Kwesi Adofo-Mensah's Moneyball approach continues to work for the Vikings
The Minnesota Vikings didn’t put too much attention on the interior of the offensive line this offseason. Well, that was the narrative at least. Other than signing Blake Brandel to a three-year, $9.5 million contract to allow him to fight for the starting left guard spot, they didn’t do anything. He didn't end up having […]
The Minnesota Vikings didn’t put too much attention on the interior of the offensive line this offseason. Well, that was the narrative at least. Other than signing Blake Brandel to a three-year, $9.5 million contract to allow him to fight for the starting left guard spot, they didn’t do anything. He didn't end up having to fight for the job, he was the guy from day one.
The Vikings kept the status quo on both center Garrett Bradbury and right guard Ed Ingram. While the NFL as a whole was paying guards upward of $20 million on the free-agent market, general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah chose the Moneyball angle and he’s been proven right.
Blake Brandel is proving to be a great move
When we look at the performance thus far on the offensive line, it’s evident that it’s not a perfect group. You don’t need the offensive line to be perfect, you just need them to be solid. The Vikings have gotten that and then some from the interior.
Now, one of the go-tos for fans is to jump right to the Pro Football Focus grades. When you look at the interior, it’s been up and down. However, the tape shows an average to above-average group. Even by looking at just PFF grades, Brandel ranks as the 11th-best guard in the NFL and has only allowed one single pressure with that coming on Sunday afternoon.
Overall, the Vikings have done a good job keeping Sam Darnold clean only allowing eight sacks over the first three games and driving defenders back in the running game. Are there inconsistencies? Sure, but they are getting average to above-average performance for less than $10 million per year on the interior. Getting advantages like this is huge in the salary cap era and Adofo-Mensah is making it work.
The Vikings are for real and it's due to smart decision making.
