Popular NFL Analyst Quips that He’ll be the New Vikings DC in 2023

The State of the Vikings: Week 17
Oct 3, 2021; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Minnesota Vikings mascot, Viktor the Viking, leads the team onto field before the game against the Cleveland Browns at U.S. Bank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Matt Blewett-USA TODAY Sports

Brett Kollmann does some excellent film breakdowns on his YouTube channel. Recently, the popular NFL analyst sent along a tongue-in-cheek tweet suggesting he’d take over as the Vikings’ new DC.

Take a peak:

Amidst some of the doom-and-gloom thinking that’s besetting much of Vikings Twitter, Kollmann’s short declaration functions as some much-needed levity. Behind the humor, there is even an important takeaway.

So far, Minnesota’s search for a new defensive coordinator hasn’t gone particularly smoothly. Most would agree that bringing in a new DC is the right decision. What has been more concerning, though, is that several of the team’s preferred candidates have decided to go elsewhere.

Jan 15, 2023; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Minnesota Vikings defensive coordinator Ed Donatell looks on before a wild card game against the New York Giants at U.S. Bank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Matt Krohn-USA TODAY Sports

We’ve seen Minnesota participate in four interviews. In one instance, a candidate took a defensive coordinator position elsewhere (Ryan Nielsen). In another instance, a candidate took himself out of the running so he could focus on a different opportunity (Sean Desai).

Heck, we’ve seen a DC not even make it into the building for an interview even though there appeared to be strong mutual interest (Ejiro Evero).

Brian Flores remains a coaching free agent. Mike Pettine – the team’s assistant head coach – is another option. Otherwise, one wonders about other candidates the team hasn’t yet interviewed, especially if Flores ends up going with a different opportunity than the one that’s available in Minnesota.

Aug 24, 2020; Milwaukee, WI, USA; Green Bay Packers defensive coordinator Mike Pettine is shown Monday, August 24, 2020 during the team’s training camp in Green Bay, Wis. Mandatory Credit: Mark Hoffman/Milwaukee Journal Sentinel-USA TODAY NETWORK

During the season, Kollmann did a video breaking down Minnesota’s defense. The title of the video? The Vikings Defense is Hilariously Bad.

Many fans around the NFL may have been laughing – especially those with a Wisconsin zip code – but Minnesota’s beleaguered fans failed to see the humor in the situation. The team regularly failed to fluster the opposing QB. Far too often we were subject to long stretches of football where the QB would easily find an open man. Perhaps the preemiment example simply rests in the playoffs when Daniel Jones put together a marvellous effort before totally flopping against the Eagles the next week.

In the end, the Vikings finished the year with the 28th-ranked defense by allowing an average of 25.1 points per game. That tied them with the Colts. Folks, it’s best to avoid being tied with the Colts in major statistical categories, especially when the goal is to compete for a Super Bowl.

Minnesota’s leadership appears committed to competing in the upcoming season. Being able to do so will require a substantially better defense. The first step rests in bringing in a tremendous defensive coordinator.

Up until this point, that goal has been difficult to achieve. Expect the Vikings to make a decision about their open DC spot sooner rather than later. If all else fails, perhaps they could even kick things over to a popular NFL analyst to see if he’s got any ideas for 2023 improvement.

Editor’s Note: Information from Pro Football Reference helped with this piece.

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