Vikings’ defense looks fully realized even and especially with undrafted rookie Ivan Pace Jr at the helm

Carmen Vitali

NFC North Reporter

The Minnesota Vikings defense pitched their first shutout since 2017 on Sunday. It isn’t a stretch to say in less than a season, they’ve garnered quite the reputation, keeping offensive coordinators in their offices at all hours of the night leading up to facing them.

The Vikings fired Ed Donatell this past offseason and brought in Brian Flores. The former Dolphins head coach has completely overhauled Minnesota’s defensive system, installing a unique scheme that hasn’t been seen before in the NFL. The Vikings’ blitz rate is astronomical, bringing five or more rushers 47.4%  of the time, which is nearly six percentage points higher than the No. 2 team. 

They’re top-10 in most major (and even advanced) defensive categories. They have a weighted defensive DVOA of -12.1%, which is the fifth-best in the league. 

This was the hope in bringing Flores in. His schemes often take a little while to grasp because of their complexity. In a September interview with FOX Sports, Flores mentioned how player-driven his system is. 

“We try to equip them with enough tools to put themselves in the best positions and I think some of the older players kind of gravitate to that and really enjoy it because it’s fun for them,” said Flores in September. “It’s not [my system]. It’s theirs.

“I think if they have those tools, there’s opportunities there that I couldn’t ever forecast as a play caller because I don’t have a crystal ball,” he said.

His players now have such a firm grasp on the “why” behind what they’re doing that even backups are able to fully operate it. What made Sunday’s shutout in Las Vegas even more impressive was that with veteran linebacker Jordan Hicks out, undrafted rookie Ivan Pace Jr. was tasked with wearing the ‘green dot’, meaning he had a direct line of communication to Flores during the game via an in-helmet headset and was the one relaying all the defensive calls coming into…

Source link : https://www.foxsports.com/stories/nfl/vikings-defense-has-joined-nfls-elite-undrafted-rookie-ivan-pace-jr-is-part-of-why

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Publish date : 2023-12-14 14:35:13

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