NFL Analyst Believes Vikings' Defense Will Make Big Jump Under Brian Flores
NFL analyst Bucky Brooks believes the Vikings' defense is going to make a significant jump this year under the leadership of new coordinator Brian Flores.
Kevin O'Connell tabbed Ed Donatell to be his D.C. in his first year as Minnesota's head coach, and it simply didn't work out. The Vikings sat back in passive zone shells for most of the season and got shredded, ranking 31st in yards allowed, T-28th in points allowed, and 27th in DVOA in the regular season. After another dreadful defensive performance in a first-round playoff loss against the Giants, Donatell was fired.
His replacement is Flores, a widely-respected defensive coach who was a longtime Patriots assistant under Bill Belichick before spending three seasons as the Dolphins' head coach. Last season, Flores was an assistant with the Steelers. Under "B-Flo," the Vikings promise to be much more aggressive than they were a year ago. Their goal, more or less, is to utilize a creative variety of formations, personnel groupings, coverages, and designed pressures to keep offenses guessing.
Brooks is a believer in Flores' ability to turn things around right away in Minnesota. The former NFL player and scout listed the Vikings as one of the four defenses he believes will make the biggest jump in 2023, saying he thinks Flores will "transform" the unit.
Although it takes exceptional talent to flourish in the NFL, the presence of a high-end coach can help a group exceed expectations. First-year Vikings defensive coordinator Brian Flores will produce better results than predecessor Ed Donatell, thanks not only to his attention to fundamentals and detail but his creative Xs and Os, as well. The former Dolphins head coach showed an ability to confound opponents with a bluff-and-blitz Cover 0 scheme in Miami, and I expect him to utilize some of those same tactics to help the Vikings diffuse the high-powered offenses around the league. Coach Flo will transform a group lacking in star power into a disruptive force that creates chaos with blitzes and simulated pressures.
As Flores works his magic, the brilliant defensive strategist could quickly re-emerge as a head-coaching candidate, having directed an impressive turnaround in short order.
The Vikings are hoping Brooks is right. They need Flores and his scheme to do some heavy lifting this year, because a defense that was already bad in 2022 lost a bunch of key pieces this offseason: Patrick Peterson, Za'Darius Smith, Dalvin Tomlinson, Eric Kendricks, and Duke Shelley, as well as a couple other role players.
The cupboard isn't completely bare when it comes to talent, though. Longtime stars Harrison Smith and Danielle Hunter are still around, though the latter's future is uncertain for contract reasons. Former early draft picks Byron Murphy Jr. and Marcus Davenport were brought in during free agency after their rookie contracts expired with their original teams. Players like Harrison Phillips, Jordan Hicks, and Dean Lowry are solid, experienced veterans.
The key for the Vikings will be whether or not Flores and his staff can get significant production out of young first- and second-year players like Lewis Cine, Akayleb Evans, Brian Asamoah, Mekhi Blackmon, Andrew Booth Jr., and Jaquelin Roy.
Even though it's a defense that lacks major star power, Flores will attempt to put the best 11 players on the field to maximize his scheme and help the Vikings put up much better numbers on that side of the ball in 2023.
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