EAGAN, Minn. — A steely, uncompromising play style is part of Minnesota's football philosophy.

And an enormous part of that philosophy is taking care of, and taking away, opportunities to inflict damage, to find pivotal advantages and sap belief from foes while spreading it through the Vikings.

Defensively, that motif is predicated on getting the ball back to the offense in a hurry.

"We must make sure that we continue to be an improved team and an ever-improving team when it comes to being all about the ball," Head Coach Kevin O'Connell asserted Tuesday, maintaining that mindset will be stressed at training camp. "Our defense was a great example of [that] from the moment we started the offseason program last year all the way through the season. There's a reason why they ended up where they did, forcing turnovers all season long that were huge for us to win 14 games."

Minnesota tied for first in 2024 with 33 defensive takeaways. Directly off all types of turnovers, counting fumbles, interceptions, stopped fourth downs and blocked punts and field goals, last year's Vikings averaged 8.7 points per game. That figure fared second in the NFL to Super Bowl Champion Philadelphia.

Furthermore, no one matched Minnesota's 24 interceptions – or was close. Houston was next with 19.

"It's the No. 1 stat," Brian Flores said about turnovers. "I think everyone knows and understands that."

Flores commended the orchestration of teaching and implementing takeaway-focused drills that are spearheaded by Special Teams Coordinator Matt Daniels and drummed into by the entire coaching staff.

"He comes in, I would say, every other day and talks (about) turnovers and kind of leads the charge from that standpoint," Flores shared. "I think it's, you know, the opportunities that present themselves happen differently from position-to-position. We try to highlight that, 'Where are those opportunities?' And then we try to practice it, we watch it, we meet on it. We walk through some drills, we practice some drills, we do them in group periods, then we try to see if it all comes together in a team period."

After that, Flores continued, "Hopefully it comes together in a game."

The science behind creating takeaways is just like anything the Vikings defense does. The act itself of poking free the football or plucking it from midair, etc., is the product of a layered process, comparable to freezing opponents in the red zone or getting off the field on third and fourth downs. It's nuanced.

That's why the vast majority of defensive meetings begin with Daniels addressing the room. Usually, he shares cutups of the week's top turnovers across the NFL. On occasion, it's a review of years-old film of the Vikings and other defenses. They'll watch the takeaways themselves – and chances narrowly missed.

Byron Murphy, Jr., said Daniels is skilled at conveying the overall aim and getting players to actionize it.

"I'll tell you, the energy he brings [is special]," Murphy grinned following Thursday's practice. "When he's in the meeting, he's not just talking, he's hyped, he's really giving that information out. So I think that just sticks in people's heads, like all the plays just stick in our mind. Even when we're going to tackle, [we're remembering] 'punch the ball out, get the turnover!' They're the number one thing as a defense."

Urgency is an essential aspect. But a philosophy has no merit unless people tirelessly buy into it.

"We try to be diligent about how we teach it, and everyone learns a little bit differently," Flores explained, circling back to praise Daniels, again, as well as Assistant Special Teams Coach Dalmin Gibson.

"I think we're very mindful of that," Flores added. "But I think Daniels [and] D.G., they do a great job … and we all, as a collective group, just work together and obviously put a major emphasis on it because it's not easy, because the offenses are doing everything they can to, you know, protect the football."

That carefulness, a chief concern offensively, results in a tug-of-war between sides.

"We'll continue to work and work and work, and try to create those (takeaway opportunities)," the third-year defensive engineer assured. "And I think our guys – they understand that and they work at it."

"It never leaves our mind," Jonathan Greenard reinforced. "We've seen how it can change a game, and we've won some games off that. I mean, a lot of games off it. So, I think when you're preaching that message, it's hard to get through sometimes because people don't see it initially. Like the players don't see it initially. But once we've seen it happen in games and see how it can affect the game, give an offense momentum, give us momentum, stuff like that, kill a game, it makes us want to do it a lot more."

More than 2024 is a tall order. Thirty-three represented Minnesota's most takeaways since 2006 when it recorded 36. In the past 25 seasons, the Vikings have forced 30 or more turnovers four other times (2003, 2005, 2007 and 2019). But with the returning talent, and new pressure-appliers, it seems feasible.

"I always like to say, 'Nobody cares about last year,' but we also understand what we did," Greenard stated. "It's not like we're just going to keep hanging our hat on it – 'Oh, we did this last year!' – but don't switch anything up, do the same things that we did last year, do the same things with the same mindset but just add a little bit more to it. Like, yeah, we were number one but why not be number one with a larger margin? Like why not? Like why not take it to that next level because who knows, one more turnover could have changed the game somewhere in any of those games. You never know when it comes so just having that mindset of 'the football is on your mind' is something you should always have."

Daniels' resourcefulness and ability to connect with players across the age spectrum is invaluable.

"He just understands how to be a great coach and a great mentor," said Greenard, adding Daniels' passion and own experience as a player resonates with the current ones. "When he's talking about these things, you ain't gonna turn a blind eye to it, it's something like, 'Hey, he knows what he's talking about.'"

Although Murphy played minimally on special teams his first year on the Vikings, and not at all last season, he considers Daniels "my guy." They talk daily – and Daniels has helped raise his productivity.

Murphy's seven takeaways (six interceptions and one forced fumble) in his 2024 Pro Bowl campaign bested his old highwater mark of five, set with Arizona in 2021. The attention to certain moves, like the Peanut Punch he executed perfectly late in the game at Green Bay last year, have elevated Murphy's performance: "That's something that I added to my toolbox, because we do it so much here," he said.

Greenard, who knocked loose four balls in his debut Vikings season, good for the third most by a Minnesota player since 1999 (as far as Pro Football Reference's forced fumble tracking dates), can relate.

Granted athletes rely on different strengths and win reps in sometimes drastically different manners, there's tricks to pick up on from neighboring NFL greats. Greenard singled out Pittsburgh's rush edge T.J. Watt as someone he respects because of his knack for stripping the football and being a "gamebreaker."

The impact of stealing an extra possession is unlimited. Obviously, it saves defenders' legs, cutting short drives in the blink of an eye. It can also reset a defense's confidence – and birth new life into an offense.

Last season, almost one-third (10) of Sam Darnold's 35 passing touchdowns occurred during a series immediately following a turnover caused by the Vikings defense or special teams. No quarterback enjoyed more touchdowns of that nature than Darnold, and only Cincinnati's Joe Burrow threw as many.

The results are enough motivation to strain even harder in hopes of making a potential winning play.

"It shows us how it can be done, and it shows us that what we're doing in practice is not going in vain," Greenard said, unearthing a turnover's true effect. "It's going to actually build toward something great."

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