Pink Floyd released Meddle in 1971, two years before Dark Side of the Moon. It marked the band’s transformation from an obscure psychedelic rock band to dominating the music scene for a decade. Die-hard fans know The Piper at the Gates of Dawn (1967), A Saucerful of Secrets (1968), and Atom Heart Mother (1970). However, Dark Side (1973), Wish You Were Here (1975), Animals (1977), and The Wall (1979) immediately entered the cultural zeitgeist.
Meddle is, in a word, weird. Pink Floyd produced the album while touring. With no material to work with and no direction for the album, they conducted a series of experiments that resulted in “Echoes,” which is 23 minutes long. Like Dark Side of the Moon, which syncs with The Wizard of Oz, they matched the final 23 minutes of 2001: A Space Oddesy. Floyd also used unused material from “Echoes” to create “Brain Damage,” Dark Side’s penultimate song.
Like Pink Floyd in the early ‘70s, Justin Jefferson may be on the verge of another breakthrough. However, he’s frustrated with how opponents defend him, and the Minnesota Vikings are searching for a way to get him more involved. Kevin O’Connell and his staff must experiment with their playcalling to sync Jefferson’s ambitions to be the league’s best receiver with Minnesota’s offensive flow.
A week ago, a reporter asked Jefferson how he would defend himself if he were an opposing team. “It’s either let everybody else go off or let Justin go off,” Jefferson posited. “I’m going to let everybody else go off. That would be my game plan.”
Last Sunday, Chicago Bears head coach Matt Eberflus responded in kind, meddling with Jefferson’s mettle. Chicago’s defense focused on Jefferson and let Jordan Addison and T.J. Hockenson beat them. The 4-8 Bears lost the battle but may have started a psychological war.
Chicago limited Jefferson to two catches for 27 yards, but Addison went off for 162 yards, and Hockenson finished with 114. In doing so, Eberflus highlighted a tension for Jefferson. He supports his teammates but also wants to be the league’s best receiver.
“I mean, I always want to have an impact on the game,” Jefferson told the Star Tribune after the game. “And I always want to create some spark for our team. Defenders, the way they cover and the way the game goes, it might not happen all the time. So, it’s frustrating at times. But we got the win, and that’s all that matters.”
Winning a game where Jefferson only has 27 yards may sound like a champagne problem. However, Jefferson has been forthcoming about his ambition to be the league’s best receiver and knows that people use counting stats to measure greatness.
“I feel like every receiver wants to be leading in receiving yards, touchdowns, and receiving catches,” he said before the Bears game. “It’s not something that we’re going out and trying to strive for every single week. But just being a top receiver in this league, I know I’m going to get targeted throughout the game. I know my opportunities are going to come.”
However, Chicago’s defense held Jefferson to five targets. Meanwhile, Sam Darnold targeted Addison and Hockenson nine times; Aaron Jones had three catches for 23 yards on four targets. Perhaps teams will see Addison and Hockenson’s productivity and focus on them. However, they may test Jefferson’s willingness to sacrifice yardage to create opportunities for his teammates.
Before Sunday’s game against the Arizona Cardinals, a reporter asked Jefferson what he would do if teams continued implementing Chicago’s strategy throughout the year.
“That’s a great question,” he responded. “I’m not really sure.”
The reporter immediately followed up, asking if he had any more ideas on opposing defenses blanketing him like the Bears.
“No,” he said, “I don’t.”
Offensive coordinator Wes Phillips suggested that receivers should receive credit for yardage they earn with pass interference penalties. In the second quarter, Jefferson drew a 35-yard pass interference penalty, which moved the ball from second-and-eight at the Chicago 41-yard line to first-and-goal from the six. Jefferson also drew pass interference on third-and-three in the third quarter.
“Even it doesn’t show up on the stat sheet, the defensive PI on the third down to get us going down the field [and another] gets us first-and-goal inside the five there, those are huge plays in the game,” said Phillips. “I wish we could give the guy yards for that.”
Jefferson echoed Phillips’ sentiment.
“I mean, we get those yards. We move the ball,” said Jefferson. “It’s satisfaction in the drive for sure. You just don’t add on to those stats. So, it doesn’t really count too much, but moving the ball forward and getting the drive going is always a great thing.”
It sounds selfish, but he’s being honest. National pundits echoed one another, questioning what was going on with Jefferson after the Bears game. The Vikings have benefited from his aspirations to be the league’s best receiver. However, he must generate receiving yards to be considered the NFL’s best wideout.
Minnesota’s opponents may choose to test Jefferson’s altruism, starting with Arizona on Sunday. However, meddling with Jefferson’s mettle feels like an invitation for him to cut their defenses into little pieces. Jefferson is 25 and hasn’t entered his prime yet. What we’ve seen may only be the beginning, especially if he can break defenses selling out to stop him.
O’Connell has married Jefferson’s ambitions with Minnesota’s offensive production before. He should be able to sync them again, but he might have to experiment before getting it right. If O’Connell fosters a breakthrough for Jefferson, it will allow him to dominate the league throughout this decade like no other player before him.
