At the end of the Vikings' Feb. 15 news conference to introduce him as the team's new defensive coordinator, Brian Flores was asked if he would keep the Vikings in a 3-4 scheme or return to a 4-3 base defense.
Flores quickly responded, "Who are we playing?" before adding, "It's game plan-specific, but it's 3-4."
The brief answer confirmed a basic tenet of the Vikings' defense that had been widely expected: they'd hired a coordinator with an extensive 3-4 background in Flores, and they wouldn't ditch the three-man front a year after installing it.
But Flores' response hinted at a philosophical difference between his approach and that of his predecessor Ed Donatell: The Vikings' scheme would evolve based on the matchups they faced.