Purple Reign wrote:
The point is you have to keep the defense honest. If you never throw a deep ball, then they aren't going to worry about a deep pass and sit on the short throws. You don't even have to complete the pass, just the fact you attempt a couple keeps them somewhat honest. Just like if you don't have a running game you still have to run it a few times.
I agree with the philosophy, but the methodology of it is hard to apply to this particular offense. I would agree if the line could sustain a block long enough for Sam to hurl it down the field like that, but essentially, what's being asked, is that the Vikings throw away a play that has a high probability of a sack or failure in general, in order to make the attempt at stretching the defense. It seemed to work in weeks 2-5, in spots, but the regression up front is real here...I know everyone loves to nitpick and offer opinions of the playcalling, but in reality, you only need to average 3.4 yards per play in order to get a first down. Chunk yardage would be nice, but when a lot of those attempts end with chunks of
negative yardage, it digs the hole even deeper. Playing it safe is a tiresome objective and one that requires efficiency, but given how this team is built, it's almost essential that the defense is relied upon...because that's how Zimmer wanted it, right? Whether he and Spielman knew the repercussions of that or not is almost irrelevant at this very point...The Vikings need to be meticulous in how they handle the offense or a lot of these games get away from them quickly. And honestly, without much of a running game, it's hard to accept the idea that the Vikings try and keep a defense honest when everyone in the country knows they cannot run the football.
Patterson's involvement is a nice touch. McKinnon's effort to stretch negative or no gains into 3 or 4 yards is important. Diggs underneath and Thielen making plays in the cover 2 zone is huge...Give it time, they will get there, but they have to pick very critical spots. Puts a lot on playcalling, but I don't see how the structure of this offense lends itself to anything else right now.