5 Ways the Vikings Offense Can Get More Creative This Season

Creativity.

It's a word that's tossed around in almost every industry. But as the Minnesota Vikings prepare for a monumental 2013-14 season, the team must embrace that word when it comes to the offensive side of the football if they have any hopes of finding success.

Dr. Seuss famously said, "Think left and think right and think low and think high. Oh, the thinks you can think up if only you try."

While this may be the only time you ever hear someone say that Vikings offensive coordinator Bill Musgrave needs to embrace his inner Dr. Seuss, the fact is, in a sense he does.

Look, we all know improving on the NFL's 31st-ranked passing attack last season is going to take more than just bringing in a bunch of new faces.

If the Vikings have any hopes of making another playoff push this season, embracing a more creative philosophy is key.

Factoring in recent news we've heard from camp with the strengths of this roster, this list of potential ways to get creative was constructed.

With all of that being said, it's time to start the slideshow and find out five ways the Vikings offense can get more creative this season.

 *All stats provided by Pro Football Reference unless noted otherwise.

Incorporate the Pistol Formation

One way to spark this offense and embrace a more creative philosophy is by introducing the pistol formation into their game plan.

The latest trend in a line of successful hybrid NFL formations, the pistol formation was the brainchild of former Nevada Wolf Pack head coach Chris Ault.

Over the past few seasons, the pistol offense has found its way into the NFL.

Whether you're talking about Tim Tebow, Cam Newton or more recently Colin Kaepernick and Robert Griffin III, this exciting new style of play has taken the league by storm.

While most teams who have infused the pistol formation into their schemes have had the luxury of having a mobile quarterback under center, the Vikings could still find an effective way to use the pistol as fellow Bleacher Report featured columnist Arif Hasan notes.

Talking about the pistol with Vikings.com, offensive coordinator Bill Musgrave said:

"

There has been a lot of research done on it and I think teams have done it over the years. I know we have been in the formation over the years but haven’t really majored in it and a lot of teams do employ it because it provides a lot of options.

"

Ultimately the goal of adding this new-look formation into the Vikings' offensive arsenal is just another way to keep defenses off-balance.

If they can find a way to blend the pistol into their scheme, it could provide this team with a major boost offensively.

Utilize Jerome Simpson

With all of the talk centered on Greg Jennings and Cordarrelle Patterson, it's easy to forget about Jerome Simpson.

The 27-year-old Simpson is known by most people as the guy who made a few ridiculous highlight-reel catches during his tenure with the Cincinnati Bengals.

But if you dig a bit deeper and really analyze Simpson's skill set and, more importantly, his current mindset, you would understand this guy has all of the makings of becoming a quality wide receiver for the purple-and-gold machine.

Blessed with a nice combination of size and speed, Simpson's best asset is his ability to stretch the field—think about Adrian Peterson enjoying the fact that defenses can't keep their safeties in the box all game long.

During what was a horribly disappointing first season with the Vikings, thanks to a nagging back injury, Simpson finished with a dismal 26 catches for 274 yards receiving.

Using that "lost" season as fuel, after signing a new deal with the team this offseason, Simpson told ESPN 1500, ""I'm very appreciative to get my second chance and this is somewhere I want to be, I want to earn a spot here and hopefully end my career here."

As he gets his health back, the Vikings should be thrilled about Simpson getting more touches this season. 

Embrace the Vertical Passing Attack

Even though the Minnesota offense runs through Adrian Peterson, the fact remains that the Vikings don't throw the ball deep very often anymore.

Blame it on a lack of wide receivers, the sheer volume of work Peterson gets—348 rushing attempts last season—or Christian Ponder, but this season, Bill Musgrave and Co. must incorporate more of a vertical passing element into their scheme.

According to Pro Football Focus (subscription required), Ponder found himself ranked 35th overall when it came to average passing yards per attempt.

The only QBs who ranked worse than Ponder were Blaine Gabbert, Brady Quinn and John Skelton.

Not having a true vertical threat in the offense last year clearly played a major role in these numbers, but now with Greg Jennings, Cordarrelle Patterson, Jerome Simpson and Jarius Wright at his disposal, Ponder will have all of the chances he needs to launch the ball downfield.

Talking to USA Today, coach Leslie Frazier made it clear that he knows this team has guys capable of stretching the field.

"We know that Cordarrelle can run by you," Frazier said. "We know that Jerome can run by you, we have some deep threats. Now, it's a matter of our being able to connect on some of those."

With the tank now full, it's the time for Ponder, Musgrave and this offense to start their long-ball assault on opposing defenses.

Get Jarius Wright the Ball in Space

While it's clear the guy who can create the most damage with the football in his hands is first-round pick Cordarrelle Patterson, another player who deserves to be mentioned is Jarius Wright. 

As Mike Wobschall from Vikings.com noted during his training camp coverage, Wright has been one of the standouts at camp thus far.

While he has cooled off a bit as of late, thanks to his physicality, speed and great hands, unleashing Wright could be another creative decision that might pay off huge for the Vikings this season.

With the departure of Percy Harvin to Seattle, the Vikings could use Wright as his potential replacement in the slot, a role he is familiar with.

Proving his value to this club, last season in the absence of Harvin, Wright stepped up late, helping the Vikings offense move the football more effectively.

Outside of their similarities in speed and ability to create problems for defenses with the ball in their hands, according to Pro Football Focus (subscription required), Wright and Harvin are both players who stand out most when catching passes between zero and nine yards on the field.

As Bill Musgrave experiments and tinkers with this offense, a wise decision would be to try to get Wright the ball as much as he can in space, which in turn will take some of the pressure off of Christian Ponder. 

Carve out New Roles for Position Players

As the NFL evolves, so do the roles of positional players.

For the Vikings, when they drafted Percy Harvin a few years back, the team embraced this new way of thinking.

What made Harvin so special was that his skill set allowed him to do more than just line up as a wide receiver.

Thanks to his shiftiness, speed and elite vision, Harvin became a factor in the return game as well as in the Minnesota backfield.

This new way of thinking regarding how to use athletic players to inflict the most damage possible has become essential for offensive growth and creativity in the NFL.

That's why arguably the most important way for the Vikings to get more creative on offense this season is by breaking the mold and using their skill players in a variety of different ways.

From trailblazers like Cordarrelle Patterson taking snaps in the backfield to centering their play-action game around creating space for Kyle Rudolph, the more these players are used in various means, the harder it will become for opposing defenses to predict what this team is going to do when they line up.

Combining the art of deception—lining up players in different areas on the field—with specialized gadget plays is going to guarantee this Vikings offense takes a major step forward this season.

The creative thinking behind designing new looks and coming up with a series of dynamic plays is something Bill Musgrave is going to lose sleep over.

But if he can blend all of these new elements into this offense, the talent is there for this Vikings team to make some noise all season long.