Kevin O’Connell Confirms Key Personnel Decision
When Kevin O’Connell joined the Vikings to become Mike Zimmer’s successor at the top coaching position in 2022, he hired Ed Donatell to run his defense. It didn’t take long, however, to figure out that changes had to be made following the playoff debacle in January of 2023.
Kevin O’Connell Confirms Key Personnel Decision
Donatell was quickly let go, and the young coach had to find a different wingman, someone who was ‒ just like him ‒ a mad scientist but on the other side of the ball. That defensive mastermind was found in Pittsburgh, where former Dolphins head coach Brian Flores was working as a linebackers coach.
In 2023, Flores implemented a rather crazy defensive system that caught some teams off guard with his absurd number of blitzes. Later in the season, his unit fell apart, and it was quite obvious that his scheme was a bandaid, which was necessary because the defensive personnel could only do so much.
Last season, though, Flores elevated his group to the elite tier of NFL defenses with the help of reinforcements Andrew Van Ginkel, Jonathan Greenard, and Blake Cashman, as well as one-year cornerbacks Stephon Gilmore and Shaq Griffin.
In the 2024 offseason, Flores couldn’t get any traction as a head coaching candidate. This time, he interviewed for three jobs. All three ‒ Bears, Jets, Jaguars ‒ hired someone else.
That’s good news for the Vikings. The final job opening is in New Orleans, but the Saints are expected to hire Kellen Moore after the Super Bowl. Of course, until it is official, there’s a chance they reconsider. With him not even earning an interview, though, seeing him in that position would be a considerable shock.
On Friday, a day after landing Coach of the Year honors as the second Vikings coach (Bud Grant in 1969), head coach O’Connell confirmed the return of his premier assistant. In an appearance on PFT Live, he said:
“I can’t speak more highly about what Brian Flores has brought to Minnesota,” O’Connell declared. “When we identified him as the guy that we wanted to bring in coming off the 2022 season, he has been fantastic. Scheme, relationship with players, my personal relationship with him, how we build our team. I think Brian Flores should be a head coach in the National Football League. He will be again…But, at the same time, we feel like we’ve got some unfinished business together in Minnesota and we can’t wait to get to work for 2025.”
Flores’ unit ranked second in defensive EPA/Play, fifth in points allowed, ninth in yards per play allowed, and first in turnovers.
Although the coaching staff on the defensive side hasn’t changed a bit, the defense might look a lot different in the next season, especially the secondary.
The top four cornerbacks ‒ Byron Murphy, Stephon Gilmore, Shaq Griffin, and Fabian Moreau ‒ are scheduled to become free agents in March, just like the two starting safeties Cam Bynum and Harrison Smith.
On the flip side, general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah has some cap space to spend to fill those voids and perhaps go after one of the available defensive tackles to bolster one of the team’s weaknesses.
Adding players that fit Flores’ scheme has worked wonders in 2024, and another step could be taken in a few weeks when free agency opens.
Flores, 43, will spend another season in the Twin Cities.
Janik Eckardt is a football fan who likes numbers and stats. The Vikings became his favorite team despite their quarterback at the time, Christian Ponder. He is a walking soccer encyclopedia, loves watching sitcoms, and prefers Classic rock over other genres. Follow him on Twitter if you like the Vikings: @JanikEckardt