Vikings Defensive Coordinator Brian Flores, who was named Thursday as one of five finalists for The Associated Press’ Assistant Coach of the Year, said dropping into pass coverage was “something we’ve worked on throughout the course of the season.”
“I think [assistant coaches Mike] Pettine and Imarjaye [Albury, Sr.] have done a great job with Dallas, as far as meetings, walk-throughs, practice, extra walk-throughs, extra practice, helping him get a routine. They’ve done a great job,” Flores said after the interception. “I know the landmarks and the drops, I would say, over the past few weeks there’s been extra drills, extra work on that, and lo and behold, it shows up.
“So it’s good for us as a coaching staff to kind of see that. … He was right where he was supposed to be. And he was able to make a play,” Flores added. “Now I wish he would stay on his feet [after the interception], because there was some space there, but we’ll take it one step at a time. It’s good to see that kind of a practice rep showing up in a game, and kind of gives him a little bit of — reinforces a lot of things, I would say.”
A major key to Flores’ success in his first two Vikings seasons has been maximizing players’ strengths and capitalizing on their versatility. He tasks outside linebackers with posing the threat of a pass rush before the snap but then dropping into coverage. He also likes to send them forward to opposing QBs, if you haven’t noticed.
“If you can rush, you’re going to rush, I would say, a significant amount of the time, and when we drop you, it’ll be just to throw off their offense just enough that, ‘Is he dropping, or is he rushing?’ and then it may help you rushing,” Flores said.