Daily Norseman
What can we expect in 2025?
In terms of Xs and Os, I gravitate towards the defensive side of the ball. I’m a fan of the innovators; the proactive rather than reactive, and schemes that dictate how the offense responds, not vice versa. Seeing them on the schedule, film sessions included an equal measure of expletives and Advil. The Bill Belichicks, Buddy Ryans, Dick LeBeaus, etc.
Brian Flores is my kind of defensive coordinator.
Heading into Year 3, let’s look at the history, challenges, and expectations that await the 2025 Minnesota Vikings defense.
One of the greatest mysteries in NFL history is why Bill Belichick’s coaching tree hasn’t produced anywhere near the success of his mentors, Bill Parcells, Bill Walsh, and others. It’s quite barren. Of course, not as barren as our trophy case, missing Halas and Lombardi awards since January 9, 1977 — our last Super Bowl appearance. Elvis was still alive. In the Heartbreak Hotel, Vikings fans not only occupy the Presidential Suite, but every floor minus the basement bathroom. We’ll rent that out to the Lions.
But I digress.
For 15 years, Flores learned “The Patriot Way.” Rising from scouting assistant all the way to defensive play caller in the Patriots’ Super Bowl 53 victory (holding Sean McVay to 3 points), you’d be hard pressed to find a more valuable learning experience. Recent shenanigans aside, a quick glance at Belichick’s resume makes one’s head spin. As the New York Giants’ defensive coordinator, he ate freakin’ Joe Montana’s lunch: 3-0 in the playoffs, holding the runner-up GOAT to 59% - 552 yds – 1 TD – 2 INT – 68.6 Rating. Oh, and to 19(!) total points. His game plan for stopping the Bills’ vaunted K-Gun offense is literally in the Hall of Fame. In New England, he famously turned the “Greatest Show on Turf” (31.4 ppg) into a run-of-the-mill Lifetime made-for-TV movie (17 points) in Super Bowl 36. The aforementioned humbling of hotshot McVay.
This must be mentioned as it’s impossible to discuss Flores without this context. Don’t take my word for it. He has spoken of the importance of spending years under Belichick’s tutelage. In doing research, I found a fantastic article by none other than the Daily Norseman’s own Warren Ludford (@wludford) on this topic shortly after Flores was hired. Yeah, go read that.
Belichick's innovations regarding hybrid “amoeba” fronts, disguised/mixed coverages, and positionless defense to counter modern spread concepts and heavy personnel packages played an influential role in Flores’s defensive success.
That being said, it’s essential to stress that Flores has used this foundation to create something unique at the NFL level. While the historical data supports his reputation as a blitz-heavy play caller, the incorporation of key elements of Pat Narduzzi’s six-man front/zone variation-based defense at the University of Pittsburgh made the rapid defensive turnaround in 2023 possible.
Let’s not forget how bad things were when Flores was hired. Owing to...
