That question isn’t fair as this season’s Vikings defense will have leadership no matter how the starters at a particular position shake out. There’s the coaches on the sideline. There’s Harrison Smith. The question is posed here, in early August, for a simple reason. The “quarterback” of a typical NFL defense, the leader of a “typical” NFL defense is a linebacker. A linebacker is in the middle of the action. There’s a reason the middle linebacker is identified by the offense. His positioning dictates the other side’s blocking. The opposing offense, the defense, everything revolves around the linebackers. New defensive coordinator Brian Flores was tasked this offseason to reconstruct the defense, to re-imagine it. The Vikings defense was terrible last season. It has to be better. It has to be a lot better.
One of the few givens on the Vikings defense was that returning veteran linebacker Jordan Hicks would lead it. Another given was that second-year Brian Asamoah would be his explosive sidekick. He’s an aim and shoot missile. If Asamoah is guessing right, he’s blowing up the offense’s intentions. If he’s guessing right, everything’s aces. If he guesses wrong? Who knows? The only known is that Asamoah is going to play a big role in making this Vikings defense fun.
In a year that former Miami Dolphins linebacker Zach Thomas was deservedly inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame, I can’t help but think about the rapid rise of Vikings undrafted rookie linebacker Ivan Pace Jr. Separated by nearly 30 draft years, Thomas and Pace have much in common. Both are considered small.
Pace: 5’10”
231
Thomas: 5’11”
228
It’s easy to say it now, Ivan Pace Jr was a pre-draft favorite of mine. I expected him to be drafted anywhere from the third to the fifth round. It was inconceivable that a defensive difference-maker like Pace would fall out of the draft. I was thrilled that he’d signed with the Vikings after going undrafted. It felt like they’d been handed an extra mid-round pick.
So here we are. How important is the green dot?
From the moment the Vikings decision-makers decided on Jordan Hicks rather than Eric Kendricks, it felt like the inside linebackers moving forward would be Hicks and Asamoah. It’s weird to think about the Vikings with two inside linebackers. It’s been a while. Nearly 30 years. A 3-4 feels so foreign in Minnesota. Until proven otherwise, I’m a 4-3 devotee. Brian Flores will have the Vikings playing a base 3-4. I’m wagering that the Vikings defense is in that front less than 50 % of the time. I see an amoeba-like front seven, or six. None of those opinions mean much now. For the purpose of this, the Vikings are a 3-4 defense.
I haven’t been at the training camp practices. I’m depending on those that have. Ivan Pace Jr has been earning first team looks. During his speech, Zach Thomas said that Jimmy Johnson tapped him as the Dolphin’s starting linebacker 37 years ago, to the day.
Zach Thomas was a great football player. His bust and gold jacket is an indication of that greatness. I didn’t see the Dolphins a lot during his time but every time I did he made an impact. When thinking about 1996 Zach Thomas on his Canton day I can’t help but think of Ivan Pace Jr. on all of his Minnesota days. Each entered the league as a little piss-ant for their position. Neither was ever really given a shot by those that judged from the safety of an office. Those that wanted a football player loved them. Those that wanted a model linebacker didn’t.
If Brian Flores goes with his best two interior linebackers, from my comfy seat, I see those linebackers being Asamoah and Pace. Could Flores, could all those in the Vikings decision-making process go with two starting inside linebackers with zero NFL starts?
Until I listened to Zach Thomas, I didn’t think that talent was worth the risk of experience. If the Vikings go safe and roll out Asamoah and Hicks, fine. The bold move is Asamoah and Pace. All I know is that Asamoah and Pace will one day be the Vikings interior linebacker duo. Hopefully, the two fun, explosive football players will be the Vikings linebackers for a long time.
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