Early predictions for Vikings' D

[VikingPaul73]

How good will this D be next year!!!???

Maybe this is overly optimistic but I went top 5. If you consider Zimmer's trend in Cincinnati, the improvement last year, plus the wealth of young talent on this team, I really am excited about this D next year.

I also think we might see Exum or Price step up next year as well. I wouldn't be surprised to see Price supplant Robinson as the dime and Exum beat out Blanton as the starter.

We will see!!!!

[DK Sweets]

I went with Top 10. They were good last year, and I think they have the pieces to be better this year...but I want to see how these pieces come together before I proclaim a Top 5 unit.

[Mothman]

I went with top half. I'm not sold on their run defense, in particular, so I'm not sure they can crack the top 10. The potential to do it is clearly there though...

[IIsweet]

Let's not forget to take into account that AD will be running and thus giving the defense some much needed rest.
Many times the defense will be holding the opponents against their backs. Having to play a long field normally simplifies the opponents play calling.
I think that AD's presence will drastically improve the offense. I also believe that they will frequently move the ball to midfield much more. Thus a good punter can pin the offense deep.
Even if AD runs runs for 1000 yards, his presence will be felt.

Thus I choose top 5 defense. Wow, Greenway may not even see the field this year? June 1 cap casualty?
Secondary will be much improved with Waynes manning 1 side of the field, moving guys inside that were frequently torched and thrown over.
Last years group will have very little turnover and added some improvements with Kendricks and Waynes.

[808vikingsfan]

This year or next year?

I voted top 10. Like IIsweet said, an effective running game helps the defense tremendously (rest, TOP, field position). Besides, they were already 14th in yds/game and 11th in pts/game last year . I can't see this defense go anywhere else but up (barring injuries).

[VikeMike]

While I think they have the potential to reach the Top 10, I voted safe and said top half.

Having the majority of the starters with a full year under their belt in the system will really show, but if things turn out the way the Vikes hope, they will be two rookies starting. With the exceptions of Robison and Greenway, this will be a very young defense. I expect them to improve as the season progresses.

[Raptorman]

Top ten in what? Yards? Points? PPG? It matters.

[Cliff]

Top ten in what? Yards? Points? PPG? It matters.

The stats that NFL.com uses to rank the #1 Defense is YPG, I believe. So I imagine that's what we're talking about.

[Superfreak84]

I said top 10! Is anyone else like really pumped up about this upcoming season? I am every year but a couple things that have me absolutely stoked.
-Return of AP
-Addition of 2 young defensive starters (Kendricks, Waynes)
-Another year of this defense gelling with Zimmer
-Teddy in year 2. Played really well down the stretch!
-Mike Wallace might be a tad more explosive than Jennings
-Potential healthy Rudolph
-Kalil can't get any worse right?
-Fusco, Loadholt will be healthy
-Hey we went 7-9 last year. No reason we can't win 10 games!

[Cliff]

The defense has potential and it seems like they've got the right people in place to help coach it up. 5 1st round draft picks in the last 3 years. One of those 'great athletes but game needs refinement' picks that worked out in Griffin who turned out to be a steal in the 4th and who slid in for Gerald Allen and nobody cared. Kendricks in the 2nd round this year when many thought he was a first round talent who will help one of the big weaknesses in the middle. There's plenty to be excited about.

That said, a lot depends on some pretty young players and we all know how unpredictable it can be at times. We don't know if Waynes or Kendricks will play well. We don't know if Barr will improve or take a step back. With this many new faces there are a lot of unknowns. I feel better about this defense than I have in a while.

Also, I really like Zimmer's scheme. I like Fraizer, but after watching his scheme (and variations of it) for the last couple of years ... lets just say it makes it exciting to watch the defense again. The disguises, the aggressiveness ... I find it more fun to watch in general.

[Laserman]

potential is just that, potential. I don't get overly excited about this team. Been let down too many times since 1972. Let's wait and see if potential turns into reality. Potential always looks good on paper this time of year

[Pondering Her Percy]

I went with top half. I'm not sold on their run defense, in particular, so I'm not sure they can crack the top 10. The potential to do it is clearly there though...

Having a legitimate MLB will help that a lot I think. Especially one with Kendricks instincts

[Raptorman]

While being in the top of Defenses in yards given up, I would much rather be top ten in PPG given up. I know the two most important stats to reflect success in the NFL is the passer rating differential, and the PPG differential. When those two numbers are high, you have a good team.

[DK Sweets]

It DOES make sense that the teams that score more than their opponents the most often generally win the most games...thank you John Madden

[John_Viveiros]

I was thinking about the exact same topic!

The scouting report on Kendricks makes me think that all alone he could push this unit into the top ten. If we hit on Waynes and any other defensive guy (Harris, Hunter), it's going to be top 5. It's not out of the realm of possibility. The 49ers were pretty mediocre (I heard radio commentators in SF say that they thought it would be nice to go 8-8) until they picked up 3/4 of their starting defensive backfield in the 1981 draft.

Of course, we could lose 6 of our defensive starters during the season (like we did on offense last year - Fusco, Sullivan, Loadholt, Peterson, Rudolph, and Cassel) and we could end up back in the 20's again.

Just to be the team contrarian, but just because it looks like Zimmer improves his team's defense wherever he goes, doesn't mean that it isn't happening just by chance correlation. Yes, my heart believes that it's all due to Zimmer, but my head tells me that it's possible that isn't the case.