Training camp roster (12): Greg Jennings, Jarius Wright, Jerome Simpson, Cordarrelle Patterson, Stephen Burton, Joe Webb, Chris Summers, Greg Childs, Erik Highsmith, Adam Thielen, Rodney Smith, LaMark Brown
Projected opening day roster (5): Jennings, Wright, Simpson, Patterson, Childs
Outlook: The Vikings sank more time and money into revamping this position than any other on their roster. After all that, they still don't know quite what to expect. Will Jennings stay healthy after missing 11 games the past two seasons? Will Simpson rebound from a disappointing season? Can Childs return from two major knee injuries? Can Patterson learn the offense as a rookie? Can Webb make the shift from quarterback? Don't be surprised if Thielen -- who had a strong showing in OTAs and minicamp--makes a strong push on his old college campus. The same goes for Summers, who spent last season on the practice squad.
Interesting... but not all that surprising. I think some people were just thinking "Bishop was an inside LB in GB, he's an inside LB" but in reality, his duties as a 3-4 inside LB in their system were pretty similar to those of an outside LB in the Vikings 4-3. That doesn't mean he won't end up moving inside but it looks like Henderson is going to get his shot to seize the MLB job.
The issue that peaked my ears when I heard this news is Greenway moving to the weak side. Maybe someone with a better knowledge of the responsibilities of the weak side in the Vikes' scheme could enlighten me but would that be a huge transition for him? Would we then have 3 people playing new positions and could that have a negative effect on the whole unit?
MikethePurple wrote:The issue that peaked my ears when I heard this news is Greenway moving to the weak side. Maybe someone with a better knowledge of the responsibilities of the weak side in the Vikes' scheme could enlighten me but would that be a huge transition for him? Would we then have 3 people playing new positions and could that have a negative effect on the whole unit?
It could... or it could have a positive effect.
I doubt moving to the weakside would be a huge transition for Greenway. In terms of coverage, I think the responsibilities are similar and if I'm not mistaken, he's spent some time at that position for the Vikes in the past. If I remember correctly, the biggest differences between the will and sam (weakside and strongside, for anyone who isn't familiar with those terms) LBs in the Vikes scheme are in gap responsibility and who covers the TE. Depending on what coverage the defense is running, the sam LB may be responsible for covering the TE (who is, naturally, on the strong side). I think the will LB has less gap responsibility and his primary job on running plays is to make tackles. The gaps are supposed to get plugged and the flow of the play is supposed to be directed toward the will LB, who then makes the tackle.
That's only speaking generally, of course, and I'm no expert so I may not be right on target with all of that.
Mothman wrote:
It could... or it could have a positive effect.
I doubt moving to the weakside would be a huge transition for Greenway. In terms of coverage, I think the responsibilities are similar and if I'm not mistaken, he's spent some time at that position for the Vikes in the past. If I remember correctly, the biggest differences between the will and sam (weakside and strongside, for anyone who isn't familiar with those terms) LBs in the Vikes scheme are in gap responsibility and who covers the TE. Depending on what coverage the defense is running, the sam LB may be responsible for covering the TE (who is, naturally, on the strong side). I think the will LB has less gap responsibility and his primary job on running plays is to make tackles. The gaps are supposed to get plugged and the flow of the play is supposed to be directed toward the will LB, who then makes the tackle.
That's only speaking generally, of course, and I'm no expert so I may not be right on target with all of that.
I bought it.
“Some people think football is a matter of life and death. I assure you, it's much more serious than that.” --- Bill Shankly
Mothman wrote:I think the will LB has less gap responsibility and his primary job on running plays is to make tackles. The gaps are supposed to get plugged and the flow of the play is supposed to be directed toward the will LB, who then makes the tackle.
That's how I understand it. The Will LB tends to be a little more free to move in space and is more often blitzed as well. I think that if Greenway is moved it will be because they feel Bishop is better in coverage. But that would run counter to most things I've read about Bishop, who is said to have poor coverage skills and isn't very fast.
