DeFilippo: Vikings’ offense will create as many mismatches as possible

The new Minnesota Vikings offensive coordinator is looking to make the team’s offense one of the NFL’s most explosive units in 2018.

In terms of how the unit performed over the past few years, the 2017 Minnesota Vikings had one of the franchise’s best offenses of the last decade.

The Vikings finished last year ranked 10th in points scored per game, 11th in passing yards per game, and seventh in rushing yards per game. Minnesota’s offense also finished with the NFL’s second-best conversion rate on third down in 2017.

A good portion of the unit’s success last season was due to the work done by offensive coordinator Pat Shurmur. Instead of forcing the Vikings’ players to adapt to his scheme (cough, Norv Turner, cough), Shurmur adjusted his offense to fit the skill-set of each player and allowed them to use the talent that actually got them into the league.

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Following the conclusion of Minnesota’s 2017 season, Shurmur announced that he had decided to take a head coaching job with the New York Giants, leaving the Vikings searching for someone else to lead their offense in 2018.

Minnesota’s search for a new offensive coordinator took a little more time than some may have expected, but eventually the team was able to give Shurmur’s old job to Philadelphia Eagles quarterbacks coach John DeFilippo.

In comparison to last season, Minnesota’s offense in 2018 will be similar in that DeFilippo will adjust his schemes to fit the skills of the team’s players. But Vikings fans should expect a little more explosiveness from the team’s offense next season, at least according to DeFilippo.

"“The number one thing is to create explosive pass gains and explosive run gains. And how do you do that? You do that by putting your best playmakers in space and in positions for them to make plays.I think you’re going to see our players move around to a bunch of different spots. I think you’re going to see us pre-snap move and shift some.You’re going to see us try and create as many mismatches as we can with the guys that can make a play with the ball in their hands.”"

With players like Stefon Diggs, Adam Thielen, Dalvin Cook, and Latavius Murray, DeFilippo is definitely going to have more talent to work with next season than he did in 2015 when he was the offensive coordinator for the Cleveland Browns.

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Of course, how well Minnesota’s offense plays in 2018 will have a lot to do with who the team selects to be their starting quarterback. Once that is figured out, then DeFilippo and the rest of the unit can really begin to prepare for an upcoming season full of exciting and explosive plays.