Minnesota Vikings defense needs to be ‘executing better’
By Adam Carlson
Defensive end Everson Griffen says that the Minnesota Vikings is still a great unit, but they need to be ‘executing better’ as a team going forward.
Being on a losing team is never fun. Trying to figure out where the issues are and how to fix them can drive even the most mentally strong players to question themselves in a big way. That appears to be part of what is going on in the Minnesota Vikings locker room.
The team is now on a four game slide, and the team doesn’t look much like the squad that was once 5-0 earlier in the season. The Vikings have been decimated by injuries, and while the most talked about ones are on offense, the defense has been dealt their fair share as well.
Sharrif Floyd, Eric Kendricks, Linval Joseph, Xavier Rhodes, Andrew Sendejo, and Captain Munnerlyn have all missed time this year, but the Minnesota defense has remained one of the better teams in the league.
Still, according to the official Minnesota Vikings website, defensive end Everson Griffen knew the struggles the team had against the Redskins last week, but didn’t use those excuses to pass the blame.
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"“They [threw] quick and short routes, didn’t allow us to get to the quarterback like we needed to,” Griffen said after the game. “They [made] it hard for us, but we need to find a way to make it easy. That’s by executing better and doing your assignment better.”"
Griffen knows there is some work to do when it comes to the defense and is sticking to the plan being laid out by head coach Mike Zimmer before each game. But it is the execution and discipline that will pay dividends.
"“This is a team game. We have to come together as a team on all phases and figure out what it is,” Griffen said. “The offense, they did a good job putting some points up for us, and it’s time for the defense to come in and start executing again and eliminating big plays. It’s a team effort, and we have to figure it out.”"
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The Minnesota Vikings will get another chance to rebound in week 11 against the Arizona Cardinals on Sunday, November 20, 2016. Hopefully, they can execute a great gameplan and end their losing streak before it is too late for the team to make a run at the division and postseason.