PurplePTSD: Patrick Peterson's Return And The Defensive Domino Effect

Press release from the PurplePTSD:

K. Joudry

2021-11-21

Patrick Peterson’s return is good news, folks.

To better understand this reality, let’s begin with some football math. Defensive coaches do math different from most people. These coaches always want an additional number. If the offense sends 3 blockers, the defense wants to have 4 defenders. In theory, the free man ought to make the tackle. Of course, this player doesn’t always do his job. Moreover, some defenders defeat their blocker to make the play. In any case, defensive coaches see a certain amount of players on offense and they always want to counter with a +1.

Traditionally, defenses have tried to accomplish this goal by having an abnormally large human at DT. There’s a reason why the coaching staff was so enamored with Linval Joseph. He was unusually strong and huge, meaning offenses commonly had to double team him. As a result, the Vikings’ defense had an extra man free since the offense had to devote two of its players toward a mere one defender.

As the game has shifted, some of that focus has shifted to the corner. It is, after all, a passing league. A corner who can play in true one-on-one can similarly allow a coach to get a numbers advantage elsewhere. Patrick Peterson’s return may allow for precisely this scenario.

Now, I should be clear that I’m not advocating for a full game of Peterson vs. Davante. That’s a matchup that would tilt heavily in GB’s favor. Winning the game is huge; losing it completely discouraging. Too many one-on-ones with Davante – arguably the best receiver in the game – is a lousy idea. Nevertheless, there will probably be times in the game when Zim decides to leave Peterson on an island. In so doing, Zim can roll a safety into the box to slow AJ Dillon. Perhaps Zim uses that extra defender to send five after Aaron “Doofus” Rodgers. The old coach certainly can come up with all kinds of creative ways to use an extra man.

One of the best things Peterson brings to the table is his high-level intelligence. The Star Tribune explains that he spent his time on IR listening to Zim’s game day calls to better understand the coach’s decisions: “When you’re in the game, you can’t really hear the calls. You’re just waiting for the call to come out, so being on the sideline and able to hear the call and hear him relay the message to Nick [Vigil] or Anthony [Barr] or whoever the [line]backer is in that game, it was a lot more eye-opening for me to understand and kind of see where Coach is coming from when he calls certain things.” Perhaps this already intelligent player will be a touch more capable as a result of the info he gleaned.

Patrick Peterson’s return offers the potential for a much better Vikings defense. Ideally, he’ll be playing alongside Cameron Dantzler. Such a pair isn’t without fault, but it would be a sizeable upgrade to what Minnesota has been dealing with for several weeks. The potential domino effect may be precisely what this defense needs.

This press release was produced by the PurplePTSD. The views expressed here are the author’s own.