Wes Phillips comes from a strong football family. His father is Wade Phillips. His grandfather is Bum Phillips. There’s been a Phillips coaching in professional football for over a half century. Football has been a part of Wes Phillips’ life since birth. He played quarterback at UTEP. After college, he played two years of Arena Football with the San Diego Riptide (2002-03). It was then that he turned to the family profession of coaching football.
UTEP (2003) Student Assistant
West Texas A&M (2004-05) Quarterbacks
Baylor (2006) Quarterbacks
Dallas Cowboys (2007-10) QC/Offensive Assistant
Dallas Cowboys (2011-12) Assistant Offensive Line
Dallas Cowboys (2013) Tight Ends
Washington Redskins (2014-18) Tight Ends
Los Angeles Rams (2019-20) Tight Ends
Los Angeles Rams (2020-21) Pass Game Coordinator/Tight Ends
O’Connell and Phillips first worked together in Washington in 2018. While the Vikings went through some interviews for the OC job, it was obvious that O’Connell had Phillips had tapped for the job from the start. He certainly had him tapped for some job from the start.
The Vikings now have an offensive coordinator (Phillips), a pass game coordinator (Brian Angelichio), and a run game coordinator (Curtis Modkins). Now, they need a Red Zone Coordinator, a Behind-the-Sticks Coordinator, Short-Yardage Coordinator, You-Name-It Coordinator. Similar coordinator titles are often tossed out on the defensive side of the ball. It’s the way of today’s NFL. I remember a Bud Grant coaching staff that numbered about six.
Tom Pelissero reported this morning that the Vikings have hired Matt Daniels as special teams coordinator. He’s seven years removed from a brief playing career. He played safety and mostly special teams for the St. Louis Rams (2012-14), Jacksonville Jaguars (2014-15), and San Diego Chargers (2015). It was the stint with the Rams that was pivotal in his career as a football coach. That’s where he played special teams for John Fassel. In 2018, Fassel brought Daniels on as his special teams assistant for the Los Angeles Rams. When Fassel moved on to the Dallas Cowboys in 2020, he brought Daniels with him. That’s a strong endorsement. A coaching endorsement from John Fassel is enough for me.
The Vikings traditional coordinator roles are now filled. In an interesting twist, Ed Donatell was hired as defensive coordinator before O’Connell was officially hired as head coach.
12 coaches have been hired. I’m guessing that seven coaches, maybe even more, still need to be hired.
Assistant Head Coach: Mike Pettine
Offensive Coordinator: Wes Phillips
Defensive Coordinator: Ed Donatell
Special Teams Coordinator: Matt Daniels
Quarterbacks: Chris O’Hara
Assistant Quarterbacks: Jerrod Johnson
Run Game Coordinator/Running Backs: Curtis Modkins
Receivers: Keenan McCardell
Pass Game Coodinator/Tight Ends: Brian Angelichio
Offensive Line: Chris Kuper
Assistant Offensive Line: Justin Rascati
Defensive Line: Chris Rumph
Linebackers:
Defensive Backs:
Assistant Special Teams:
Assistant Defensive Line:
Assistant Defensive Backs:
Offensive Quality Control:
Defensive Quality Control:
The actual number of coaches on the final staff may vary.
I’ve heard nothing about candidates for the Vikings other coaching vacancies. I’m hoping that Gerald Alexander is a consideration for defensive backs coach. As Cal’s defensive backs coach, he crafted a college-to-the-NFL assembly line. It was tragic when the Miami Dolphins plucked him from Berkeley. His players love him. I still expect that all of the vacancies will be filled by the end of this week. Kevin O’Connell and Kwesi Adofo-Mensah have too much work to take their time filling out the coaching staff.
No comments:
Post a Comment