{"id":124087,"date":"2025-08-06T16:56:17","date_gmt":"2025-08-06T16:56:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/124087\/"},"modified":"2025-08-06T16:56:17","modified_gmt":"2025-08-06T16:56:17","slug":"the-magic-behind-brian-flores-minnesota-vikings-defense-unlike-any-other","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/124087\/","title":{"rendered":"The magic behind Brian Flores\u2019 Minnesota Vikings defense unlike any other"},"content":{"rendered":"

Something is happening in Minnesota. Those who know, know. Coordinator Brian Flores didn\u2019t just develop a defense unlike any other. He concocted a living, breathing virus inflicting pain on coaches, quarterbacks and offensive linemen in ways that seem almost preternatural.<\/p>\n

Its magic isn\u2019t stored away in a playbook. It happens organically when the Vikings meet.<\/p>\n

\u201cHow can I put this in a way that most people would understand?\u201d safety Josh Metellus<\/a> wondered aloud last week. \u201cIt\u2019s, like, when you\u2019ve got a group of friends, and you\u2019re trying to figure out what y\u2019all are doing for the weekend. Everybody\u2019s throwing out ideas.\u201d<\/p>\n

Maybe it\u2019s a new way to disguise a blitz. Perhaps it\u2019s a strategy to shift the front into a better position to play a specific run scheme. Flores will lob up a suggestion, then the football version of a think tank begins to crackle. What if we tried this? Could we hold up there? Would we be susceptible here?\u00a0<\/p>\n

Flores encourages the players to think malleably and speak bluntly. These are core components of a unit that has gone from 24th in DVOA to second in two seasons, a defense that has shown signs in training camp that it could become even more formidable with interior defensive line additions (Jonathan Allen and Javon Hargrave), speed at corner (Isaiah Rodgers and Jeff Okudah) and the emergence of youngsters (like former first-rounder Dallas Turner).<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re all bought in,\u201d Metellus said. \u201cThat\u2019s the biggest thing that\u2019s been able to push us to this limit: Being able to trust in each other. Like, if Coach says it will work, we\u2019re going to try it and we\u2019re going to do it to our best ability. It might not work, but we\u2019re going to give critiques honestly.\u201d<\/p>\n

The sessions supercharging the Vikings\u2019 innovation can happen at any time. Discussions in the team meeting room are conducted early in the game weeks. But they extend into and even during Sundays. Metellus, for example, recalled a moment during halftime of last year\u2019s wild-card game against the Los Angeles Rams in Glendale, Ariz.<\/p>\n

He had been sitting next to safeties Harrison Smith and Cam Bynum, reviewing the first half. Then Flores hollered: \u201cEverybody, come here!\u201d The coaches had wheeled in a whiteboard, and they were scribbling a new play they wanted to run, as if it were a timeout in basketball.<\/p>\n

The pliability takes player aptitude, fierce trust and collaboration among the staff. This was all born out of head coach Kevin O\u2019Connell\u2019s decision to hire Flores more than two years ago.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think of myself as a creative,\u201d Flores said. \u201cIf you\u2019ve got the thought and idea, I don\u2019t care how extravagant it is or how outlandish it might be. I\u2019d like to hear it, just to see if it\u2019s possible.\u201d<\/p>\n

This mindset is typically confined to offense. Defensive coaches tend to believe in executing their plays and reiterate the importance of sound fundamentals. There is some of that with Flores, but his approach is more cultural. He has said his time coaching offense for the Steelers was an eye-opening experience \u2014 listening to how they game plan for third downs, craft protection plays and use motions and formations to displace the defense.<\/p>\n

Flores has also adopted the troubleshooting strategy often associated with offensive play design. Including the players in the feedback loop is the engine behind the current success.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s not, \u2018The guy who I learned from told me we line up in this and do this and do this,’\u201d the veteran Smith explained. \u201cIt\u2019s, like, \u2018What can we do that not everybody has done before that makes sense?\u2019 So, it\u2019s just kinda fun.\u201d<\/p>\n

An example of Minnesota\u2019s fun? Flores\u2019 MAZE (man alignment, zone execution) package.<\/p>\n

Week 8 at Rams, 12:13 remaining in the third quarter, third-and-6<\/p>\n

\"\"\/<\/p>\n

Here, the defense gives the offense the appearance of man coverage to match their bunch formation to the right.<\/p>\n

\"\"\/<\/p>\n

Offenses commonly use motion as a coverage indicator. On this play, receiver Cooper Kupp motioned across the formation. Byron Murphy followed Kupp across the formation, which, 99 percent of the time, indicates the defense is in man coverage.<\/p>\n

\"\"\/<\/p>\n

However, after the snap, Murphy dropped to a deep half and Smith, who was on the motion side, moved to play the \u201chole\u201d in the cover 2. If Kupp didn\u2019t take Murphy to Smith\u2019s side, Smith would have played the deep half. The defense executed perfectly.<\/p>\n

\"\"\/<\/p>\n

The coverage shift seemed to have thrown the timing or landmark of the route off for receiver Demarcus Robinson and quarterback Matthew Stafford. He sailed the ball over Robinson\u2019s head, and it was intercepted.<\/p>\n

The Vikings disguise their plays better than any team in the league. It\u2019s more than simply lining up in different areas and rotating after the snap. The best quarterbacks can read body language. Even a slight lean can give away intent. The Vikings meet weekly to discuss what they are showing offenses to avoid providing tells.<\/p>\n

In the rare instances when Flores isn\u2019t using a disguise, offenses have to keep their guard up.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think we\u2019ve built a reputation of disguise,\u201d Flores explained. \u201cSo, what they see, they don\u2019t think that\u2019s what it is. And so sometimes, what they see is what it is. Other times, the disguise is that we want to show them split-safety, but it\u2019s really post-safety. And we want to show them post-safety, but it\u2019s really split-safety. But, I think that\u2019s one of the things from the two years of data standpoint. People are looking for something that may or may not be there, and they don\u2019t believe the first thing they see. So, we can kinda use that to our advantage also.\u201d<\/p>\n

Week 11 at Titans, 12:30 remaining in the first quarter, third-and-6<\/p>\n

\"\"\/<\/p>\n

On this play, the Vikings showed man with pressure (two linebackers mugged on the A-gap) as they did in the previous example, but this time, they didn\u2019t rotate into a zone.<\/p>\n

\"\"\/<\/p>\n

They played man but dropped both outside linebackers to take away the hot routes that offenses like to hit against pressure. Linebacker Andrew Van Ginkel dropped right into the slant window Titans quarterback Will Levis wanted to target.<\/p>\n

\"\"\/<\/p>\n

Up front, the Vikings had a pick game going with both linebackers. Blake Cashman picked the center, freeing Metellus to loop around him.<\/p>\n

The offensive line and running back made multiple errors, which left Cashman and Metellus unblocked.<\/p>\n

\"\"\/<\/p>\n

With both outside linebackers dropping to take away hot routes, only four defenders rushed against six blockers. Even with the offense\u2019s numerical advantage upfront, the Vikings ended up with two free rushers right up the middle.<\/p>\n

Flores lives in the world of extremes. He can show the offense a look and bring an all-out blitz on one snap, then drop eight on the next. Offensive coaches like to have plays that have answers for whatever the defense throws at them, but the problem with facing the Vikings is that the answers for a cover 0 blitz are much different than the answers for a drop eight, cover 2 zone.<\/p>\n

Oftentimes, offenses must guess. Flores, meanwhile, isn\u2019t just rolling dice.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere\u2019s more to it than just saying, like, \u2018We\u2019re going to be wild!’\u201d Smith said. \u201cI think that\u2019s what some people think, that it\u2019s just crazy chaos. It\u2019s thought out. There are reasons.\u201d<\/p>\n

Flores considers the analytical tendencies to decipher what he thinks your answers are. That way, he can bait you into a trap.<\/p>\n

\u201cAnalytics has been a part of what we do,\u201d Flores said. \u201cDefinitely, my time here, but really the last seven years of my career. I think there\u2019s so much information: tendencies, personnel groupings, displacement. Anything or any opportunity to gain insight or information to help you \u2026 I\u2019ve always been open to it. It\u2019s certainly something we use here.\u201d<\/p>\n

Week 7 vs. Lions, 10:47 remaining in the first quarter, third-and-4<\/p>\n

\"\"\/<\/p>\n

The Lions are one of the most aggressive fourth-down teams in the league. On third-and-4, you can\u2019t give them a completion. The Lions are aware that Flores knows that, so they assume he\u2019ll be aggressive and bring heat while playing tight coverage.<\/p>\n

So, Flores gave them a cover 0 (man-to-man with no deep safety) blitz look initially.<\/p>\n

\"\"\/<\/p>\n

Quarterback Jared Goff saw the look and checked into another play designed to beat cover 0. What he didn\u2019t know was that the Vikings would only rush three and drop eight into a funky cover 2 look.<\/p>\n

\"\"\/<\/p>\n

Goff looked to a quick out immediately, which would have been a good answer against man coverage, but in cover 2, there\u2019s a defender leveraging the flats.<\/p>\n

\"\"\/<\/p>\n

A couple Lions receivers found openings in the zone, but Goff looked flustered by the coverage change, and he ended up getting sacked on this play.<\/p>\n

So many of these non-traditional movements and alignments are hatched in the meeting room.<\/p>\n

This is how a player like Metellus, a sixth-round pick who barely played defensive snaps before 2023, can progress into a player who can align at strong safety, free safety, left cornerback, right cornerback, slot cornerback, left inside linebacker, right inside linebacker, middle linebacker, left outside linebacker, right outside linebacker, right defensive end and left defensive tackle in one season.<\/p>\n

This is how Van Ginkel, a fifth-rounder who began his college career at South Dakota and Iowa Western Community College, can ascend to being named a second-team All-Pro.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s, like, \u2018You think it\u2019s possible for us to play quarters but run a smack blitz off that?’\u201d Flores said. \u201cSometimes, the players think, \u2018Is this guy nuts?’\u201d<\/p>\n

Even in those instances, though, the players now understand they\u2019re likely onto something.<\/p>\n

\u201cFlo talks about that all the time: We have built a unique relationship where we can just talk freely,\u201d Metellus said. \u201cI don\u2019t have to watch my words when I speak to the coaches. I can speak truly about what I feel if I think something doesn\u2019t make sense. It\u2019s, like, \u2018Hell, no, I don\u2019t want to do that.\u2019 Then he\u2019ll be, like, \u2018Why don\u2019t we do that this way?\u2019 It\u2019s constant, never-ending chatter.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/p>\n

This level of workshopping wouldn\u2019t be possible if not for a few key ingredients. For one, the rest of the coaches must have enough experience to provide input, and the Vikings\u2019 defensive staff features multiple coaches who spent time at the college level and others with plenty of different NFL stops. Then there\u2019s the player aptitude layer. Even the non-veterans, such as safety Theo Jackson, have the wherewithal to not only comprehend the wacky ideas but also the intelligence to apply them in real-time.<\/p>\n

The next iteration is anyone\u2019s guess. Will they play more man coverage with Rodgers and Okudah in the fold? Will they revert to a more simplistic four-man rush? Or, will they integrate Turner and rev up the stunt usage, while also adding increased coverages, disguises and textures on the backend?<\/p>\n

None of these potentials would even exist if Flores viewed defense traditionally. He sees 11 spots on the field, rather than pigeon-holing players based on a position tag used on them throughout their entire careers.<\/p>\n

The cherry on top is the fearlessness. The defensive coordinator, Smith noted, shoulders the accountability on gamedays. You can want to be creative. You can structure team meetings so the players feel comfortable enough to push back. But if you are not willing to face the consequences on Sundays, none of it matters. The magic can be conjured if the man in charge is unafraid to look foolish.<\/p>\n

(Illustration: Dan Goldfarb \/ The Athletic; Photo: Bruce Kluckhohn \/ Associated Press)<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Something is happening in Minnesota. Those who know, know. Coordinator Brian Flores didn\u2019t just develop a defense unlike…\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":124088,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[39],"tags":[8812,1232,62,67,132,68],"class_list":{"0":"post-124087","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-nfl","8":"tag-minnesota-vikings","9":"tag-nfl","10":"tag-sports","11":"tag-united-states","12":"tag-unitedstates","13":"tag-us"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@us\/114982878825220287","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/124087","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=124087"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/124087\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/124088"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=124087"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=124087"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=124087"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}