The Return Of The Duke
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Tommy TarkenKapp
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The Return Of The Duke
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Last edited by Tommy TarkenKapp on Tue Jan 14, 2025 2:18 pm, edited 1 time in total.
Re: The Return Of The Duke
Alec Lewis at the Athletic. Training camp notes, specifc to secondary. Really don't like the idea of relying on Evans or Booth (who I liked a lot when we drafted, whoops that's why I don't work for an NFL team).
Depth is really concerning. Hope Griffin will be good to go health wise. Get Murphy back into the slot where he is best.
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Decades ago, arguably the best college football coach of all time held a clinic for a group of high school coaches. He wore clunky glasses and looked like a professor in a dimly lit room, scribbling lines on a sheet of paper underneath an old-timey projector.
Nick Saban was at Michigan State back then. He was accomplished but young, his convictions were as strong as you might expect. That day, speaking in front of the coaches, he broached the subject of Cover 1.
“I think (Cover 1) is the best coverage in ball,” Saban said. “It’s absolutely the best coverage in ball. They can’t run the ball. The quarterback has got to throw the ball outside. He can’t make any easy throws — like when you play zone. It’s good coverage.”
Cover 1 is essentially man-to-man coverage. Picture one safety deep and multiple cornerbacks stationed on their own islands across from the opposing receivers. The deep safety allows defenses to bring one additional defender into the box to stop the run, and the cornerbacks don’t have to memorize and apply countless rules.
Sounds great, right? Then why doesn’t every team run Cover 1 all the time?
Once again, we turn to Saban, who said in 2010, “If their (players) are better than your (players), you can’t play Cover 1.”
This brings us to the current iteration of the Minnesota Vikings. Throughout the offseason, coach Kevin O’Connell and defensive coordinator Brian Flores talked about wanting to increase their usage of man coverage. The strategy makes sense. Minnesota ran the fewest snaps of Cover 1 last season in the NFL, according to TruMedia (79 snaps). Conversely, no team used Cover 2 more than the Vikings (232 snaps).
“We’ve just got to keep spinning the dial and trying to keep them off balance the best we can,” Flores said this spring. “So, yeah, I would say that’s going to be man coverage as a part of that.”
The Vikings matched their plan with a significant free-agent signing. Shaq Griffin, who was drafted by the Seattle Seahawks during the “Legion of Boom” days, joined the fold on a one-year, $4.55 million deal. His arrival, the Vikings felt, could solidify one external cornerback spot, and in doing so, Byron Murphy Jr. could play the spot that suits him best: nickel.
Still, the Vikings would need another trustworthy cornerback to play outside. The staff hoped rookie fourth-round pick Khyree Jackson could compete for the job during training camp. His tragic death was gutting in every way. Internally, the Vikings also believed Mekhi Blackmon could snatch the job, but last week, during a ho-hum seven-on-seven rep, he stumbled and tore his ACL. Now, Akayleb Evans is the most prepared internal candidate for the job opposite Griffin, who has not practiced since last week because of a leg injury.
As for external options, a team source said the Vikings have held multiple workouts in recent days to add to their depth at the position.
“I do think we’re going to need to add at that position,” O’Connell said Saturday, “just to make sure that we’ve got enough of a headcount in that room to handle the rep load. But at the same time, there could be some impact players out there that might be interested in joining our team.”
Last week, the Vikings began their triage attempt, signing Duke Shelley. Monday, the team added veteran defensive back Bobby McCain. The 30-year-old, who played for Flores in Miami, played only 19 snaps on defense for the New York Giants last season. Flores said McCain would begin his Vikings tenure as a safety, which should not be a surprise — McCain hasn’t really been a corner since 2018.
McCain’s presence Monday, however, spurred an adjustment at cornerback. Jay Ward, the Vikings’ fourth-round pick in 2023 out of LSU, manned one of the outside cornerback positions for the first time in a practice setting. When they drafted him, vice president of football operations Demitrius Washington said the Vikings viewed him as a player who could play safety or cornerback. Minnesota started him at the former, but safety unit depth (especially with the emergence of Theo Jackson) gives Flores some flexibility to move Ward over and see how he looks.
Andrew Booth Jr. remains on the roster, and undrafted free-agent signing Dwight McGlothern is an intriguing future option. Neither is as reliable as Evans.
“We’re going to need (Akayleb),” Flores said Monday. “You can’t teach that height, that length and his speed. Like all of us, he’s working to be as consistent as he can possibly be.”
This offseason, Evans met privately with a longtime coach in Texas, who walked him through film study. He had leaned heavily on Patrick Peterson for assistance before Peterson left, and these thrice-a-week sessions filled a void. He has held his own in the first week of practice, but even if he gets the starting nod, the Vikings desperately need more depth. Griffin, Murphy, Evans and Booth all have serious injury histories. Ward is unproven. And Minnesota relies heavily on Cam Bynum at safety for communication.
Most of the available free agents come with questions. Former Miami Dolphin Xavien Howard is 31 years old and navigating a lawsuit. Adoree’ Jackson graded out lower than Evans last year, according to Pro Football Focus. The aforementioned Peterson recently turned 34. The most intriguing option might be Stephon Gilmore, a 33-year-old who was effective last year for the Dallas Cowboys, but why wouldn’t he wait for more activity in the market?
It would be one thing if cornerbacks weren’t essential. But two of the best team defenses, per TruMedia — the Cleveland Browns and the New Orleans Saints — led the league in Cover 1 usage.
It helps to have Myles Garrett and Cam Jordan rushing the passer, but take it from Saban. Their players on the outside were better than their opponents. And the coaches knew it.
Depth is really concerning. Hope Griffin will be good to go health wise. Get Murphy back into the slot where he is best.
----
Decades ago, arguably the best college football coach of all time held a clinic for a group of high school coaches. He wore clunky glasses and looked like a professor in a dimly lit room, scribbling lines on a sheet of paper underneath an old-timey projector.
Nick Saban was at Michigan State back then. He was accomplished but young, his convictions were as strong as you might expect. That day, speaking in front of the coaches, he broached the subject of Cover 1.
“I think (Cover 1) is the best coverage in ball,” Saban said. “It’s absolutely the best coverage in ball. They can’t run the ball. The quarterback has got to throw the ball outside. He can’t make any easy throws — like when you play zone. It’s good coverage.”
Cover 1 is essentially man-to-man coverage. Picture one safety deep and multiple cornerbacks stationed on their own islands across from the opposing receivers. The deep safety allows defenses to bring one additional defender into the box to stop the run, and the cornerbacks don’t have to memorize and apply countless rules.
Sounds great, right? Then why doesn’t every team run Cover 1 all the time?
Once again, we turn to Saban, who said in 2010, “If their (players) are better than your (players), you can’t play Cover 1.”
This brings us to the current iteration of the Minnesota Vikings. Throughout the offseason, coach Kevin O’Connell and defensive coordinator Brian Flores talked about wanting to increase their usage of man coverage. The strategy makes sense. Minnesota ran the fewest snaps of Cover 1 last season in the NFL, according to TruMedia (79 snaps). Conversely, no team used Cover 2 more than the Vikings (232 snaps).
“We’ve just got to keep spinning the dial and trying to keep them off balance the best we can,” Flores said this spring. “So, yeah, I would say that’s going to be man coverage as a part of that.”
The Vikings matched their plan with a significant free-agent signing. Shaq Griffin, who was drafted by the Seattle Seahawks during the “Legion of Boom” days, joined the fold on a one-year, $4.55 million deal. His arrival, the Vikings felt, could solidify one external cornerback spot, and in doing so, Byron Murphy Jr. could play the spot that suits him best: nickel.
Still, the Vikings would need another trustworthy cornerback to play outside. The staff hoped rookie fourth-round pick Khyree Jackson could compete for the job during training camp. His tragic death was gutting in every way. Internally, the Vikings also believed Mekhi Blackmon could snatch the job, but last week, during a ho-hum seven-on-seven rep, he stumbled and tore his ACL. Now, Akayleb Evans is the most prepared internal candidate for the job opposite Griffin, who has not practiced since last week because of a leg injury.
As for external options, a team source said the Vikings have held multiple workouts in recent days to add to their depth at the position.
“I do think we’re going to need to add at that position,” O’Connell said Saturday, “just to make sure that we’ve got enough of a headcount in that room to handle the rep load. But at the same time, there could be some impact players out there that might be interested in joining our team.”
Last week, the Vikings began their triage attempt, signing Duke Shelley. Monday, the team added veteran defensive back Bobby McCain. The 30-year-old, who played for Flores in Miami, played only 19 snaps on defense for the New York Giants last season. Flores said McCain would begin his Vikings tenure as a safety, which should not be a surprise — McCain hasn’t really been a corner since 2018.
McCain’s presence Monday, however, spurred an adjustment at cornerback. Jay Ward, the Vikings’ fourth-round pick in 2023 out of LSU, manned one of the outside cornerback positions for the first time in a practice setting. When they drafted him, vice president of football operations Demitrius Washington said the Vikings viewed him as a player who could play safety or cornerback. Minnesota started him at the former, but safety unit depth (especially with the emergence of Theo Jackson) gives Flores some flexibility to move Ward over and see how he looks.
Andrew Booth Jr. remains on the roster, and undrafted free-agent signing Dwight McGlothern is an intriguing future option. Neither is as reliable as Evans.
“We’re going to need (Akayleb),” Flores said Monday. “You can’t teach that height, that length and his speed. Like all of us, he’s working to be as consistent as he can possibly be.”
This offseason, Evans met privately with a longtime coach in Texas, who walked him through film study. He had leaned heavily on Patrick Peterson for assistance before Peterson left, and these thrice-a-week sessions filled a void. He has held his own in the first week of practice, but even if he gets the starting nod, the Vikings desperately need more depth. Griffin, Murphy, Evans and Booth all have serious injury histories. Ward is unproven. And Minnesota relies heavily on Cam Bynum at safety for communication.
Most of the available free agents come with questions. Former Miami Dolphin Xavien Howard is 31 years old and navigating a lawsuit. Adoree’ Jackson graded out lower than Evans last year, according to Pro Football Focus. The aforementioned Peterson recently turned 34. The most intriguing option might be Stephon Gilmore, a 33-year-old who was effective last year for the Dallas Cowboys, but why wouldn’t he wait for more activity in the market?
It would be one thing if cornerbacks weren’t essential. But two of the best team defenses, per TruMedia — the Cleveland Browns and the New Orleans Saints — led the league in Cover 1 usage.
It helps to have Myles Garrett and Cam Jordan rushing the passer, but take it from Saban. Their players on the outside were better than their opponents. And the coaches knew it.
