Assessing blame and the fixes for Vikings’ defense
Could Ed Donatell return as the Vikings’ defensive coordinator in 2023?
Coach Kevin O’Connell didn’t give Donatell a vote of confidence on Wednesday at his season-of-season press conference, but he also didn’t say that Donatell was one-and-done in Minnesota.
“That is an ongoing process that is continuing as we speak and will continue throughout the rest of this week,” O’Connell said of his coaching staff. “I think it’s important to do, and I think after the success we had this year and coming up short of where we ultimately wanted to get to. I think it’s the right thing to do and I’ll make sure I go through that thorough process in doing so.”
The Vikings were unable to win the NFC North title with a 13-4 record. They finished last in total defense in the NFL and near the bottom in scoring defense. Things didn’t improve in the playoffs as Minnesota gave up 431 yards in a 31-24 first-round loss to the New York Giants last Sunday at U.S. Bank Stadium.
What were the problems? And, more importantly, what are the possible solutions? Let’s take a look.
What amount of blame does Donatell deserve
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O’Connell hired Donatell to install the 3-4 scheme made popular by veteran coordinator and former Broncos coach Vic Fangio. Donatell has been an NFL assistant since 1990 and had defensive coordinator stints with the Packers (2000-03), Falcons (2004-06), Washington (2008) and Fangio’s Broncos (2019-21).
O’Connell was hired by the Vikings after serving as the Rams’ offensive coordinator. He liked the Broncos’ defense because it proved difficult for offensive-minded coaches to solve and figured it would be good for his offense to practice against the scheme, not to mention using it against opponents.
But O’Connell’s expectations were never met. Donatell and O’Connell are both to blame.
The idea of the scheme — which uses 3-4 as a base look but incorporates the 4-3 in nickel — is to have similar two-high looks before the snap. This is intended to confuse the quarterback and lead to secondary in shell looks, which reduces explosive plays.
Defense was the only area where there was confusion. At one point, Donatell’s defense gave up more than 400 yards in six of seven games. It could have been worse, but Minnesota tied for eighth with 25 takeaways in the league and tied for eleventh in third-down defense.
O’Connell gave an interesting assessment of the defense following a particularly poor effort in a 34-23 loss on Dec. 11 in Detroit.
“I think it’s a combination of some things,” O’Connell said. “But I think we need to take a look at what we can do to potentially help our guys be in a position to make more plays, be a little bit more aggressive possibly, but ultimately I think we need to generate more (pass) rush however we do it. Also, try to limit explosives. And what that looks like, it’s a variety of things, but I think if we’re doing our jobs effectively, we’ve got to take a look at it to try to improve our football team.”
If there’s anything, outside of the ineptitude on defense, that should have O’Connell looking to make a change, it was this quote from Donatell after the loss in Detroit. Asked about Hunter’s play as he adjusted from having a hand on the ground in the 4-3 to standing up and rushing the quarterback from a 3-4, Donatell said that he wasn’t too concerned.
“I think he’s getting more comfortable every week. It’ll take the whole year. Standing up and playing in our base is a little new to him, still…”
What about the whole season? That’s ridiculous. At some point, the coordinator will have to adjust to aid the player. That’s what O’Connell did on offense and Donatell didn’t do on defense.
Should the Vikings continue to follow the plan?
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It all depends.
Where O’Connell has to shoulder much of the blame is for wanting to install a system that clearly didn’t fit much of the personnel. This doesn’t absolve Donatell, who needed to make adjustments once it was clear his defense wasn’t working. However O’Connell and his staff needed to understand that guys like Eric Kendricks, Jordan Hicks and others weren’t going to be a great fit.
Opponents had an easy time using speed to win battles against the Vikings’ veteran linebackers. Outside linebackers Danielle Hunter and Za’Darius Smith combined for 20.5 sacks but Hunter was allowed to disappear too often and Smith wasn’t the same after suffering a knee injury in Week 10 at Buffalo.
If the Vikings want to stay with the 3-4, then they will have to overhaul their defense and get younger and quicker. This will mean that many familiar names will be lost. Even if they return to a 4-3, they will need to be faster, but with fewer changes.
Major changes are on the horizon
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Let’s start with Kendricks and Hicks.
Kendricks, who will be 31 years old in the near future, has been a Viking player since 2015 and was once one of the most respected linebackers in the NFL. Kendricks is entering his final year of contract. But, cutting him in this offseason will help the Vikings save $9.5million. Hicks, who will be 31 next season, will save $5 million to the cap if he’s gone.
Cornerback Patrick Peterson (33 next season) and defensive tackle Dalvin Tomlinson (29) will be free agents, and cutting Za’Darius Smith (31) would save $13.7 million in cap room. While safety Harrison Smith (34) is expected to return, he could be asked for a raise. Hunter (29), who has a contract expiring in 2023, is uncertain about his future.
Does he want to play in a scheme that clearly didn’t fit him as well as many expected and what type of contract will he be seeking?
Obviously some of these players will return, but major changes are likely on the way that will leave the Vikings’ defense looking very different next season.
Contributions to the draft class for 2022
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The Vikings got very little help on this side of the ball from general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah’s first draft class.
Cam Bynum was able to beat Georgia safety Lewis Cine (32nd pick) in the first round.
Cine suffered a compound injury to his lower leg while playing on special teams against New Orleans in Week 4. His recovery is going well according to all reports, but he missed important practice and game time.
Andrew Booth, Clemson’s second-round cornerback, was drafted in the draft due to injury concerns. He then had to battle injuries throughout the season. Until Booth proves he can stay on the field, the Vikings won’t be able to rely on him and the teams that stayed away from Booth will look wise for doing so.
Brian Asamoah was a third-round Oklahoma linebacker. He had the same speed as Kendricks, but only saw limited playing. Akayleb Evans was fourth-round’s cornerback. But, he had concussion problems that ended his season. Esezi Okomewo, fifth round defensive end, got in for 89 snaps.
The Vikings are hoping that Cine Booth, Asamoah and Booth will be able to move into their starting roles next year. However, none were able show enough in their rookie season to give them confidence.