5 New Years resolutions for the Vikings in 2022
By Adam Carlson
Figure out the middle of the offensive line
How many times in 2021 did Minnesota Vikings fans see the center or guards plowed backward by a defensive lineman to hurry the quarterback and force him out of the pocket or make a throw before the route fully develops? Or have a defender blow through the line to stop the running back in the backfield?
This is one of the most frustrating things to see from Minnesota’s offense considering how much draft capital and money has been thrown at the offensive line over recent years to put together some kind of competent unit.
Brian O’Neill is the lone stud of the offensive line with Christian Darrisaw looking like he can be the real deal when healthy. With the bookends in place, Ezra Cleveland has looked good enough at left guard to stay. However, center and right guard are still huge issues.
With so many great offensive weapons on this team, having a bad interior of the offensive line is like buying an expensive sports car with all the expensive optional features, putting cheap insurance on it, and then not locking the doors. It’s just plain silly.