2019: The Best Shot the Vikings have had in my Time [Part 1]
Joe Johnson
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For those of you that aren’t familiar with the purpleTERRITORY Media Network, my name is Joe Johnson and I’m the owner of said network. I turned 35 last month but and officially became a REAL Vikings fan in 1998. That was, without any coincidence, the rookie year of Randy Moss and the first major heartbreak the Vikings had in my 13/14 years on earth. It was that hope and subsequent heartbreak that turned me from a casual fan to what I’ve described as a real Vikings fan. Before then I didn’t completely understand how the Vikings had such an emotional hold over my otherwise stoic and /robotic father, but when Gary Anderson’s 39-yard field goal sailed left, I got it. While many we all look back at that season as the best chance the this Vikings team have had since the early-to-mid 1980’s to win a Super Bowl (2009 notwithstanding), I strongly believe that the current iteration of the Vikings are actually the best shot the Vikings have, on paper, to finally bring a championship to Minnesota. I know. Let me explain why.
While it’s a bit early for oddsmakers to put out their first over/under for the 2019/2020 season and most pre-season odds aren’t available yet, I get the feeling that not many outside of Minnesota are giving the Vikings a shot to win it all this season. So, even though the pre-season odds aren’t available yet, I have a feeling that the Vikings are being wholly underrated both nationally and by many local naysayers. I understand that and where it comes from. But if you take a step back and let the bad taste that 2018 left in your mouth dissipate, you’ll see that this Vikings roster is perhaps the best top-to-bottom roster we’ve had in this state since the Purple People Eater days.
Part 1: The Defense
Let’s start on the defensive side of the ball. As managing editor of purplePTSD.com, Conner Wickland, laid out in this brilliant article, general manager Rick Spielman has had a tremendous amount of success when it comes to selecting defensive players in the early rounds of the draft. Some, myself included, have bemoaned his preference (which borderlines on obsession) of picking players early in the draft. as it has lead to some issues on the other side of the ball, namely with the offensive line. However, it would be folly to ignore the fact that most of those picks ended up panning out better than expected. While a lot of credit should go to head coach Mike Zimmer, the reality is that Spielman was killing it before Zimmer showed up with picks like Harrison Smith.
Take a second to read Conner’s piece. It’ll explain things better than I can summarize. While there is room to nag about the lack of investment in the offensive line, you have to also mention that that sacrifice at least ended up creating one of the most stacked and year-to-year quality defenses in the entire NFL.
The crux of the argument is that defensive units in the NFL rarely have back-to-back great seasons. Outside of the Patriots, the Vikings were the only defensive unit in the NFL to be ranked in the top 10 year-to-year since 2014. That’s because of the investment and keen eye of Spielman, as well as the defensive genius of Mike Zimmer.
The off-season that began with the assumption that the unit would be losing its captain and leader in Anthony Barr (and potentially Everson Griffen, who has been an amazing find in the draft and has had borderline seasons that rival some of the great defensive ends in Vikings history, up until his mental health stunted what could’ve been another amazing season). But with Griffen taking a pay-cut and Barr spurning the Jets at the 23rd hour to stay with the Vikings, the unit is looking better than ever going into the 2019 season.
The reality is that the Vikings are stacked at every position on the defense. While the beginning of the season might show some cracks at the cornerback position (thanks to a four-game suspension of Holton Hill for PEDs and second-year corner Mike Hughes still recovering from a torn ACL), I’d put this defense up against any in the league when it comes to both starting players and depth.
Trae Waynes has developed into one of the best corners in the league, and the most elite run-stopping corner in the entire NFL. If Xavier Rhodes can stay healthy, (which admittedly is a big if), he’ll be a part of one of the best one-two punches in the NFL at the corner position. The fact that both are very fast and over six feet tall helps, as well. Mackensie Alexander has come into his own at the nickel spot, and the cornerback position has depth and quality at the position as well with Mike Hughes, Holton Hill, and even Jayron Kearse being able to step in if and when needed.
While you’d expect that from a defensive back unit that is comprised of more high-round draft picks than any other unit on the team, the fact that at this point all of the players have seemingly panned out, including Mike Hughes, (and Hughes looking every bit the part of the first-round pick he was before his injury last season) is almost a miracle.
The rest of the defense has a cacophony of players that’d be high on most all-time best defensive players lists. Harrison Smith is still in his prime and is often overlooked when people discuss the Vikings defense, which goes to show how many great players are on this defense. Playing next to him is Anthony Harris, who was one of the most improved players in the entire NFL in 2018 and who should play even better in 2019 as he’s become more comfortable at the position. Behind him is Jayron Kearse, the Swiss Army Knife of the defense who can also fill in at linebacker and corner, which could hide a lot of the formations the Vikings are running during games (is he a safety? linebacker?) and should allow Zimmer to run plays that confuse the opposing team’s quarterback.
The linebacker corps may not be the deepest in the league, but with Anthony Barr returning and playing alongside his college teammate in Eric Kendricks, who should be healthy this season, the unit is still one of the better ones in the NFL. Barr is a favorite punching bag of those critical of the Vikings, but the truth is that he does more than most linebackers do in the league. And while he was expected to be a pass-rushing specialist coming out of college, the reality is that he may be one of the most versatile linebackers in the entire NFL. It’s because of that versatility that he sometimes seems to be exploited by opposing teams (namely in the Rams game last season where he was burned by Cooper Kupp), but it’s really more of a testament to what the team relies on him for than a glaring negative that he’s even in those situations in the first place.
The defensive line is deep by design, as Zimmer loves to rotate through his D-line during games as a way to keep the players fresh and to show different looks during the game as well. Everson Griffen should return to form this season, as he’s still just 31 years old and before last season’s mental health issues was easily one of the top defensive ends in the league. With Danielle Hunter being the other bookend and Linval Joseph still being in his prime, and quality back-ups filtering in to keep them all fresh, the D-line should continue to be a top unit in the NFL this season.
Next up? The Offense… Stay Tuned…