The Head Coaching Search and Patrick Graham
K. Joudry
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By this point, you may have heard the news that the Vikings are interviewing Giants DC Patrick Graham. Why are they interviewing him? Well, the most obvious answer is because they just hired Kwesi Adofo-Mensah as their new GM. It seems likely that the new GM wants to bring Graham in for an interview.
Beyond that, though, is a HC candidate with an intriguing resume:
Graham has spent the last two seasons serving as the assistant head coach and defensive coordinator for the Giants, but he truly cut his teeth as a defensive assistant under the tutelage of Bill Belichick with the New England Patriots.
He served as the team’s linebackers’ coach when they defeated the Seattle Seahawks at Super Bowl XLIX in the 2014 season. You can actually trace his major coaching roots all the way back to 2002 at Wagner College, but he has spent the last 13 years coaching in the NFL in at least some capacity.
According to Pro Football Reference, Graham has plenty of experience in college and the NFL. He has been with the Dolphins, Patriots, Packers, and, of course, the Giants. It’s also notable that he is only 43-years-old. The 40-year-old Adofo-Mensah is certainly young to be a GM; being a 43-year-old HC isn’t like Sean McVay, but it is still quite young.
New York’s defense was far from dominant last season. They allowed an average of 24.5 points and 354.8 yards per game. Neither number is particularly inspiring, and yet it is better than Minnesota’s defense. Keep in mind that he wasn’t working with a ton of talent in New York.
At this stage, it would be surprising to see the Vikings opt for Patrick Graham. There has been a fair bit of momentum behind some of the earlier candidates, like DeMeco Ryans. Of course, we’ll need to see what the leadership decides to do. A decision on Minnesota’s head coach could come at basically any point. Stay tuned.
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