Josh Metellus Is Uniquely Capable Of Executing Brian Flores’ Defense
Credit: Brad Rempel-Imagn Images
The lab experiments being run by “mad scientist” Brian Flores are becoming well-documented at this point. That happens when some of the best offensive minds in the NFL act as if Flores put them under a disorientation spell. His innovative mind is effectively inventing a new defensive system that is turning insanity into genius.
After the Week 3 win against the Houston Texans, cornerback Shaq Griffin was asked about Flores’ scheme. “Oh man,” Griffin said, laughing. “How can I explain it? It’s different. It’s so different. I think Flo is crazy enough to run this type of scheme and make it work.”
As it is in the movies, the script is only as good as the players filling the roles, and Flores was gifted in the offseason with the perfect character actors to deliver the lines in his eccentric scripts. It starts with Flores valuing smart, physical players who have an innate passion for football as he aims to instill versatility, wear down opponents, and possess the selflessness to execute as a unit.
Flores is the architect and secret sauce, all in one. Using his players’ intelligence and dynamic skill sets as guiding ingredients, he maximizes their distinctive traits by teaching a system where players train and learn multiple positions, able to step in anywhere.
“His biggest thing is teaching spots,” Andrew Van Ginkel said. “He could be talking to a defensive lineman, but it could relate to an outside linebacker or inside linebacker. He does a good job of teaching everybody else’s position. You never know. I mean, people are lined up all over the place. So, if you get a grasp of that, you can play faster.”
The breakout character of this movie is the positionless Swiss Army knife, Josh Metellus. Technically, he is listed as a safety, but in Flores’ first year as defensive coordinator last season Metellus played 11 defensive positions and on special teams, leading the league with 1,256 snaps — only 64 of which came at safety.
“We experimented with a lot of things with Josh last season, and he answered the bell in every way possible,” Flores said. “There’s more meat on the bone, and he wants to do it, so I’m happy to oblige.”
That hunger to do more is what converted a special teams ace under Mike Zimmer into a football unicorn who has synthesized his intelligence, physical tools, and passion into a celestial NFL creation. Not many, if anyone, in the league can play the number of positions Metellus does, and does so effectively. Because of this, he has quietly become the straw that stirs the drink for this defense.
Against the Giants in Week 1, Metellus (#44) is playing on the left side in the box. As the ball is snapped, the Vikings are in a hybrid zone coverage as Blake Cashman (#51) does a shallow cover on the running back into spy coverage on the quarterback. Metellus has no threat of a player in his zone (and corner coverage on the outside) so he instinctively shades middle-to-right, reads the eyes of the quarterback, and positions himself perfectly to deflect the pass:
Josh Metellus, man. pic.twitter.com/u2IDQ43q5A
— JohnnyNFL (@JohnBBoyd12) September 14, 2024
Despite playing every defensive position, and therefore needing to know Flores’ dynamic playbook inside and out, all Metellus does out there is react, as opposed to wasting time thinking. It makes him uniquely capable of playing fast and making stops.
This season, Metellus leads the Vikings in PFF overall defensive grade (76.3), tackling (89.9), and pass-rush (74.2). He is second in run defense (90.1), and is also second in coverage grade (67.8) among Vikings players with at least 70 coverage snaps. Once again, he leads the Vikings in total snaps with 376 (315 defensive, 61 special teams).
Flores sprinkles him all over the field by playing him on the defensive line, in the box, at slot corner, wide corner, and free safety. Adding players like Van Ginkel, Jonathan Greenard, Cashman, Stephon Gilmore, and Griffin has enabled Metellus to play in the box more than ever before, where he shines the most. He still can play all over the field, but it’s a luxury now, not a necessity, which it was last year.
Metellus hasn’t shown a lot of flash compared to some of his peers this season (save for his “Parent Trap” celebration), but it is his energy that unlocks the unit to play with such decisiveness on Sundays. Under Flores’ system, Metellus acts as the protector of the realm who takes on many faces for this defense. Positionless, faceless, and selfless, No. 44 might not be a household name, but he is quietly anchoring the Vikings’ top-ranked DVOA defense into a unit that is threatening to put on an all-time great performance.
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