Mike Zimmer was questioned during his Tuesday afternoon press conference about his decision to start Andrew Sendejo over Robert Blanton Monday night against San Francisco.
Zimmer said that it came down to Sendejo being a smart player who knows where he’s supposed to be (via Vikings.com):
"I felt like [Sendejo] is a smart guy who knows what to do, to kind of be in the right place all the time and we can have confidence in him making the correct plays."
Presumably, this means Robert Blanton is not necessarily as smart a player as Sendejo and doesn’t necessarily always know where he’s supposed to be.
Unfortunately Sendejo did not reward Zimmer’s confidence by putting in an acceptable performance.
Zimmer himself referred to a play where Sendejo failed to avoid a cut block, leading to a big gain for San Francisco.
It looks there like Sendejo put his hands out to force the blocker to the ground, the correct technique for defeating a cut block, but he just failed to pull off the maneuver.
That lack of discipline was a big reason why the Vikings flopped defensively Monday night according to Zimmer.
Sendejo’s poor showing in run defense prompted Zimmer to put in Robert Blanton, who frankly did not distinguish himself either.
So after one game, how do things stand between Blanton and Sendejo? And where does Antone Exum fit into that mix? Zimmer said it’s still a fluid situation.
It sounds like this whole Blanton-or-Sendejo thing is going to be a week-to-week proposition. And it doesn’t sound like Exum is very close to getting into that conversation.
Seriously, how hard can it be to find one decent safety?
Next: Colin Kaepernick destroyed by Harrison Smith
More from The Viking Age
- 6 biggest draft steals in Minnesota Vikings history
- Former Vikings first-round pick could reportedly return to NFC North
- Bears analyst has extremely embarrassing Kirk Cousins take
- 6 Vikings who (maybe) won’t make the 53-man roster in 2023
- Predicting what the Vikings will do in the 2023 NFL Draft based on 2022