Robert Blanton Gets Trucked – Twice!
The Minnesota Vikings were absolutely demolished by the Green Bay Packers on Thursday night – both on the scoreboard and on the field. Multiple Vikings took massive strikes from Packer players, but strong safety Robert Blanton seemingly got it the worst (and most frequently).
The perpetrator? Former Alabama running back Eddie Lacy:
Blanton, who has had problems tackling all season, didn’t learn his lesson after the first shot either. In fact, Lacy takes off his helmet AND gets into the end zone the second time around.
These two clips really sum up the Vikings’ performance last night against the Packers. Green Bay went straight through Minnesota, performing at a high level in nearly every area of the game.
As previously stated, Blanton has been garbage all season for the guys in purple. His coverage has been solid, but when it comes to tackling, he is (almost) completely useless. Although he leads the Vikings with 39 tackles with 39, 14 (36%) of them have been assisted. Blanton is noticeably overmatched by bigger players, which is just about everyone considering he stands at 6-foot-1 and weighs a mere 200-pounds.
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The Vikings do not really have a whole lot of options at safety opposite pro bowler-to be Harrison Smith, which explains why Blanton still remains the starter. Rookie Antone Exum Jr., who hails from Virginia Tech, is likely the next man up.
Personally, I think it is time to make the move. Exum may be a work-in-progress, but he has the skills to succeed in the NFL. If I am sick of watching Blanton get laid out by opposing offensive players, frequently missing tackles in the process, I cannot imagine that head coach Mike Zimmer is too pleased either.
I hope for the Vikings’ sake, and Blanton’s health, that he is demoted sooner rather than later.