Excuses are worthless in today’s “What have you done for me lately?” NFL. Yes, the Vikings experienced more than their fair share of adversity in a season, that featured countless injuries at critical positions, and more importantly, the (former?) face of the franchise missing 15 games due to a child abuse case. The reality is, Minnesota went 1-5 within the NFC North this year, and their only win came against the lowly Bears in a week 17 matchup that had no playoff implications. A 6-4 record outside the division didn’t get the job done for Mike Zimmer in his first season as a head coach, as the Vikings missed the playoffs for the second straight season. Minnesota heads into the off-season with the No. 11 overall pick in NFL draft next spring after winning a strength of schedule tie-breaker with New Orleans and Cleveland. Those are the sobering facts that are staring us in the face, but it doesn’t necessarily tell the whole story. Even though we can’t take moral victories from this sub-.500 season, Vikings fans have a lot to be optimistic about looking forward.
As 2014’s fifth youngest team in the NFL at the beginning of the season, Vikings fans can rest assured that our gifted crop of young talent is learning from the best. To see an example of the progress that can be made under the tutelage of Mike Zimmer, look no further than second year cornerback Xavier Rhodes. Rhodes finished the year with 18 pass breakups, which was good for 4th in the NFL. He also recorded his first career interception and cemented his place as a building block within this cornerback needy scheme. The Florida State product was such a bright spot for Zimmer and his defense that the usually stoic head coach got emotional at the podium while discussing Rhodes’ emergence this season. The 6’1” frame, freakish arm length, and physical nature of the former first round pick are only outdone by his desire to excel.
Others who found success within Zimmer’s defense include Anthony Barr, and Pro Bowl snubs Everson Griffen and Harrison Smith. Barr, the first pick by the Vikings last spring, was fourth on the team in tackles at 70 and added four sacks in just 12 games. His rookie campaign, although cut short by injury, was promising to say the least and was highlighted by an impressive strip of Buccaneers tight end Austin Seferian-Jenkins in an overtime game in Tampa Bay. Barr flashed his athleticism and returned the fumble 27 yards for a touchdown and gave the Vikings their third win of the season.
Harrison Smith is another young player that posted solid numbers this year. In his third year as a pro, Smith had career highs in sacks (3.0) and interceptions (5), and was tied for second on the team in tackles (93). Only the other Golden Domer bested Smith in that department, as fellow safety and Notre Dame alum, Robert Blanton, had 106 combined tackles. As impressive as Smith and Barr were, Everson Griffen was perhaps the largest statistical beneficiary of the Zimmer hire. A career high 12 sacks for the 5th year pro was also a team high and placed him at fourth in the entire NFC. Griffen had three multi-sack games, including a three-sack performance in a tough last second loss in Buffalo. The former USC Trojan’s presence helped others fill up the stat sheet too, as Minnesota had the 9th highest sack total in the NFL and moved up to 11th in points allowed, which is a drastic improvement from 2013’s league worst 32nd rank. The defense seems to be headed in the right direction. With a young foundation and an enthusiastic and defensive minded head coach, this writer sees no reason to not expect this group to continue to improve and be a huge asset for years to come.
As improved as the defense is, the offensive side of the ball saw major changes during the 2014 season too. Norv Turner entered this season with an All-Pro and running back in Adrian Peterson, a savvy veteran at quarterback in Matt Cassel, a second year speedster at receiver in Cordarrelle Patterson, and a physically gifted tight end with a brand new deal in Kyle Rudolph. Little did he know that NONE of these players would be a factor and that for the second year in a row, he would have three different starters at the quarterback position in one season. Once again, excuses are worthless in the NFL world, and no pity was shown to the Vikings for their misfortunes. However, considering the circumstances, a 14th ranked rushing offense isn’t anything to be ashamed of. The Vikings rushed for about 112 yards per game at a 4.4 yard per carry clip. The backfield largely consisted of Matt “steady Eddy” Asiata, and rookie Jerick McKinnon. Asiata had a full season of work after Peterson’s legal troubles surfaced before Week 2 of the NFL season. Although the starting duties and workhorse role slipped away from him for a few week while the rookie out of Georgia Southern found his groove, Asiata lead the team in carries (164), rushing yards (570), and total touchdowns (10). McKinnon wasn’t far behind Asiata and put up respectable numbers in about 8 total games of significant use before being placed on IR. His 138 carries and 538 yards were good for a 4.8 yard per carry average. Unfortunately, Jerick was unable to find the end zone in his first year in Minnesota, but he did show spurts of explosiveness, decisiveness, and vision in limited snaps. With the Adrian Peterson situation still very much a question mark moving forward, McKinnon is a guy that the Vikings can rely on down the road.
The passing game saw less statistical success than the rushing game, but still showed signs of potential. Let’s start with the obvious disappointment of Cordarrelle Patterson’s season. After being on break out look throughout the entire offseason, the second year wide receiver from Tennessee underwhelmed everyone with 384 yards on just 33 receptions and 2 total touchdowns. His lack of production, although upsetting, allowed a potential star to emerge. Charles Johnson, also a second year player, turned out to be a favorite target of rookie quarterback Teddy Bridgewater. In just six starts, the former Packers draft pick and Browns practice squad player snagged 31 passes for 475 yards and 2 TD’s. After working with Scott and Norv Turner in Cleveland last season, the Vikings made the decision to sign him and it certainly paid dividends. The lone veteran of the bunch, Greg Jennings, led the team in receptions and also had the most receiving yards and touchdowns on the team with 742 yards and 6 touchdowns.
Any offensive success that was enjoyed by Minnesota was made possible by the expedited development of rookie signal caller, Teddy Bridgewater. After Matt Cassel went down with a broken foot early in the season, the 22-year old Miami native was thrown in the proverbial fire and rose to the occasion. Offensive coordinator Norv Turner had no choice but to entrust his offense to the even keeled kid, but Teddy lived up to his first round draft slot. In 12 starts, Teddy two gloves (known for his unusual practice of wearing a glove on both his throwing hand and off hand) had a 6-6 record. However, this could have easily been as good as 8-4 after two late game let downs by the defense and special teams in games on the road in Buffalo and Miami. Bridgewater’s completion percentage of 64.4 % was the 12th best of all quarterbacks with more than 100 attempts, ahead of Tom Brady, Andrew Luck, Russell Wilson, and Matthew Stafford to name a few. In his first NFL season, Teddy threw 14 touchdown passes as well as 12 interceptions. That 1.17 ratio is a bit skewed due to, by this man's count, three interceptions that were dropped balls or tipped passes off the intended receiver’s hands, resulting in a turnover through no fault of the quarterback. On paper it may not seem as evident as it does while looking the games, but Teddy is solid with ball security and usually makes the correct decision. His poise and presence in the pocket is something that teammates, coaches, and analysts all mention as being one of his top qualities, and the calm and collected nature allowed him to rally the troops and spark four come from behind victories. Teddy was also just 81 yards short of being the only rookie in Vikings history to throw for 3,000 yards in a season.
All in all, the 2014 NFL season provided mixed emotions for Vikings fans. The roller coaster ride this fan base endures on a yearly basis is getting old, but for the first time in recent memory, we can feel good about where we are with our quarterback, coaching staff, and front office heading into an offseason. Teddy Bridgewater has created a bond with Mike Zimmer and the rest of the staff, and their success will be tied to each other. Only time will tell, but it seems like Minnesota finally has their future in good hands, or gloves. Skol Vikes.