The Simplicity Engine
When analysts try to figure out why the - at time of writing, unbeaten - Vikings have confounded expectations, they usually point to Vikings defensive coordinator, Brian Flores.
Google Minnesota Vikings Defense, and you'll find articles describing his creative scheme in similar terms: Wild. Chaotic. Crazy.
Flores has flipped the script on modern football's relatively predictable defensive schemes: instead prioritising formations that appear to be one thing, then morph into another.
With a 53-man roster, coaches prioritise players who excel in specific positions, and then craft plays to maximise each position group’s strengths.
Flores takes a different approach: prioritising generalists who can play multiple positions and building his scheme around them.
The result? Chaos. If any player can play in any spot at any time, good luck trying to figure out where each play is going to end.
