The Minnesota Vikings fired defensive coordinator Ed Donatell on Thursday. The defense that he coordinated was a problem all season. If that was ever in question, it’s no longer a question after yesterday’s New York Giants-Philadelphia Eagles Divisional Playoff game. The Giants offense that easily sliced through the Vikings defense so easily in two games looked mediocre, at best, against an aggressive Eagles defense. Aggressiveness, or lack of, was a problem with the Vikings defense. It looked and felt like the defense let opposing offenses come to them. Between the 20s, the Vikings defense willingly allowed yards. That’s no way to play defense in the NFL. A change had to be made and the Vikings initiated that change with the firing of Donatell. Now, it’s time to find a new defensive coordinator. This weekend, the Vikings requested interviews with three coaches.
Brian Flores, Pittsburgh Steelers senior defensive assistant/linebackers coach
Ryan Nielsen, New Orleans Saints co-defensive coordinator
Sean Desai, Seattle Seahawks associate head coach
Brian Flores and Sean Desai would be outstanding additions. I vaguely remember Ryan Nielsen’s playing days at USC. Other than that, I know very little about him. His specialty is the defensive line and the Saints have had a strong defensive line. So, he has that going for him. It helps when you have Cameron Jordan as an anchor. If he brings a disciplined yet aggressive defense, I’m all for it.
Since Thursday, two defensive coordinator candidates immediately topped my wish list.
1. Jim Leonhard
2. Sean Desai
Jim Leonhard has been a dynamite defensive coordinator for Wisconsin since 2017. He currently has no job so no interview request needs to be made. I have no idea if he’s on the Vikings radar but some of the team’s top decision-makers know him well. Head Coach Kevin O’Connell was Leonhard’s teammate for a couple seasons with the New York Jets. Assistant head coach Mike Pettine coached Leonhard for about half of his 10-year playing career. All of Leonhard’s coaching career has been at the college level. The jump to the league can be tricky but he’s not naive to the demands of the NFL. He managed a 10-year playing career.
I have no idea why Brian Flores wasn’t on my initial wish list. Perhaps it was because I figured that his next NFL job would be another head coaching shot. He’s a candidate, and reportedly a strong candidate, for the Arizona Cardinals. In my opinion, Vikings DC is a better spot than Cardinals head coach. But that’s just me.
As far as I know, the interview requests have yet to accepted or scheduled. As a big fan of completion, I’m hoping that both happen soon. All I do know is that Brian Flores and Sean Desai are outstanding candidates. I’m hoping that Jim Leonhard gets an opportunity. As for Ryan Nielsen, I have some research to do.
The search for the Minnesota Vikings next defensive coordinator has begun.
No comments:
Post a Comment