen to leave his man in the dust on corner routes. Another trait that was showcased this game his presnap decision making. On a 3rd and long in the redzone he saw the Saints leaving both A gaps uncovered and checked to a run play that picked up an easy first down. On Diggs’ TD on the fade route he immediately knew where he was going and after quickly looking off the safety tossed a ball that allowed Diggs’ to make a ridiculous catch for 6. Lastly, near the end of the first half, the Saints came out in a cover zero look so Bradford changed the play and went on to hit Thielen for an easy 35 yard completion. Overall Bradford showed his ability in the mental part of the game that really sets apart the good QBs from the average ones. Although his performance should be taken with a grain of salt vs a poor Saints D it was a great sign of a better Bradford for the season.

PFF Highest Defensive Grade
Harrison Smith 90.4
Harrison Smith was his usual elite self vs the Saints Monday night making plays all over the field, with one series midway through the 2nd quarter sticking out. On a drive that was extended on a BS roughing the passer call the Saints drove down to the redzone and were on the brink of opening up the game. Harrison Smith, however, wanted no parts of this and was the driving force behind a defense that held the vaunted Saints O to only 3 points. On first down he sets the edge vs the jet sweep then gets in to help make the tackle after 5 yards. It’s 2nd down now and the Saints trying running the ball to the right but Smith comes flying into the backfield, splitting to blockers and forcing the RB to cutback into Vikings defenders for a TFL. On 3rd & 5 from the goal, the Saints run a trap play to catch the Vikings off guard but Smith isn’t picked up and makes the 1 on 1 tackle for 3 yards to force a FG. Football is an extremely situational sport and with the D backed against the wall Smith was at the top of his game. Later in the game, he had another play that highlighted his coverage skills. At the snap he rotates down to play the flats but keeps his eyes on Brees the whole way, this allowed him to see through the run fake and pick up the defender running free behind the LBs. As soon as Brees' shoulders lifted up (letting Bradford know the ball was about to be thrown) he broke on the WR and made a spectacular pass breakup to prevent a big play. Smith plays safety and that often means a lot of his impact isn’t seen in stats in the stat sheet. If the front 7 does their job he won’t show up too often in the run game and if he does his job coverage wise the ball is going somewhere else. However, Smith is truly one of the game's elites and the elite NFL safeties find ways to show up by going above and beyond the expected which is what Smith has consistently shown throughout his career and is why he is the lynchpin to this top 5 defense.

Hidden Stars of the Game
Stefon Diggs 89.0
While Diggs technically was the NFL's highest graded WR by PFF, the grade doesn’t do justice to the game he had. Diggs made tough catch after tough catch throughout the game and showed his elite hands and ability to adjust to make a catch. To start, the fade was a beautifully thrown ball by Bradford but the catch was on another level. The mastery needed to go up in the air make the contested grab AND get both feet down inbounds was a thing of beauty to witness. Earlier in the drive, Diggs might’ve made an even better catch, adjusting to the underthrown ball by Bradford and holding through the massive (and illegal) hit by the Saints safety. The last truly awe inspiring play was a deep ball earlier in the 3rd quarter where he shows the undervalued skill to adjust to the deep ball and haul it in with the defender all over him.

Pat Shurmur
I questioned the Vikings choice to retain him after last season and while I do have reservations he undoubtedly took a step in the right direction and played an enormous role in the great game Bradford had. Throughout the entire game, the Vikings were running route combos to take advantage of what the Saints were doing on the defense. He routinely schemed up plays to get ideal matchups whether they were Diggs and Thielen vs anyone, Rudolph in the redzone or just receivers running free in general; the pass concepts were on point this game. (I’ll try to get out another post later this week specifically highlighting what he did in order to break apart the Saints D)

Adam Thielen
As highlighted by the broadcast Thielen has gone from unwanted in college to legitimate good NFL player. He’s now joined Jordy Nelson in the white-WR-who’s-a-deep-threat-but-will-never-get-his-dues-as-one-because-he’s-white club. He’s proven over the course of last season and in this game that he’s a legitimate downfield threat and Pat Shurmur has made sure to take advantage of his skillset especially near the end of last season and I pray this continues to happen for the rest of the season.

Eric Kendricks
Erick Kendricks looks like he’s going to take a stab at leaping into the next tier of elite LBs. He’s always been a high level player in coverage who’s had his struggles vs the run but against the Saints he looked like things have really slowed down for him as he’s getting an even better hold on how teams will try to attack him and where to take gambles in the run game. I think this will be a theme that carries out through the entire year.

Linval Joseph
Still a monster vs the run? Check.
Another improvement in the pass game adding, even more, value to his game? Check.
Dude’s on a God level vs the run as a nose tackle and each year he’s taken steps forward as a pass rusher. This year looks like he’ll continue moving in that direction allowing him to become even more valuable to this D.
After every game this season I'll be going back and rewatching with the All22 angle to see what really happened. I'll always highlight the highest graded player on O and D by PFF then talk about a

Before the season kicks off, I'll be taking a look at the Vikings' best offensive and defensive player each game and highlighting exactly why and how they had such a good game. For simplicity sake, I'll be choosing whoever PFF rated as the best player on each side of the ball that week. Right now that's the easiest way to do it, but I'm open to other suggestions like possibly a vote for the upcoming season.

In a game where the Vikings O actually scored 3 TDs no one Vikings offensive player really stood out. This game's top offensive player was Alex Boone who had a decidedly average game. He did do a solid job in the pass game not allowing a single pressure which contributed to Bradford having one of his least pressured game of the season.

In the run game the only thing he was good at was remaining consistently average at best. His best block by far was this combo in the 3rd quarter. He gives a good shot to knock him over into control of Berger. Then he makes it up to the LB and blocks him off from making a play. It was the smoothest he looked in space all game.


The Giants don’t have any good interior pass rushers so running line games were their best way of getting interior pressure. Boone did an excellent job passing off and receiving stunts the entire game.


On occasion, the Giants would also line up their top tier pass rusher, Olivier Vernon, on the inside. The few times Boone was asked to block him he did the job extremely well, completely stonewalling him most of the time.


I wish I had more highlights to show you but like I said it was a very average game for Boone. The Vikings rushed 33 times for 104 yards and a measly 3.3 yards per carry. Boone was basically flawless in the pass game so you can imagine have his run performance was for him to receive an average grade. Regardless, he wasn’t bad this game and showed that he can solidify the LG position, if only at a basic level. With what we’ve had on the line lately though, I’ll take mediocre every day of the week and twice on Sunday.

Before the season kicks off, I'll be taking a look at the Vikings' best offensive and defensive player each game and highlighting exactly why and how they had such a good game. For simplicity sake,

Before the season kicks off, I'll be taking a look at the Vikings' best offensive and defensive player each game and highlighting exactly why and how they had such a good game. For simplicity sake, I'll be choosing whoever PFF rated as the best player on each side of the ball that week. Right now that's the easiest way to do it, but I'm open to other suggestions like possibly a vote for the upcoming season.

Week 4 of the 2016 season the Vikings held the Giants to only 10 points thanks in large part to their star CB Xavier Rhodes, who is the defensive player of game 4.

Odell Beckham is one of the best WRs in the entire league. He’s been on a historic pace to start his career putting up numbers no one has come close to at the start of a career since the one and only Randy Moss. Xavier Rhodes was all over him this game limiting him to only 3 catches for 23 yards. He also picked up an INT and was inside the head of Beckham the entire game.

The Vikings gameplan going into the game was to have Rhodes follow Beckham everywhere he went and it worked to near perfection.

It takes until midway through the second quarter before Beckham gets his first target on a slant for 9 yards.
A couple of plays later he makes a 4-yard reception on a quick out. A big part of this play though is Beckham really didn’t like the hit by Rhodes at the end. He ended up getting flagged for taunting and it was at this point Rhodes really got in his head.
Two plays later Beckham pushes Rhodes at the top of his break causing him to lose balance. This frees up Beckham to make a reception on a quick hitch for 10 yards. It was his last reception of the night.

That’s right on one drive midway through the second quarter Beckham made 3 receptions for 23 yards and that stayed his total for the entire game. From here on out it was really the Xavier Rhodes show.

Here Rhodes picks up a pass breakup on another hitch. He's in off coverage staying under control in his backpedal until he sees Beckham breakdown, then he makes a great break downhill breaking up the reception at the catch point.

Even though Beckham is out of control Rhodes shows his discipline by staying patient in coverage, not falling for Beckham's signature spin move. The Giants would go back to a double move again but Rhodes stayed under control the entire game.


Here Rhodes makes a pick on deep ball. Beckham was more concerned with making contact with Rhodes downfield then running his route, again another play highlighting how Rhodes was in his head.


This was Beckham's worst game of the season and it came almost solely at the hands of Xavier Rhodes. From the outset Rhodes was physical and got into Beckham's head, winning the mental game. This was highlighted by a Beckham drop and also on the pick where he showed more interest in Rhodes than the ball. Rhodes locked up one of the best WRs in the league in what would be his best season of his career to date.Before the season kicks off, I'll be taking a look at the Vikings' best offensive and defensive player each game and highlighting exactly why and how they had such a good game. For simplicity sake,

Before the season kicks off, I'll be taking a look at the Vikings' best offensive and defensive player each game and highlighting exactly why and how they had such a good game. For simplicity sake, I'll be choosing whoever PFF rated as the best player on each side of the ball that week. Right now that's the easiest way to do it, but I'm open to other suggestions like possibly a vote for the upcoming season.

Another Vikings game and another awful offensive performance as a whole. We ended up winning 22-10 off of a safety, a punt return TD, one passing TD, and 2 FGs. That lone offensive TD went to our offensive player of the game: Kyle Rudolph. Rudolph had 7 catches for 70 yards and a TD - 5 of those for the first down, with 2 of those coming on the ever-important money down. 

Blocking wise it was an up and down game for Rudolph with a couple of good blocks in the run game on LBs, DBs, and DEs. He also held his own vs a DE a couple of times when he was kept in for pass protection. There were still the occasional missed block or tackle given up but I’d say he acquitted himself well for the majority of the game.

In the passing game, Rudolph's first conversion comes against one of the league's top coverage LBs in Thomas Davis. He shows off his strength by absorbing a blow from Davis, that doesn’t even knock him an inch off course, before making a 4-yard grab on 3rd-and-3.



Moving ahead all the way to the 3rd quarter, Rudolph makes his second 3rd down conversion. He runs another 5-yard sit down route on 3rd-and-4 and hangs on after the hit to keep the sticks moving. This is probably Rudolph’s best asset as a TE; he’s so big and strong. He presents a big target over the MOF allowing for QBs to make easy throws knowing Rudolph will shield off the defender and make the catch. 



Here we see the Vikings only offensive TD of the day. Rudolph runs a wheel route vs man coverage. Rudolph does a great job of tracking the ball over his inside shoulder and then makes a great adjustment to haul in the 15-yard TD.



On this play, Kuechly is manned up vs Rudolph with inside leverage. Rudolph recognizes this and sells an outside move getting Kuechly to commit before cutting back inside and making a solid 8-yard gain. Again notice the placement of his body to shield the defender, preventing them from having any chance of making a play on the ball.



Following the trend of Vikings missing on TDs, Rudolph is manned up vs Kuechly here. First, he releases outside into the path of Thomas Davis forcing Davis to respect the possible angle route by Asiata. Then he runs a smooth corner route creating great separation from Kuechly (before the Diggs OPI). However, Rudolph is unable to haul in Bradford's off target ball in the endzone.



Later in the 4th quarter, Rudolph gets his easiest reception, coming free off of PA across the MOF. If you watch carefully though you’ll see Rudolph slow down when he gets open so that he doesn’t run into Thomas Davis’ zone. Bradford makes the throw and Rudolph again hangs on through contact and picks up 18 yards.



Rudolph picks up another first down here catching a ball in the MOF. To the surprise of Vikings fans everywhere, he actually picked up this first down by gaining additional yardage after the catch.



The last play here is another potential TD not converted. Rudolph gets manned up by a safety who presses him off the line. Rudolph easily defeats the press and gets open on a fly for a potential 24-yard TD. Unfortunately, Bradford went elsewhere, but this showcases Rudolph's ability to beat even safeties down the field in coverage.



Rudolph has had his up and downs for the Vikings, but I finally think he’s settled into his role of a good, not great TE. This game he worked over the best LB in the NFL Luke Kuechly for a potential TD and a couple of first down conversions. Heading into next season, I hope he’ll be able to stay healthy and settle into a Jason Witten-type role attacking the MOF and mainly making possession catches. This game he did show he’s capable of being a bigger play threat, although I doubt he’ll ever be a top TE in the league in that part of the game. He’s shown a couple of times that he’s able to fill in the big body receiver role in the redzone, and with Shurmur having a full season to really install his O, hopefully we go to him more often.

Before the season kicks off, I'll be taking a look at the Vikings' best offensive and defensive player each game and highlighting exactly why and how they had such a good game. For simplicity sake,

Before the season kicks off, I'll be taking a look at the Vikings' best offensive and defensive player each game and highlighting exactly why and how they had such a good game. For simplicity sake, I'll be choosing whoever PFF rated as the best player on each side of the ball that week. Right now that's the easiest way to do it, but I'm open to other suggestions like possibly a vote for the upcoming season.

Week 3 was another excellent performance by our defense - with them recording 3 picks, 8 sacks, and a safety. The Panthers O loves attacking downfield, and this matched up perfectly with the strengths of the defensive player of the game: the much maligned, Trae Waynes.

Trae Waynes was coming off of a rough game vs the Packers from the previous week. Although he did make the game-sealing pick, he also gave up seven catches, a TD, and was flagged 3 times. This week he was looking to bounce back vs a Panthers O that had led the NFL in scoring the previous year and had the reigning MVP. While rotating with Terence Newman and Xavier Rhodes, he only allowed 2 catches for 30 yards while adding a pick and a couple of tackles on WR screens. Overall, he played well in coverage and was only beaten 2 other times when not targeted.

The first catch Waynes allowed came in the second quarter. The Vikings are in a Cover 6 which means Waynes will take the #1 WR on any vertical route in man. His man runs a deep in breaking route, and Waynes is unable to stay connected with the WR. As the WR makes his break, Waynes performs his speed turn and expects the WR to run a post route upfield. However, the WR breaks more towards the MOF and Waynes doesn’t stay attached and can’t recover before the catch was made. Coming out he struggled with short area COD and that’s remained a problem. He does make the tackle though without giving up any additional yardage. 


The next play of note comes on a WR screen on 2nd-and-long where Waynes comes up and makes a great play in space to limit the WR to only a 3-yard gain.


His INT comes with about 15 seconds left in the first half. It’s 3rd-and-14 and the Vikings are running a cover 2 sink. This means if Waynes doesn’t get any threat to the flats he keeps traveling with the #1 WR going deep. He does this here - knowing Andrew Sendejo is responsible for any deep ball. Unfortunately, Sendejo completely blows his assignment cheating towards the seam by the #2 WR, basically giving up a 48-yard TD going into the half. Waynes, however, shows great long speed and is able to track the underthrown ball, high-pointing it for a pick with 7 seconds left in the half. This massive play saved the Vikings from going into the half down 17-8 with an anemic offense.



The next time Waynes is targeted is all the way in the 4th quarter. He has the TE Greg Olsen in man coverage and gives up a 7-yard curl, although, again, he doesn’t give up any additional yards after the reception. Here you’d like to see Waynes make a play on the ball instead of just going for the tackle. Heading into 2017, if Waynes wants to take the next step he’s going to need to start making better plays at the catch point.



Later on in the drive facing another 2nd-and-long, the Panthers run another screen and once again Waynes comes and this time limits the WR to only a 2-yard gain.



The last play I’ll highlight comes at the end of the game when the Vikings are in a prevent defense. This play really highlights his elite speed. The RB makes the reception 4 yards behind the LOS and is only able to get out of bounds for a gain of 1 yard because of how quickly Waynes was able to close the distance.



Surprisingly, 2 of our first 3 defensive players were players who had disappointing 2016 seasons. This game does show the ability Waynes has when he's dialed in and puts it all together. He does look much better here than he ever did in his rookie season and hopefully he’s able to take another leap as he slides into a starting role for the 2017 season. I doubt he’ll ever be elite in coverage vs shiftier WRs due to his COD struggles, but if he works on making more plays at the catch point he can fill in the #2 CB spot across from Rhodes.


Before the season kicks off, I'll be taking a look at the Vikings' best offensive and defensive player each game and highlighting exactly why and how they had such a good game. For simplicity sake,

Before the season kicks off, I'll be taking a look at the Vikings' best offensive and defensive player each game and highlighting exactly why and how they had such a good game. For simplicity sake, I'll be choosing whoever PFF rated as the best player on each side of the ball that week. Right now that's the easiest way to do it, but I'm open to other suggestions like possibly a vote for the upcoming season.

Week number two, the Vikings opened up their new stadium with a game versus their bitter rivals: the Green Bay Packers. It was a close game with the Vikings D showing up in a big way, limiting Aaron Rodgers and Co. to only 14 points. The best player on the defense may be surprising now that the season is done, but Anthony Barr had a stellar game to lead the Vikings D. On the stat sheet Barr ended up with only two tackles for the game, yet somehow he ended up being the highest-graded Viking on D, barely edging out Captain Munnerlyn. How does something like that happen?

Linebackers in the NFL are often judged off of one thing: tackles. If you aren’t racking them up, you aren’t playing well in the eyes of most people. Yes, usually good linebackers rack up tackles, but different linebackers have different roles on different defenses. Some schemes funnel the ball carrier to a certain player while the other linebackers take on blockers and dictate the path of the ball carrier. Some schemes have the defensive line flying upfield to wreak havoc, and others have their DL play more controlled and have them occupy offensive linemen - making it easier for linebackers to flow to the ball carrier. When examining a linebacker's play you have to look at more than the results. Anthony Barr plays the Sam linebacker spot in the Vikings' defense, and this requires him to take on a lot of blocks. So when looking at his impact in the run game you have to look at what happens before the tackle as much as who makes the tackle. It’s like how a good DB doesn’t always get the ball thrown at him; you have to look at what happens before the ball is thrown just as well as what happens after it’s thrown. With that being said, let’s get to it!

Week 2 versus the Packers in 2016 was a vintage Anthony Barr performance. He did it all: versus the run, in coverage, and when rushing the passer.

Versus the run - as I highlighted - Barr didn’t make many tackles, but he did have a big impact. He was aggressive attacking the LOS this game - something we didn’t see often last season.

This is a good example of filling your gap and forcing the runner somewhere else to get tackled. Barr attacks upfield and beats the OG. At this point the runner basically chooses who gets the tackle: Barr or Kendricks.



On this 3rd quarter play, Barr blows up the OG and forces the runner to cut back - leading to a TFL. Barr knocks the OG three yards into the backfield completely disrupting the play even without making the tackle.



Here's the play in its entirety. Notice how aggressive he is attacking the blocker. We didn't see that often last year even when he was blitzing.



On this play he reads toss and does an excellent job of leveraging the RB. He mirrors the RB as he moves laterally before coming up and making the tackle for just a yard gain.



This play shows everything we wish Barr would consistently do: here he reads the play, shoots the open window, and drops Eddie Lacy for no gain.



In coverage Barr was usually responsible for the checkdown option. Whenever the Vikings pass rush was getting home or the back end was locked down, Rodgers looked to his checkdown but he was never able to go to him. This helped force Aaron Rodgers to hold onto the ball and try to scramble which led to three fumbles and five sacks.

Here’s a clear example of Rodgers looking to hit his checkdown option, which is blanketed, leading to a sack.



Barr didn’t rush the passer too often this game, but when he did he flashed the ability that makes him such a unique weapon.

On this blitz, Barr feigns dropping back before exploding past the OL into the backfield. He really shows an elite level of burst here, even clearing the OGs hands as he runs by him.


On another rush in the 4th quarter, Barr gets matched up on a LB and it was over before it started. He puts a swim move on the blocker and forces another rushed throw by Rodgers which leads to a dropped pick.



This game we got to see one of the rare appearances of 2015 Anthony Barr. He was contributing in all facets of the game, but most importantly, he was aggressive. That wasn’t something we saw often throughout the 2016 season, and if Barr is looking for a contract extension he better take his intensity level up another notch in 2017. 
Before the season kicks off, I'll be taking a look at the Vikings' best offensive and defensive player each game and highlighting exactly why and how they had such a good game. For simplicity sake,

Before the season kicks off, I'll be taking a look at the Vikings' best offensive and defensive player each game and highlighting exactly why and how they had such a good game. For simplicity sake, I'll be choosing whoever PFF rated as the best player on each side of the ball that week. Right now that's the easiest way to do it, but I'm open to other suggestions like possibly a vote for the upcoming season.


Game 2 brought more of the same for the Vikings O. It was another mediocre performance, with the O only scoring 17 points. With that said, it was another spectacular showing from Stefon Diggs. Diggs really showcased his skillset this game, constantly torching the Packers DBs all over the field. He had 9 receptions for 182 yards and a TD. Six of those receptions were for first downs, two of them went for 40+ yards, and there’s even a 4th down conversion in there.

Here he runs a simple 5-yard hitch that turns into a 15-yard gain because of his ability to make two defenders miss.



Early in the second quarter, it’s 4th and 2 and the Vikings are looking for their go-to WR. Diggs motions across the formation which shows it is man coverage from the Packers DBs. The DB is playing with an inside alignment, so Diggs hits a jab step outside causing the DB to freeze up, allowing Diggs to cross his face and make the 4-yard reception.



On the first of his 40+ yards receptions, Diggs is being manned up and runs right by the DB and makes a catch falling down. Here he's displaying not only the necessary speed to be a downfield threat but also the ability to track the ball over his shoulder without slowing down. He makes the tough catch.



This is the type of grab he's capable of consistently making.



Here’s another short catch where Diggs showcases his ability to make a defender miss on his way to picking up a first down.



On the second of his two 40+ yards receptions, the LBs get sucked up on PA clearing the MOF and allowing Diggs to turn a 15-yard reception into 46.



Four plays later, it’s the play of the game. Diggs releases inside then cuts outside getting the CB to turn with him thinking it’s a fade route. But Diggs isn’t done yet, so he cuts back inside completely turning the CB inside out before making a great hands catch in the back of the end zone. Diggs extends to catch the ball and kept it as far away from his body as possible, preventing the DB from knocking it out. Oh ... and he does all of this through pass interference...




This last play wasn’t a catch, but it was another key play by Diggs. It’s 3rd and 6 with 1:40 left, and the Vikings are only up by three. Diggs is the only WR on the play and he’s singled up in man coverage. The Vikings run a PA pass and Bradford only has Diggs in his sights. Diggs runs a post route first releasing inside, he then shows some savvy by leaning into the CB's body before cutting back inside to create some extra space. This causes the CB to get way too grabby - hooking Diggs and committing pass interference, essentially icing the game.



This was probably the best game of Diggs' young career. The Packers played a lot of man and he absolutely torched them up and down the entire field. I know those DBs were having nightmares about him for days after this game. Diggs really displayed his ability to make guys miss, make great hands catches, and to rip off big plays showing us another glimpse of how deadly of a weapon he can be for our offense on all levels of the field. 
Before the season kicks off, I'll be taking a look at the Vikings' best offensive and defensive player each game and highlighting exactly why and how they had such a good game. For simplicity sake,

Before the season kicks off, I'll be taking a look at the Vikings' best offensive and defensive player each game and highlighting exactly why and how they had such a good game. For simplicity sake, I'll be choosing whoever PFF rated as the best player on each side of the ball that week. Right now that's the easiest way to do it, but I'm open to other suggestions like possibly a vote for the upcoming season.

Our first week we played the Tennessee Titans and our defense put on a show, basically winning the game off of points they scored alone. Eric Kendricks and Danielle Hunter both scored defensive TDs, but the player with the highest grade on D was a player with a little more consistency and a little less flash: Harrison Smith. Harrison Smith is the undisputed best player on the entire Vikings roster. He's the definition of a versatile safety, capable of performing any task you could ask of a safety at a high level. Versus the Titans, Harrison really exemplified the word "safety". On at least four separate occasions Smith made the tackle to prevent a much bigger gain after another Viking had whiffed on a tackle.

Here is a screenshot of a 2nd down play where the Titans ran a QB draw. This is the point Smith recognizes the play and starts coming downhill. Mariota hasn't even tipped off he was going to run yet, but Smith was able to read the center and the fact that the D was in poor position to stop that play and is able to prevent the first down.




On this play it's 3rd and 2 in the 2nd quarter. Anthony Barr goes on a blitz but fails to notice the RB leaking out of the backfield. This gives Marcus Mariota an easy read on his hot route and now we're in a situation where the Titans have their 6'4 245lb alien RB running free down the sideline. Smith, however, picks this up immediately and is able to bring down Derrick Henry pretty easily for a 12-yard gain.



Smith and Henry actually had several meetings this game with Smith often coming out on top. Here are two plays where Smith lines up on the edge and is able to shoot in the backfield and bring down Henry. The first one is for no gain on 3rd and 1 and the second one is a TFL on first down.





Just a reminder for those reading this, Derrick Henry and Harrison Smith are both 6'2. Smith, however, weighs 218lbs while Henry checks in at 247lbs. That's basically a 30-pound difference... And Smith is bringing him down with relative ease. That's not something you see often from NFL safeties.

In coverage, Harrison Smith was a blanket. On many occasions he clearly took away Mariota's first option, forcing him to go (unsuccessfully) somewhere else with the ball. He was only thrown at once while being the main defender in coverage and Smith forced the incompletion.


This play really highlights how versatile Smith is. He lines up on the left edge threatening to blitz then just before the ball is snapped he gets back to play a deep quarter role. Once back there he picks up the WR running the dig and breaks on the ball as it's thrown leading to an incomplete pass. This isn't a play many DCs would ask their safety to make, but Smith does it with relative ease.

Although the stat sheet shows Smith had zero picks this game, he actually had one called back because of an extremely soft roughing the passer penalty. On this play Smith is playing a deep half role. The ball is actually pretty badly thrown behind the WR, but Smith broke on it as soon as the QB threw the ball and instead of playing the man, he locked on to the path of the ball and made a spectacular catch for the pick.



Throughout the game, Smith was clearly the best player on defense, with his presence being felt all across the field. This is not even taking into account that he is the leader on the back end making sure all the DBs are on the same page. He made a handful of splash plays in both the run and pass game and even though he didn't produce one of the two TDs we scored on D, he played a massive role in limiting the Titans' offense and securing the Vikings' first win.Before the season kicks off, I'll be taking a look at the Vikings' best offensive and defensive player each game and highlighting exactly why and how they had such a good game. For simplicity sake,

Before the season kicks off, I'll be taking a look at the Vikings' best offensive and defensive player each game and highlighting exactly why and how they had such a good game. For simplicity sake, I'll be choosing whoever PFF rated as the best player on each side of the ball that week. Right now that's the easiest way to do it, but I'm open to other suggestions like possibly a vote for the upcoming season.

Week 1 versus the Tennessee Titans, we scored two defensive TDs and kicked three FGs, so our O wasn’t very successful. We couldn't get anything going on the ground, and Shaun Hill wasn't exactly lighting anyone up. However, there was one player who was able to shine despite the circumstances, and that was Stefon Diggs.

Diggs had 7 receptions for 103 yards to go with six first downs. He did the majority of his damage in the intermediate area, making three catches on deep curls.



The first curl is the only one where he didn’t gain a first down. He ran the route to 5 yards in front of the LB and after the catch shows his slippery ability to make people miss and pick up additional yardage.

On his other curls he makes sure to really sell the deep route to the DBs before stopping on a dime and picking up two easy first down catches.




Two of his catches were on simple out routes for first downs. Although they were technically the same route the way he runs them varies and shows some of the nuances that makes Diggs a top flight route runner.


The first one is versus a Cover 3 look so Diggs sells the deep route versus the corner before making his break. This forces the DB to open up his hips and gives Diggs the space he needs to undercut the DB and high point the ball.



The second out is versus a Cover 1. Look where Diggs starts off aligned in the slot. The DB is playing with outside leverage so first Diggs sells the inside route before breaking back out just as the DB starts to commit, and this allows him to shield the DB from the ball and high point it for another first down.

His biggest play of the game was on a fade route. Off the line he gives a stutter to freeze the CB and get a read on him. He then beats the CB down the sideline but has to adjust to an underthrown ball to his back shoulder in order to make another contested catch for a first down.



The biggest play that didn’t happen was on the post route where Diggs sprung free in the end zone. It was the perfect call versus quarters as the Titans safety and corner fail to communicate on the scissor combo by Diggs and Rudolph. This frees up Diggs, but Hill was unable to put the ball in a spot where he could have a chance to make a play.



When you just look at the numbers, Diggs put together a 100-yard game for an anemic offense. Taking a closer look at his catches though gives a glimpse into the type of player Diggs is and what makes him a special player. His ability to vary his routes versus different coverages, stop on a dime, and attack/adjust to the ball, all contribute to the first of many good games for Diggs in the 2016 season.
Before the season kicks off, I'll be taking a look at the Vikings' best offensive and defensive player each game and highlighting exactly why and how they had such a good game. For simplicity sake,