Vikings’ non-traditional defense hitting ‘master’s level’ in Year 3 under Flores

The style of interception is becoming an Andrew Van Ginkel signature.

The Vikings outside linebacker cut off a pass from backup quarterback Brett Rypien near the line of scrimmage, batting it from his left hand toward his right before securing his grip and heading toward the imaginary goal line.

It looked just like when he scored a pick-six off then-Giants quarterback Daniel Jones in last season’s opener, and he has made other similar breakups without coming up with the ball.

“It’s crazy, man. Like, they didn’t watch the tape?” safety Josh Metellus quipped following practice Wednesday.

Entering Year 3 under defensive coordinator Brian Flores, the Vikings defense — boasting the return of some of its top 2024 contributors such as Van Ginkel and notable new talent — isn’t slowing up on throwing all it’s got at opposing offenses, even when it’s teammates on the other side of the line of scrimmage.

The confidence and handle players have on Flores’ scheme is allowing them to do even more, too.

“Everything’s flowing a lot easier, and I’m really excited to be able to continue to work and continue to explore new things in this defensive scheme,” linebacker Blake Cashman said Wednesday.

Harrison Smith picked off starting QB J.J. McCarthy on Thursday.

The day before, McCarthy name-dropped the veteran as one of the players who help make it so hard to know what’s coming when facing Flores’ defense.

“You never really know because there’s guys like Harrison Smith and Josh Metellus who like to play with you back there,” McCarthy said. “Fun defense to go against, that’s for sure.”

Coverages changed nearly every snap during unpadded 11-on-11s Wednesday and Thursday, the first two days of practice during training camp. The Vikings mixed secondary players seeing the field together as they sort out the depth chart that includes cornerbacks Jeff Okudah and Mekhi Blackmon vying for reps behind Byron Murphy Jr. and Isaiah Rodgers.

Metellus, who spent a good chunk of last season playing closer to a linebacker’s role than a safety, was all over the field as he returned to full participation after limiting his participation during organized team activities during contract talks.

Metellus said that his “crazy role” last season was due to roster construction and that Flores will always put the best 11 on the field.

“ ‘Traditional,’ that word, I don’t know if that word really fits me,” Flores said Thursday. “When you’ve got a guy with Josh [Metellus’] skill set or [Van] Ginkel’s skill set or Dallas Turner’s skill set … we try to be creative.”

That creativity can lead to a steeper learning curve for new players, Flores admitted. But he said he and his staff work each year to make sure their curriculum brings new players up to speed as quickly as possible, even if it is just getting them close to what is actually being asked.

Flores said he sees the increased understanding from players in their second and third years with the Vikings of how he and defensive pass game coordinator Daronte Jones think, what the base tenets of the defense are and how he might look at an opposing offense. They then take that knowledge and disseminate it in the locker room and cafeteria to newer teammates.

That aligns with how some of his most veteran players themselves feel entering Year 3 under his lead — like they’ve hit “master’s level,” Metellus said.

Jonathan Allen, a ninth-year veteran defensive end the Vikings signed this spring, said Flores and company have helped him adjust to the scheme by feeding it in bite-sized pieces. He said Harrison Phillips has been a big help, too.

Still, Allen said the only solution to processing everything Flores throws out is to just grind it out via repetition.

“It’s been really fun to learn,” Allen said. “It’s a lot. It really is. He throws a lot on your plate and he gives us a lot of freedom. … But it allows us to be in the best possible situation in multiple situations.”

Allen was one-third of a three-part offseason addition to the defensive line that has the Vikings hoping for more rotation in the trenches. They also added Javon Hargrave via free agency and drafted Ty Ingram-Dawkins.

More personnel means more pieces with which Flores can get creative. The Vikings didn’t have that flexibility in the trenches last year.

“It’s our job as coaches to challenge ’em and raise the bar as far as the things we wanna do,” Flores said. “If we’re successful, we’ll do ’em, and if not, we’ll try something else.”

Andrew Krammer of the Minnesota Star Tribune contributed to this story.