A Brief History of the Minnesota Vikings

The Minnesota Vikings were founded, as a franchise, in 1960. The Los Angelas Rams's previous general manager and first general manager for the Vikings, Bert Rose, put forth the nickname 'Vikings' because "it represented both an aggressive person with the will to win and the Nordic tradition in the northern Midwest" (vikings.com).

As a brand new franchise, the Vikings were allowed to pick first overall in the 1960 draft. They took running back Tommy Mason. In the third round the Vikings took quarterback Fran Tarkenton, who became the first Vikings player inducted into the Hall of Fame.

The Vikings won their first regular season game against the Chicago Bears, 37-13, helped immensely by Tarkenton's 4 touchdown passes. They wouldn't get their first winning season until 1964, however.

The Vikings were part of the Western Conference, joined by the Chicago Bears, Los Angeles Rams, Green Bay Packers, Detroit Lions, San Francisco 49ers, and Baltimore Colts. In 1966, the conference was realigned so that the Vikings, with the Detroit Lions, Green Bay Packers, and Chicago Bears now made up the Central Division of the Western Conference.

The Vikings played in four Superbowls, and sadly, they lost all four of them. They lost the first to Kansas City in 1970, the second to Miami in 1974, the third the following year to the Pittsburgh Steelers, and the fourth and final to the Oakland Raiders in 1977.

from: vikingsnfl.com

In the 60s and 70s, the Vikings were known for their strong defense. You may have heard of them, the Purple People Eaters. Consisting of defensive ends Jim Marshall and Carl Eller, and defensive tackles Alan Paige and Gary Larsen, the Vikings made a strong defensive front a tradition. In the mid-70s, Gary Larsen was replaced with Doug Sutherland.

In my opinion that is half of what the NFC North was all about; a tough defense. The other half was a power run game. The Vikings kept up the tough defense with the "Williams Wall", the combination of Kevin and Pat Williams, not related, that led the Vikings to the best run defense in the league from 2006 to 2008. Jared Allen was then acquired in 2008, adding another very strong piece in both the running and passing defense game. On the other side of the ball, the Vikings selected Adrian Peterson with the seventh overall selection in the 2007 draft. Peterson has unquestionably been the best running back in the league since 2008.

from: ducksters.com

The Vikings run a 4-3 defense, meaning they have four players lined up along the line of scrimmage and three linebackers hovering a few yards back (when in a standard 4-3 set). Typically they have a nose tackle to occupy blockers, a smaller tackle to rush the middle, and two speed rushing defensive ends on the outside that also must be big and strong enough to contain the run on the edge. Their linebackers would preferably be experienced in zone coverage, as the Vikings tend to rush the quarterback simply with their front four. Their cornerbacks also need to be good in zone coverage but also be willing to step up in run support.

The Vikings have previously run a West Coast offense, centered on quick, timed passes that would open up the running and deep passing game.  The West Coast offense was a shift in previous offenses, as it was a pass first offense. Once the Vikings had Adrian Peterson, they tailored their West Coast scheme to include more run plays. The earlier West Coast predominantly featured a two back set that current teams have moved away from. The Vikings continue to use a two back set, with the fullback opening up holes for the running back.

In 2014 the Vikings hired offensive coordinator Norv Turner, who utilizes an Air Coryell scheme. Instead of short passes to open the run game, the Air Coryell offense consists of a power run game and intermediate to deep passing routes. Most plays consist of three receivers, a tight end, and a single back. Two of the receivers will run deep routes, while the third receiver and the tight end run an intermediate route. The back will often run a short out route or be included in an intermediate route. Setting the backs, receivers, and tight ends in motion is also prevalent, as this allows the quarterback and the entire offense to get a better idea of what type of coverage the defense is running. With receivers in motion, it is also harder for a defensive back to jam the receiver at the line of scrimmage, allowing the offensive player to get open quicker and easier.