How the Vikings’ Defensive Scheme Under Brian Flores Works

It’s more innovative than just the cover-zero look

The Minnesota Vikings success so far this season has caught the national (and local) media by surprise, which in turn has caused a collective second-look at what has been working for the Vikings. And while the emergence of Sam Darnold has drawn some attention, Brian Flores’ defense seems to be drawing even more.

This is Flores’ second season as the Vikings’ defensive coordinator, and between personnel changes and the installation and player command of his scheme, he seems to have gotten his unit to where he wants it to be.

Statistically, that is near the top of the league after four weeks in most key metrics, such as:

• Fourth-fewest points allowed (59)
• Lowest percentage of scoring drives allowed (21.3%)
• Best defensive DVOA (-34.3%)
• Second-best EPA/play allowed (-0.23)
• Most sacks (17)
• Most QB pressures (94)
• Second-most takeaways (10)
• Second-fewest rushing yards allowed (300)
• Third-lowest rushing yards per attempt allowed (3.8)
• Third-lowest EPA/rush allowed (-0.19)
• Seventh-lowest EPA/pass attempt allowed (-0.25)

So how has Brian Flores and the Vikings managed to do it? Let’s take a deeper look into his scheme. Let’s start with his coverage schemes.

Just About Every Variation of Cover-2

So far this season, the Vikings have played a diverse set of coverage schemes, as follows:

• Cover-4 (Quarters): 29%
• Cover-2: 26%
• Cover-3: 16%
• Cover-0: 9%
• Cover-6: 6%
• Cover-1: 5%
• Cover-2 Man: 1%

Among these, Cover-2, Cover-4, and Cover-6 are all two deep safety based coverage schemes, while Cover-1 and Cover-3 are single deep safety coverages. Cover-0 has no deep safeties.

As you can see above, Brian Flores is playing a two deep safety based coverage scheme 62% of the time- nearly two out of three plays. But beyond the differences between Cover-2, Cover-4, and Cover-6, there are a number of variations of these coverage schemes that Flores is playing as well, which are nearly impossible for a quarterback to differentiate presnap. Particularly when they are also disguised, which they almost always are.

Flores frequently uses Quarters coverage, but mixes in variations that have different ‘reads’ for defensive backs that can make it difficult for a quarterback to know in advance who is covering his receivers based on their routes, and therefore who is likely to be open based on the coverage. The different variations of Quarters coverage are nearly impossible for a quarterback to distinguish and are designed to use defenders’ leverage to their advantage against the various route patterns they may face on a given play.

In traditional Quarters coverage, the two outside cornerbacks cover the outside quarters of the field, while the two deep safeties cover the two inside quarters of the field. The outside cornerbacks read the #1 or furthest outside receiver on their side, while the safeties read the #2 or second-most outside receiver on their side. Based on the route patterns, the defenders will play or switch off receivers as they enter their zone. However, if the #1 receiver runs a go route, taking the outside cornerback with him, and the #2 receiver runs a quick out route, that makes it nearly impossible for the safety to cover the #2 receiver without allowing at least a 5-10 yard gain. That’s where another variation called Palms coverage comes in.

In Palms coverage, the safeties still look at the #2 receiver, but the outside cornerbacks also look at the #2. If #2 runs vertically, the cornerback plays #1. But if the #2 runs a flat route, the cornerback covers the #2 and the safety plays #1. That allows for better coverage of the flat route the #2 receiver is running, which can also be the ‘hot’ route when a quarterback is facing a blitz or quick pressure.

The problem for a quarterback facing these coverage looks is that it is nearly impossible to read presnap which variation of quarters coverage the Vikings are playing, and therefore whether the routes on a given play will likely be open or not. Add in Flores’ frequent blitz rate (40.8% so far this season) and it puts a premium on the quarterback deciphering the coverage and delivering the ball before the pressure gets to him.

Below is an excellent video break-down of Flores’ scheme this season, which illustrates how the above works along with Flores’ pressure packages. It also gets into some of the presnap disguises and other Cover-2 based coverage schemes later on which adds more wrinkles for offensive coordinators and quarterbacks to decipher.

Beyond the Quarters coverage that was a focus of the video above, Flores also employs some Cover-2 variations that add more complexity for the quarterback in deciphering the Vikings’ coverage on a given play.

James Foster at 33rd Team does a nice job illustrating some of these variations. Below is a clip of the Vikings using Cover-2 Invert, which is similar to Tampa-2 coverage with a linebacker or dime back with good range (most often Josh Metellus for the Vikings) dropping deeper than normal to a shallower center field position. The difference is that while in Tampa-2 the safeties play the two deep zones, in Cover-2 Invert the outside cornerbacks drop back to play those spots while the safeties play up and have flat responsibilities. This coverage does a good job contesting the middle of the field and deep routes while allowing the typically better tackling safeties to attack downhill on flat routes or blitz. Flores likes this call on third-and-longer situations.

This next clip illustrates another Cover-2 variation called Cover-2 roll. This coverage begins with a Cover-1 look presnap, with a cornerback moving back to a deep safety role and the other safety moving over to position himself for the other deep safety role, completing the change to Cover-2. This coverage can be most effective when paired with unbalanced rush or blitz. The secondary rolls toward the strength of the blitz/rush, which is typically where the quarterback looks for his hot route. But with coverage rolling that way, it can shut down those hot routes while still providing two deep safety coverage against the deep ball. The disguise can lead to Cover-1 beating route combinations being ineffective and forcing the quarterback to hold the ball in the face of a potential free rusher. Flores likes this call on early downs as it allows for a safety in the box for run support, negating a run advantage for the offense most of the time.

Flores will also use the Cover-2 Roll concept to pull Harrison Smith back as a potential blitzer:

Lastly, there is another version of Cover-2 called Cover-2 Hole, which looks like Cover-3 only the safeties are covering the outside thirds and a linebacker or dime back (Metellus again usually) is covering a bit shallower center field than the safeties. Similar to Tampa-2 in that regard only Metellus lines up in that center field position presnap.

Pass Rush

Flores has blitzed on 40.8% of dropbacks- second-highest rate behind Denver- most often sending just one blitzer along with two defensive tackles and two edge rushers. Overall, the Vikings have generated a quarterback pressure on 38.3% of dropbacks- 8th best in the league.

But Brian Flores has most frequently blitzed just one in addition to rushing four. That often results in a big-on-big or essentially man-to-man protection scheme. As mentioned in the first video above, that protection scheme- like a man coverage scheme- is vulnerable to picks. Those picks can come in the form of a twist where a defensive lineman uses a technique to effectively pick or hold (legally) an offensive lineman allowing a blitzer or twisting defensive lineman to exploit a gap. Jerry Tillery uses an underarm hook move to accomplish this in the clip below (and in the first video). They can also come when a blitzer runs a pick on an offensive lineman allowing a twisting defensive lineman to get free. In Blake Cashman’s case in the clip below, he was also able to roll off the pick and pickup the sack, leaving future HoFer Trent Williams wondering what just happened in his first game of the season. The confusion created in this way adds to the degree of difficulty in pass protection for the offensive linemen and can lead to mistakes.

Cover-0

Brian Flores still runs Cover-0 at the second-highest clip so far this season (also just behind Denver) at 9% with just about everyone at the line of scrimmage and no deep safeties. That’s enough to make the look credible and opposing offenses to have a plan for it. That plan could be checking to a bubble screen or pitch outside, or simply opting for a wheel route or quick slant. The problem of course is that the Vikings drop out of that presnap look at least as often as they don’t, so whatever counter offenses employ could be defeated when the Vikings drop into a different scheme.

Another potential effect of a Cover-0 look is that it may result in the opposing offense audibling out of a run play (particularly an inside run) on an early down against a stacked box given the numbers disadvantage and opting for some other quick hitting pass play or even a max protection deep shot. These options can be thwarted by the Vikings dropping out of the Cover-0 look as part of the on-going chess match offense and defense from play calls to pre-snap look and motions to audible to post-snap movement.

Brian Flores’ scheme is able to set the terms of engagement more often than most with opposing offenses, particularly with good communication and command of the scheme by the players.

It’s Still Depends More on Players than Plays

The most you can ask for from a scheme and a defensive play-caller and coordinator is to put players in the best position to make plays- or at least not be put at a disadvantage. And these days, the ultimate play-call defensively may be made by the players on the field rather than the defensive coordinator. That certainly appears to be the case- and Brian Flores has said as much- with the Vikings’ defense.

Regardless, players need to make the plays for the defense to be successful.

Last season, Brian Flores must not have felt he had the talent at cornerback to utilize some of the coverage schemes he’s using this season or man coverage hardly ever. But with two new experienced cornerbacks in Stephon Gilmore and Shaq Griffin, Flores feels he has the talent and experience to open up his full bag of tricks in terms of coverage schemes.

Beyond that, Flores and the Vikings have benefitted from just about every new defensive player signed or drafted this off-season. From Jonathan Greenard and Andrew Van Ginkel and Blake Cashman, to Kamu Grugier-Hill, Jihad Ward, Dallas Turner, and Jerry Tillery. All have been improvements over their predesessors last season. And even Pat Jones II has improved in part by moving him back outside instead inside where he lined up often last season. Flores also recently mentioned that Jones came into OTAs this year looking bigger and stronger than last year.

Most of these additions are not household names nor are they likely to be All-Pros. But they are at least above average talents with experience and who operate and communicate well as a group- which is essential for success in a scheme like Flores’. The weaker links are stronger this season and they allow Flores to use his full range of scheme options and not just the softer zone coverage he used frequently last season.

Still Got to Keep Them Guessing

The key going forward for Flores will be to continue to mix things up against tendency and introduce new wrinkles to keep offensive coordinators and quarterbacks guessing. The built-in and manufactured disguises are likely to continue to confound quarterbacks and prevent them from getting good presnap reads but pass rush schemes will also need refreshing and new wrinkles over the course of the season to maintain effectiveness.

The upcoming bye-week after the Jets game will be an opportunity for early self-scouting and also to install some new wrinkles as needed that can be introduced over the rest of the season. Flores is also good at week-to-week game planning and isn’t afraid to change things up as needed for a given opponent. And with a full range of options available with current personnel, all that shouldn’t be a problem.

Stay tuned.

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