Pressure

[84BreaksAnkles]

Guys, I haven't been hearing an awful lot of praise for our "Front 7" 's ability to pressure the QB. Lets just agree to name it that..

We are 3rd in the league in sacking the quarterback - AFTER our bye.... That's not including any hurries or knockdowns, etc. And we've done it against quite a few of the league's best QBs..

First of all it takes a great eye and great experience to really set up this group of guys like Zimmer, and also Rickie, have set up;

Everson - 9 Sacks, he was in 2nd place in the league before our bye week... He is explosive, and has some decent moves. He also has a lot of room to improve. He and Sharrif hold DOWN that left side against the run too.. which brings me to...

Shariiiiif - 3.5 Sacks, But let me tell you something. I watch each of our games multiple times on all-22. This kid is CONSTANTLY being double teamed, is possibly our most explosive player off the line. He CONSISTENTLY destroys 1-on-1 blocking, and OFTEN breaks through double-teams and disrupts the backfield, changing RBs' routes, and hurrying the QB. HE allows huge opportunities for guys like Everson, guys like Anthony, guys like Tom Johnson, to be able to go out there and have a 1-on-1. I think his value and potential cannot be overstated. I feel this guy is a huge homerun and when he really figures out the game, could be one of the best.

Anthony - 4 Sacks. What do we need to say about AB? This rook is quite a jagged beast. He has good angles, good tackling ability, really nice ability to get into the backfield and wreak havoc, is very smart, has incredible athleticism, posesses capabilities to be good in coverage, and single handedly won us a game - enough said. Will he become the greatest Viking's LB of all-time??

Linval - 2.5 Sacks. Now, this guy isn't as explosive as any of the above, but like Sharrif, he regularly faces doubles. Although he doesn't get into the backfield quite as much as Floyd, he usually clogs his whole area (Sometimes occupying even two gaps...) Dude is strong as HELL and is pretty much our Cog.

Tom Johnson - 5.5 Sacks. This is a career year for Tom. Here's a stat for you, in 40 previous career games, Tom has accumulated a total of 3 sacks. Sure you can argue the scheme was different, he had different players around him, etc. But the bottom line is in 9 games this year, with only ONE start, Tom has crushed his entire previous career. This speaks a lot to our head-coach's ability to get everything out of his players. This is a very good sign and a reason for Viking's fans to be happy.

Now, I realize we have had some deficiencies on defense as well. Primarily in the run game (Surprisingly). We are in the middle of the pack at 16th for yds allowed. Although, Harrison (1 sack) and Xavier are STUDS in the run game and WILL BUCK YOU SON!!!

I feel as though Brian Robison(2.5 Sacks), Chad Greenway(1 Sack), Jasper Brinkley(1 Sack), Robert Blanton, and even Captain Munnerlynn are to blame for this deficiency. I'll prove this if you need.

But in Passing yds allowed/game, the Minnesota Vikings are 4th in the LEAGUE. When's the last time you can remember being able to say that...?! No doubt Harrison and Xavier have the opportunity to be GREAT players (Josh can be solid too, Captain needs to pull his head out of his #### and do what he's capable of), BUT a HUGE part of why we've been so successful against the passing yds is due to the pressures that Zimm's dialing up with our "Front 7"

Truly excited for our defense moving forward, and how Zimmer really tightens it up and gets this thing rolling in the next few years.

[PurpleMustReign]

Nice post. I hope the defense continues to develop into a solid unit for many years to come!

[losperros]

Shariiiiif - 3.5 Sacks, But let me tell you something. I watch each of our games multiple times on all-22. This kid is CONSTANTLY being double teamed, is possibly our most explosive player off the line. He CONSISTENTLY destroys 1-on-1 blocking, and OFTEN breaks through double-teams and disrupts the backfield, changing RBs' routes, and hurrying the QB. HE allows huge opportunities for guys like Everson, guys like Anthony, guys like Tom Johnson, to be able to go out there and have a 1-on-1. I think his value and potential cannot be overstated. I feel this guy is a huge homerun and when he really figures out the game, could be one of the best.

Good post.

I couldn't agree more about Floyd. He's been a great weapon at DT and I believe opposing offensive coordinators are noticing him.

Quite honestly, I'm excited about the DL. Heck, I'm excited about the entire D that Zimmer is building.