The Minnesota Vikings, who've lost eight of their last 10 games, are hurting. And when coach Mike Zimmer admitted after Saturday's loss to the Packers that his defensive backs ignored the team's scheme to contain Packers receiving star Jordy Nelson, it only made matters worse.
But while the Minneapolis Star Tribune reported after the game that the Vikings defensive backs ignored Zimmer's plan the entire first half — during which Nelson racked up seven catches for 145 yards and two touchdowns — ESPN reported Sunday they only freelanced for the first series.
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The source told ESPN the situation had been "blown out of proportion."
Zimmer's original plan called for Xavier Rhodes, the Vikings top cornerback, to shadow Nelson throughout the game. But the Star Tribune reported the team's defensive backs decided during the week not to follow the plan, and that Rhodes stayed on his side of the field throughout the first half.
But ESPN reports that Zimmer addressed the situation immediately after the first defensive series, not at halftime as originally reported.
In the second half, Rhodes shadowed Nelson and limited him to two catches for nine yards.
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"That’s what he was supposed to do the whole game," Zimmer said after the game. "Someone decided they wouldn’t do that."
When asked about the change in plans after the game, Rhodes told the Star Tribune, "To be honest, I really don’t want to answer that.
"A matter of fact, forget it. We felt as a team, as players, we came together and we felt like we’d never done that when we played against the Packers. Us as DBs felt like we could handle him. That’s how we felt as DBs that we could stay on our side and cover him. In the beginning, we’d always played against them and played our sides, so that’s what we as DBs went with."
ESPN reported that the DBs who ignored the scheme that first series could still face disciplinary action from the team.