Vikings talk- what is 12/22 personnel, and how can the Vikings get it to work for them?
Deshawn
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First to clear all confusion a 12 personnel refers to the number of running backs and tight ends. 12= 1 back 2 tight ends. 22= two backs two tight ends. Back when football was a basic game tight ends were blockers and nothing else. Pioneers of the tight end positions started to change that. Tony Gonzales in 2004, Uncle Sharpe in 1996, and Winslow in the 80’s. These guys paved the way for dual threats like Gronk, Kelce, and Ertz to dominate the league we know today.
In recent memory the most dominate two tight ends set was of course future hall of famer Rob Gronkowski, and now deceased tight end Aaron Hernandez. These two dominated the league for three years by posting offensive Pro Football Focus grades of 68 or better while maintaining block grades of 65 or better. There has not been a more dominant two tight end set since those two, but many have tried.
Gary Kubiak a super bowl winning coach and expert in offensive formations that utilize multiple tight ends is now the assistant head coach of the Vikings. He will be looking to use these formation to turn around Minnesota’s 30th ranked rushing attack. In Baltimore Kubiak created a complete 180 of the Ravens offense in the 2014 season. He took them from 28th offense to 12th in one season. More importantly, and what should pique the interest of most Vikings fans is the swift rise in the rushing category going from 30th to 8th best in the league in one season. This was entirely because of his zone scheme as the offensive personnel did not see much of a change.
When it comes to tight ends in Baltimore Kubiak valued blocking over receiving. According to an article done by MileHighreport.com in 2015 Kubiak’s tight ends saw about 17% of the pass attempts for the season. For the sake of context Kirk Cousins threw 606 passes last year 17% of that would be 103 attempts for the tight ends. The Vikings tight ends only saw about 15% of the targets or 94 pass attempts, so the transition should not be a difficult one. Owen Daniels the 2014 Ravens best blocking tight end had the most of the snaps despite Crockett Gilmore, the Ravens TE2 being the better receiving option. Also FB Kyle Juszczyk had 500 plus snaps thanks because to he’s ability as a blocker.
It’s safe to say Gary Kubiak isn’t afraid to trot out his best blockers regardless of position even if they are not the best receivers. This is further reinforced with he’s tenure in Denver. Ownen Daniels received most of the snaps in the 2016 season despite Virgil green being the better receiving threat.
22 and 23 personnel are largely goal line formation. It’s a heavy set with 2 or 3 tight ends and two running backs(one of which is typically a full back). Given the Vikings athleticism at tight end they should have the flexibility to run play action pass out of this set. Imagine a formation with Dalvin Cook, Alexander Mattison , Stefon Diggs, Adam Thielen, Irv Smith JR, and Rudolph all on the field simultaneously . With six viable options to target there is not a defense in the NFL that could match up in terms of personnel.
According to SBnation.com the NFL wide success rate for touchdowns from a jumbo set on first down is 50%. That’s a positive sign for a Vikings team that could being going big on the goal line early and often next season
Lets focus this through the lens that is the Vikings 2019 roster. As i am writing this piece we have 4 tight ends Rudolph , Morgan, Conklin, And Smith. In terms of blocking ability the best of the group are Morgan, Conklin, and ham. C.J. Ham plays FB, but as mention early Kubiak is not afraid to put forth his best blockers no matter the position therefore Ham must be considered when putting this group together. The problem the Vikings will be faced with is getting their best receivers on the field without compromising blocking and without being predictable. It would be unwise for the Vikings to ignore much needed blocking for better receiving options as This would lead to negative plays in the run game , and force the Vikings offense into predictable situations. To combat this and set up the play action pass for Kirk Cousins it can be expected that the Vikings will be running a lot of zone stretch plays from the 12 personnel set.
The zone stretch is a stretch run play designed to follow a combo block behind the tackle and tight end ,but also have a cut back lane opened by a another combo block with the center and guard. The defensive will have to follow the football and leave their positions or risk getting gashed by a run, but if they over pursue they will be way out of their assignments, and the play action will lead to busted coverages.
Regardless It will be exciting to see how Gary Kubiak and (Offensive Coordinator Kevin Stefanski) mix run heavy sets with west coast and spread offenses they ran in 2019. It’s important to note Diggs and Thielen thrived in west coast and spread offenses the last two years, and it would be unwise to not play to their strengths. Thielen has become of the the best WR in the NFL in general, and a danger from the slot. Diggs mastery of the route tree makes him a threat from anywhere on the field.
These two getting so much attention makes it easier to get the ball to dalvin in open space where he’s most dangerous. This would harder in a 12 formation discussed earlier because of the amount of defenders already there once he would receive the ball. Add in players like mini camp stand out/fan favorite WR Chad Bebe who has turned heads and Became a favorite among fans and coaches alike. his shifty movements, and size and speed combination would make him a great fit for the slot.
Gary kubiak and the Minnesota Vikings coaches have a lot to do with the offense for the upcoming season.Kubiak has shown the ability to take poor offenses, and improve them drastically in only one season. The sky is the limit For the super bowl hungry Minnesota Vikings and, We here at PurplePTSD.com will keep you updated all offseason as they embark on their journey for the first super bowl win in franchise history.