Brian Flores twisted another quarterback into a mental pretzel with a labyrinth of disguised blitzes, real blitzes and coverage schemes so unconventionally complex that even his own players marvel at the sheer absurdity of it all.
Scoggins: Vikings defense may look ‘crazy,’ but it all makes sense to them
The 3-0 Vikings continue to baffle opposing quarterbacks, grabbing the NFL’s attention with a defense that induces night terrors.
The Minnesota Star Tribune
September 23, 2024 at 12:27AM
“I keep telling people, the way this defense is ran, you’ve got to have a crazy person at the head of it,” cornerback Shaq Griffin said.
“We want it to look crazy,” safety Harrison Smith said. “It doesn’t feel crazy to us — most of the time.”
“The threat of the bomb is just as scary as the bomb itself,” defensive tackle Harrison Phillips said.
Bombs and crazy talk were themes inside the locker room after the Vikings put the Houston Texans in a vise grip on defense and didn’t release until a 34-7 victory was complete.
The undefeated Vikings have grabbed the NFL’s attention by concocting a defense that induces night terrors.
C.J. Stroud took his turn in the BFlo spin cycle Sunday. The Texans’ young quarterback is going to have a wonderful career, but he looked downright miserable trying to decipher what was happening on the field.
Stroud threw two interceptions, was sacked four times and posted a passer rating of 68.6. He never looked comfortable at any point because Flores’ defense is designed to create confusion.
The pre-snap movement by Vikings defenders looks like organized chaos. Players run up and back and sideways. They’re constantly signaling to each other in their own language. Sometimes they all hug the line as if ready to storm the castle. Sometimes they fall back into coverage.
Quarterbacks have to make sense of it all in a matter of seconds.
“The same reason y’all think it’s crazy,” said Griffin, laughing, “is the reason why I think it’s crazy as well.”
One series showed the degree to which Flores gets into the heads of the opponent.
The Texans faced a third-and-4 from the Vikings’ 25 in the second quarter. They had four consecutive penalties — three false starts and an illegal formation.
The last penalty was declined because Stroud had flung up a wild, desperate pass that was nearly intercepted.
Players credited fans for causing pre-snap penalties on back-to-back-to-back-to-back plays by screaming so loudly they’ll need throat lozenges. Noise certainly played a factor, but the uncertainty of Flores’ intentions made Texans players jumpy.
“We want to create chaos,” Smith said. “For the most part, we know what we’re doing. Sometimes we don’t and it looks even more chaotic. That’s all right too.”
Griffin knows they have achieved their desired outcome when a receiver yells across the line to him before the snap.
“He tries to guess what coverage we’re in, and he guesses wrong,” Griffin said. “He’ll be like, ‘Man, stop being in this coverage or that coverage.’ Oh, we’re not running that, but sure, sounds good to me.”
The secret sauce isn’t just Flores’ creativity. He also has more chess pieces to maneuver with the additions of Andrew Van Ginkel, Jonathan Greenard and Blake Cashman. All three players have had major impacts in the first three games. Greenard posted three sacks Sunday against his former team.
The defense has playmakers throughout the lineup. That has enabled the Vikings to become the first team since the 2001 New Orleans Saints to post five sacks in three consecutive games to start a season.
“We don’t have to be a certain type of team,” Smith said. “We can be whatever we need to be, which is pretty cool. You can’t do that everywhere.”
Smith is a wise veteran. He’s seen a lot and experienced a lot in his 13-year career. He knows when something feels right.
This situation hits that mark.
“It’s a very logical working environment,” he said.
“We just know we have answers,” he added. “Even if we’re not always right, we normally figure it out pretty quick. It’s just a fluid system.”
That adaptability is a beautiful thing to behold. Their defense is fast and creative and as relentless as waves crashing against rocks. Everybody is thriving because the collective group is unselfish, and Flores trusts his players to prove his instincts correct.
“It unlocks a whole new IQ of football within you,” Greenard said. “Just so you understand the game even more from a perspective of, you’re dictating everything on your terms.”
Their terms, their answers, their crazy way of doing business. It all makes sense.
Vikings quarterback Sam Darnold is completing more passes more often for more touchdowns than he ever has. “What we’re trying to get from Sam is to play the best football of his career,” coach Kevin O'Connell said.
