Vikings' blitzing philosophy: Get them before they get you

Putting more pressure on opposing QBs can be risky, but the payoff can be substantial.

By Judd Zulgad, Star Tribune

Last update: November 27, 2007 - 11:01 PM

Sitting in his Winter Park office last spring, new Vikings defensive coordinator Leslie Frazier said he hoped to call fewer blitzes than his predecessor, Mike Tomlin.

"Having to bring five and six guys, it puts a lot more pressure on your secondary," Frazier said at the time. "If opponents pick it up, they have a chance to have some explosive plays, stay on the field and put your offense in a tough position."

Eleven regular-season games and six months later, Frazier has shown a clear willingness to adjust. Like Tomlin, Frazier's hand was forced by the need to slow quarterbacks who were having too much success against the Vikings pass defense.

In three of the past four games -- the exception being an embarrassing 34-0 loss at Green Bay on Nov. 11 -- the Vikings defense has unnerved San Diego's Philip Rivers, Oakland's Daunte Culpepper and the Giants' Eli Manning.

The result has been three victories and an average of 244 net passing yards given up as opposed to the 298.3 net yards the Vikings surrendered in their other eight games. They also have one fewer interception (six) in the three games than they do in their eight other combined.

The keys have been different looks up front, blitzes and man-to-man coverages mixed with the zone scheme that comes from the Tampa-2 philosophy Minnesota considers its base defense. Now the Tampa-2 is in use less than 50 percent of the time.

Frazier admits he has found a happy medium.

"We kind of know what we need to do to be successful, and it's got to be a combination of pressure and rush," he said. "That's become clearer and clearer as we get into this stage of the season."

The Vikings' philosophy on defense since Brad Childress took over as head coach in 2006 has been to stop the run first. Last season, the Vikings were No. 1 in the NFL in rushing defense, and they are again this season (74.8 yards per game). The pass defense, though, has been another story. In Tomlin's lone season, the Vikings tied for last in the NFL and this year they are alone at the bottom (283.1).

Frazier's in-season adjustments aren't going to stop opponents from throwing the ball -- especially with veteran cornerback Antoine Winfield (hamstring) having missed three of the past four games -- but it can certainly slow teams down. Part of the problem with the Green Bay game was Frazier knew veteran quarterback Brett Favre would be able to handle any changeups thrown at him.

But Manning and Rivers, two top-five picks in the 2004 NFL draft, looked lost. Rivers completed 19 of 42 passes for 197 yards with no touchdowns, one interception and a 49.4 quarterback rating. Manning was worse, hitting on 21 of 49 passes for 273 yards with one touchdown, four interceptions (three returned for scores) and a 33.8 rating.

Among Manning's dilemmas Sunday was trying to identify the middle linebacker during his calls at the line of scrimmage -- Frazier did an excellent job of disguising who was actually playing that spot -- and thus get center Shaun O'Hara lined up at the proper blocking angle. Manning also didn't know who was blitzing; linebacker Ben Leber, for instance, blitzed more from the nickel package than he had all season.

Linebackers Leber and E.J. Henderson caused havoc that helped create interceptions by safeties Dwight Smith (two), Darren Sharper and fellow linebacker Chad Greenway.

"Coach Frazier is figuring us out as players and understanding what guys do well and what's going to allow us to be effective as a defense," Sharper said.

Frazier and Co., now will turn its attention to disrupting veteran Detroit quarterback Jon Kitna on Sunday. Kitna might have more poise than Manning and Rivers, but Frazier is hopeful his defense can keep it up.

"We've got five more to go; I hope this is not our best game," he said Sunday after the victory over New York. "I hope it's one of our best, but I hope it's not going to be the game that defines us."

Judd Zulgad • jzulgad@startribune.com