Leaner Shariff Floyd ready to step out of Williams' shadow

[dead_poet]

Floyd played at a lighter 295 pounds at the University of Florida, but put on weight in his first NFL season to play the position like Williams, who hovered over 310 pounds. Now Floyd's back down to 303 pounds as he's fitted to play the role that Geno Atkins holds down in Cincinnati.

That role in Mike Zimmer's defense has the potential to earn Floyd the type of money Atkins received after he racked up 12.5 sacks in 2012, the most among defensive tackles in the NFL that year. Atkins signed a five-year, $55 million extension before last season, giving him the fourth-highest average salary at the position.

"It's the same defense," Floyd said. "I watched [Atkins] a little bit to see what they want on certain type of blocks, but I can't really mimic what he does. That's his style of play. I have to take the defense and make it my style of play."

By dropping his body fat percentage, Floyd hopes to retain his quickness off the snap as he shoots the B-gap alongside nose tackle Linval Joseph in the interior line.

http://www.1500espn.com/sportswire/Note ... adow072714

[720pete]

Let's hope. He didn't do much last year, that's for sure.

[Eli]

I have a bit of a hard time buying the argument that 7 lbs makes much of a difference to someone weighing in the 300-320 lb range.

[VikingPaul73]

I have a bit of a hard time buying the argument that 7 lbs makes much of a difference to someone weighing in the 300-320 lb range.

I agree. That's about a 1 hour workout plus a trip to the bathroom for a guy over 300. It's less that 1 gallon of water.

[jackal]

I would say the biggest issue would be conditioning and lean muscle ...

my guess is the guy would 275 -285 in a shape that would make a change...

like 35 pounds leaner and stronger

[CbusVikesFan]

I had to chuckle at the topic title. That is a mighty big shadow, figuratively and literally, to fill. I hope the young man is up to the task.

[losperros]

Let's hope. He didn't do much last year, that's for sure.

Neither did the rest of the defense, especially when they gave up 4th quarter drives.

Then again, Floyd wasn't a starter last year. He'll be out there this season. If he gives the Vikings the kind of performance he gave the Gators, he'll be a stud.

[jackal]

Neither did the rest of the defense, especially when they gave up 4th quarter drives.

Then again, Floyd wasn't a starter last year. He'll be out there this season.

This defense will be very different. Jarad Allen is a great player, but hated coming off the field
to rest. Kevin Willams was my favorite guy on the line for years, but had slowed. We have a bunch
of guys now that create havoc... Crichton, Barr, Robison, Griffen, Wooten,Floyd, and Joseph.
The 2007 Giants won the Superbowl doing this. They kept on Tom Brady and had him on the run
as did the Seahawks, last season, with Manning.

[S197]

Neither did the rest of the defense, especially when they gave up 4th quarter drives.

Then again, Floyd wasn't a starter last year. He'll be out there this season. If he gives the Vikings the kind of performance he gave the Gators, he'll be a stud.

If I recall correctly he saw less than 40% of snaps. I'm assuming he should be about double that this year.

[mosscarter]

although i agree this year's defense will have a much different look, comparing them to the 07 giant's is a bit of a stretch. that wasn't just any team they shut down, it was an 18-0 team.

[Texas Vike]

I agree. That's about a 1 hour workout plus a trip to the bathroom for a guy over 300. It's less that 1 gallon of water.

Or just the trip to the bathroom, depending on productivity.

[PurpleKoolaid]

Other then Kalil, Floyd was the biggest disappointment for me last year. Both VERY high picks...

[PurpleHalo]

Are you disappointed in him or disappointed in his playing time? The guy hardly got show case what he could bring. From the games I remember that he did get playing time, he was always so close to grabbing the QB. That alone tells me he has the talent to get to the QB. Are you disappointed in Patterson too? He didn't play much either.

I've been confused hearing him being called a bust, he was a backup at a pretty tough position. He didn't play against the sort of lines in college, that he sees on any given Sunday in the NFL. Hard to compare it to KWill, he was a starter game one, because he filled a huge need.

[kurtkeoki]

Are you disappointed in him or disappointed in his playing time? The guy hardly got show case what he could bring. From the games I remember that he did get playing time, he was always so close to grabbing the QB. That alone tells me he has the talent to get to the QB. Are you disappointed in Patterson too? He didn't play much either.

I think it's apples to oranges to some extent. Patterson was RAW coming into the league. We obviously should have used him more, but he didn't have much big-time football experience, and he's not exactly the sharpest tool in the shed. It would have been easy to overload him.

Floyd was supposed to be NFL ready. It's said that the reason he didn't shine was because he didn't play enough, but maybe the reason he didn't play as much as hoped was because he just wasn't ready. I have high hopes for Floyd, but I think we need to temper expectations for him somewhat.

[headless_norseman]

If I recall correctly he saw less than 40% of snaps. I'm assuming he should be about double that this year.

I think Floyd is going to be a major positive this year.