{"id":2907,"date":"2016-09-29T11:29:47","date_gmt":"2016-09-29T15:29:47","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonprofootball.com\/?p=2907"},"modified":"2016-09-29T14:27:29","modified_gmt":"2016-09-29T18:27:29","slug":"minnesota-vikings-spotlight-t-j-clemmings","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/2016\/09\/29\/minnesota-vikings-spotlight-t-j-clemmings\/","title":{"rendered":"Minnesota Vikings Spotlight: T.J. Clemmings Makes Matt Kalil Expendable"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Minnesota Vikings have found their new left tackle in T.J. Clemmings<\/strong><\/a>. Over the last three plus years, the phrase \u201cour left tackle played well\u201d would have received a great deal of scrutiny and\u00a0been summarily dismissed by most of the\u00a0Minnesota Vikings<\/strong><\/a> faithful. During that period, fans watched Matt Kalil<\/a><\/strong> wilt like a frost-bitten rose. Fan angst has ratcheted up to the point of disgust over Kalil’s play. The fourth overall pick in 2012\u00a0continually disappointed after a promising Pro Bowl rookie season.<\/p>\n

Minnesota Vikings Spotlight: T.J. Clemmings Makes Matt Kalil Expendable<\/h2>\n

Clemmings, a fourth-round pick in 2015, replaced the injured Kalil last Sunday.\u00a0The new\u00a0face protecting Sam Bradford’s<\/a><\/strong> blind-side\u00a0entered the\u00a0Carolina Panthers<\/a> <\/strong>game with very\u00a0low expectations. In 2015, the Vikings threw\u00a0the rookie\u00a0to the wolves, asking him to fill in for\u00a0veteran stalwart Phil Loadholt<\/a><\/strong>. The tenth offensive tackle selected in 2015 played all 16 games as the Vikings\u2019 right tackle. By most accounts, he was completely over-matched. Given fourth-rounders are traditionally seen as projects, his poor performances were not a surprise to the Vikings’ coaches, but that didn\u2019t stop thousands of\u00a0Vikings fans from proclaiming Clemmings a bust.\u00a0Fans feared the worst against the\u00a0Panthers for good reason.<\/p>\n

Asking a right tackle to shift to left tackle, a position regarded as more difficult to play, and expecting him to play well is a tall order. Asking\u00a0an\u00a0inexperienced NFL<\/strong>\u00a0sophomore\u00a0to do this against the one of the most feared defensive lines in the NFL in his first\u00a0left tackle start\u00a0seemed potentially disastrous.<\/p>\n

After looking at all 53 offensive snaps, excluding field goals, extra points, punts or kneel downs, the impending doom never materialized. Clemmings didn\u2019t play perfectly but did, in fact, play well. This article breaks down\u00a0the new Viking left tackle’s\u00a0overall performance, as well as his performance as a run blocker and pass protector.<\/p>\n

Overall<\/h3>\n

Let\u2019s start by establishing the sample size of plays taken into account. Of the 53 offensive plays evaluated, Clemmings performance neither positively nor negatively impacted the outcome on 23 occasions. These plays will\u00a0go uncounted, as they were either runs to the right side or plays made by someone Clemmings was not assigned to block. It is worth noting that on most of these discounted plays,\u00a0the second-year pro\u00a0appeared to do his job.<\/p>\n

Clemmings’ performance positively impacted 24 of 30 remaining plays (80 percent). Six plays were sub-par. Some will argue that 80 percent is a “C+” or “B-” at best and not commensurate with \u201cplaying well.” That would understate who his opponent was, as well as affording any credit for shifting positions from right tackle to left. Given the circumstances, Clemmings deserves a “B+” for his efforts against the \u201cBlack and Blue Cats.”<\/p>\n

Run Blocking<\/h3>\n

The Vikings executed 21 running plays not including kneel downs. They rushed the ball\u00a011 times to the right where\u00a0the left tackle didn’t get involved in the point of attack. Clemmings’ play had no consequence on three additional plays. leaving a sample size of seven impacted running plays.<\/p>\n

Of those seven plays, Clemmings performed well on six of them. Given the Vikings\u2019 issues running the football in Carolina, this seems like an outrageous statement. Many of the six positive plays resulted in little or no gain. That does not mean Clemmings\u00a0failed to\u00a0do his job. Even where some of the six plays lacked productivity,\u00a0his effort set the stage for what should have been a positive outcome. For example, on a first-and-ten\u00a0play in the third quarter, Clemmings pushed his opponent into the middle of the field creating an opportunity for a huge edge run. Jerick McKinnon<\/a><\/strong> appeared to hesitate, was tackled from behind, and\u00a0lost two yards on the play.<\/p>\n

The one blemish was a first\u00a0and ten run where Clemmings assignment was to get to the second level and block Luke Kuechly<\/a><\/strong>. Clemmings whiffed on the block taking a poor angle. Kuechly blew up the play causing a one-yard loss.<\/p>\n

Pass Protection<\/h3>\n

Minnesota attempted to pass the ball 30 times. The Vikings offensive line allowed two sacks,\u00a0an improvement\u00a0from the previous week.\u00a0T.J. Clemmings played a key role, but he was far from perfect.<\/p>\n

The 6’5, 309 pound tackle\u00a0directly impacted 23 pass plays in Carolina. During 18 of those plays, he did a great job of holding his blocks.\u00a0He either re-routed pass rushers out of the play or allowed zero penetration towards the quarterback. The highlight for Clemmings came late in the fourth quarter on a third-and-14 play. The Panthers ran a stunt where Clemmings was initially engaged with the defensive end. Clemmings moved the end into position for another offensive lineman to pick up.\u00a0He pivoted to the stunting defensive tackle, driving him well away from Bradford.<\/p>\n

There are some things that need to improve. Statistics indicate that Clemmings gave up zero sacks. However, on a third-and-six pass play in the first quarter, his man\u00a0had a free run\u00a0on Bradford. Clemmings assignment fell on the Vikings’ quarterback just after another Panther teammate\u00a0took Bradford down.\u00a0The new left tackle\u00a0must also take some credit for\u00a0four quarterback hits. Clemmings must work on screen plays as well. The \u201cPurple\u201d ran three screens. On the first two, Clemmings was late getting in position to make a block. On the third\u00a0attempt, however, his block\u00a0sprung Rhett Ellison for an 18-yard gain.<\/p>\n

Summary<\/h3>\n

T.J. Clemmings’ play against the Carolina Panthers was encouraging.\u00a0His stock is clearly rising as Kalil\u2019s continues to plummet. The performance of the 110th player selected in last year’s draft paves the way for the Vikings to let Kalil\u00a0become a free agent\u00a0next season. The Minnesota Vikings’ left tackle job now belongs T.J. Clemmings.<\/p>\n

Main Photo:<\/p>\n

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Embed from Getty Images<\/a><\/div>\n