Mike Freeman’s 10-Point Stance: Vikes’ Historic Defense Has Surprised Many

We all got the Vikings wrong, Brian Kelly’s NFL chances and time to panic in Carolina.

    

1. How the Vikings Proved the NFL Wrong

Some in the NFL and media will claim they knew all along the Vikings would be fine after the team lost Adrian Peterson and Teddy Bridgewater. That would be a big, fat lie. No one knew. I thought they were sunk. Everyone did. 

That leads to the question of the season so far: Why, after losing so much, did the Vikings gain so much?

Two definitive answers emerged when I asked various team executives about the Vikings:

Minnesota is benefitting from a league in which the level of play on offense, as one scout said, is as bad as he’s seen in the past five to 10 years. We may be seeing one of the 10 best defenses of all time.

The reasons underlying the second point are the same reasons other defenses become great tactics and speed.

“It seems like they have their scheme mastered,” Brock Osweiler said after he was stifled by the Vikings on Sunday. “They got after us.”

Not only are the Vikings able to skillfully disguise their blitzes, which is something many defenses can do, they also can match any counterattacks with pure speed. Once you figure out what their disguise is, the Vikings have blown your doors off.

And it hasn’t been only the less-accomplished (i.e., awful) quarterbacks who have suffered but the world-class signal-callers like Aaron Rodgers and Cam Newton, too. That’s yet another mark of a great defense: it destroys everyone. No mercy.

There are other reasons for Minnesota’s rise, to be sure. It’s found a solid running game with the tag team of Matt Asiata and Jerick McKinnon. And late-preseason import Sam Bradford has been so good—I didn’t think he would be—it’s made people around the league think he might replace Bridgewater at quarterback.

But this team’s destiny will be determined by its defense. And despite how well the unit has played through five weeks, the ultimate judgment won’t come until the end of the season. Historic defenses often end the season by hoisting a Lombardi Trophy. It’s like a period at the end of a championship sentence.

We may be surprised these pieces have come together at the same time for the Vikings, but there’s nothing surprising about what this team could accomplish—no matter how unexpected it once was.

    

2. Hue Jackson Is Coaching His Tail Off

It doesn’t show in the Browns’ winless record. It may not show this season at all. Indeed, even if the Browns go 0-16, it is becoming clear that Hue Jackson is doing one of the top three coaching jobs in the league.

Of all the teams I’ve covered this year, the Browns might play the hardest. They have bought into Jackson’s message, and it shows on the field. The team was clearly outmatched by the Patriots on Sunday, but it never quit.

That’s not an easy sales job for a team that may have the least talent in the NFL. The Browns’ front office has handed Jackson a water pistol in a league full of high explosives. This is what makes Jackson’s coaching acumen all the more impressive. Neither the standings nor many of the statistics may show it, but this club competes, often keeping games within winning distance deep into second halves.

Eventually the Browns’ talent will match Jackson’s coaching IQ. When that happens, the Browns will be hard to beat. Yes, I can’t believe I just wrote the “Browns will be hard to beat” either, but it’s true.

    

3. Brian Kelly’s Star Takes a Hit

Just a few years ago, a general manager told me Notre Dame’s Brian Kelly was one of the most highly regarded college coaches in the NFL. There are certainly team executives who still feel that way.

But some do not. The Fighting Irish are 2-4 this season and have given up at least 489 total yards to four of their five Power Five opponents.

“Brian had better get the hell out of there soon if he wants to go to the big leagues,” one general manager told B/R.

With the way his year is going in South Bend, he may not have a choice.

    

4. Well, That’s a Little Awkward

Greg Hardy, alleged woman beater, mentioned in a tweet how “Greg Hardy 2.0 [is] in the making,” while telling Ariel Helwani of MMAFighting.com that he was preparing for a career in mixed martial arts. I think those are still the plans. When I tweeted about Hardy, he blocked me, so I’m not sure.

But lo and behold, a new website, Greg Hardy 2.0, is under construction, complete with an inspirational message from Vince Lombardi. I’m not joking.

“It’s not whether you get knocked down, it’s whether you get back up.”

That’s, well, an interesting choice of words for an alleged woman beater to use.

And as for his commitment to MMA, a choice he …

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