Defensive Line Makeover

When an NFL team hires a new head coach, one can expect to see some changes. Since the Minnesota Vikings hired Mike Zimmer in January we have seen a near complete makeover of the defensive line. Last year, the defensive line looked like this:

DE Jared Allen
DT Letroy Guion/Fred Evans
DT Kevin Williams
DE Brian Robison

Each day it becomes more apparent that Allen and Williams have played their last games in Minnesota. It's a fact that's very hard to accept. Each has been among the best players that the franchise has ever seen. The moves that the Vikings have made in free agency all but assure that both won't be back. The team is looking to get younger and Allen and Williams are on the wrong side of 30. So is Robison but he's had less NFL wear on his body and got a contract extension a few months ago. The Vikings have had several terrific defensive lines in their history. The line of Allen, Pat Williams, Kevin Williams, and Robison/Ray Edwards was one of the best. It was never the same after Pat Williams played his last game in 2010. That big man in the middle was gone. Guion and/or Evans never came close to filling that hole. Instead of a wall, runners found an interior Vikings defense that was more like a sieve. That hole in the middle impacted the entire defensive line. Even if the Vikings hadn't hired a new coach there was likely to be changes. The changes now were made with Mike Zimmer's vision in mind. Here's the Vikings new (likely) defensive line:

DE Everson Griffen
DT Linval Joseph
DT Sharrif Floyd
DE Brian Robison

It seems strange to think of Robison as the leader and most tenured member of the Vikings defensive. I think that he will do fine in that role. The Vikings got younger, bigger and faster. Joseph is the Vikings one, fairly big free agent addition. He's certainly physically big. He provides the interior presence that the Vikings have lacked since Pat Williams. Griffen has played behind Allen for a few years and is ready to explode on the NFL. His talent is immense. Floyd was the team's top draft pick last year. He's skilled but has to fill the huge shoes of Kevin Williams. The Vikings have added six players in free agency. All are on defense. Half are on the defensive line. Joseph, tackle Tom Johnson, and end Corey Wootton. After losing Allen, Kevin Williams, and Guion, the Vikings defensive line was dangerously thin. The additions have added starters and provided depth. In only a couple of months the defensive line of the Minnesota Vikings has been re-made.