A Deep Dive Into Barr’s New Role

Minnesota Vikings outside linebacker Anthony Barr singles number one after the Vikings stop the New York Giants in the fourth quarter at U.S. Bank Stadium on Saturday, Oct. 3, 2016. (Pioneer Press: John Autey)

Anthony Barr is making Vikings fans nervous as he tries to transition from coverage outside linebacker to pass rushing outside linebacker. I’ve gone back to Barr’s time at UCLA and he has a great drive to get to the quarterback. In all the film I watched, I didn’t see him slouch on running plays that went away from him, in fact he even showed great gap discipline and stopped runners from cutting back away from the blocks for a big gain. When it came to pass plays, while the film was limited, he does show that he can get around a tackle using speed, and the only issue I see in his game is he lacks a variety of pass rush moves. This could be fixed however, as he is on the same team as Everson Griffen and Danille Hunter, two of the league’s top pass rushers. Hunter and Griffen could teach Barr some tricks, and he could have a good “rookie” season as a pass rusher. But now I want to talk about how we can use Barr situationally, going in depth to look at different formations and situations where he can confuse offenses and make our defense even better.

Base Package (4-3): So the Vikings are technically a 4-3 team under Zimmer, but we rarely use the 4-3 anymore, since we don’t have an established outside linebacker to play alongside Barr and Kendricks. However, since Barr is making this transition, let’s say Ben Gedeon steps up into a starting role. So, we could have Barr line up behind Griffen, and Barr could drop back to cover, blitz, or rush alone. While Griffen could rush the quarterback, spy the quarterback, or cover the flat to prevent screens on that side of the field. If we sent both Griffen and Barr, Hunter could spy or cover the flat, creating an overload on the right side. There’s obviously more that could happen, but these are the plays in 4-3 where Barr can be very effective. I’ve drawn up a play call here:

Nickel (4-2-5): The nickel package is probably Zimmer’s go to package. Zim is known for his double a gap looks, and this season I think nickel will be Barr’s package to work in. There are many options on what to do with Barr in the nickel, so let’s start with a basic one. Barr subs in for Everson Griffen so Griffen can take a few snaps off. I didn’t draw up this play because it’s very simple. The more advanced plays will be when we put Barr at his usual spot in the double a gap and drop Hunter or Griffen back into coverage, allowing Barr to rush. Now, in this double a gap look, we could blitz with Kendricks as well, or Kendricks could drop back into coverage. Even if we come out in a basic nickel package and Barr shows blitz this can work the same, with Barr rushing in and Hunter or Griffen dropping back. Then, on top of all this, Barr could always just sit in coverage and force some confusion pre-snap. I’ve drawn up these plays here:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Dime/3rd and Long: This is where things could be very fun for the Vikings. The offense comes out needing 10 yards or more, they are obviously passing, and the Vikings have Barr, Griffen, Robison, and Hunter on the defensive line. This formation would almost guarantee sacks, and with the coverage provided by our elite secondary, the pass rush should get extra time to get home. The Vikings could also sub in one of their talented rookie corners in at safety or put Newman back there with Smith as Sendejo isn’t an elite coverage safety. This is the package I want to see badly, and in theory this same defensive line could be used in the nickel on 3rd and long/obvious passing situations. Here’s an example of this  play:

The key to this Barr transition is the play of Ben Gedeon at outside linebacker. Gedeon has to step up or else we have a hole in the defense offenses will take advantage of. If Gedeon can hold up though, Barr could have a very effective year for the Vikings, and he could force Spielman’s hand to sign a big-time contract for Barr. If the Vikings don’t use Barr in the ways that I’ve shown, I won’t fret because Zimmer knows what he is doing. However, I do think I’m on to something here, and the Vikings should be able to use Barr in a way to cause confusion and amp up our defense even more. SKOL.

 

 

 

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