Minnesota Vikings’ Hall of Fame head coach Bud Grant always said he would rather have good players than good coaches, as it was the players that ultimately made the plays that determined the outcome of games.
The latter part of Grant’s statement is certainly true, but with the advent of the NFL salary cap, it’s nearly impossible for a top team to maintain much of a talent advantage over other top teams. Looking back to the Vikings teams of the 70s under Bud Grant, there’s no way the Vikings could have kept Fran Tarkenton, Carl Eller, Alan Page, Jim Marshall, Ron Yary, Ed White, Mick Tingelhoff, John Gilliam, and Paul Krause on the roster with today’s salary cap at the front end of their 3 Super Bowls in 4 seasons run in 1973. All of those players were on veteran contracts and most would’ve commanded top salaries for their position.
So, while drafting well will remain a key part of roster building, along with astute use of free agency, getting the most from the players on the team- most of which will not be top talents- is critical to having sustained success in the NFL. Especially when the inevitable injuries are considered as well.
And that’s where coaching comes in.
A Cutting Edge Vision
Brian Flores talked about his off-season process during his press conference this week:
“Every year, every off-season, I don’t want to say reinvent- that’s not the right word- but you self-scout and build a vision out for the next year based on a variety of things. One, here are some things we did last year that we did well, here are some things we didn’t do so well. So there’s a vision for probably what hurt us the most- how do you fix that- and then build on some of the things we did well.
I’m constantly looking at what the new trends are, what the global trends are throughout the league- offensively, defensively, and in the kicking game- to educate myself and try to improve as a coach- nothing is as important to me as getting these guys [players] good information, trying to be ahead of the game as far as some things defensively so that we’re putting those guys in the best positions to have success.
But I’m big on having a vision. Once you have that, you can set the trajectory for a lot of things: scouting, building a curriculum to get all this stuff installed, when are we going to do that. We gotta get this done in OTAs, we gotta get this done in minicamp, we gotta get this done in training camp. And then you put all these things together. From a leadership standpoint, that’s how I go about it. I have a vision, then I go about putting systems and processes in place to execute that vision.”
Flores identified this off-season that the Vikings needed to do more from a coverage standpoint as last season playing almost all zone coverage was limiting and opposing offenses were able to take advantage of that. He also saw the need for more high-quality pass rushers with the versatility to rush, defend the run, or drop into coverage effectively. That led to the Vikings acquiring Andrew Van Ginkel, Jonathan Greenard, Dallas Turner, Jerry Tillery, and Jihad Ward to bolster their pass rush. It also led to them acquiring Shaq Griffin and and after the death of Khyree Jackson and Mekhi Blackmon going on IR, acquiring Stephon Gilmore as well. It also led to them acquiring Blake Cashman as a versatile linebacker who can rush, defend the run, and be good in coverage. Clearly Flores had a hand in all those acquisitions, with Van Ginkel and Gilmore two players he’s coached in the past, but all those players fitting his requirements for versatility and being tough, smart, and love football.
Those players filled the requirements necessary if he was to run the type of cutting-edge scheme he had in mind for this season. Both corners can play man coverage, while the pass rushers, particularly the edge rushers, have the versatility as 3-4 outside linebackers that met his requirements- as well as inside linebackers Blake Cashman and Kamu Grugier-Hill.
And by all accounts, Flores began installing his scheme early on this off-season. And that scheme is no ordinary one. It’s cutting edge.
Having one more potential pass rusher than the offense has blockers forces offenses to make choices and adjustments that may hinder what they want to do offensively. Either they need to account for each of the pass rushers or be prepared to throw to a hot route. Or if Flores rushes five, which often defaults to a man-on-man protection scheme that is susceptible to twists, he uses twists to open a lane for a free rusher. It can also make run plays more of an adventure with a crowded box that can blow up virtually any run play.
On the back end in coverage, Flores mixes in just about every type of two-high safety coverage scheme out there, while also playing roughly 20% man coverage schemes and 20% Cover-3 to keep quarterbacks and offensive coordinators guessing, while also playing the most Cover-0 of any team in the league. Added to that is the element of disguise. There is really no way for a quarterback to get a presnap read on the coverage because it often changes and even when it doesn’t it’s difficult to figure out which scheme variant it might be because they look the same.
And to make things even more difficult, Flores allows his players to change the call presnap according to what they see, so it’s very difficult for an offense to play on their terms or gain any sort of presnap advantage, even with multiple plays calls and audibling.
Having a bunch of veteran guys fluent in Flores’ scheme and who have seen just about everything offensively helps make it all work, along with players having the versatility to play different roles according to the play call.
There are some other teams that crowd the line of scrimmage in Cover-0 looks. There are other teams that play similar coverage schemes. But there isn’t another team that does both, and has a similar coverage mix, and makes last second changes to the play call as well.
On the offensive side, the changes haven’t been quite as dramatic, but that’s not to say Kevin O’Connell and the Vikings’ offense is not cutting edge as well.
After losing Kirk Cousins, it was up to O’Connell to find two new quarterbacks. A veteran bridge quarterback that could execute his vision for the offense, and a high-potential rookie who could take over when ready. It was clear early on in the draft process that O’Connell had the last word on who the Vikings would target in the draft, and the same was true of the veteran. And O’Connell wanted Sam Darnold. He hired Josh McCown as QB coach who knew Darnold well, and doubtless that played into it, but the Vikings were willing to outbid the Broncos for Darnold’s services, more than doubling his previous salary with the 49ers. And after the Vikings drafted J.J. McCarthy, O’Connell gave Darnold all the first team reps well into training camp to get him up to speed with his scheme. And just as O’Connell was about to give some first team reps to McCarthy, he went down with a knee injury and Darnold became the clear starter for the season.
But the other thing O’Connell had in his vision for the offense was to run the ball more effectively. That was a part of it in 2023 as well, but he was disappointed by the performance of Alexander Mattison. And so when Aaron Jones became available, the Vikings wasted no time in signing him. The rest of the offensive personnel were largely already in place. O’Connell also wanted to run screen passes more effectively, and guys like Garrett Bradbury have said recently that it was something they spent a lot of time working on over the off-season. Part of running the ball more effectively also included developing a more physical mindset- and a tougher practice regimen in the off-season to help develop that and be able to finish games and wear down opponents.
And when it comes to offensive scheme and play-calling, Kevin O’Connell is also seen as cutting edge in how he schemes Justin Jefferson open, and his approach to play calling.
The Vikings use motion about as much as any team, which not only helps identify coverage presnap, but can also give a receiver a free release, allow for a favorable matchup, or create a favorable blocking angle for a receiver, tight end or running back. It’s a function of the most productive offenses from the 49ers under Kyle Shanahan, to the Rams with Sean McVay, to the Chiefs with Andy Reid, the Lions with Ben Johnson, the Dolphins with Mike McDaniel and the Packers with Matt LaFleur.
But beyond that, O’Connell is willing to experiment on routes with receivers during installation to get the right fit for the receiver within the route concept. That can result in a number of subtleties that make it more difficult for defensive backs in coverage. O’Connell also builds options so if Jefferson is doubled as the primary receiver, the quarterback should have another open receiver as a result of that. O’Connell gave himself the flexibility in play calling by teaching each receiver all three receiver positions so he can use each receiver interchangeably as needed for a particular matchup, coverage, or route concept.
O’Connell isn’t just designing plays against a generic opponent either. Through knowledge of defensive schemes, O’Connell understands the rules particular schemes employ against a given formation, for example, which may give the defense an advantage in that situation. O’Connell may then design a play with that formation, but with a bit of a wrinkle. That wrinkle may then cause the defense to break their rule in that situation, giving the Vikings’ offense the advantage, or keep the rule that may not be as effective given the wrinkle O’Connell added.
When it comes to play-calling, O’Connell isn’t just looking at the down and distance, game situation, and his play sheet while drawing on film study of his opponent. He’s also watching the game, expecting surprises, and making real time adjustments. All the flexibility built into his play designs allows him to make those adjustments.
Complex Scheme Simplified
On both sides of the ball, the Vikings’ scheme appears to complex and difficult to learn. And that may well be true for some positions- like wide receiver- where each receiver needs to know all three receiver positions- X, Z, and slot- so O’Connell can move them around interchangeably based on needs, matchups, etc. Defensively, a player like Josh Metellus also needs to know multiple positions- linebacker, safety, nickel back.
But both Brian Flores and Kevin O’Connell have been able to make what is a complicated scheme for opponents to play against a simpler one for players to learn and execute. Plays are labelled in a modular format that doesn’t require massive memorization, just several key terms used in modular play terminology. That also makes it easier to make and call adjustments in real time.
Rich Eisen with the NFL Network, after meeting with the Vikings’ coaches and players ahead of their game in London, made the following observations about the Vikings and their systems:
The Vikings are for real. This isn’t a fluke. This is actually the product of a terrific coaching staff in place, of a terrific front office that has placed very high IQ players in the hands of a high IQ coach, who can have a very intricate system… that they are very good at simplifying for their players with multiple options based on the looks they see in front of them. And that because it’s simplified in such a way, it allows these players to play faster and freer. -Rich Eisen after talking with the Vikings staff and players in London
Tough. Smart. Loves Football.
And so scheme and coaching have played a critical role in getting the most from players for the Vikings this season. Coaching lingo for that is, “putting players in the best position to succeed.”
When scheme and coaching provide an advantage for similar players on the field, the one playing in the better scheme with better coaching is likely to win. It’s difficult to argue that the Vikings had a massive talent advantage over the 49ers and Texans, for example. But they beat both of them fairly soundly with the aid of scheme and coaching.
But while coaching and scheme can help get the most from players, there is still a need to keep and acquire good players to make it work. And that too comes down to coaching- coaches letting the scouts and GM know what traits they want and having them go out and find them, whether in the draft or free agency.
Brian Flores said early on that three traits he wants in a player are that he’s tough, smart, and loves football. Kevin O’Connell has echoed those same traits as well. Flores was asked on Tuesday why those traits were important:
“I think this league is about developing. When you boil it all down, I think the talent level- there isn’t a vast difference in talent level between Player A and Player B. Really it boils down to opportunity, and then who is going to outwork the next guy. And I think guys who are tough, guys who are smart, guys who are disciplined, guys who love it, they’re going to develop. They’re going to take the coaching, they’re going to work the techniques, work the fundamentals, and that’s who will get better. This league is about improving. On a week-to-week basis, on a day-to-day basis. Sometimes you get a guy who thinks he has all the answers- and sometimes he does. That’s good. But most times, most guys are third, fourth, fifth round, undrafted, and they’ve got some places where they need to make some improvements. And they make them and that normally pays off. And that’s what I’m looking for.” – Brian Flores, 10/15/24
There is a lot to be said for this perception and approach. The Vikings have focused on those traits- tough, smart, loves football- in both rookie and veteran signings, along with other position-specific traits and have been successful in improving their roster that way without breaking the bank. They’ve also gotten a lot of mileage from Day Three picks and UDFAs using this criteria as well. Part of that is scouting and the GM and his staff. But often it’s the coaches that drive the criteria they want in players, and the scouts, GM and staff find ways to get them, as much as their able given draft capital and salary cap restrictions.
These multiple, albeit smaller upgrades defensively, which enabled an upgraded scheme, have proven to be worth more than the sum of the individual players. It has made a stronger team.
Looking back at the end of the Patriots’ dynasty, in 2018 they had 16 undrafted players on their active roster, not to mention a lot of Day Three picks. They went to the Super Bowl 4 times in five years between 2014-2018, winning it three times. Only between 7-10 players had salary cap hits over $4 million during those years.
Last year only eight players on the Super Bowl winning Chiefs had salary cap hits over $4 million. The year before, when they also won the Super Bowl, just nine players did.
Sure, the Patriots and Chiefs had Tom Brady and Patrick Mahomes, but they don’t play defense. And for an elite quarterback to be elite, they need a solid offensive line and good offensive weapons to throw to and hand off to. And for all that to happen, there needs to be a lot of mid-tier or lower guys that coaches are able to acquire and get the most out of between scheme and coaching.
The Vikings appear to be doing just that. On both sides of the ball.
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