Clear of having to answer questions on the matter at their season-ending press conference and with some urgency to begin a search for a replacement, the Vikings quit delaying the inevitable on Thursday night by announcing the dismissal of defensive coordinator Ed Donatell.
Donatell needed to be replaced.
Whatever coach Kevin O’Connell thought he was getting with the 3-4 scheme employed by Donatell, it didn’t come close to working. The Vikings finished second-to-last in total defense in the NFL and near the bottom in scoring defense for a 13-4 team that had its season come to an end with a disappointing 31-24 loss to the Giants last Sunday in a wild-card game.
Donatell is the convenient fall guy, but that doesn’t mean that O’Connell should escape criticism. O’Connell received plenty of accolades for the job he did in his first season as he helped mold an offense that featured eight fourth-quarter comebacks from quarterback Kirk Cousins and a breakout year from wide receiver Justin Jefferson.
But O’Connell isn’t the Vikings’ offensive coordinator, he is in charge of the entire team, and, as he pointed out frequently, that means responsibility for all failures fall on him. O’Connell’s failure is the opposite of what happened with defensive-minded head coach Mike Zimmer, who took plenty of criticism for not paying more attention to the offense.
O’Connell will get the opportunity for a do-over with limited criticism. But this hire needs to be a home run. The new coordinator must earn the trust he will be given and not just because O’Connell thinks it will be a good system.
There are plenty of changes in personnel coming on defense with some veterans (Eric Kendricks, Jordan Hicks, Patrick Peterson, Harrison Smith?) being shown the door. The unit needs to get faster and younger and while the offense will be the Vikings’ identity, they can’t afford to have the defense that gives up tons of yards and is far too often unreliable.
Donatell being gone is the first step and it will be celebrated by the Vikings’ faithful. But that’s only a start. Confidence in the defense won’t be truly restored until O’Connell proves he can make the right hire.
Judd Zulgad is co-host of the Purple Daily Podcast and Mackey & Judd podcast at www.skornorth.com
