Minnesota Vikings Need A DC

A big reason why the Minnesota Vikings aren’t playing playoff football this week was the team’s defense. It’s a team game. Offense, defense, special teams. All played a role in the team’s 13-4 regular season record. All played in a role in the too early offseason. Despite some late-game takeaways and red zone stands, the defense was a season-long problem. Opposing offenses routinely sliced through the Vikings defense as if they were playing against air. A change was needed and the Vikings decision-makers decided that defensive coordinator Ed Donatell had to go. 

The announcement was made through a statement from head coach Kevin O’Connell:

“Today I informed Ed Donatell we will be going in a different direction at defensive coordinator in 2023. While this was a difficult decision because of the tremendous respect I have for Ed as a person and a coach, I believe it is the right move for the future of our football team.

I want to thank Ed for his commitment to the Vikings this past season, for the positive impact he had on our players and coaches and for his role in helping me as a first-year head coach lay this foundation. We all wish Ed and his wife, Shari, only the best in the future. 

We will immediately begin our search to fill this critical role as we continue to build a championship standard for the Minnesota Vikings.”

It’s harsh to put all the Vikings defensive woes on one person. The woes were many. Coaching, scheme, execution, everything, everywhere. The most obvious woe was the passive play. It routinely looked and felt like the defense waited for the offense to come to them. That sort of passive play will never work in the NFL. It doesn’t work at any level of football. A change was needed and the Vikings are making the needed change. 

The Vikings now need a defensive coordinator. 

I’ve whittled my defensive coordinator wish list to two:

Sean Desai 

Jim Leonhard

It’s easy to start with Sean Desai as he was a finalist for the Vikings defensive coordinator job a year ago. Perhaps he would’ve gotten the job if he wasn’t so young, 38. One of the appeals of Donatell a year ago was his extensive coaching experience. At the time, O’Connell was 36 and a first-time head coach. An extremely veteran coach on the other side of the ball felt like a fine idea. It was a fine idea until we saw that defense on the field. From the start, O’Connell wanted a defensive coach from the Vic Fangio coaching tree. Desai was the young gun from that tree. Donatell was the old hat. Perhaps this time, he goes with the young gun. From all accounts, Desai would be a terrific hire. He’s had a single season as a defensive coordinator. That was in 2021 with the Chicago Bears. He spent this past year as the associate head coach and defensive assistant of the Seattle Seahawks. In that role, he successfully helped a defensive transition. That’s something that would be demanded of him in Minnesota. Desai learned from Fangio as a defensive quality control coach for the Bears from 2015-18. Those four years were apparently enough to become committed to the in-demand defensive scheme. He’s a quick learner and effective teacher. That can be seen in his unique background. Desai earned his undergraduate degree in philosophy and political science, with a minor in biology, from Boston University in 2004. He earned his master’s in higher and post-secondary education from Columbia in 2005. He didn’t stop there. He earned his doctorate in educational administration from Temple in 2008. He was even an adjunct professor for two years. Doctors aren’t often found on a football coaching staff. Desai isn’t the usual football coach. He’s a thinker. He’s a schemer. And, he’s most definitely a teacher. 

Jim Leonhard has been a dynamite college defensive coordinator at Wisconsin since 2017. He finished the 2022 season as the team’s interim head coach after the firing of Paul Chryst. It’s pretty easy to be drawn to Leonhard. His tremendous coaching success at the college level is one draw. His current availability is another. Perhaps most importantly is his long relationship with Vikings assistant head coach Mike Pettine. About half of Leonhard’s 10-year playing career was in places that Pettine coached. Ravens, Jets, Browns. Wherever the coach went the player wasn’t far behind. I can’t imagine Leonhard not being a consideration. While not in the Fangio tree, one of the great traits that Leonhard’s shown at Wisconsin is an adaptability to the traits of his players. He aggressively attacks offenses while leaving leaving his defensive backs in man-to-man coverage. He challenges offenses and keeps them guessing through innovative play-calling. All of that sounds the complete opposite of the 2022 Vikings defense. That’s a fine place to start. Perhaps the only question with Leonhard is whether he can replicate his college success at the NFL level. Unlike most coaches making that transition, he played in the league for ten years. 

I feel that I’m most drawn to Jim Leonhard as the next Vikings defensive coordinator. While Leonhard and Sean Desai top my wish list, there are certainly several other candidates. Some of those:

Anthony Weaver, Baltimore Ravens assistant head coach/defensive line coach

Dennard Wilson, Philadelphia Eagles defensive passing game coordinator/DB coach

Ejiro Evero, Denver Broncos DC

And certainly others.

Hopefully, Kevin O’Connell gets his defensive coach. And, most importantly, gets the right coach this time.