How will Vikings use Anthony Barr?

[Vikings28]

It'll be interesting to see how he's used on 1st and 2nd down. I see Zimmer mixing it up a lot.

On 3rd down we might see him at DE more often than not. Either Joseph or Robison can come off the field in that situation.

[Loki]

I agree with Vikings28 I think the plan will be to mostly keep him at OLB for 1st and 2nd down and then on 3rd down move Griffen inside to Floyd or Josephs spot and have Barr take Griffens spot. QB's would be under serious pressure in a package like this and it would give our DT's a chance to get some rest.

[Slick Rick]

Kicking either Robison or Griffen off the field? It still sounds as though Joseph and Floyd would be in the middle most of the time.

I'm just not seeing it, unless the draft strategy was to take the BPA and they couldn't let themselves pass up Barr. Damn the need for real linebackers and defensive backs.

I think our primary 4-2 front would be Barr/Griffen/Joseph/Robison.

[dead_poet]

Anthony Barr's switch to LB began as a joke; but nobody is laughing now

http://www.1500espn.com/sportswire/Anth ... _now072914

Barr felt the learning curve, but his teammates saw an immediate improvement in his impact. During his first game at linebacker on Aug. 30, 2012, in a game at Rice, Barr tallied a team-high six solo tackles and one sack.

"Right away you can tell his speed was just second to none," Baca said. "Off the edge as an outside linebacker, I know he had to be one of the fastest guys on our team. He made some plays my senior season, chasing down some running backs, that were unbelievable."

[Demi]

http://www.cincyjungle.com/2013/8/20/46 ... er-defense

Here's an article about some things Zimmer did in Cinci. Barr would probably be used like Harrison was. He might not be the most ideal 43 OLB, but Zimmer should be more than capable of setting up his schemes to take advantage of the skill set he does have.

It's nice to even have to discuss this after almost a decade of that cover 2 crap...

[PurpleKoolaid]

Lets hope Barr can wrap up and tackle, being a LB and all. Everyone knew he was a pass rush specialist, but theres a lot more to a LB then that when he is our first pick.

[VikingsBoss]

I think our primary 4-2 front would be Barr/Griffen/Joseph/Robison.[/quote]

So our 4-2, presumably put out there to defend the pass...has 323 lbs run-stuffer Linval Joseph over Shariff Floyd or Corey Wootton? While Joseph may not be a liability to the pass rush the way Pat Williams often was, Floyd and Wootton both offer more pass rushing potential.
I think the Vikings will use a myriad of schemes and alignments. I think you'll see a 3 down set, with Barr standing up as a 3-4 LB, a 4 man set with him at LB, a 4 man set with his hand on the ground, two down lineman sets, etc...Zimmer is a defensive guru who finally has full say over what he will do. I think he'll try a bunch of things. One thing I don't think he'll do though, is pigeon-hole Barr into only being a pass rusher. He's way too good an athlete. His speed could be a devastating weapon against a screen pass, or in a zone to take away a tight end. His length makes him a threat to stand at the line and swat passes like J.J. Watt...I think we'll see a lot, and I think we'll like it all.