Linebackers Andrew Van Ginkel and Jonathan Greenard, along with cornerback Stephon Gilmore, have been terrific offseason acquisitions for the Vikings’ defense. Rookie edge rusher Dallas Turner is starting to make more of an impact too. Not to mention safety Harrison Smith, who’s been doing it at a high level for a long time.
“Yeah, their personnel’s better and they’re on version 2 of this defense, so it’s definitely a tough unit and we’ve got our hands full, but it’s something that we’re getting ready for now and it’ll be a good one,” Goff said Wednesday.
“I’ve got a lot of respect for coach Flores and obviously Kevin (O’Connell) and those guys. They do a good job of getting those guys ready and I think what I’ve noticed, they’re extremely ball-aware – their defenders, they are. They know where the ball is, they’ve got their hands on the ball a lot, they’re putting their hands up at the line of scrimmage, they’re trying to knock balls down, they’re trying to bat balls up in the air, so it’s a challenge and it’ll be fun.”