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Getting There Fast September 25, 2023
Brian Flores has had a very definite impact on this defense, which is awesome,
however he's dealing with quite a youthful group. A group that is having
it's leverage turned against it.
Think back to those early days playing basketball. You got burned by a
charging guard running the lane for that easy lay up. Fooled by a polished
& well practiced routine. Some don't catch on, but that shtick was
entirely too polished running that lane. The smarter lads wonder, is this
just a one trick pony, where they step into that lane to disrupt the tempo ...
the routine. The bag of tricks ... empty ... only to defend the lane and frustrate
your opponent for the rest of the afternoon.
Sure aggressiveness was abound but so was the one trick pony. Sprint to
the quarterback ... miss your mark ... only to have Herbert step aside to avoid the rush. Just
another missed lay-up. This
repeated itself all day long where the plan was used against those many Viking
defenders because they didn't rush with purpose. Lineman can react to
speed, they can react to change in direction but they falter upon dealing with
the combination of both ... rushing with purpose.
Due to their speed rush, on the edge, these Vikings quickly gained position, but
they failed to gain leverage, by closing inward into the pocket. It was almost
as if they were afraid to have any contact with a lineman as if sprinting away
from them served some sort of purpose. Once position is attained, slashing inward, or
at least enforcing a change in direction would have forced Herbert to commit
directionally. His feet is his play. Your speed failed to make him
commit his feet. Sure, the offensive lineman might have achieved some
contact ... maybe even bad decisions ...
but shifting direction after gaining position ... severly disrupts the
pocket. Look at the tape of Herberts feet.
What purpose does it serve to accept the cut block, only to land short of
Herbert. Once again, speed into the abyss. Would it not be better to
alter your speed & shift directionally. Change of direction does not
only work for open field running, it also works to shift the blocking scheme
causing weaknesses & chaos in other areas.
What I saw was determined defenders running as fast as they could ... over a
cliff. Not all Igiots are willing to do this.
Are these pass rushing mites capable of leveraging an offensive tackle, once the
have gain position? Are they capable of leaning and pressing up on that lineman's
center of gravity to work in on the pocket? Is three mites sprinting past
the quarterback a good thing? Watching Herbert pick side stepping or
stepping up in the pocket only resulted in him picking us
apart.
Maybe we all just don't understand Flores concept. Maybe he's missing a
vital piece. Maybe it's Brian Asamoah II ... he's an absolute stud.
Disruptive Linebacker in speedy safety out. Maybe its a mixture of both
determined to play the same roles within Flores defensive scheme ... learning
from each other.
Without Lawrence Taylor, that defense would just not be the same. Getting
nowhere fast!
The Viking Ghost Writer
http://MyVikingBlood.org
Date: September 25, 2023
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