It’s time to credit the defense

[J. Kapp 11]

Early in the season, we were understandably upset with the way the defense was playing. Philly made us look bad, Detroit moved the ball at will, and even Andy Dalton looked like Joe Montana. The Vikings couldn’t stop the run or the pass, but weirdly they managed to have a top-6 scoring defense.

A common nickname for our DC was Ed Onatell … no D.

But it appears a lot of that was unfamiliarity with the system and guys not quite understanding their roles, many of which were new. We’ve talked at length about Danielle Hunter and his switch to a stand-up outside linebacker. But how about Harrison Smith? Mike Zimmer used him almost like a linebacker, up in the box or near the box. Now he’s playing like a free safety, more of a center fielder roaming the back end. Everybody seemed a step slow, and I think that was because they were a split second behind in their decision making.

I guess we all needed to be patient because all that has changed. They’re clearly more confident in their responsibilities. They’re playing fast. Except for one play against Arizona, they’re tackling really well. And to his credit, Ed Donatell has been using multiple fronts, switching from 3-4 to 4-3 and moving guys all over the line. As a result, the Vikings are getting tons of pressure on the QB, and the back end is cleaning up the mistakes with interceptions.

Look at the game against Washington. Yes, the Commanders generally struggle to score, but that’s the kind of team that traditionally has had a get-well game against the Vikings — especially with a quarterback like Heinicke. But the Vikings held them to 17 points and just 263 yards, and those numbers would have been 10 and 214 if not for the back judge taking out Cam Bynum and preventing a certain interception. They harassed Kyler Murray incessantly and held him in check. They’ve been much better against the run. They’re one of the league leaders in turnover margin. They seem to know what they’re doing now. It’s a totally different vibe than it was not long ago.

This defense will never be the second coming of the 1985 Bears — or even the 2017 Vikings, for that matter. But they’re playing really well, and if this offense could ever get out of its own way in the third quarters of games, we would start seeing those multiple-score wins we all crave.

Time to give Ed Donatell (D included), his assistants, and the Vikings defense some love. Sometimes patience really is a virtue.

[TSonn]

Give him the D!

[phantom]

Early in the season, we were understandably upset with the way the defense was playing. Philly made us look bad, Detroit moved the ball at will, and even Andy Dalton looked like Joe Montana. The Vikings couldn’t stop the run or the pass, but weirdly they managed to have a top-6 scoring defense.

A common nickname for our DC was Ed Onatell … no D.

But it appears a lot of that was unfamiliarity with the system and guys not quite understanding their roles, many of which were new. We’ve talked at length about Danielle Hunter and his switch to a stand-up outside linebacker. But how about Harrison Smith? Mike Zimmer used him almost like a linebacker, up in the box or near the box. Now he’s playing like a free safety, more of a center fielder roaming the back end. Everybody seemed a step slow, and I think that was because they were a split second behind in their decision making.

I guess we all needed to be patient because all that has changed. They’re clearly more confident in their responsibilities. They’re playing fast. Except for one play against Arizona, they’re tackling really well. And to his credit, Ed Donatell has been using multiple fronts, switching from 3-4 to 4-3 and moving guys all over the line. As a result, the Vikings are getting tons of pressure on the QB, and the back end is cleaning up the mistakes with interceptions.

Look at the game against Washington. Yes, the Commanders generally struggle to score, but that’s the kind of team that traditionally has had a get-well game against the Vikings — especially with a quarterback like Heinicke. But the Vikings held them to 17 points and just 263 yards, and those numbers would have been 10 and 214 if not for the back judge taking out Cam Bynum and preventing a certain interception. They harassed Kyler Murray incessantly and held him in check. They’ve been much better against the run. They’re one of the league leaders in turnover margin. They seem to know what they’re doing now. It’s a totally different vibe than it was not long ago.

This defense will never be the second coming of the 1985 Bears — or even the 2017 Vikings, for that matter. But they’re playing really well, and if this offense could ever get out of its own way in the third quarters of games, we would start seeing those multiple-score wins we all crave.

Time to give Ed Donatell (D included), his assistants, and the Vikings defense some love. Sometimes patience really is a virtue.

They were a big reason we won last game.

[CharVike]

Ed Donatell deserves much credit. I would have canned him for moving Hunter to LBer. But Hunter has been down so that's a good thing. He got that rookie CB in there and he did his job. We got a bad break when the ref block Bynum. That's was too many men on the field. I'm not going to complain about him. He held Rodgers in check week 1 which isn't easy. The main stat is points allowed and I don't really care about the other BS that's thrown around. With these fantasy extended stats you could make the 85 Bears look like garbage.

[VikingsFan84]

And you all wanted Donatell gone!

[phantom]

Ed Donatell deserves much credit. I would have canned him for moving Hunter to LBer. But Hunter has been down so that's a good thing. He got that rookie CB in there and he did his job. We got a bad break when the ref block Bynum. That's was too many men on the field. I'm not going to complain about him. He held Rodgers in check week 1 which isn't easy. The main stat is points allowed and I don't really care about the other BS that's thrown around. With these fantasy extended stats you could make the 85 Bears look like garbage.

Main stat is points allowed.

[VikingLord]

Defense has definitely improved. Fewer wide open receivers and more consistent against the run. They get decent pressure from 4 rushers and they're tightening up in general.

Hopefully they get Dantzler and Tomlinson back soon. Dantzler's injury sounds like one that might linger. Vikes have a solid depth option with Evans, but really can't afford to lose anyone else. Tomlinson's sounds like one that is resolving with treatment. I like the guys who filled in for him too, but Tomlinson is a veteran presence and a guy you can count on when he's out there. I hope they don't try to rush him back, but with any luck he'll be ready for the Bills.

[Pondering Her Percy]

I think the big thing for me is the pressure we're getting now. It seems like Donatell is figuring out how to use Smith and Hunter. I like these "Nascar" type packages they are sending in on passing downs where they add Wonnum and Jones to the mix. Also seems like we're sending some more blitzes and different looks compared to early on in the season and it's working. For our corners being considered a "weakness" going into the season, they have been much better than I expected. Peterson has been a quiet "shutdown" type corner. Dantzler gives up some change but he's not getting burned. I really like how this defense is starting to come together.

[VikingLord]

Time to give Ed Donatell (D included), his assistants, and the Vikings defense some love. Sometimes patience really is a virtue.

Kapp, I wanted to say thanks again for directing me to that film study session on Vikings.com where KOC and Pete Bercich highlight some key plays from each game. I'm watching that now every week as it is truly fascinating to hear how KOC and Bercich describe what is going on as compared to what I see when I watch the plays on TV. I don't think I truly appreciated the level of complexity on each play until watching that.

In this last one, KOC talks about how good the Commander defensive line is and how Ezra Cleveland "fought the good fight" on the TD pass to Cook. On that play my focus watching it on TV was of course the gorgeous ball placement by Cousins on the throw and the artful one-handed grab by Cook, but the OL blocking made that possible and Cleveland, even though he struggled mightily on the play (and really, all day against that defensive front), did enough to win.

Really enjoying watching what KOC has to say on each of the plays they review. You can also see his personality and how level he is. I think that has a lot to do with how the team is performing each week.

[Texas Vike]

Time to give Ed Donatell (D included), his assistants, and the Vikings defense some love. Sometimes patience really is a virtue.

Kapp, I wanted to say thanks again for directing me to that film study session on Vikings.com where KOC and Pete Bercich highlight some key plays from each game. I'm watching that now every week as it is truly fascinating to hear how KOC and Bercich describe what is going on as compared to what I see when I watch the plays on TV. I don't think I truly appreciated the level of complexity on each play until watching that.

In this last one, KOC talks about how good the Commander defensive line is and how Ezra Cleveland "fought the good fight" on the TD pass to Cook. On that play my focus watching it on TV was of course the gorgeous ball placement by Cousins on the throw and the artful one-handed grab by Cook, but the OL blocking made that possible and Cleveland, even though he struggled mightily on the play (and really, all day against that defensive front), did enough to win.

Really enjoying watching what KOC has to say on each of the plays they review. You can also see his personality and how level he is. I think that has a lot to do with how the team is performing each week.

Here's the link, for anyone interested in the video that VL is referencing: https://www.vikings.com/video/kevin-o-c ... washington

[StanM]

I think the big thing for me is the pressure we're getting now. It seems like Donatell is figuring out how to use Smith and Hunter. I like these "Nascar" type packages they are sending in on passing downs where they add Wonnum and Jones to the mix. Also seems like we're sending some more blitzes and different looks compared to early on in the season and it's working. For our corners being considered a "weakness" going into the season, they have been much better than I expected. Peterson has been a quiet "shutdown" type corner. Dantzler gives up some change but he's not getting burned. I really like how this defense is starting to come together.

Agree with you except for the part about the defense and a NASCAR rush. Our offense has more closely resembled a NASCAR race. They all run into the wall and cause the “big one” for a couple quarters every game.

[J. Kapp 11]

Time to give Ed Donatell (D included), his assistants, and the Vikings defense some love. Sometimes patience really is a virtue.

Kapp, I wanted to say thanks again for directing me to that film study session on Vikings.com where KOC and Pete Bercich highlight some key plays from each game. I'm watching that now every week as it is truly fascinating to hear how KOC and Bercich describe what is going on as compared to what I see when I watch the plays on TV. I don't think I truly appreciated the level of complexity on each play until watching that.

In this last one, KOC talks about how good the Commander defensive line is and how Ezra Cleveland "fought the good fight" on the TD pass to Cook. On that play my focus watching it on TV was of course the gorgeous ball placement by Cousins on the throw and the artful one-handed grab by Cook, but the OL blocking made that possible and Cleveland, even though he struggled mightily on the play (and really, all day against that defensive front), did enough to win.

Really enjoying watching what KOC has to say on each of the plays they review. You can also see his personality and how level he is. I think that has a lot to do with how the team is performing each week.

You are so welcome, man. Really glad you’re enjoying it, and I encourage all Vikings fans to become regular viewers of his weekly film breakdowns. When you listen to KOC talk football — just his understanding, his passion, his incredible attention to detail — it becomes apparent that the Vikings got themselves a keeper. I could listen to that guy break down film for hours and never get bored.

It’s also apparent that his mind for the game is next level. He’ll say things like, “We we’re pretty sure we’d get that look from their defense in this situation, so we wanted to force them to make a choice,” and I just marvel at how prepared the team is. It’s no wonder they’re winning close games.

[Chi-Town Vike]

Ed Donatell deserves much credit. I would have canned him for moving Hunter to LBer. But Hunter has been down so that's a good thing. He got that rookie CB in there and he did his job. We got a bad break when the ref block Bynum. That's was too many men on the field. I'm not going to complain about him. He held Rodgers in check week 1 which isn't easy. The main stat is points allowed and I don't really care about the other BS that's thrown around. With these fantasy extended stats you could make the 85 Bears look like garbage.

Main stat is points allowed.

What about turnover differential though? Vikes currently tied for 3rd in the league with Dallas with a +6 t/o diff. Ravens 2nd with +7 and Eagles in the top spot with + 15. I'm leaning more on the takeaway aspect of the stat. History has shown that Greedy defenses make teams go far.

[phantom]

Main stat is points allowed.

What about turnover differential though? Vikes currently tied for 3rd in the league with Dallas with a +6 t/o diff. Ravens 2nd with +7 and Eagles in the top spot with + 15. I'm leaning more on the takeaway aspect of the stat. History has shown that Greedy defenses make teams go far.

Good to know, Why not try to score over 40 pts.

The New England Patriots had a 36-0 record with Tom Brady when scoring 40+ points between the 2001 and 2019 seasons.

https://www.statmuse.com/nfl/ask/patrio ... 01-to-2019

[CharVike]

Main stat is points allowed.

What about turnover differential though? Vikes currently tied for 3rd in the league with Dallas with a +6 t/o diff. Ravens 2nd with +7 and Eagles in the top spot with + 15. I'm leaning more on the takeaway aspect of the stat. History has shown that Greedy defenses make teams go far.

Wins and loses are based on points scored. Many things determine points and getting turnovers are great, We just won a game off a turnover. That was a TD 6 points. If Peg was allowed to attempt the extra point it would have been 7 oh wait still 6 But I agree turnover ratio is a key stat. Turnovers will kill you.