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Bill Johanesen -> RE: General Vikes Talk (4/30/2024 3:44:26 PM)
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For the Vikings, 'defensive lineman' gets a new definition under Brian Flores
Harrison Phillips was the only lineman among the 12 players who played at least 50% of the Vikings' defensive snaps vs. the Carolina Panthers.
There might be no position more emblematic of the Vikings, through the first 62 seasons of the team's history, than defensive line.
Of the 27 members in the Vikings Ring of Honor, seven are defensive linemen, more than any other position. The most famous position group in Vikings history, the Purple People Eaters, includes two members of the Pro Football Hall of Fame (Alan Page and Carl Eller) and another player (Jim Marshall) who was a finalist for the 2004 class. Four Vikings defensive linemen — Page, Eller, Chris Doleman and John Randle — are enshrined in Canton. Only the offensive line, with five players, makes up a larger share of the Vikings' 15-member Hall of Fame class.
Through the first four games of the team's 63rd season, though, the definition of the position is changing.
Under Brian Flores, the Vikings construct their defensive fronts independent of static position definitions. On some plays, like Harrison Smith's strip sack of Bryce Young on Sunday against the Panthers, the Vikings might present a seven-man pressure look with two down linemen, four linebackers and a safety off the edge. On others, like a pair of third-and-long snaps in the second quarter, they might show a three-man front where three linebackers — all of them former defensive linemen in a 4-3 scheme — rush the quarterback, while linebacker Jordan Hicks drops into coverage with seven defensive backs.
On Sunday, the Vikings had 12 defensive players who were on the field for at least 50% of their defensive snaps. Just one (Harrison Phillips) is listed on their roster as a defensive lineman.
It's all part of a shift that has unhitched defenses from traditional position definitions, as teams have sought ways to deal with more complex offenses and prized players who can operate in space. It started when the Vikings moved from the 4-3 base defense they'd used for decades to a 3-4 under coach Kevin O'Connell, turning their primary pass rushers from defensive linemen to stand-up edge rushers who could move around the formation. Flores' systems, which he first honed under Bill Belichick in New England, have taken it a step further.
Against the Eagles in Week 2, Flores debuted a package with one defensive lineman, five linebackers and five defensive backs to take away Jalen Hurts' run-pass option plays. The Eagles countered by running for 259 yards, with Hurts handing off 13 more times than he threw. The Vikings, though, had planned for Marcus Davenport to lend a physical presence to the package; he played only four snaps because of an ankle injury.
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