Brian Flores - Pittsburgh Steelers senior defensive assistant/LB coach
Sean Desai - Seattle Seahawks associate head coach-defense
Ryan Nielsen - New Orleans Saints co-defensive coordinator/DL coach
Ryan Nielsen interviewed with the Vikings on Monday. Sean Desai had his interview on Tuesday. Brian Flores is scheduled to have his interview today. Yesterday, a familiar name became the fourth candidate for the job. Vikings assistant head coach Mike Pettine threw his name into the defensive coordinator ring as he interviewed for the job.
When the Vikings hired relative youngster Kevin O’Connell to be a first-time head coach, it was a fine idea to hire a relative old-timer like Pettine to assist him. O’Connell first met Pettine when both joined the New York Jets in 2009. O’Connell was working to stay in the league as a quarterback. Pettine was in his first year as a defensive coordinator. Over two years together with the Jets, the quarterback apparently made an impression on the defensive coach. As head coach of the Cleveland Browns, Pettine gave O’Connell his first coaching opportunity as the team’s quarterbacks coach in 2015. When O’Connell received his first head coach opportunity with the Vikings, he hired Pettine to assist him. Now, he’s apparently the fourth candidate to become the next defensive coordinator of the Vikings.
If I were to be so bold as to rank the four candidates, it’d look something like this:
1a. Brian Flores
1b. Sean Desai
2. Ryan Nielsen
3. Mike Pettine
Of the four candidates, I easily prefer Flores and Desai. The only negative to both is that each might be a year or two away from a head coach opportunity. But that’s always the price of success. As for Nielsen, I just don’t know enough about him. From outside the organization, it’s tough to know his impact on a very good Saints defense when he’s the co-defensive coordinator for a defensive-minded head coach. I prefer Pettine remaining in his advisory role with the Vikings. His run as the defensive coordinator of the Green Bay Packers is still too fresh. It was so up and down that I was disappointed when it ended. I liked that the Packers defense was an under-performing group. Despite those feelings about his last job, Pettine is an excellent football coach. His defenses in New York were annually among the league’s best.
I’d still like to see former Wisconsin defensive coordinator Jim Leonhard as a candidate. He’s well known to O’Connell and Pettine. Leonhard and O’Connell were teammates with the Jets. Wherever Pettine coached: Baltimore, New York, Buffalo, and Cleveland. Leonhard was soon there. Familiarity doesn’t alway mean interest but I was always impressed with what Leonhard did with the Badger defense. And he was a tough, smart, overachieving, reliable player in the league for ten years.
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