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Former linebacker Ben Leber played in the NFL for 10 seasons. He spent five years with the Minnesota Vikings. He currently reports on the team as a sideline reporter.
In an interview with CBS Sports Radio, Leber said the defense was to blame for the Vikings' recent struggles:
“We couldn’t win with the crap defense that we’ve had the last two years. We couldn’t stop the run, at all. Ever. And then in key moments of the games . . . we couldn’t stop any two-minute offense."
He went on to say defense is the team's biggest weakness:
"So, to me, the biggest liability of this team has been defense. All this team has to do is play good team defense, finish in the mid-teens at the end of the season, and they’re playoff bound, and they can make some noise.”
Minnesota doesn't have a highly ranked defense this year, either. Sportsnaut ranks them 17th in the NFL.
Ben Leber destroys the Vikings, especially former coach Mike Zimmer
Leber had a lot to say regarding the current state of the team, including that Kirk Cousins might finally have a career year:
“I think he’s gonna finally thrive, really thrive, in a system and a coach that actually respects him."
He stated that the reason Cousins couldn't thrive before was because former coach Mike Zimmer just didn't like him:
“I mean, it’s not like I’m not breaking news here that Mike Zimmer did not like Kirk Cousins. And I think that showed in the way that Kirk behaved and the way that he carried himself."
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Quarterbacks are usually the de facto leaders of NFL teams, but not with Mike Zimmer's Vikings:
"The team was never given to him (Kirk Cousins), or he was never allowed to earn the trust of the team because the head coach (Mike Zimmer), I think, just didn’t like him.”
Leber seems to think highly of Cousins. However, he doesn't think the team is built to compete. Most people would put that on the quarterback, but not Leber:
“That was a top-10 offense last year, with a very green, first-time offensive coordinator. Where was their defense ranked last year? Thirty-first. The year before that, I think they were ranked 27th. So people can rail on Kirk and rail on this offense and say we can’t win with him or we can’t win with this offense. I say that’s total BS.”
Minnesota will begin trying to prove Leber wrong when they take on the Green Bay Packers in Week 1.
