You hear Mike Zimmer and others talk a lot these days about "getting the best 11 on the field." Switching players around, discovering their strengths and weaknesses, who works well together, who's stepping up, who's not, and scheme adjustments are all factors that play a part in the equation.

Here's my early take on who those players ought to be:

BASE PACKAGES

On offense, really no surprises compared to the current starting roster. Ellison is effectively an FB or HB in Norv's offense, but whatever you want to call him, he's the best lead blocker for AP. He's also the best pass blocker of all the backs too.

Defensively is where the tough decisions, novel thinking, and faith come into play. The biggest change is having Anthony Barr as starting DE opposite Griffen, assuming his injury is not severe and he can recover quickly. Barr is a much bigger threat there than either Robison or Crichton, and much more versatile as well. Beyond Barr at LDE, I have Kendricks at WLB, Cole at MLB, and Hodges at SLB in the base package, with Kendricks calling the signals. Kendricks being a rookie, it's a bit of a projection to have him in at starting Will calling the defense. But he has been doing so for the 2s already, and is getting first team reps in nickel packages, so he's making good progress. He definitely has the intelligence and background to be calling signals, as well as being a 3-down LB. Cole would be the 2-down thumper, coming out in nickel packages, but also with his uncanny ability to drop into zone in pass coverage and read the QB effectively. Hodges at Sam, which he played some last year well, makes a lot of sense as a replacement for Barr, who can do well in both coverage and run support. Lastly, elevating Exum to FS, allowing Smith to be more effective as a SS/rover, showcasing his versatility and creating problems and mismatches for opposing offenses to address. Obviously it's also a bit of projection at this point to elevate Exum, but he has shown superior cover skills compared to Blanton, and comparable run support. There has to be confidence in his knowledge of the system, and reliability and consistency as the last line of defense, but he has the chance to demonstrate this in the coming 5 pre-season games, and he has been getting good praise from the coaching staff so far. Obviously this line-up does not include popular and long-tenured veterans Brian Robison and Chad Greenway. Those are the tough decisions that need to be handed down.

3-WIDE / NICKEL PACKAGES

Pretty straight-forward substitutions here. Cole goes off in favor of Munnerlyn at slot CB, and Wright replaces Ellison. However, there are a few personnel groupings on offense that can be used to create mismatches and that may work best for a given play. For example, in addition to the above, there could be a 'speed' group that includes Pruitt at TE, McKinnon at RB, and Wright at SWR. There could also be a 'Length group' that includes Rudolph at TE, Patterson at SWR, and Pruitt at RB/HB. There could also be a 'Jumbo' group that includes Clemmings, Ellison and Peterson. Lots of versatility for Norv to work with this year.

DOUBLE A-GAP BLITZ PACKAGE

This is just to illustrate the defense. Moving Barr to be one of the A-gap blitzers, while bringing in Danielle Hunter at DE gives the defense a host of good pass rushers and blitzers, while also giving Zimmer a lot of flexibility in terms of who blitzes, and who falls into coverage. Reversing Barr and Hunter's position could also be an effective option.

SUMMARY

Getting to these 'Best 11' scenarios means a few things need to happen. First, Barr needs to be healthy and ready-to-go at DE. I think the health question is probably the bigger concern at this point, but from everything I've heard, he should be back on the field soon. Second, Eric Kendricks has to prove he is ready as a starter and can handle signal-calling responsibilities. Right now, he's on the way to doing so. Third, Antoine Exum needs to show he can be an upgrade over Robert Blanton generally at safety, particularly in pass coverage, but also reliable and consistent in his assignments and execution. He is also making great strides so far in camp to demonstrate that.

The rest is for the coaches, and Mike Zimmer in particular. He's got to make some tough, but I think entirely justified, decisions on two popular veterans- Greenway and Robison- stripping them of their starter status, and in Robison's case, perhaps outright release. It also means having the faith that new starters can hold their own in knowing and executing their assignments with consistency, rather than going with perhaps the 'safer' veteran option that is easier and more expected.

For Norv Turner, getting the right skill player combinations on the field for a given play, as well as disguising plays with personnel and formations, is the challenge. He also may have to make some play adjustments to keep a TE or HB or RB in to help in pass protection if need be, given what are some questions right now on the offensive line.

While Mike Zimmer has the experience and is certainly capable of making tough personnel decisions, he has also maintained under-performing players as starters. I'm thinking primarily of LDE Robert Geathers in Cincinnati. He had a string of 5 double-digit negative PFF rating years while Zimmer was there, including back-to-back years under -20 overall, but he remained the starter throughout. I hope that will not be the case with Brian Robison in Minnesota.