Minnesota Vikings Should Have Fired "Defensive" Coordinator Ed Donatell Mid-Season

Donatell said the postseason is the defense's opportunity to shine. I thought he meant for the Vikings - I guess he meant for their opponents to shine. Donatell will be looking for a job later this week.

He had to cross out the "D" because we didn't have one today.

They were never going to fire him mid season when they were winning games. He will be gone before the week is over and they will make the replacement. Promising future for this team.

Donatell's a huge problem, but not all of it. We have edge rushers who can't find the edge, no one can cover the receivers from any team, and I've never seen more missed tackles in a season. Donatell's play calling is bad, but even if it wasn't, the defense couldn't execute it. I don't know if everyone got old all at once, but they just look 2 steps slower than any other defense I watched this year.

So right Andy, this is on KOC. He's responsible for keeping Ed and a 29th ranked defense that was set up for a one and done.

A first year head coach can't fire a coordinator mid season or no one good will come thinking coach is to emotional, however tomorrow is the time.

This one really hurt. Donatell shouldn’t be allowed near Minnesota again, watching the game knowing they’re going to pass on a short pass, and seeing the defense play 10 to 15 yards back makes me want to cry. I’ve got hope for next year. A lot of defensive moves, obviously cap space isn’t our friend, I could see trades. But I’m more so worried about the defense. We need to see what Kwesi can do in an offseason and I am excited. Besides the negatives, what a good season. Bills game, 33-0 Comeback, Thanksgiving Win, having records broken, defensive celebrations, KOC shining, a good season.

Like I said earlier in the post game show. ED sabotaged the team. When he gives the answer in an interview about him not caring about yardage or points, that was when you knew he didn`t care about winning and wanted to do whatever he wants. Btw my name is pronounced Chaotic, just spelled different lol Keep up the good work!

This team hurts me too much and plays with my emotions😢😢😢

My theory about KOC with Ed is that he wanted to project to the league that he is a patient HC. Otherwise it may ward off future prospects with their HC having a short leash. I think this year was about introducing himself to the league so to speak.

Ed never seems to believe in blitzing the opposing QBs and allowing them to sit back and throw complete pass after complete pass. So this podcast read my mind -thank you. Game after game I'm saying to myself the QB beats us by sitting in a lawn chair and throwing. We had the worst points allowed and double that of the 49ers.

I’ve been a Vikings fan since 1987, what a fabulous year they were like one play away from playing the Broncos in the Super Bowl at a very exciting offense with Anthony Carter and an excellent defense with Keith Millard and Chris Dallmann, going into the 90s they have fabulous players also like John Randall Chris Carter Randy Moss, but to the present I’m a bit concerned even about our general manager, very well spoken and very intelligent guy, and when you listen to him speak(And I’m a black American so this is no slight) Poles the general manager for the Bears doesn’t hold a candle stick to him. But the one thing poles has is he has a strong football knowledge and background. Our guy, is like a college Stanford grad with Wall Street background but he uses analytical measurements, and how did that work for us when Detroit moved like 20 picks up in a trade with us, and our football guy would’ve got a lot more out of that pick especially since it was a division Opponent. So I think some of his selections were not great selections and I also think he lost every single trade especially the one with Detroit and Green Bay and even possibly the one with Indianapolis. Secondly as far as KOC is concerned he needs to either find an office of coordinator or allow the present offensive coordinator to call the plays ,I think he ran into a lot of struggles this year with time management and also playcalling, maybe he just needs to focus on being the head coach there’s very few coaches they can really be an office of coordinator at the same time one of them being Andy Reid.

Absolutely nothing changed the second half of the season when we were all bringing up that Donatell needed to be fired. KOC needs to grow a pair.

Excellent rant Andy. Excellent points. As you know, I do believe that KO'C decided that he wanted a 3-4 defence, found the guy who he felt could facilitate the transition to a 3-4 while encouraging the team culture that Kwesi A-M & KO'C set out to create. That guy was Ed Don-a-Shell. I also think that Don-a-Shell, who is not a total idiot, could sense that the roster did not have the right experience/talent for a 3-4, so he decided to create a passive defence that could bend, but not break, until the players had learned how to play in a 3-4. Obviously it was not working, and that's where your point re KO'C not managing the situation becomes so relevant. At the bye week, it was clear that the defence was not working, and KO'C did not push hard enough on Don-a-Shell to solve the problem. I will also repeat another thought...that the lack of solution re awful defence was a result of KO'C and Kwesi A-M not fully understanding how hungry the fan base is for success, and the fact that they refused to bend from their 'vision' and plan of action for the Vikes in order to have greater success this year. If that's the case, then they sure as heck had better make sure that fans have even more to cheer about next year! What also frustrates me is that, yes, there IS plenty of talent on defence, however if KO'C is going to insist on a 3-4 going forward, the Vikes will need to move on from a number of talented players who have been great leaders in the locker room this year. Sure, moving on from Hicks, Kendricks, Harrison Smith, Peterson, Z Smith, and Hunter could provide an opportunity to add young blood & more speed, but these are the same guys that also did so much to take KO'C's ideas for a new team culture and make it a reality. So, KO'C and Kwesi A-M and assistant coaches are going to have a really tough job deciding on how the defence can get a major overhaul, while at the same time not losing the many positives this team has.

Completely agree Andy and maybe Kwasi was the one saying No on firing Ed

Wink Martindale went from his crazy blitz from all over pressure defense the last game to a 4 man rush with 6 D backs playing quarters or two deep safety with man under. On offense, the Giants ran Daniel Jones on certain plays. He was scrambling a lot too. I think it was probably by design. He did not run as much the last game. The Giants coaching staff learned something from the last game. They adapted to what the Vikes were going to do. The Viking coaching staff did the same old same old. It looks to me like they game planned for the last Giants game, and they did not try to figure out how to adapt.

Donatell really has to go! Have you seen our schedule for 2023? They better start revamping tomorrow!

It is not just about Donatell but the choice to go to 3-4 from the 4-3. Both Hunter and Smith had fewer sacks than projected and the inside line backers were exposed as old and slow. We also were in the bottom 10 in blitz rate, which is fine if you can get pressure without but when you are being sliced to death anyway, no downside to being more aggressive.

This is sad, but true. He should've been gone. Yes, some of the players are older, but this defense looked too soft and confused. JJ sat there early on looking like we're going to lose today 😕 Everyone knew this defense was weak. Hopefully, changes are made. Still love the Vikes! 💜💛 #SKOL

Firing Donatell is only a fraction of what the team needs to do. Truth be told we should've tore it down last off-season and started to do a true rebuild then. By not doing so it set the franchise back another year The defense is old and slow with an embarrassingly bad and predictable scheme. The offense needs at least one more weapon opposite of JJ. If teams take him away, we really have no answer who is an explosive downfield threat. Hock is good, but more of a dip and dunk type of threat. Unfortunately thielen is washed. With last year's draft not really leaving a mark as of yet ( they still could) and the Vikings only having 4 draft picks next year - along with a team full of aging veterans, it's hard for me to have an optimistic outlook on the short and medium term future of this team. I'm afraid the next few years could be painful - though that could be a good thing if it's due to a tear down and rebuild and the growing pains that come with the territory. I just wish it started last year. The "competitive rebuild" bogus they were trying to sell was a sham.