4 Keys To Fixing the Vikings Running Game

With off the field issues barring Adrian Peterson from any activities with the team, the Minnesota Vikings rushing attack has taken a gigantic hit. In 2013, a historically average year on the ground, the Minnesota Vikings averaged just over 130 rushing yards per game. Peterson was on the field, but not in prime form. The quarterback carousel of Ponder, Cassel and Freeman didn't offer much in the form of a balanced offense and the offensive line had regressed. Still, 130 yds a game was about average in the league last season.

Fast-forward to 2014 and the Vikings are averaging far less than that with 99 yards per game.

The reasons for this regression from the mean are painfully obvious. Peterson has only played in one game, Toby Gerhart (the team's former backup) left to start in Jacksonville, Matt Kalil is arguably the worst tackle in the game of football through three games and the run game has not gotten much help from the aerial attack.

But all hope is not lost. Deficiencies in the NFL, although sometimes crippling, are most often fixable. That said you might have to get a little creative, think a little more outside the box. With that, I present to you "4 Keys to Fixing the Vikings Run Game" this year, not next year.

*NOTE – I am operating under the assumption that Adrian Peterson WILL NOT be playing with the team at all this year. If he returns, throw this all out the window, run game fixed!

Get Balanced…
Although it was forced upon them with the fractured foot of Matt Cassel, the implementation of Teddy Bridgewater into the Vikings starting lineup should do wonders to help balance the offensive game plan of the Minnesota Vikings.

As I wrote last weekend, Teddy Bridgewater brings a stronger arm and a more mobile quarterback to the table. As of last weekend, the Vikings offense was pretty one-dimensional with that single dimension being the mid-range passing game. Cassel struggled with the deep ball, he struggled to escape pressure and he was non-existent in the run game. In his two-and-a-half quarters of play last weekend versus the Saints, Teddy was able to extend plays with his legs, he ran designed runs by the quarterback and he showcased his arm on back-to-back deep balls targeting Greg Jennings.

Get Creative…
Something happened in the transition from the offense the Vikings ran week one to the offense that we've seen in week's two and three, and the change wasn't completely the loss of Adrian Peterson. Week one saw creative run packages, jet sweets and pitches to Cordarrelle Patterson. The Vikings rushed for 185 yards and beat the Rams 34-6. The following weeks saw Cordarrelle Patterson receive zero touches on designed runs and saw the Vikings rush for a team total of 54 yards and 59 yards.

It's time to try some new stuff. Trick plays are often times contrived and forced, but they are also used to loosen up an offense and spark some momentum. Maybe it's time to pull out the old Statue of Liberty or Flea Flicker if only to encourage your team.

Also, if they continue to hold Cordarrelle Patterson out of the run game this week, fans are going to lose their cool. CP is struggling to get open against man coverage and you NEED to find ways to get the ball in his hands. Handing it off worked pretty well in the first game, go back to it, then fake it, then go back to it again. Whatever you do, use Cordarrelle in the run game.

Get Helpful…
It's an unfortunate reality, but it's reality nonetheless. You need to find a way to help Matt Kalil. It may not be a permanent course of action, but for the time being you need to find a way to boost his confidence and get him right.

Whether it comes in the form of a tight end on the end of the line, a fullback chipping on his way through or a screen to Kalil's side of the ball, something needs to happen and unfortunately your #4 overall selection can't handle it on his own right now.

While VJ's Arif Hassan broke down some of next year's running back draft class here, this article is about fixing the problem this year, so who might be available to be acquired through trade midseason?

The name that keeps coming up has been Darren McFadden from the Oakland Raiders. The Raiders have started the season 0-3 and their running game has been even worse than their record. They are young and are grooming a young quarterback to lead them into the future. While McFadden has battled through injuries in the past, his main deterrent in Oakland has been the run-blocking scheme. His style of running back does not necessarily fit with the zone-blocking scheme employed by Oakland. On top of that, the Raiders made a big money commitment to Maurice Jones-Drew who is back and finally healthy. It would see that McFadden is expendable in Oakland.

If the Vikings can find a way to acquire him for a 5^th round, maybe up to a 4^th round pick, it might be an interesting proposition and one that the Raiders may bite on.

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At 1-2 the Vikings are not out of the playoff running at all. In reality, are the odds great that they will be fighting for a playoff spot down the line, probably not. So why the need to get the running game fixed this year? Why not just right it off and worry about it in the offseason?