Vikings offense finally finds way out of stacked box

**StillPurple** · 10-09-2008, 04:58 PM

I was actually happy to see us run that option pass, with Chester throwing the ball into the end zone. FINALLY ! I kept thinking, as I saw those 4 linebackers and linemen keying on Peterson, "throw the gol 'darnit ball !".

Defenses since the 49ers game last year have really mostly found a way to bottle up AP, by just stacking the box. It is nice to see us finally (!
:

) find an answer to that, by throwing out of that situation, even if it is a running back who is doing the throwing.

You have to keep the defenses honest, as they say

**Mr Anderson** · 10-09-2008, 05:17 PM

One trick play is not going to take men out of the box for the rest of the season.

IMO what we're gonna have to do if we ever want to establish the run again is:

Spread it out, 3-4 wide receiver sets, start spreading the ball around the field.
Use Shiancoe to keep them honest deep by hitting him behind the safeties.
Then when the safeties are back, we start running the ball.
If we have 7 in the box, Peterson will be successful.
With a successful running game, we start running the play action.

**BloodyHorns82** · 10-09-2008, 05:22 PM

"Mr" wrote:

One trick play is not going to take men out of the box for the rest of the season.

IMO what we're gonna have to do if we ever want to establish the run again is:

Spread it out, 3-4 wide receiver sets, start spreading the ball around the field.
Use Shiancoe to keep them honest deep by hitting him behind the safeties.
Then when the safeties are back, we start running the ball.
If we have 7 in the box, Peterson will be successful.
With a successful running game, we start running the play action.

Nice post...what I'd like to see more than anything is the 3-4 WR sets.
WIthout that it's way too easy to stack the box.

With that said, I loved the HB option pass.

Right after the snap when I saw the hand off to Chester I said out loud "Oh man, I don't like that...I don't like that at all".
Then after I saw chester bring his arm back to throw I started yelling "Oh, yeah!
I like that!
I like that!
TOUCH DOWN!! WHOOOOOOOO..." and so on.

Bad play by the Vikes or not, it was an entertaining game on many levels.

**ragz** · 10-09-2008, 05:28 PM

"Mr" wrote:

One trick play is not going to take men out of the box for the rest of the season.

IMO what we're gonna have to do if we ever want to establish the run again is:

Spread it out, 3-4 wide receiver sets, start spreading the ball around the field.
Use Shiancoe to keep them honest deep by hitting him behind the safeties.
Then when the safeties are back, we start running the ball.
If we have 7 in the box, Peterson will be successful.
With a successful running game, we start running the play action.

exactly, and one drive in the 4th quarter isn't going to do it either.
but its a step in the right direction.
now i know everyone is excited about the 100 yd recieving day and the 3 deep balls that we threw that set up the 10 points for the win.
but we have to keep in mind the first pass was into double coverage and becuz it was underthrown was completed.
and the 3rd pass was on a 3rd and 3 with a minute left and the saints had 2 timeouts left.
ferrotte threw into double coverage, well covered, 40 yards down the field.
now it worked out and we got the win.
but i dont exactly think that is the formula for being more efficient.

with our pass game even with jackson, it seemed like we are all or nothing.
either short intermediate passes, slants, come backs.
or deep streaks.
why dont we use the middle a bit more.
we dont seem to use the wrs in the middle of the field 10+ yards down the field.
we've seen them hit the tight ends a couple of times but not alot of wr stuff.
i still think there is alot to be had just over the linebackers and not necessarily behind the safeties.
but we still are not doing it.
to me that is gonna be the best way to start reopening up the run game.

**VikingsTw** · 10-09-2008, 05:29 PM

IMO the run blocking has sucked all season long, aside from the Colts who everyone has sucess on. The guys up front are getting smoked, we've seen stacked boxes for three years and there never gonna disappear unless we get an elite passing attack.

The Oline has also failed to protect our QB on a regular bases wether thats Tarvaris or Gus Frerotte. The Colts game was about as good as it gets and I'm very disapointed in the way those guys are performing considering who they are and what their paid. This offense will only go as far as the Oline takes them, right now our Will is no stronger than the Defenders and considering we just played the Saints and got owned its quite sad.

**StillPurple** · 10-09-2008, 06:52 PM

I agree with the 3 and 4 receiver set idea.

I also think that we need to do more with slants and stuff like that. If the defense has 3 linebackers surging forward to stop AP, that means that a lot of real estate is open where those linebackers came from. And that is when you throw the slant. This is called PLAY ACTION !

By the way, I was watching the game north of Dallas, and they had a current Dallas Cowboy linebacker in the house doing a radio program (Kevin Barnett). Barnett picked us to win, and he said, "the reason, is they will run play action". SO DAMN RIGHT !!

I just wish we did it more often. It works. Heck, it even worked when Tarvaris ran it (exhibit A: the Bears away game last year).

**ultravikingfan** · 10-09-2008, 06:57 PM

"StillPurple" wrote:

I agree with the 3 and 4 receiver set idea.

I also think that we need to do more with slants and stuff like that. If the defense has 3 linebackers surging forward to stop AP, that means that a lot of real estate is open where those linebackers came from. And that is when you throw the slant. This is called PLAY ACTION !

By the way, I was watching the game north of Dallas, and they had a current Dallas Cowboy linebacker in the house doing a radio program (Kevin Barnett). Barnett picked us to win, and he said, "the reason, is they will run play action". SO DAMN RIGHT !!

I just wish we did it more often. It works. Heck, it even worked when Tarvaris ran it (exhibit A: the Bears away game last year).

Play action is when you fake the handoff the a back.

We do a lot of slants as it is.

3 LB's are not always "surging" to the run either.

**patistheman** · 10-09-2008, 07:09 PM

When we do run play action it is darn close to ineffective.
The RB is always a yard or a couple away from the QB during they fake.
Most of our fakes aren't fooling anybody.
When the Saints ran play action on Monday night there were many times I thought Brees had handed the ball off, but it was just good execution of the fake handoff.
At the moment I don't remember anytime in recent games where we had a fake that I thought the ball had been handed off(I know it has happened I just don't remember the last time I have seen it).
I don't know if its coaching or just the way the plays are designed but it is something I believe needs to be fixed to improve our play action passes.

Also on another note I noticed on Monday that when Tahi is in the backfield it seems to me he sits back in his stance more on pass plays than on run plays.
Has anybody else noticed that or is it just me?
If its not just me I'm sure defenses pick up on that right away.

**VikingMike** · 10-09-2008, 07:11 PM

"Mr" wrote:

One trick play is not going to take men out of the box for the rest of the season.

IMO what we're gonna have to do if we ever want to establish the run again is:

Spread it out, 3-4 wide receiver sets, start spreading the ball around the field.
Use Shiancoe to keep them honest deep by hitting him behind the safeties.
Then when the safeties are back, we start running the ball.
If we have 7 in the box, Peterson will be successful.
With a successful running game, we start running the play action.

Very good points...would love to see us spread it out, and even do some running plays in the spread O. As far as Shiancoe splitting the seam...hell yeah, and once and for all we'll see if he's a keeper.

**VikingMike** · 10-09-2008, 07:16 PM

"patistheman" wrote:

When we do run play action it is darn close to ineffective.
The RB is always a yard or a couple away from the QB during they fake.
Most of our fakes aren't fooling anybody.
When the Saints ran play action on Monday night there were many times I thought Brees had handed the ball off, but it was just good execution of the fake handoff.
At the moment I don't remember anytime in recent games where we had a fake that I thought the ball had been handed off(I know it has happened I just don't remember the last time I have seen it).
I don't know if its coaching or just the way the plays are designed but it is something I believe needs to be fixed to improve our play action passes.

Also on another note I noticed on Monday that when Tahi is in the backfield it seems to me he sits back in his stance more on pass plays than on run plays.
Has anybody else noticed that or is it just me?
If its not just me I'm sure defenses pick up on that right away.

Play action will never work unless you have an honest passing game, regardless of how good the fakes look. Sometimes it is ludicrous to do play action...like when you're on the 15-yd line, have no TO's and 0:13 on the clock...no sense at all.

IMO, Tahi is not long for us.