Post by Purple Pain on Mar 7, 2023 8:53:10 GMT -6
Alec Lewis:
Minnesota is inching closer to finalizing its coaching staff for 2023.
First, note the announced departures: defensive coordinator Ed Donatell, who was fired; inside linebackers coach Greg Manusky, who was fired; assistant special teams coordinator Ben Kotwica, who was hired by the Denver Broncos to be their special teams coordinator; assistant quarterbacks coach Jerrod Johnson, whom DeMeco Ryans hired as the QBs coach in Houston; and assistant defensive line coach A’Lique Terry, whom Oregon hired as its offensive line coach.
O’Connell also confirmed last week that Sam Siefkes, who was highly regarded inside the building, exited his post as assistant linebackers coach to become Jonathan Gannon’s linebackers coach in Arizona.
Arriving in Minnesota was Brian Flores, the new defensive coordinator; inside linebackers coach Mike Siravo, who has experience in a more man-heavy system; and defensive quality control coach Lance Bennett, who has experience working alongside Flores. Grant Udinski, who last season worked as an assistant to O’Connell, was elevated to assistant quarterbacks coach.
The Vikings also made two additional hires last week, according to two people briefed on the matter. Patrick Hill, who was recently hired at Colorado as Deion Sanders’ defensive line coach, was plucked to be the Vikings’ assistant defensive line coach. And Dalmin Gibson, who most recently coached special teams at Southern Illinois, was tabbed as the Vikings’ assistant special teams coordinator.
O’Connell wants Flores to find the correct blend of aggression and disguise.
This, it became clear through numerous conversations in Indianapolis, was the primary issue with Donatell. Coverage rotations did not confuse quarterbacks, and Donatell blitzed at one of the lowest rates in the NFL.
O’Connell is also well aware that Flores’ defense will be entirely different than Donatell’s. While Donatell’s pre-snap aesthetic was a two-high safety structure, Flores will often walk down numerous second- and third-level defenders on the line of scrimmage. Sometimes, Flores will blitz them all. Other times, he’ll drop them all.
“You’re still disguising,” O’Connell said. “You’re just not doing it from a shell.”
That’s not to say they wouldn’t sprinkle in some two-high safety shell looks, especially as time passes. To achieve their goals, O’Connell said that the overall defensive approach is to introduce an inventory of strategies to their players that they can tinker with as players familiarize themselves with it.
Before Adofo-Mensah became the Vikings’ general manager, he knew one member of the team’s analytics department: Chris French.
French, a University of Michigan graduate with the title of “football quantitative methods analyst,” had interviewed with the Cleveland Browns when Adofo-Mensah was with them.
“He’s super talented,” Adofo-Mensah said.
Quickly, Adofo-Mensah acquainted himself with two additional staffers within that department, Scott Kuhn and Rex Johnson, respectively the team’s director of football quantitative methods and football quantitative methods manager. Adofo-Mensah also hired Demitrius Washington, who had been a fixture in the San Francisco 49ers’ research and development department.
The group’s job is hard, Adofo-Mensah said, because he’s attentive to their work considering his own Wall Street and R&D background.
“Everything they do is that important,” Adofo-Mensah said. “Every assumption they make could be the reason why something is good or bad. I need that urgency, and I will push and I will pry because I know that area very well.”
First, note the announced departures: defensive coordinator Ed Donatell, who was fired; inside linebackers coach Greg Manusky, who was fired; assistant special teams coordinator Ben Kotwica, who was hired by the Denver Broncos to be their special teams coordinator; assistant quarterbacks coach Jerrod Johnson, whom DeMeco Ryans hired as the QBs coach in Houston; and assistant defensive line coach A’Lique Terry, whom Oregon hired as its offensive line coach.
O’Connell also confirmed last week that Sam Siefkes, who was highly regarded inside the building, exited his post as assistant linebackers coach to become Jonathan Gannon’s linebackers coach in Arizona.
Arriving in Minnesota was Brian Flores, the new defensive coordinator; inside linebackers coach Mike Siravo, who has experience in a more man-heavy system; and defensive quality control coach Lance Bennett, who has experience working alongside Flores. Grant Udinski, who last season worked as an assistant to O’Connell, was elevated to assistant quarterbacks coach.
The Vikings also made two additional hires last week, according to two people briefed on the matter. Patrick Hill, who was recently hired at Colorado as Deion Sanders’ defensive line coach, was plucked to be the Vikings’ assistant defensive line coach. And Dalmin Gibson, who most recently coached special teams at Southern Illinois, was tabbed as the Vikings’ assistant special teams coordinator.
O’Connell wants Flores to find the correct blend of aggression and disguise.
This, it became clear through numerous conversations in Indianapolis, was the primary issue with Donatell. Coverage rotations did not confuse quarterbacks, and Donatell blitzed at one of the lowest rates in the NFL.
O’Connell is also well aware that Flores’ defense will be entirely different than Donatell’s. While Donatell’s pre-snap aesthetic was a two-high safety structure, Flores will often walk down numerous second- and third-level defenders on the line of scrimmage. Sometimes, Flores will blitz them all. Other times, he’ll drop them all.
“You’re still disguising,” O’Connell said. “You’re just not doing it from a shell.”
That’s not to say they wouldn’t sprinkle in some two-high safety shell looks, especially as time passes. To achieve their goals, O’Connell said that the overall defensive approach is to introduce an inventory of strategies to their players that they can tinker with as players familiarize themselves with it.
Before Adofo-Mensah became the Vikings’ general manager, he knew one member of the team’s analytics department: Chris French.
French, a University of Michigan graduate with the title of “football quantitative methods analyst,” had interviewed with the Cleveland Browns when Adofo-Mensah was with them.
“He’s super talented,” Adofo-Mensah said.
Quickly, Adofo-Mensah acquainted himself with two additional staffers within that department, Scott Kuhn and Rex Johnson, respectively the team’s director of football quantitative methods and football quantitative methods manager. Adofo-Mensah also hired Demitrius Washington, who had been a fixture in the San Francisco 49ers’ research and development department.
The group’s job is hard, Adofo-Mensah said, because he’s attentive to their work considering his own Wall Street and R&D background.
“Everything they do is that important,” Adofo-Mensah said. “Every assumption they make could be the reason why something is good or bad. I need that urgency, and I will push and I will pry because I know that area very well.”
... and neither is this Chris guy.