Vikings Blitzing More Often This Season

[Mothman]

http://espn.go.com/blog/nfcnorth/post/_ ... his-season

[dead_poet]

Huh.

Quarterbacks only have a 34.7 QBR when the Vikings send five or more, the ninth-lowest in the NFL. Linebackers Erin Henderson and Chad Greenway have combined for three of the team's 10 sacks, and the Vikings aren't routinely getting burned for big plays -- quarterbacks are averaging just 5.97 yards per pass attempt when the Vikings blitz.

"They enjoy being aggressive," defensive coordinator Alan Williams said. "If they enjoy it and it’s working, I’ll call it. I’m not so rigid that I have to just call coverage, I want to play what works. If it’s working, we’ll keep calling it. If not, we’ll do something else."

[Eli]

A question I have is: How well do they fare against the run when they blitz? With as often as the Vikings run nickel and dime packages, blitzing a LB means that, at most, there's just one LB left to mop up behind the LOS. That's a good way to get burned.

[losperros]

A question I have is: How well do they fare against the run when they blitz? With as often as the Vikings run nickel and dime packages, blitzing a LB means that, at most, there's just one LB left to mop up behind the LOS. That's a good way to get burned.

Good question. I'm wondering the same thing.

[S197]

Huh.

This is an area of the system where I was critical as I said you cannot consistently bring 4 and expect to get constant pressure, too easy to scheme against. The counterargument was that this would leave even bigger holes in the secondary but that looks to not be the case.

[mondry]

This is an area of the system where I was critical as I said you cannot consistently bring 4 and expect to get constant pressure, too easy to scheme against. The counterargument was that this would leave even bigger holes in the secondary but that looks to not be the case.

Hard to have a bigger hole on the field than wherever josh robinson is anyway. At least with a blitz / man coverage we might actually get pressure or hold on long enough to mess up the timing of the play. Since not blitzing ends up in an easy completion for first down yardage anyway, it's not like we're losing out on much. In that sense it's pretty much high reward vs relatively low risk.

[Eli]

We need to blitz more, period.

Like anything else, offensively or defensively, just because you're having success with it at the current frequency, it doesn't mean you can simply do it more often. Maybe less obvious on defense, but you can overdue the blitz and then you _do_ get torched. If it's not unexpected, then (by definition) you become predictable and easily beaten.

[S197]

Hard to have a bigger hole on the field than wherever josh robinson is anyway. At least with a blitz / man coverage we might actually get pressure or hold on long enough to mess up the timing of the play. Since not blitzing ends up in an easy completion for first down yardage anyway, it's not like we're losing out on much. In that sense it's pretty much high reward vs relatively low risk.

That was my thoughts as well, especially with two big corners that can press. According to the article there's 20 teams that blitz more than the Vikings so I think they're still too conservative. It doesn't have to always be the LB's either, I can't recall the last time I've seen a corner blitz. Winfield used to be very good at blitzing out of the slot. Robinson is quick, maybe they should utilize him that way since he isn't covering anyone anyway.

[dead_poet]

That was my thoughts as well, especially with two big corners that can press. According to the article there's 20 teams that blitz more than the Vikings so I think they're still too conservative. It doesn't have to always be the LB's either, I can't recall the last time I've seen a corner blitz. Winfield used to be very good at blitzing out of the slot. Robinson is quick, maybe they should utilize him that way since he isn't covering anyone anyway.

Actually, I've been wondering why they haven't used Robinson in that exact way. After all, he needs a new way to get beat. I think he's exhausted every other way.

[Eli]

Actually, I've been wondering why they haven't used Robinson in that exact way. After all, he needs a new way to get beat. I think he's exhausted every other way.

Actually, what he needs at this point is a reason to even be on the field. Maybe success as a blitzing corner would be it.

[mondry]

problem with blitzing JR is I think CB blitzes work better when the QB isn't looking your way, or ignoring you because there are easier match ups else where. In this case JR is an easy target so if the QB is looking that way when he blitzes it'd be easy enough to just toss it to his guy for a decent pick up. I guess that brings us back to point #1, he doesn't cover anyone anyway so it's still the same net result.

[Demi]

Hm, and the players are all going ape #### complaining about the schemes and how the defense is being called?

They did when the guy before Williams was running more man/blitzes too...