Depending on who you believe, the Minnesota Vikings either blew up their entire defensive gameplan in the first half or corrected their rogue defensive backs after just one series.
A source close to the Vikings told ESPN’s Adam Schefter that Vikings defensive backs ignored coach Mike Zimmer’s gameplan for wide receiver Jordy Nelson only for the first series of Saturday’s game before reverting to it after that.
Interestingly, the source seemed to blame Zimmer for the story blowing up, stating that his lack of specificity after the game led to the situation being “blown out of proportion.”
ESPN’s Ben Goessling notes that Xavier Rhodes, who was to shadow Nelson all game, did not do so until there were less than three minutes left in the first quarter. By that point, Nelson already had a pair of catches for 49 and 48 yards, and Green Bay was well on their way to their second touchdown drive of the quarter. That would seem to go against the information being given by the source.
Ultimately, the Vikings may be trying to downplay the controversy with these leaks. It’s a really embarrassing story for coach and players alike to have flying around, so it’s in their best interest to make it sound like the problem was addressed quickly. If true, though, it’s not really clear why Zimmer or someone else with the team didn’t just say so in the first place after Saturday’s game.
