Viktor
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- Mar 19, 2019
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Getting hot and bringing the pressure | By @LindseyMNSports
The Vikings defensive line is finding its rhythm at just the right time.
After the departure of Everson Griffen and Linval Joseph in free agency, Michael Pierce opting out due to the COVID-19 pandemic and Danielle Hunter landing on Injured Reserve for the 2020 season, Minnesota's defensive line rotation has looked quite a bit different this year. But young players have stepped up, new starters have answered the call, and they're playing well as a group.
Vikings defensive end Ifeadi Odenigbo spoke with media members earlier this week about the way things are coming together.
"We started off pretty slow, but I think now we're getting hot at the right time," Odenigbo said. "The first four or five games, we were all trying to find an identity. Obviously this is a new defense, new faces, and we're all trying to complement each other, see how we rush. Now, since we've been at it for some time now, I think that's the pressure that we've seen, [and] that's what we're going to be seeing from now on. I think we've finally got it to click.
"Guys like D.J. [Wonnum], guys like Hercules [Mata'afa] are all stepping up at the right time, and now adding JB (Jordan Brailford), it's just great for the defense," Odenigbo continued. "But at the end of the day, all that stems from [Co-Defensive Coordinator and defensive line coach Andre Patterson]. He just gets us in the right position."
Things will certainly need to be clicking on Sunday, when the Vikings face Tom Brady and the Buccaneers. Especially considering Minnesota's young secondary, getting pressure on Brady from the interior will be crucial to containing the six-time Super Bowl champ.
Do Odenigbo and his teammates have a plan in place?
"Like the saying goes, a great magician never reveals his secrets. It's kind of the same way for our pass rush plan," Odenigbo quipped. "I think we have something that, obviously they're going to do their best to stop us. But I think we're getting in a flow, getting in a rhythm, and we'll have a good plan for Sunday."