Viktor
Well-known member
- Mar 19, 2019
- 2,552
- 0
EAGAN, Minn. — The question was simple. The answer was simpler.
“What do you like the most about this new offensive system?”
Brian O’Neill replied Tuesday with a smile, “We run the ball.”
There’s not an offensive lineman who doesn’t prefer to be the aggressor when the ball is snapped as opposed to giving ground, so Vikings players have been pleased with the emphasis placed on the running game this offseason.
It’s a directive from Head Coach Mike Zimmer, with first-year Offensive Coordinator Kevin Stefanski, Assistant Head Coach/Offensive Advisor Gary Kubiak and Offensive Line Coach/Run Game Coordinator Rick Dennison working together on a scheme to help an offense that ranked 30th in rushing yards (1,493) in 2018.
The Vikings also ranked 27th in rushing attempts (357) and rushing touchdowns (nine) last season, en route to an 8-7-1 mark that left Minnesota a half-game out of the playoffs.
In 2017, the Vikings were second in rushing attempts (501) and seventh in yards (1,957) and touchdowns (15) on the way to a 13-3 mark, division crown and first-round bye.
“They’ve been great so far. I can’t say enough good things about them,” O’Neill said of the new coaches. “The transition to [Dennison] has been smooth. They’re really pressing their feet on the gas right now.”
O’Neill’s rookie season was considered a bright spot among a unit that battled injuries last fall. The second-round pick started 11 of 15 games.
He was asked if this system capitalizes on his athleticism and said, “I think it always helps to be athletic in whatever system you’re in, so I’m not going to say, ‘I’m meant for this, or I’m meant for that.’
“I think as much as you can build yourself up athletically over the course of the offseason, it’s going to help you, regardless of the offense you run, but I think there’s some things that, hopefully, we’re going to do pretty well and will be able to run the ball more efficiently than we did last year.”