Mike Freeman's 10-Point Stance: Vikes' Historic Defense Has Surprised Many

We all got the Vikings wrong, Brian Kelly's NFL chances and time to panic in Carolina.

1. How the Vikings Proved the NFL Wrong

Some in the NFL and media will claim they knew all along the Vikings would be fine after the team lost Adrian Peterson and Teddy Bridgewater. That would be a big, fat lie. No one knew. I thought they were sunk. Everyone did. 

That leads to the question of the season so far: Why, after losing so much, did the Vikings gain so much?

Two definitive answers emerged when I asked various team executives about the Vikings:

1. Minnesota is benefitting from a league in which the level of play on offense, as one scout said, is as bad as he's seen in the past five to 10 years.
2. We may be seeing one of the 10 best defenses of all time.

The reasons underlying the second point are the same reasons other defenses become great tactics and speed.

"It seems like they have their scheme mastered," Brock Osweiler said after he was stifled by the Vikings on Sunday. "They got after us."

Not only are the Vikings able to skillfully disguise their blitzes, which is something many defenses can do, they also can match any counterattacks with pure speed. Once you figure out what their disguise is, the Vikings have blown your doors off.

And it hasn't been only the less-accomplished (i.e., awful) quarterbacks who have suffered but the world-class signal-callers like Aaron Rodgers and Cam Newton, too. That's yet another mark of a great defense: it destroys everyone. No mercy.

There are other reasons for Minnesota's rise, to be sure. It's found a solid running game with the tag team of Matt Asiata and Jerick McKinnon. And late-preseason import Sam Bradford has been so good—I didn't think he would be—it's made people around the league think he might replace Bridgewater at quarterback.

But this team's destiny will be determined by its defense. And despite how well the unit has played through five weeks, the ultimate judgment won't come until the end of the season. Historic defenses often end the season by hoisting a Lombardi Trophy. It's like a period at the end of a championship sentence.

We may be surprised these pieces have come together at the same time for the Vikings, but there's nothing surprising about what this team could accomplish—no matter how unexpected it once was.

2. Hue Jackson Is Coaching His Tail Off

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It doesn't show in the Browns' winless record. It may not show this season at all. Indeed, even if the Browns go 0-16, it is becoming clear that Hue Jackson is doing one of the top three coaching jobs in the league.

Of all the teams I've covered this year, the Browns might play the hardest. They have bought into Jackson's message, and it shows on the field. The team was clearly outmatched by the Patriots on Sunday, but it never quit.

That's not an easy sales job for a team that may have the least talent in the NFL. The Browns' front office has handed Jackson a water pistol in a league full of high explosives. This is what makes Jackson's coaching acumen all the more impressive. Neither the standings nor many of the statistics may show it, but this club competes, often keeping games within winning distance deep into second halves.

Eventually the Browns' talent will match Jackson's coaching IQ. When that happens, the Browns will be hard to beat. Yes, I can't believe I just wrote the "Browns will be hard to beat" either, but it's true.

3. Brian Kelly's Star Takes a Hit

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Just a few years ago, a general manager told me Notre Dame's Brian Kelly was one of the most highly regarded college coaches in the NFL. There are certainly team executives who still feel that way.

But some do not. The Fighting Irish are 2-4 this season and have given up at least 489 total yards to four of their five Power Five opponents.

"Brian had better get the hell out of there soon if he wants to go to the big leagues," one general manager told B/R.

With the way his year is going in South Bend, he may not have a choice.

4. Well, That's a Little Awkward

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Greg Hardy, alleged woman beater, mentioned in a tweet how "Greg Hardy 2.0 [is] in the making," while telling Ariel Helwani of MMAFighting.com that he was preparing for a career in mixed martial arts. I think those are still the plans. When I tweeted about Hardy, he blocked me, so I'm not sure.

But lo and behold, a new website, Greg Hardy 2.0, is under construction, complete with an inspirational message from Vince Lombardi. I'm not joking.

"It's not whether you get knocked down, it's whether you get back up."

That's, well, an interesting choice of words for an alleged woman beater to use.

And as for his commitment to MMA, a choice he claimed to make while putting his NFL career on hold, let's just remember he didn't really have a choice; the NFL did that for him.

Stay tuned.

5. It's Time to Panic in Carolina

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Losing on Monday night to an extremely bad Tampa Bay team down to its third-string running back was the last straw. The Panthers are in trouble.

Scouts who have studied the Panthers this year say one of the big reasons they're struggling is the loss of Josh Norman.

It's not outlandish, these scouts explained, to think Norman's absence alone could have this kind of impact. They say Norman's athleticism raised the level of play for every unit of the defense. Norman made the pass rush better. The run defense better. He elevated everyone.

This isn't to say Norman was Deion Sanders. It's also not to say he was the most important defensive player on the team. Yet the Panthers clearly underestimated his impact. His absence proves it's more than the Carolina system. It's the players. It's always the players.

6. Houston, We Have an Expensive Problem

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"Brock Osweiler is a bust."

So I was told by one assistant personnel man from the NFC.

It seems kind of early to declare that. Osweiler could turn it around.

But the Texans didn't spent 72 million big ones to get six touchdowns and seven interceptions in five games. Osweiler has been awful—shockingly so. He's having problems completing simple passes. The offense is in the dump. And he's turned a major weapon in DeAndre Hopkins into Anthony Hopkins.

Again, to think that Osweiler can't turn this around is a little premature. But so far, he's been as bad of a free-agent signing as we've seen in some years.

7. Bill Belichick Shows His Human Side

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Bill Belichick took his players to see the Jim Brown statue outside FirstEnergy Stadium after the Patriots played in Cleveland on Sunday. He wanted them to know about Brown's contribution to the game. Brown has both a glorious and a sordid past. And while the latter deserves examination, so, too, does the former.

Belichick has a great appreciation for football history, and he considers Brown one of the biggest parts of it, a fact I learned when I interviewed Belichick some years ago for a biography I wrote about Brown's life.

Asked about his feelings regarding Brown in a conference call the day after the Patriots' 33-13 win, Belichick was uncommonly effusive. The quote below is long, but it is worth reading because it's extremely rare—like, Haley's Comet rare—for Belichick to publicly display such emotion:

"

Well, I think honestly any person, football player or otherwise, can learn a lot from Jim Brown and what he represents and what he stands for. But particularly as it relates to our football team, Jim Brown's in my opinion the greatest player that ever played. I've had an opportunity to have known him for over 20 years now. I met him when I was the coach at the Browns and just had so much more respect and appreciation for him knowing him well as a person and as a friend, even just as an observer from a distance, but I think he's meant so much to this game. He's paved the way for all of us; players and coaches.

[He's] part of many people who have made professional football, the game of football, the great game that it is. I just felt like it was an opportunity for us as a team after the game to recognize and pay a tribute to Jim and all that he stands for, both in and out of football. But in particular, what he has meant to the game of football and how much he has done for us, for the game, which means for all of us.

That statue was recently put there. It's kind of remarkable that it hadn't happened sooner, but regardless, I'm not sure how many of our players really understand or appreciate what he meant to the game and what he has meant to the game through his continued involvement not only with football, but with young football players, be they Browns players or just other youth that he interacts with primarily on the West Coast, but as we know he's been involved in projects through his Amer-I-Can program throughout the country, which I've been very fortunate to witness and be a small part of.

That's why we did it and I'm glad they appreciated it and hopefully that's something that's part of their football career [and] will be one small memory [as] just the recognition of a great player and a great person and somebody who has really made the game better for all of us.

Honestly, I wish Paul Brown's statue would've been right there with it because then we could have knocked out two birds with one stone. Paul Brown's name is up there. Obviously, that's who the franchise is named for and his name is up there on the stadium as part of the players that are recognized on that ring of honor there in the stadium. It's a little special quirk for me when you think of Paul Brown, and you think of Jim Brown, and the Cleveland Browns who were named for Paul Brown and being in that stadium, not because I was the coach there, but because of what Paul Brown and Jim Brown did for professional football in that city. It's a special place in my heart.

"

8. We're Not Buying It, Jerry Jones

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The Cowboys owner reiterated that when Tony Romo returns from his shoulder injury, he will again be the starter at quarterback.

What I need to reiterate is that few coaches or team executives believe him. One general manager put it succinctly: We are seeing the beginning of the end of Romo in Dallas.

I'm not so sure. Jones has a great deal of affection and loyalty for Romo. But so did the 49ers toward Joe Montana before he went to Kansas City. Or the Jets to Joe Namath before he departed. Or Jerry Rice. Or any number of greats.

Trading Romo or cutting him would be far from unprecedented when it comes to franchise players. After all, remember, it was Jones who cut Tom Landry loose.

That's why it's hard to believe Jones without some level of doubt. And it's even harder when Dak Prescott is playing as well as Romo ever did.

9. Locker Room Talk

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I've been in locker rooms all my life. I was a terrible high school football player. Ran track in college. Went to my first professional locker room in 1987 as an intern. Been in NFL, MLB, NBA, hockey and almost every locker room there is and has been.

I've heard men talk about women in demeaning ways. Vulgar language. Crazy, out-of-bounds stuff. I've also heard players talk about their plans to take their wives out to dinner. Weekend plans with the kids. I've heard it all.

What I've never heard is any player talking about groping or sexually assaulting a woman. I've never heard it directly, and I've never heard a player tell a story about it.

I'd estimate that 90 percent, and probably more, of all NFL players I've known are good men. They simply don't talk about groping women. They don't think that way. There are, of course, bad human beings in every walk of life, and they exist in NFL locker rooms, too.

But what Donald Trump said simply isn't true in my experience.

And if a player did say that, another player would probably punch the guy in the face.

10. Ricky Jean Francois' Incredible Trip

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After Washington's game against Baltimore, defensive end Ricky Jean Francois and wide receiver Pierre Garcon got a call from owner Dan Snyder. Both men are of Haitian descent (Garcon is actually Haitian-American) and had been closely following the aftermath of Hurricane Matthew in Haiti.

Snyder offered the use of his private jet for both players to deliver medical supplies to the country. They flew into Port-au-Prince on Monday. It was a journey that gave Francois a new perspective on life.

"When we got near the hospital, we saw trucks with bodies in them," he said in a telephone interview with B/R. "Some of the hospitals built to hold just a few hundred people were jammed with over 1,000.

"At one point, I asked one of the [doctors] what was one of the toughest things they had to do. [The doctor] said, 'Tell a family we can't admit them because the hospital is too full.' That will stick with me for the rest of my life."

Published reports say hundreds are dead and more than a million are in need of medical assistance. What Francois, Garcon and Snyder did is something that may go unnoticed by many, but it's one of the best moments in the NFL this season.

Players catch hell (sometimes deservedly so) for some of their actions. Then there are instances like this one where players represent the NFL well with their generosity.

"When you return from seeing something like that," Francois said. "You have an entirely different outlook on life. You realize how much we take for granted in this country."

Mike Freeman covers the NFL for Bleacher Report. Follow him on Twitter: @mikefreemanNFL.