Let Dalvin ... Cook

Dalvin Cook’s mornings follow the same routine. His iPad is loaded with clips of his favorite player, Barry Sanders, and before he gets on with the rest of his plans, he watches a few of Sanders’ shake-your-head-in-disbelief carries. It started years ago when he was an up-and-coming running back enamored by the most talented player to ever play the position.

It’s evolved since. Cook’s now the NFL’s leading rusher four weeks into the season and has a better appreciation of the intricacies of how Sanders ran. He likes to watch how the former Lions great set up runs. He’s seen the carries hundreds of times, but he feels like he’s constantly catching new aspects that he missed before.

“I watch it not because it’s Barry Sanders, I watch it because of how he sets his runs up, how he develops things in his mind,” Cook said. “I kind of see it from a clear-eyed view. Every time I watch his plays, I see something different from him in how he does things. I just want to be as explosive as he was — I know that’s not possible, but I’m going to try to match it as best as I can.”

Cook’s study of Sanders provides an interesting look at the player at the center of the Vikings’ run-oriented offense, the one that will be on full display in a primetime matchup of contrasting styles Sunday night when Minnesota visits Seattle. Recent games between the Vikings and Seahawks have pitted against each other two teams more committed to a balanced offense than most in the NFL.

But that’s gone now, at least in Seattle. The Seahawks have turned to a much more pass-happy offense, embracing the idea to “Let Russ Cook.” The Vikings, on the other hand, want to let Dalvin, well, cook.

The Seahawks’ decision to evolve their offense was one that had long been pushed by the analytics community and has kickstarted a 4-0 start with Russell Wilson as the early MVP frontrunner. The Vikings are 1-3, though that’s in large part because of a struggling defense. They believe that Cook is an outlier among running backs and that a balanced offense can still be among the league’s best.

So far, the Vikings have been one of the most explosive offenses. That’s in part because of Cook. His 424 rushing yards are the most in the league, 50 clear of Green Bay’s Aaron Jones. His 12 rushes of 10 yards or more are the second-most in the league. He’s routinely among the league’s best at breaking tackles, including 10 last game, according to Pro Football Focus. He has 202 yards after contact, third-most in the league, according to SportRadar, and has run for 25 first downs, easily the most in the league.

“If you look at the one touchdown he had from this past weekend, he broke like six tackles on like a 5-yard run,” Vikings right tackle Brian O’Neill said. “You don’t see that from a lot of people. He’s a special talent. We really appreciate it and we try to tell him a lot and he tells us that too. So I got to tell him more. Thanks for the reminder.”

Just how drastic are the differences between the offenses? The Athletic contributor Ben Baldwin charted each team’s passing rate on first and second down when the win probability was between 20-80 percent, excluding the final two minutes of each half. In other words, looking at how often teams pass it in neutral, early-down situations. The Seahawks have thrown it the most in the NFL in those circumstances. The Vikings have thrown it the least.



“It just goes to show the team that we’re on,” Cook said. “It’s a physical team, a smart team and we know what coach (Mike) Zimmer is trying to get done. He wants to play good defense, manage the clock, and limit the other team’s possessions as much as he can. Being around a coach like that, you see the mindset that he’s in. I love being around coach Zim. He’s one of the best coaches I’ve been around. It’s just fun with that type of mentality that coach Zim has.”