Flores said analytics, such as information on tendencies and personnel groupings, has played a part in what the Vikings do. Nguyen and Lewis pointed out that an untraditional perspective has catered to what Flores’ defense does, too: The coordinator sees 11 spots on the field. Not 11 positions, which can be limiting, conceptually. Flores isn’t afraid, for instance, to align Metellus at strong safety, free safety, left cornerback, right cornerback, slot cornerback, left inside linebacker, right inside linebacker, middle linebacker, left outside linebacker, right outside linebacker, right defensive end or left defensive tackle.
The “safety” performed each of those roles in a season, because Flores’ scheme enabled him to.
In examining some of the intricacies of the Vikings “D”, Nyguen and Lewis presented several diagrams of plays from last season that revealed Master’s level disguises. One package named MAZE, standing for man alignment, zone execution, baited Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford into an interception in Week 8. Another convoluted pre-snap look in Week 11 confused Titans quarterback Will Levis and resulted in an unblocked pressure over the center despite Tennessee’s offensive line having a numerical advantage.
It’s impossible for an offense to know what’s next because of disguises.
Read Nyguen’s and Lewis’ story on Flores’ defense and its ingenuity here.