Riley Reiff
OK, let's just get all the rationalizations out of the way: only one game, Saints are mediocre, etc.
But: Left Tackle is a cornerstone position for every NFL team, and when it is weak, the entire OL is weak. LT has been a sucking wound for the Vikings since 2012 - really, since 2001 when Todd Steussie left. I was among those dubious that Reiff could solve the problem, but based solely on Monday night, he was damn good. No pressure on Bradford's blindside, LG Easton was free to take assignments without needing to babysit the LT, and I don't remember many plays with a TE assisting Reiff (some of you guys who break down film can correct me if needed).
IMO Reiff was a 1-game ray of hope as big as Bradford, Cook, Diggs, Theilen - because the others would have been less effective if he had failed.
Remmers, OTOH...don't get me started..
Reiff played better than I thought he would. Gave me hope.
I know I wasn't missing Kalil one bit. Reiff must've had a nice game. His name was barely mentioned. B)
I thought Reiff played well too, but there was an end for the Saints (and I don't know the name but he had long dreds) who on a couple of occasions was about a tick behind Sam's throw. A better end rusher would have probably gotten to Sam...this is not to throw cold water on the thread because I still maintain that Reiff is an upgrade from Kalil. I take into consideration his back injury (which will probably nag at him all season), the limited preseason work Reiff got, and the time it will take for this whole unit to gel. I am very hopeful though because as a unit they did pretty darn good and I think they'll just get better as time goes on.
Remmers went up against a very good DE in Jordan and held his own. I haven't broken down any film, but other than the one hit in which Jordan looped inside the guard, I don't recall much from their either. If there were only 2 hits and 1 sack, he must have done pretty well IMO.
Last season the Vikings OL looked bad against every team they played. Even if the Saints aren't a great defensive team, having the OL play well against them is a huge step forward.
Is everything fixed? Probably not, but it wasn't like previous seasons where opposing defenses had a field day against the poor play of out OL.
I hope they continue to get better and I think our tackles are at the very least, adequate.
Jordan is a very good player, and yes he made some good plays, but the OL kept him in. heck for most of the game.
First time in forever that I didn't spend a whole lot of the game bitchin about the OL. I thought they all did a bang-up job. Definitely rather have Reiff than Kalil.
Sam remained upright and there were very few penalties so that's a plus. Remmers got caught holding but there were no issues with Reiff. The OL is a work in progress but hopefully they gain more confidence with each game.
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